Visually indicating a calendar event among different time zones

• US 10,552,800 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2017
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Oral, Tolga, Schirmer, Andrew L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anya, Charles E
• Application Number:
  US15/490,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20170221012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• 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: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A calendared event may be visually indicated. A proposed time for the calendared event can be identified and each of a plurality of event participants can be associated with the calendared event. For each of the participants, a local time of the participant that corresponds to the proposed time for the calendared event can be identified and displayed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for visually indicating a calendared event, comprising:

displaying, by a user interface element, a plurality of time tables, respectively, for a plurality of event participants associated with the calendared event;

displaying, associated with a time table for a first of the event participants, a first time difference indicator;

displaying, by the user interface element, associated with a time table for a second of the event participants, a second time difference indicator;

displaying, by the user interface element, associated with the first time difference indicator and the second time difference indicator, an association indicator; and

for each of the event participants, identifying a local time block, of the event participant, that corresponds to a proposed time block for the calendared event,

wherein the first time difference indicator indicates a time difference between the local time block of the first event participant and an event time reference,

wherein the second time difference indicator indicates a time difference between the local time block of the second event participant and the event time reference,

wherein the association indicator visually stretchable to associate the first time difference indicator to the second time difference indicator, and

wherein the event time reference is a time of the calendared event in a time zone of a predetermined entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the predetermined entity is an event coordinator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the predetermined entity is a user to which the plurality of time tables is being displayed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the association indicator is movable with respect to the plurality of time tables.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein

movement of the association indicator changes the proposed time block for the calendared event.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising

displaying, associated with one of the event participants, an availability indicator.

7. A computer program product, comprising:

a storage hardware device having stored therein computer-usable program code for visually indicating a calendared event, the computer-usable program code, which when executed by a computer hardware system, causes the computer hardware system to perform;

displaying b a user interface element a plurality of time tables, respectively, for a plurality of event participants associated with the calendared event;

displaying, associated with a time table for a first of the event participants, a first time difference indicator;

displaying, by the user interface element, associated with a time table for a second of the event participants, a second time difference indicator;

displaying, by the user interface element, associated with the first time difference indicator and the second time difference indicator, an association indicator; and

for each of the event participants, identifying a local time block, of the event participant, that corresponds to a proposed time block for the calendared event,

wherein the first time difference indicator indicates a time difference between the local time block of the first event participant and an event time reference,

wherein the second time difference indicator indicates a time difference between the local time block of the second event participant and the event time reference,

wherein the association indicator visually stretchable to associate the first time difference indicator to the second time difference indicator, and

wherein the event time reference is a time of the calendared event in a time zone of a predetermined entity.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein

the predetermined entity is an event coordinator.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein

the predetermined entity is a user to which the plurality of time tables is being displayed.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein

the association indicator is movable with respect to the plurality of time tables.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein

movement of the association indicator changes the proposed time block for the calendared event.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer-usable program code further causes the computer hardware system to perform

displaying, associated with one of the event participants, an availability indicator.

13. A computer hardware system configured to visually indicate a calendared event, comprising:

at least one hardware processor, wherein the at least one hardware processor is configures to initiate the following operations;

displaying, by a user interface element, a plurality of time tables, respectively, for a plurality of event participants associated with the calendared event;

displaying, associated with a time table for a first of the event participants, a first time difference indicator;

displaying, by the user interface element, associated with a time table for a second of the event participants, a second time difference indicator;

displaying, by the user interface element, associated with the first time difference indicator and the second time difference indicator, an association indicator; and

for each of the event participants, identifying a local time block, of the event participant, that corresponds to a proposed time block for the calendared event,

wherein the first time difference indicator indicates a time difference between the local time block of the first event participant and an event time reference,

wherein the second time difference indicator indicates a time difference between the local time block of the second event participant and the event time reference,

wherein the association indicator visually stretchable to associate the first time difference indicator to the second time difference indicator, and

wherein the event time reference is a time of the calendared event in a time zone of a predetermined entity.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein

the predetermined entity is an event coordinator.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein

the predetermined entity is a user to which the plurality of time tables is being displayed.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein

the association indicator is movable with respect to the plurality of time tables.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein

movement of the association indicator changes the proposed time block for the calendared event.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to initiate the following operation

displaying, associated with one of the event participants, an availability indicator.