Methods, systems, and apparatus for scheduling appointments

• US 9,842,317 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2013
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brandon Jordan
• Original Assignee: Brandon Jordan
• Inventors: Jordan, Brandon
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty, Romain
• Application Number:
  US13/902,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20140164043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,660 Days
• Field of Search: 705 719
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus for scheduling appointments between a user and a provider are described. In one aspect, a requested appointment including an requested appointment location and information defining at least one period of time is received from a user. Computer processor instructions are executed to identify at least one current appointment and location during the period. Still more computer processor instructions are executed to determine an interval of time between the current appointment and the requested appointment based at least in part on the location of the current appointment and the requested appointment location, and further to determine at least one available time option for scheduling the requested appointment based at least in part on the interval of time. The available time option(s) is (are) then returned to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for electronically scheduling an appointment between a first party and a second party, said computer-implemented method implemented at least in part by one or more electronic data processing devices and one or more computer memories, comprising:

providing an appointment scheduling interface for said first party;

receiving under computer control a requested appointment from said first party via said appointment scheduling interface, said requested appointment including a requested appointment location and information defining at least one period of time;

generating under computer control a first set of one or more computer data structures encoding said requested appointment location and said requested appointment time period;

storing said first set of one or more computer memory data structures in said one or more computer memories, said one or more computer memories being coupled to a computer data processing device;

retrieving from a one or more computer memories at least one current appointment and a location of said at least one current appointment for said second party, said at least one current appointment and said location of said at least one current appointment being encoded in a second set of one or more data structures stored in said one or more computer memories;

retrieving under computer control said requested appointment time period from said first set of one or more computer memory data structures in said one or more computer memories;

executing computer processor instructions to operate on said data encoded in said second set of one or more data structures to identify at least one current appointment for said second party during the at least one period of time, and a location for at least one of said at least one current appointment, and encoding said at least one current appointment in a data structure in said one or more computer memories;

executing computer processor instructions to operate on said encoding of said at least one current appointment and said data in said first set of one or more computer memory data structures to determine an interval of time between at least one of said at least one current appointment and said requested appointment based at least in part on the location of the at least one current appointment and the requested appointment location;

executing computer processor instructions to determine at least one available time option for scheduling said requested appointment based at least in part on said interval of time; and

returning said at least one available time option to said appointment scheduling interface;

wherein said appointment scheduling interface presents said at least one available time option to said first party, and said first party may select a time option using said appointment scheduling interface to schedule thereby an appointment.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of said current appointments includes an associated block of reserved time, and further comprising determining under computer control at least one block of unavailable time associated with each of said current appointments by appending and prepending travel time to said associated block of reserved time for each of said current appointments.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising determining under computer control a new appointment block of time determined by a new appointment desired start time and a new appointment desired end time, and removing said at least one block of unavailable time from said new appointment block of time.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising receiving a new appointment confirmation from said first party.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising creating a confirmed new appointment corresponding to said new appointment confirmation.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein said current appointments include a plurality of current schedules corresponding to a plurality of potential attendees including said first party;

and said computer-implemented method further comprises identifying at least one schedule from said plurality of current schedules that can at least approximately accommodate said new appointment request.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein said at least one available time option is determined using said at least one schedule from said plurality of current schedules.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising altering under computer control said plurality of current schedules by rearranging the current appointments of said plurality of current schedules to accommodate said new appointment.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising determining under computer control at least one schedule that can accommodate said new appointment.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising adding said new appointment to said at least one schedule that can accommodate said new appointment.

11. A computer-implemented method for electronically scheduling an appointment between a first party and a second party, comprising:

providing under electronic control an appointment scheduling interface for said first party;

sending electronically under computer control data encoding a new appointment request from said first party via said appointment scheduling interface, said new appointment request including a new appointment location, a new appointment desired start time, and a new appointment desired end time; and

receiving electronically under computer control data encoding at least one available time option for scheduling said new appointment request, said at least one available time option having been determined by a computer-controlled process including;

identifying electronically under computer control all current appointments for said attendee between said new appointment desired start time and said new appointment desired end time, and the locations of said current appointments and encoding said all current appointments electronically in memory;

determining electronically under computer control a path and a travel time from each of said current appointments to said new appointment location and encoding said path and travel time electronically in memory; and

determining electronically under computer control said at least one available time option for said new appointment request based at least in part on said interval of time and encoding said at least one available time option electronically in memory;

returning electronically under computer control said at least one available time option to said appointment scheduling interface

wherein said appointment scheduling interface presents said at least one avaialbe time option to said first party, and said first party may select a time option using said appointment scheduling interface to schedule thereby an appointment.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein each of said current appointments has an associated block of reserved time, and further comprising determining under computer control at least one block of unavailable time associated with each of said current appointments by appending and prepending said travel time to said associated block of reserved time for each of said current appointments.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising determining under computer control a new appointment block of time determined by said new appointment desired start time and said new appointment desired end time, and removing said at least one block of unavailable time from said new appointment block of time.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising sending a new appointment confirmation from said first party.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising creating a confirmed new appointment corresponding to said new appointment confirmation.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein said current appointments include a plurality of current schedules corresponding to a plurality of potential attendees including said attendee;

and said computer-implemented method further comprises identifying at least one schedule from said plurality of current schedules that can at least approximately accommodate said new appointment request.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein said at least one available time option is determined using said at least one schedule from said plurality of current schedules.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising altering under computer control said plurality of current schedules by rearranging the current appointments of said plurality of current schedules to accommodate said new appointment.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further comprising determining under computer control at least one schedule that can accommodate said new appointment.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising adding said new appointment to said at least one schedule that can accommodate said new appointment.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a computer program product, said computer program product being configured to enable a computer to schedule an appointment between a first party and a second party at least in part by one or more processing devices, said computer program product comprising:

data and instructions for providing an appointment scheduling interface for said first party;

data and instructions configured to enable said computer to receive a requested appointment from said first party via said appointment scheduling interface, said requested appointment including an requested appointment location and information defining at least one period of time;

data and instructions configured to enable said computer to store said requested appointment;

data and instructions configured to enable said computer to identify at least one current appointment for said second party during the at least one period of time, and a location for at least one of said at least one current appointment;

data and instructions configured to enable said computer to determine an interval of time between at least one of said at least one current appointment and said requested appointment based at least in part on the location of the at least one current appointment and the requested appointment location;

data and instructions configured to enable said computer to determine at least one available time option for scheduling said requested appointment based at least in part on said interval of time; and

data and instructions configured to enable said computer to return said at least one available time option to said appointment scheduling interface;

wherein said appointment scheduling interface presents said at least one avaialbe time option to said first party, and said first party may select a time option using said appointment scheduling interface to schedule thereby an appointment.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein each of said current appointments has an associated block of reserved time, and further comprising data and instructions to enable said computer to determine under computer control at least one block of unavailable time associated with each of said current appointments by appending and prepending said travel time to said associated block of reserved time for each of said current appointments.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, further comprising data and instructions to enable said computer to determine a new appointment block of time determined by said new appointment desired start time and said new appointment desired end time, and removing said at least one block of unavailable time from said new appointment block of time.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, further comprising data and instructions configured to enable said computer to receive a new appointment confirmation from said first party.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, further comprising data and instructions configured to enable said computer to create a confirmed new appointment corresponding to said new appointment confirmation.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein said current appointments include a plurality of current schedules corresponding to a plurality of potential attendees including said attendee;

and said computer-readable medium further comprises identifying at least one schedule from said plurality of current schedules that can at least approximately accommodate said new appointment request.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein said at least one available time option is determined using said at least one schedule from said plurality of current schedules.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising data and instructions configured to enable said computer to alter under computer control said plurality of current schedules by rearranging the current appointments of said plurality of current schedules to accommodate said new appointment.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, further comprising data and instructions configure to enable said computer to determine under computer control at least one schedule that can accommodate said new appointment.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising data and instructions configured to enable said computer to add said new appointment to said at least one schedule that can accommodate said new appointment.

31. A computer system for scheduling an appointment between a first party and a second party, said system implemented at least in part by one or more processing devices, said system comprising:

a computer-controled appointment scheduling interface for said first party;

a computer-controlled receiver configured to receive a requested appointment from said first party via said appointment scheduling interface, said requested appointment including an requested appointment location and information defining at least one period of time;

a computer-implemented data store configured to store said requested appointment;

a computer processor configured to execute computer processor instructions to identify at least one current appointment for said second party during the at least one period of time, and a location for at least one of said at least one current appointment;

a computer processor configured to execute computer processor instructions to determine an interval of time between at least one of said at least one current appointment and said requested appointment based at least in part on the location of the at least one current appointment and the requested appointment location;

a computer processor configured to execute computer processor instructions to determine at least one available time option for scheduling said requested appointment based at least in part on said interval of time; and

a computer-controlled responder configured to returning said at least one available time option to said appointment scheduling interface;

wherein said appointment scheduling interface presents said at least one avaialbe time option to said first party, and said first party may select a time option using said appointment scheduling interface to schedule thereby an appointment.

32. The computer system of claim 31, wherein each of said current appointments has an associated block of reserved time, and wherein said computer system further comprises a computer processor configured to determine under computer control at least one block of unavailable time associated with each of said current appointments by appending and prepending said travel time to said associated block of reserved time for each of said current appointments.

33. The computer system of claim 32, said computer system further comprising a computer processor configured to determine under computer control a new appointment block of time determined by said new appointment desired start time and said new appointment desired end time, and removing said at least one block of unavailable time from said new appointment block of time.

34. The computer system of claim 33, said computer system further comprising a computer controlled received configured to receive a new appointment confirmation from said first party.

35. The computer system of claim 34, said computer system further comprising a computer processor configured to create a confirmed new appointment corresponding to said new appointment confirmation.

36. The computer system of claim 35, wherein said current appointments include a plurality of current schedules corresponding to a plurality of potential attendees including said attendee;

and said computer system further comprises a computer processor configured to identify at least one schedule from said plurality of current schedules that can at least approximately accommodate said new appointment request.

37. The computer system of claim 36, wherein said at least one available time option is determined using said at least one schedule from said plurality of current schedules.

38. The computer system of claim 37, further comprising a computer processor configured to alter said plurality of current schedules by rearranging the current appointments of said plurality of current schedules to accommodate said new appointment.

39. The computer system of claim 38, further comprising a computer processor configured to determine under computer control at least one schedule that can accommodate said new appointment.

40. The computer system of claim 39, further comprising a computer processor configured to add said new appointment to said at least one schedule that can accommodate said new appointment.