Method and apparatus for managing activities

• US 8,826,175 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2008
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wallis, R. Tyler, Robbins, William Stanley
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ell, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US12/326,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20100138788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,100 Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a communication device having a controller adapted to present a task toolbar by way of a display of the communication device, create an entry in the task toolbar, identify a party responsible for one or more tasks associated with the entry, associate the party with the entry and update the task toolbar to show by way of the display the association of the party to the entry, create one or more tasks, associate the one or more tasks with the entry of the party in the task toolbar, and synchronize one or more communication resources of the party according to the entry associated with the party and the associated one or more tasks. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

a memory having computer instructions;

a display; and

a controller coupled with the memory and the display, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising;

presenting a task toolbar by way of the display as a presented task toolbar;

creating an entry in the task toolbar responsive to receiving entry data associated with the task toolbar;

identifying a party responsible for tasks associated with the entry;

associating the party with the entry and updating the task toolbar to show by way of the display the association of the party to the entry;

creating a task associated with the entry;

associating the task with the entry of the party in the task toolbar;

responsive to creation of the task;

retrieving information to identify a group of other communication resources of independently operated devices of the party as an identified group of other communication resources of independently operated devices of the party; and

sending a task creation signal to the identified group of other communication resources of independently operated devices of the party to synchronize task data stored at the identified group of other communication resources of the independently operated devices of the party according to the entry associated with the party and the task, the task data being configured for generating other task toolbars by the other communication resources that are synchronized with the task toolbar;

presenting a user interface depicting tasks associated with the party on the display, wherein the user interface comprises a pending task window and a completed task window;

detecting a request to drag and drop a pending task in the pending task window from the pending task window to the completed task window; and

updating the completed task window to display that the pending task is now a completed task in the completed task window responsive to the request to drag and drop the pending task from the pending task window to the completed task window.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the group of communication resources comprise a wireless communication device and a portal, and wherein the task toolbar comprises the user interface enabling the drag and drop manipulation of the task.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises a cordless phone providing voice and data communications by way of a base unit, and wherein the cordless phone and the base unit are communicatively coupled by way of a cordless phone protocol and a wireless data communications protocol.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising retrieving information to identify the communication resources of the party from an address book of the party.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising

sending an update signal to synchronize the identified group of other communication resources of the independently operated devices to reflect that the pending task is now the completed task.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first update signal from one of the other communication resources of the party indicating that the task has been completed by the other communication resources of the party;

updating the entry of the party in the task toolbar to reflect the completion of the task as an updated entry; and

sending a second update signal to further synchronize the task data stored at the identified group of other communication resources of independently operated devices of the party with the updated entry in the task toolbar associated with the party to reflect the completion of the task.

7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising associating the tasks created with a calendar event to create an associated calendar event.

8. The communication device of claim 7, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising:

detecting a trigger of the calendar event as a triggered calendar event;

retrieving presence information associated with the party;

identifying from the presence information one of the other communication resources; and

signaling the identified communication resource of the triggered calendar event.

9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein signaling the identified communication resource of the triggered calendar event causes the identified communication resource to assert an audible alert that informs the party of the triggered calendar event.

10. The communication device of claim 8, wherein signaling the identified communication resources of the triggered calendar event causes the identified communication resource to assert a visual alert that informs the party of the triggered calendar event.

11. The communication device of claim 7, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising sending a signal to synchronize the task and the associated calendar event with the identified group of other communication resources of the independently operated devices of the party.

12. The communication device of claim 1, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising utilizing a web-based distributed authoring and versioning protocol to synchronize the task associated with the calendar event with a calendar system of one of the identified group of other communication resources of the independently operated devices of the party.

13. The communication device of claim 12, wherein the other communication devices comprise a mobile device capable of voice communications.

14. The communication device of claim 1, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising utilizing a web-based distributed authoring and versioning protocol to synchronize the other communication resources of the party with the entry of the party in the task toolbar.

15. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the communication device operates in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem communication system.

16. The communication device of claim 1, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising:

detecting a request to drag and drop a completed task item in the completed task window to the pending task window; and

updating the pending task window to display that the completed task is now an additional pending task in the pending task window responsive to the request to drag and drop the completed task from the completed task window to the pending task window.

17. A method, comprising:

presenting a multiparty task toolbar on a display of a communication device;

creating, by the communication device, in the multiparty task toolbar an entry associated with a party;

creating, by the communication device, a task for the party;

assigning, by the communication device, the task to the entry; and

responsive to the creation and assignment of the task;

retrieving, by the communication device, information to identify a group of other communication resources of independently operated devices of the party as an identified group of other communication resources of independently operated devices of the party;

sending, by the communication device, a synchronization signal to the identified group of other communication resources of independently operated devices of the party synchronizing task data stored at the identified group of other communication resources of independently operated devices of the party with the entry in the multiparty task toolbar, the task data being configured for generating other multiparty task toolbars by the communication resources that are synchronized with the multiparty task toolbar;

presenting a user interface depicting tasks associated with the party on the display, wherein the user interface comprises a pending task window and a completed task window;

detecting a request to drag and drop a pending task in the pending task window from the pending task window to the completed task window; and

updating the completed task window to display that the pending task is now a completed task in the completed task window responsive to the request to drag and drop the pending task from the pending task window to the completed task window.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the communication device utilizes a base unit for receiving communication services, and wherein the identified group of communication resources of the independently operated devices of the party comprises a wireless communication device.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising:

detecting a request to drag and drop a completed task item in the completed task window to the pending task window;

updating the pending task window to display that the completed task has become an additional pending task in the pending task window responsive to the request to drag and drop the completed task from the completed task window to the pending task window; and

sending, by the communication device, an update signal synchronizing the identified group of other communication resources of the independently operated devices of the party to reflect a change in status of the task.

20. The method of claim 17, comprising:

receiving, by the communication device, a second task completion signal from one of the identified group of other communication resources of the independently operated devices of the party indicating that the task has been completed by the other communication resources of the party;

updating, by the communication device, the entry of the party in the multiparty task toolbar to reflect the completion of the task to create an updated entry; and

sending, by the communication device, a completion synchronization signal further synchronizing the task data stored at the identified group of communication resources of the independently operated devices of the party with the updated entry in the multiparty task toolbar to reflect the completion of the task.

21. The method of claim 17, comprising:

associating, by the communication device, the task with a calendar event;

detecting, by the communication device, a trigger of the calendar event as a triggered calendar event;

retrieving, by the communication device, presence information associated with the party;

identifying, by the communication device, from the presence information one of the communication resources; and

signaling, by the communication device, the identified communication resource of the triggered calendar event to cause the identified communication resource to assert an audible alert that informs the party of the triggered calendar event.

22. A web server operating as a portal, comprising:

a memory comprising computer instructions; and

a controller coupled with the memory, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising;

presenting a user interface for entering tasks and calendar events;

creating a task;

assigning the task to a party;

recording the task and an association of the task to the party as a recorded task;

responsive to the creation, assignment and recordation of the task;

retrieving information to identify a group of other communication resources of independently operated devices of the party as an identified group of other communication resources of independently operated devices of the party;

sending a synchronization signal to the identified group of other communication resources of independently operated devices of the party to synchronize task data stored at the identified group of other communication resources of independently operated devices of the party with the recorded task, and the task data being configured for generating task toolbars by the identified group of communication devices that are synchronized with the user interface;

presenting a user interface depicting tasks associated with the party as a presented user interface, wherein the user interface comprises a pending task window and a completed task window;

detecting a request to drag and drop a pending task in the pending task window from the pending task window to the completed task window; and

updating the completed task window to present that the pending task is now a completed task in the completed task window responsive to the request to drag and drop the pending task from the pending task window to the completed task window.

23. The portal of claim 22, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising:

detecting a request to drag and drop a completed task item in the completed task window to the pending task window;

updating the pending task window to display that the completed task is now an additional pending task in the pending task window responsive to the request to drag and drop the completed task from the completed task window to the pending task window; and

sending a synchronization signal to further synchronize the task data stored at the identified group of other communication resources of the independently operated communication devices of the party to indicate that the pending task is now the completed task or that the completed task is now the additional pending task.

24. The portal of claim 22, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising:

receiving a completion signal from one of the communication devices of the party indicating that the task has been completed; and

updating the recorded task to reflect the completion of the task.

25. The portal of claim 22, wherein executing the computer instructions causes the controller to perform operations comprising:

associating the task with a calendar event as a triggered calendar event;

detecting a trigger of the calendar event;

retrieving presence information associated with the party;

identifying from the presence information one of the communication resources; and

signaling the identified communication resource of the triggered calendar event, wherein the signal causes the identified communication resource to assert an audible alert that informs the party of the triggered calendar event.