Meeting notification and modification service

• US 8,489,329 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Coughlin, Stephen J., Meisels, Adrienne C., Greenberg, Steven E.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US13/620,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 305 Days
• Field of Search: 701/300, 701/465, 701/527, 701/533, 705/7.16, 705/7.18, 705/7.19
• US Class Current: 701/465
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

Techniques are described for providing a meeting notification and automatic modification service. A system may be configured to identify an appointment in a calendar application, identify a geographic location of the appointment, and identify, before the appointment time, a geographic location of a first participant of the appointment. Based on the geographic information, the system may identify a route extending from the geographic location of the first participant to the geographic location of the appointment, and may identify a travel time associated with the route. Based on the travel time and the appointment time, the system may determine whether the first participant is estimated to arrive at the appointment on time and, based on the determination, the system may send a message to participants of the appointment or dynamically reschedule the appointment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, using at least one processor, a geographic location and a start time associated with an appointment in a calendar application;

identifying a travel route for a first participant traveling to the geographic location associated with the appointment;

estimating a time corresponding to an arrival of the first participant at the geographic location associated with the appointment;

determining that the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to the start time of the appointment; and

enabling presentation of at least one graphical user interface comprising;

a message indicating that the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to the start time of the appointment; and

at least on selectable option for avoiding a scheduling conflict.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one graphical user interface further comprises at least one of:

a current time;

a current geographic location of the first participant;

the geographic location associated with the appointment in the calendar application;

the start time associated with the appointment in the calendar application;

or

a travel time between the current geographic location of the first participant and the geographic location associated with the appointment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one graphical user interface further comprises contact information for one or more additional participants associated with the appointment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one selectable option comprises an option for sending a message to one or more additional participants associated with the appointment informing them of the estimated arrival time of the first participant.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the message to the one or more additional participants further comprises a current geographic location of the first participant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one selectable option comprises an option for rescheduling the appointment in the calendar application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein rescheduling the appointment in the calendar application further comprises sending a reschedule request to one or more additional participants associated with the appointment.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the reschedule request includes a reason for rescheduling the appointment.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the reschedule request is integrated with an address book or calendar information associated with the one or more additional participants.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising identifying a mutually convenient date and time for all appointment participants.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one selectable option comprises an option for changing the modality of travel for the travel of the first participant to the geographic location associated with the appointment.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically selecting at least one option for avoiding a scheduling conflict based on one or more stored user preferences.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed on a processor causes the processor to perform a method comprising:

identifying a geographic location and a start time associated with an appointment in a calendar application;

identifying a travel route for a first participant traveling to the geographic location associated with the appointment;

estimating a time corresponding to an arrival of the first participant at the geographic location associated with the appointment;

determining that the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to the start time of the appointment; and

enabling presentation of at least one graphical user interface comprising;

a message indicating that the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to the start time of the appointment; and

at least one selectable option for avoiding a scheduling conflict.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the at least one selectable option comprises an option for sending a message to one or more additional participants associated with the appointment to inform them of the estimated arrival time of the first participant.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the at least one selectable option comprises an option for rescheduling the appointment.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the at least one selectable option comprises an option for changing the modality of travel for the travel of the first participant to the geographic location associated with the appointment.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising automatically selecting at least one option for avoiding a scheduling conflict based on one or more stored user preferences.

18. A mobile device comprising:

a display;

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to;

identify a geographical location and a start time associated with an appointment in a calendar application;

identify a travel route for a participant traveling to the geographic location associated with the appointment;

estimate a time corresponding to an arrival of the participant at the geographic location associated with the appointment;

determine that the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to the start time of the appointment; and

enable presentation of at least one graphical user interface comprising;

a message indicating that the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to the start time of the appointment; and

at least one selectable option for avoiding a scheduling conflict.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the at least one selectable option comprises an option for sending a message to one or more additional participants associated with the appointment to inform them of the estimated arrival time of the first participant.

20. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the at least one selectable option comprises an option for rescheduling the appointment.

21. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the at least one selectable option comprises an option for changing the modality of travel for the travel of the first participant to the geographic location associated with the appointment.

22. The mobile device of claim 18, further comprising automatically selecting at least one option for avoiding a scheduling conflict based on one or more stored user preferences.