Integrated spatial view of time, location, and event schedule information

• US 20050091096A1
• Filed: 10/27/2003
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Coates, Justine, Sharpe, Timothy, Morris, Jeffrey D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,590,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

Systems and methods integrate various types of scheduling information to create a single spatial view of a schedule. The spatial view enables observation of one'"'"'s schedule at a glance and reduces the need for accessing additional information from other sources in order to comprehend scheduling information. Thus, users can access information regarding the time, location, and subject matter of appointments and/or events in a single location without the hassle of looking back and forth between various information sources. This helps users meet their scheduled appointments and events in an on-time and prepared manner.

Claims

1. A processor-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving schedule information related to events, the schedule information including event locations and event times;

accessing a map based on the event locations;

integrating the schedule information with the map to generate a spatial view of the schedule information that includes a travel route that traverses the event locations on the map; and

designating each event location along the travel route with a corresponding event time, each event time along the travel route expressing a time associated with an event scheduled at the event location.

2. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for displaying the spatial view, including the map, the travel route on the map, and the event times designating event locations along the travel route.

3. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the accessing a map comprises:

searching for the map in a local memory;

if the map is not found in the local memory, sending a request to a remote server for the map; and

retrieving the map.

4. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the integrating comprises:

calculating an estimated travel time between each event location; and

inserting each estimated travel time along the travel route between corresponding event locations used to calculate the estimated travel time.

5. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 4, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a request to optimize the travel route;

accessing traffic information in response to the request;

determining if the travel route can be optimized based on the traffic information; and

if the travel route can be optimized, changing the travel route to an optimized route.

6. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 5, wherein the accessing traffic information comprises accessing traffic information from a source selected from the group comprising:

a local source having generalized static traffic information; and

a remote source having specific dynamic traffic information.

7. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the event locations are dispersed throughout both specific and general geographic regions, the processor-readable medium comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a request to zoom to a different spatial view;

generating the different spatial view to include event locations dispersed throughout a different geographic region; and

displaying the different spatial view.

8. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the schedule information includes event information, the processor-readable medium comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a request to display the event information;

creating a pop-up that includes the event information; and

displaying the spatial view, including the pop-up.

9. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 8, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for editing the event information within the pop-up, the editing comprising adding event information and deleting event information.

10. A computer including the processor-readable medium of claim 1.

11. A processor-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving scheduling information including event times, event locations, and event details;

accessing a map that encompasses the event locations

for each event location, expressing event times in a single illustrated clock face; and

displaying each clock face on the map at its corresponding event location.

12. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the expressing event times comprises:

expressing AM hours in which an event can occur as an inner circle partitioned into an AM event-on section and an AM event-off section;

expressing PM hours in which an event can occur as a first ring surrounding the inner circle, the first ring partitioned into a PM event-on section and a PM event-off section;

expressing an event time as a clock hand extending radially away from the center of the inner circle in a direction which expresses a particular minute in an analog clock hour;

wherein the event occurs at the particular minute for every hour of the AM event-on section and every hour of the PM event-on section.

13. A computer including the processor-readable medium of claim 11.

14. A processor-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions configured for generating a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface depicting:

an AM ring on an analog clock face indicating active AM hours;

a PM ring on the analog clock face indicating active PM hours; and

an event indicator hand on the analog clock face indicating a minute within each active hour on which an event will begin.

15. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 14, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for generating the graphical user interface, the graphical user interface further depicting:

a map;

a travel route indicated on the map by a plurality of locations; and

a plurality of analog clock faces, each analog clock face positioned at a different location and indicating minutes within active hours on which events will begin.

16. A method comprising:

expressing multiple event times on a single analog clock face;

wherein the clock face includes an inner circle depicting active AM hours in which event times may occur, a first concentric ring around the inner circle depicting active PM hours in which event times may occur, a second concentric ring around the first concentric ring, the second concentric ring depicting time markings consistent with an analog clock, and event hands extending from the center of the inner circle to the outer edge of the second concentric ring, each event hand designating a minute of an active hour on which an event will occur.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising displaying a plurality of the clock faces on a map, each clock face displayed at a different location to form a route on the map.

18. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

receiving scheduling information including event times, event information, and event locations;

accessing a map based on the event locations;

integrating the event times, event information, and event locations into a schedule route on the map;

designating each event location with an analog clock face that depicts an event time corresponding to the event location; and

displaying the schedule route on the map in a single spatial view.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a user input instruction from a cursor hovering over an event time in the single spatial view; and

in response to the user input instruction, displaying a pop-up pane containing underlying event information associated with the event time.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

receiving user input through the pop-up pane that includes altered event information selected from the group comprising;

edited event information;

added event information; and

deleted event information.

21. A method as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

transferring the altered event information from the single spatial view of the scheduling information to a calendar view of the scheduling information.

22. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein the event locations can include local, regional, national, and international locations, the method further comprising:

zooming the single spatial view between a local view, a regional view, a national view, and an international view according to a user input instruction;

wherein each of the local view, regional view, national view, and international view include relevant event times, event information, and event locations.