Family organization and communication tool

• US 8,523,571 B1
• Filed: 03/09/2005
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ourfamilywizard LLC
• Original Assignee: Avirat, Inc.
• Inventors: Volker, Paul, Kissoon, Jainarain R., Kissoon, Deonarine, Kissoon, Kathleen, Patterson, Lawrence, Wegener-Volker, Dara
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Xuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): CARLOS, ALVIN LEABRES
• Application Number:
  US11/075,536
• Time in Patent Office: 3,100 Days
• Field of Search: 434/108, 434/236, 434/238, 705 8- 9, 705/1, 715/703, 715/764, 715/963, 715/733
• US Class Current: 434/108
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment

Abstract

A family organization and communication tool is preferably provided via a web site that enables internet access by both parents and their children. The tool provides features for the managing, scheduling and sharing of information among the parents and children of blended families. Specifically, the tool provides for an access schedule calendar to which can be posted specific events requiring the pick up and drop off responsibilities of a parent. Additionally, the tool provides a means for electronically requesting a swap or trade in days of responsibility for a child and the tool provides for an “ask and approve” expense log for the sharing of children'"'"'s expenses among parents. The tool further provides for date and time stamping of access by the parents or children to each web page within the tool and for protected entries, entries that can only be edited or deleted by the original creator.

Claims

1. A computer based access schedule system for managing, scheduling, and sharing of information related to day-based obligatory commitments of a plurality of parents of a blended family regarding at least one child of said blended family for which said plurality of parents are responsible, comprising:

a first computing device including at least one processor;

instructions executable on said at least one processor adapted to cause said first computing device to;

define a set of at least two parents for each of said at least one child of said blended family, who each have day-based obligatory commitments regarding said at least one child, and wherein there is at least one parent of said set of parents assigned to at least one day-based obligatory commitment for each of said at least one child for each day of the week for an indicated time period;

accept from at least one authorized user, including users other than said set of parents, information relating to day-based obligatory commitments of said set of parents;

store information relating to said day-based obligatory commitments of said set of parents, including at least date information for each of said day-based obligatory commitments;

generating a web page viewable by a user through a display coupled to a second computing device communicatively coupled to said first computing device over a network, the web page including a visual representation of an access schedule, wherein said access schedule is based on said information stored relating to said day-based obligatory commitments and includes at least one indication of which parent of said set of parents has a day-based obligatory commitment regarding said at least one child of said blended family for each day of the week for said indicated time period, wherein said instructions executable on said at least one processor are adapted to cause said first computing device to provide at least one user un-modifiable indication of a last time each parent of said set of parents accessed said access schedule by providing the web page to the second computing device, wherein the user un-modifiable indication is accessible via the first computing device; and

wherein the webpage is viewable by an authorized third party other than the set of parents

generating and providing to a first parent a request form presenting at least one second parent of said set of parents and enabling said first parent to electronically request, by submission of said form, from said second parent a proposed swap of one or more day-based obligatory commitments initially assigned to said first parent in exchange for one or more day-based obligatory commitments initially assigned to said second parent, said request form comprising;

a parent selection field arranged such that said first parent is provided an ability to electronically select at least one parent of said set of parents to request said proposed swap from;

a date designation field arranged such that said first parent is provided an ability to electronically select one or more proposed dates of said one or more day-based obligatory commitments assigned to said first parent for which said proposed swap of the day-based obligatory commitment assigned to said second parent is desired;

a trade indication field providing said first parent an ability to indicate an offer to trade for one or more day-based obligatory commitments initially assigned to said first parent;

a respond by field arranged such that said first parent is provided an ability to electronically input a date so as to indicate a time period for which said request for said proposed swap is valid;

process information input through said request form to determine whether any scheduling conflicts based on said information stored relating to said day-based obligatory commitments have been or will be caused by said proposed swap, wherein if a scheduling conflict exists, provide an indication of said conflict, and wherein if a scheduling conflict does not exist, process said information input through said request form in order to provide an indication on said access schedule of the request, wherein said indication is provided as a selectable icon associated with one or more dates on said access schedule such that user selection of said selectable icon provides a user with details of said proposed swap;

upon receiving an indication of said first parent selection of said selectable icon, further provide said first parent with an ability via said access schedule to electronically submit or withdraw said proposed swap;

upon receiving said user selection to submit said proposed swap, provide to other users through a display coupled to a third computing device communicatively coupled to said first computing device over a network a web page that includes a visual representation of said access schedule updated to include said proposed swap;

monitor said proposed swap via said updated access schedule so as to allow said second parent to accept or reject said proposed swap only during said time period for which said request for said proposed swap is valid;

provide a status indication to said first parent indicating whether or not said second parent has viewed said proposed swap; and

upon receiving an indication of said second parent to accept said proposed swap, automatically update said access schedule and publish said access schedule through a display coupled to a computing device communicatively coupled to said first computing device over a network a web page that includes a visual representation of said access schedule updated to reflect on said access schedule that said first parent is responsible for said one or more commitments initially assigned to said other, second parent as indicated in said proposed swap and said second parent is responsible for said one or more commitments initially assigned to said first parent as indicated in said proposed swap.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said instructions executable on said at least one processor adapted to cause said first computing device to accept from a user information relating to day-based obligatory commitments of said set of parents includes information relating to day-based obligatory commitments of genetic parents, legal parents, spouses of parents, grandparents, siblings, or other members of a blended family who are responsible for said one or more children.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one indication of a day-based obligatory commitment of said at least one parent of said set of parents includes at least one color code indicating which parent of said set of parents has said day-based obligatory commitment.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said instructions executable on said at least one processor adapted to cause said first computing device further include instructions to, upon receiving said indication of said second parent to accept said proposed swap, automatically update said access schedule to update said color code for said day-based obligatory commitment to reflect a swap of responsibilities between said first parent and said second parent;

and

upon receiving said indication of said second parent to reject said proposed swap, automatically maintain an existing color code for said day-based obligatory commitment.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one indication of a day-based obligatory commitment of at least one parent of said set of parents includes at least one color code indicating one or more children among a plurality of children of said blended family for who said parent has said day-based obligatory commitment.

6. A computer based method of managing, scheduling, and sharing information among parents and children of blended families, comprising:

at a computer server system coupled to a network, defining a set of at least two parents for each of said at least one child of said blended family, who are permitted to have commitments regarding said at least one child, and wherein there is at least one parent of said set of parents assigned to at least one commitment for each of said at least one child for each day of the week for an indicated time period;

accepting from at least one authorized user, including authorized users other than said set of parents via a first computing device including at least one processor communicatively coupled to said server system over said network, information relating to commitments of said set of parents;

storing, at a computer readable medium coupled to said server system, information relating to said commitments of said set of parents, including at least date information for each of said commitments;

generating and providing, to a user through a display coupled to a second computing device communicatively coupled to said server system over said network a web page, said web page including a visual representation of an access schedule, wherein said access schedule is based on said information stored relating to said commitments, said access schedule including at least one indication of which parent of said set of parents has a commitment regarding at least one child of said blended family for each day of the week for said indicated time period;

generating and providing, to a user, including authorized users other than said set of parents, through the display, at least one user un-modifiable indication of a last time each parent of said set of parents accessed said access schedule by providing on the web page an indication of the last date and time each user viewed the web page;

generating and providing to a first parent through a display coupled to a computing device communicatively coupled to said server system over said network a request form presenting at least one second parent of said set of parents and enabling said first parent to electronically request from said second parent a proposed swap of one or more commitments initially assigned to said first parent for one or more commitments initially assigned to said other, second parent, said providing said request form including;

generating and providing a parent selection field arranged such that said first parent is provided an ability to electronically select at least one of said second parent of said set of parents to request said proposed swap from;

generating and providing a date designation field arranged such that said first user is provided an ability to electronically select one or more proposed dates of said one or more commitments of said first parent on which said proposed swap of the day-based obligatory commitment assigned to said second parent is desired;

generating and providing a trade indication field providing said first parent an ability to indicate an offer to trade for one or more day-based obligatory commitments initially assigned to said first parent;

generating and providing a respond by field arranged such that said first parent is provided an ability to electronically input a date so as to indicate a time period for which said request for said proposed swap is valid;

causing information input through said request form to be processed so as to determine whether any scheduling conflicts based on said information stored relating to said commitments have been or will be caused by said proposed swap by comparing said information input through said request form to information stored relating to said commitment;

if a scheduling conflict exists, providing to said first parent through a display coupled to a computing device communicatively coupled to said server system over said network an indication of said conflict;

if a scheduling conflict does not exist, causing said information input through said request form to be processed in order to provide to a user through a display coupled to a computing device communicatively coupled to said server system over said network an indication on said access schedule of said request, wherein said indication is provided as a selectable icon associated with one or more dates on said access schedule such that user selection of said selectable icon provides a user with details of said proposed swap;

upon receiving said first parent selection to submit said proposed swap, providing to other users through a second display coupled to a computing device communicatively coupled to said server system over said network a web page that includes a visual representation of said access schedule updated to include said proposed swap;

monitoring said proposed swap using said server system via said updated access schedule and allowing said second parent to accept or reject said proposed swap only during said time period for which said request for said proposed swap is valid;

providing a status indication to said first parent indicating whether or not said second parent has viewed said proposed swap; and

upon receiving an indication of said second parent to accept said proposed swap, causing said server system to automatically update said access schedule and publishing said access schedule through a display coupled to a computing device communicatively coupled to a computing device over said network a web page that includes a visual representation of said access schedule and reflecting on said access schedule that said first parent is responsible for said one or more commitments initially assigned to said other, second parent as indicated in said proposed swap and said second parent is responsible for said one or more commitments initially assigned to said first parent as indicated in said proposed swap.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said providing, to a user through a display coupled to a computing device communicatively coupled to said server system over said network a web page, said web page including a visual representation of an access schedule, wherein said access schedule is based on said information stored relating to said commitments, said access schedule including at least one indication of a commitment of at least one parent of said set of parents regarding an event involving at least one child of said blended family includes indicating:

a start time for an event;

an end time for an event;

one or more dates for an event;

what child among a plurality of children of said blended family said event is related to;

what parent of said set of parents is committed to drop off said one or more children of said blended family at an event;

what parent of said set of parents is committed to remain with said one or more children of said blended family for a duration of an event;

what parent of said set of parents is committed to pick up said one or more children of said blended family from an event.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said providing, to a user through a display coupled to a computing device communicatively coupled to said server system over said network a web page, said web page including a visual representation of an access schedule, wherein said access schedule is based on said information stored relating to said commitments, said access schedule including at least one indication of a commitment of at least one parent of said set of parents regarding an event involving at least one child of said blended family includes providing at least one color code indicating which parent of said set of parents has said commitment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein automatically updating said access schedule and publishing said access schedule through a display coupled to a computing device communicatively coupled to said server system over said network a web page that includes a visual representation of said access schedule and reflecting on said access schedule that said first parent is responsible for said one or more commitments initially assigned to said other, second parent as indicated in said proposed swap and said second parent is responsible for said one or more commitments initially assigned to said first parent in said proposed swap includes automatically updating said access schedule to update said color code to reflect on said access schedule that said first parent is responsible for said one or more commitments initially assigned to said other, second parent as indicated in said proposed swap and said second parent is responsible for said one or more commitments initially assigned to said first parent as indicated in said proposed swap.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said providing, to a user through a display coupled to a second computing device communicatively coupled to said server system over said network a web page, said web page including a visual representation of an access schedule, wherein said access schedule is based on said information stored relating to said commitments, said access schedule including at least one indication of a commitment of at least one parent of said set of parents regarding an event involving at least one child of said blended family includes providing at least one color code indicating which child among a plurality of children is associated with said event.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein said at least one commitment is a day-based obligatory commitment.

12. A computer implemented method comprising:

storing a schedule on a computer readable storage device for a child defining periods the child is scheduled to spend with each of two parents;

providing access to the schedule to each parent via networked computing devices;

providing a swap form to facilitate selection of two different proposed periods to swap between the parents by one parent;

providing the selected proposed periods to swap by one parent to the other parent as a schedule swap;

allowing the other parent to accept the schedule swap; and

changing the stored schedule of the child to reflect the swap of periods when accepted by the other parent, wherein access to the schedule and the swap form are presented to the parents and an authorized third party user as web pages with time stamps representative of the last time the web pages were viewed by each parent, wherein the computer tracks when the web pages was provided to the other parent, and wherein the web pages provide at least one user un-modifiable indication of a last time each parent of said set of parents accessed said access schedule.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 12 wherein periods on the schedule are color coded with a parent unique color to associate periods with parents.