Scheduling and searching meetings in a network environment

• US 8,171,104 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Qi, Xiaoying
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US11/305,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20070143399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,329 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063118 Staff planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and program for scheduling and searching meetings in a network environment. A form is transmitted over a network to be rendered at an organizer computer to enable entry of information on a meeting. The form is received having organizer entered information on one meeting. The information in the received form is stored in a meeting database, wherein the stored information from the received form is associated with the meeting identified in the received form. A user computer accessed by a user is enabled to register for at least one selected meeting. An email database accessed by the user is updated automatically to include information on the at least one selected meeting indicated.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium device including code executed to communicate with an organizer computer and user computer, a meeting database, and an email database over a network, and to perform operations, the operations comprising:

transmitting a meeting creation form over the network to be rendered at the organizer computer to enable entry of information on a meeting;

receiving the meeting creation form having organizer entered information on one meeting;

storing the information in the received meeting creation form in the meeting database, wherein the stored information from the received meeting creation form is associated with the meeting identified in the received meeting creation form;

transmitting a registration form to the user computer indicating at least one meeting in the meeting database and including graphical controls including a displayed register button, wherein selection of the register button automatically causes transmission of a message to the meeting database to register in the meeting database the user for at least one selected meeting indicated in the registration form and automatically causes an update of the email database and an electronic calendar in the email database accessed by the user to include information on the at least one selected meeting to which the user has registered, wherein the email database and the meeting database execute within different systems in different runtime environments, wherein the systems including the email database and the meeting database communicate over the network.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the selection of the displayed register button comprises a single click selection of the displayed register button at the user computer.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 1, further comprising:

indicating the user as an attendee of the at least one selected meeting in response to the user computer registering for the at least one selected meeting.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the information for the meeting includes message addresses of invitees to the meeting, wherein the operations further comprise:

enabling the user at the user computer to invoke a search for meetings in the meeting database; and

transmitting search results to the user computer identifying meetings for which the user is not one of the invitees of the meeting indicated in the meeting database in response to the search, wherein the at least one selected meeting to which the user registers comprises one or more meetings indicated in the search results.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a page of information on the meetings added to the meeting database accessible at a network address, wherein the transmitted search results identifying meetings further includes links to the network addresses of the generated pages for the meetings identified in the search results to enable the user to access the page of information from the search results.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 4, wherein enabling the user to search for meetings and register for at least one of the meetings indicated in the search results further comprises:

transmitting a search form to the user computer over the network, wherein the search form enables the user computer to enter a search request to search meetings stored in the meeting database, wherein the transmitted search results satisfy the search request; and

receiving a registration request from the user computer with respect to at least one of the meetings identified in the search results, wherein the user is added as an invitee to the at least one meeting indicated in the registration request.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

adding a message address of the user to the meeting database as one invitee for the meeting identified in the received registration request; and

transmitting an electronic invitation message to the message address of the user providing information enabling the user to transmit information to add the user as an attendee of the meeting.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the information for the meetings includes information on message addresses of invitees, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting an electronic invitation message to the message addresses of the invitees providing information enabling the invitees to transmit information to update the meeting database indicating the invitee as an attendee of the meeting.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the meeting creation form enables the organizer to enter a network address of a broadcast of the meeting over the network which the user computer is capable of receiving during the scheduled time of the meeting or a telephone number of the meeting.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the information for the meeting includes message addresses of invitees to the meeting, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting an invitee form to the message address of one of the invitees to enable the invitee to remove themselves as an attendee or invitee of the meeting in the meeting database.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a page of information on the meetings added to the meeting database accessible at a network address, wherein the page of information includes information to enable the user to access the meeting at the user computer.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the information for the meeting includes message addresses of invitees to the meeting, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting an update form to the organizer computer to enable the organizer to update information in the meeting database for the meeting; and

generating and transmitting electronic messages to message addresses of invitees for the meeting indicating the updated information in the meeting database for the meeting.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the email database and the meeting database are further implemented in different application environments.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprising:

enabling the user at the user computer to invoke a search for meetings in the meeting database;

transmitting search results to the user computer identifying meetings for which the user is not one of the invitees of the meeting indicated in the meeting database satisfying the search;

receiving a registration request from the user computer with respect to at least one of the meetings identified in the search results transmitted to the user computer in the search form;

adding the user as an invitee to the at least one meeting indicated in the registration request; and

transmitting an update to the email database to automatically update the electronic calendar of the user email database to include information on the at least one selected meeting identified in the search results that is indicated in the registration request.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting a plurality of instances of the registration form to multiple users to enable the user to select the displayed register button to automatically register for the selected meeting in the meeting database and update the electronic calendar in the email database of the users selecting the register button with information on the meeting.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by a meeting manager executing in the system including the meeting database, a registration request transmitted from the user computer in response to the user selecting at least one of the graphical controls in the registration form to add the user as an attendee of the meeting; and

in response to receiving the registration request, adding, by the meeting manager, the user as an attendee of the meeting in the meeting database and updating the registering user'"'"'s electronic calendar in the registering user'"'"'s email database to include information on the at least one selected meeting.

17. A system in communication with an organizer computer and user computer over a network, comprising:

a processor;

a meeting database;

an email database;

a computer readable medium including code executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

transmitting a meeting creation form over the network to be rendered at the organizer computer to enable entry of information on a meeting;

receiving the meeting creation form having organizer entered information on one meeting;

storing the information in the received meeting creation form in the meeting database, wherein the stored information from the received meeting creation form is associated with the meeting identified in the received meeting creation form;

transmitting a registration form to the user computer indicating at least one meeting in the meeting database and including graphical controls including a displayed register button, wherein selection of the register button automatically causes transmission of a message to the meeting database to register the user for at least one selected meeting indicated in the registration form and automatically causes an update of the email database and an electronic calendar in the email database accessed by the user to include information on the at least one selected meeting to which the user has registered, wherein the email database and the meeting database execute within different systems in different runtime environments, wherein the systems including the email database and the meeting database communicate over the network.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the selection of the displayed register button comprises a single click selection of the displayed register button at the user computer.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the information for the meeting includes message addresses of invitees to the meeting, wherein the operations further comprise:

enabling the user at the user computer to invoke a search for meetings in the meeting database; and

transmitting search results to the user computer identifying meetings for which the user is not one of the invitees of the meeting indicated in the meeting database in response to the search, wherein the at least one selected meeting to which the user registers comprises one or more meetings indicated in the search results.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein enabling the user to search for meetings and register for at least one of the meetings indicated in the search results further comprises:

transmitting a search form to the user computer over the network, wherein the search form enables the user computer to enter a search request to search meetings stored in the meeting database, wherein the transmitted search results satisfy the search request; and

receiving a registration request from the user computer with respect to at least one of the meetings identified in the search results, wherein the user is added as an invitee to the at least one meeting indicated in the registration request.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a page of information on the meetings added to the meeting database accessible at a network address, wherein the transmitted search results identifying meetings further includes links to the network addresses of the generated pages for the meetings identified in the search results to enable the user to access the page of information from the search results.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the information for the meetings includes information on message addresses of invitees, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting an electronic invitation message to the message addresses of the invitees providing information enabling the invitees to transmit information to update the meeting database indicating the invitee as an attendee of the meeting.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the meeting creation form enables the organizer to enter a network address of a broadcast of the meeting over the network which the user computer is capable of receiving during the scheduled time of the meeting or a telephone number of the meeting.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a page of information on the meetings added to the meeting database accessible at a network address, wherein the page of information includes information to enable the user to access the meeting at the user computer.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the email database and the meeting database are further implemented in different application environments.

26. A method, comprising:

transmitting a meeting creation form over a network to be rendered at an organizer computer to enable entry of information on a meeting;

receiving the meeting creation form having organizer entered information on one meeting;

storing the information in the received meeting creation form in a meeting database, wherein the stored information from the received meeting creation form is associated with the meeting identified in the received meeting creation form;

transmitting a registration form to a user computer indicating at least one meeting in the meeting database and including graphical controls including a displayed register button, wherein selection of the register button automatically causes transmission of a message to the meeting database to register the user for at least one selected meeting indicated in the registration form and automatically causes an update of an email database and an electronic calendar in the email database accessed by the user to include information on the at least one selected meeting to which the user has registered, wherein the email database and the meeting database execute within different systems in different runtime environments, wherein the systems including the email database and the meeting database communicate over the network.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the displayed selection of the register button comprises a single click selection of the displayed register button at the user computer.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the information for the meeting includes message addresses of invitees to the meeting, further comprising:

enabling the user at the user computer to invoke a search for meetings in the meeting database; and

transmitting search results to the user computer identifying meetings for which the user is not one of the invitees of the meeting indicated in the meeting database in response to the search, wherein the at least one selected meeting to which the user registers comprises one or more meetings indicated in the search results.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein enabling the user to search for meetings and register for at least one of the meetings indicated in the search results further comprises:

transmitting a search form to the user computer over the network, wherein the search form enables the user computer to enter a search request to search meetings stored in the meeting database, wherein the transmitted search results satisfy the search request; and

receiving a registration request from the user computer with respect to at least one of the meetings identified in the search results, wherein the user is added as an invitee to the at least one meeting indicated in the registration request.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

generating a page of information on the meetings added to the meeting database accessible at a network address, wherein the search results identifying meetings further includes links to the network addresses of the generated pages for the meetings identified in the search results to enable the user to access the page of information from the search results.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the information for the meetings includes information on message addresses of invitees, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting an electronic invitation message to the message addresses of the invitees providing information enabling the invitees to transmit information to update the meeting database indicating the invitee as an attendee of the meeting.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the meeting creation form enables the organizer to enter a network address of a broadcast of the meeting over the network which the user computer is capable of receiving during the scheduled time of the meeting or a telephone number of the meeting.

33. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

generating a page of information on the meetings added to the meeting database accessible at a network address, wherein the page of information includes information to enable the user to access the meeting at the user computer.

34. The method of claim 26, wherein the email database and the meeting database are further implemented in different application environments.