Techniques for visual integration of meeting space in calendar systems

• US 8,799,048 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2008
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Bisht, Jitender
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Gurkanwaljit
• Application Number:
  US12/271,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20100125478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,090 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/7.19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• 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 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Techniques for visual integration of meeting spaces within a calendar system are presented. A meeting room can be viewed via a map and selected for scheduling a meeting. The map depicts the location of the meeting room within a facility of an enterprise. A meeting scheduler visually sees the meeting room within the map and can select the meeting room and acquire details about the meeting room.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method residing in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and for execution on a processing device, the processing device performing the method, comprising:

presenting, by the processing device, an interactive map of an enterprise when a meeting room is requested for a meeting, wherein the interactive map is presented within a calendar application of an email client, the interactive map is a graphical or image presentation representing a blueprint of a single building of the enterprise including rooms, cubicles, the meeting room, other meeting rooms, packing lot, floors, hallways, restrooms, stairs, elevators, recreation rooms, boiler rooms, and closets;

depicting, by the processing device, within the calendar application an availability of the meeting room that is selected by the user from the interactive map; and

scheduling, by the processing device, the meeting with the meeting room for a time slot that includes the availability of the meeting room and other attendees to the meeting and including an estimated travel time to the meeting room based on each attendee'"'"'s location and customizing each attendee'"'"'s calendar system to include the estimated travel time unique to that attendee and a notice reminder that accounts for that attendee'"'"'s estimated travel time, and customizing each email invitation for each attendee to include text directions for that attendee to travel from that attendee'"'"'s location to a meeting location for the meeting room and customizing each email invitation for each attendee to include that attendee'"'"'s estimated travel time from that attendee'"'"'s location to the meeting location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting further includes providing physical dimensions of the meeting room and seating capacity of the meeting room within the calendar application when the user selects the meeting room.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting further includes providing resources available in the meeting room within the calendar application when the user selects the meeting room.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein scheduling further includes sending the email invitations to the other attendees when the meeting is scheduled via the email client.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising, including a link within the email invitations that provide the interactive map.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising, presenting the interactive map within the email invitations with the location of the meeting room highlighted within the presented interactive map.

7. A machine-implemented system, comprising:

a network having an interactive map implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the map processes on the network; and

the network having a calendar service implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the calendar service processes on the network;

wherein the interactive map is automatically activated within a calendar application of an email client by the calendar service to visually depict meeting rooms of a facility for an enterprise, the interactive map is a graphical or image presentation representing a blueprint for the facility, and wherein the calendar service depicts within the interactive map availability of the meeting rooms and locations for the meeting rooms within the facility, and wherein a scheduler can select a particular meeting room for a particular meeting that the scheduler schedules within the calendar application by activating a link for the particular meeting room at a particular time slot depicted within the interactive map and the scheduler can send an email invitation to a particular attendee of the particular meeting and include an estimated travel time for the particular attendee to reach the particular meeting room based on an attendee'"'"'s location, and when the email invitation is accepted by the particular attendee, a calendar system of the particular attendee schedules the particular meeting and sets a notice reminder for attending that accounts for the estimated travel time for the particular attendee to reach the particular meeting room, and provide with the email invitation customized text directions for the particular attendee to travel from the attendee'"'"'s location to a meeting location for the particular meeting room along with the particular attendee'"'"'s estimated travel time from the attendee'"'"'s location to the meeting location.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein calendar application and calendar service are integrated within an email system.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the interactive map includes links to other interactive maps for other facilities of an enterprise.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the interactive map includes at least one link to a video camera that provides a real-time feed to view the particular meeting room.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the interactive map is included within emails sent to attendees of the particular meeting.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the interactive map includes links and when the links are activated include information describing resources of each of the meeting rooms, seating capacities for each of the meeting rooms, and/or physical dimensions for each of the meeting rooms.

13. A machine-implemented system, comprising:

a network having an email client implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the email client processing on the network; and

the network having a calendar system implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the calendar system processing on the network;

wherein the email client integrates the calendar system, and wherein the calendar system permits a meeting room to be located, scheduled, and viewed via a map of a facility where the meeting room is located, the map is a graphical or image presentation of a blueprint for the facility, and wherein the calendar system includes travel times for attendees to reach the meeting room for scheduled meetings based on locations of the attendees and a meeting location for the meeting room the travel times are included in email invitations sent from the calendar system and each email invitation is customized for each attendee and provides customized text instructions for that attendee to travel from that attendee'"'"'s location to the meeting location as well as that attendee'"'"'s travel time for reaching the meeting location and when each email invitation is accepted by each attendee that attendee'"'"'s calendar system schedules a meeting and sets a notice reminder for attending the meeting that accounts for that attendee'"'"'s travel time from that attendee'"'"'s location to the meeting location.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the map is an interactive map that permits a user to view an availability of the meeting room, discover resources associated with the meeting room, schedule the meeting room to a meeting for a particular time slot, and acquire directions from a present location to the meeting room.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the map is included with emails sent to attendees of a particular meeting that is scheduled via the calendar system for the meeting room.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the emails include directions from locations of each of the attendees to a meeting room location for the meeting room and paths for the directions are highlighted within the map.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein calendar system includes a search service that permits a user to search the map for the meeting room by defining user-defined search criteria for seating capacity of the meeting room and/or equipment or resources available with the meeting room.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein search results from a user-search that utilizes the user-defined search criteria presents a link to the meeting room that is nearest in proximity to a location for the user, the link presented within the map and when activated presents an image of the meeting room to the user.