COMMUNICATING SHARED ELECTRONIC CALENDAR MODIFICATIONS

• US 20080209344A1
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Grieb, Doreen Nelson, Haugen, Todd, Knapp, John Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 8,051,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment

Abstract

A shared electronic calendar modification notice provides calendar users accessing the calendar with notification that a calendar modification has been made by another calendar user. A shared electronic calendar user accessing the shared calendar is identified. Upon identifying a shared electronic calendar user, calendar modifications that are new to the shared electronic calendar user are identified. Modification notices are then output to communicate the new calendar modifications to the calendar user.

Claims

1. A method for updating a shared electronic calendar with at least one new electronic calendar modification notice, the method comprising:

identifying a first shared electronic calendar user accessing a shared electronic calendar at a first instance;

identifying a second instance the first shared electronic calendar user accessed the shared electronic calendar, wherein the second instance precedes the first instance the first shared electronic calendar user accesses the shared electronic calendar;

determining at least one new electronic calendar modification, wherein the at least one new electronic calendar modification is provided by a second shared electronic calendar user following the second instance the first shared electronic calendar user accessed the shared electronic calendar; and

outputting at least one new electronic calendar modification notice.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first shared electronic calendar user is identified via login information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second instance immediately precedes the first instance the first shared electronic calendar user accesses the shared electronic calendar.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one new electronic calendar modification comprises identifying a modification instance that occurred after the second instance.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one new electronic calendar modification comprises a cancellation, a deletion, a move, an update, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the at least one new electronic calendar modification notice comprises displaying the at least one new electronic calendar modification notice to the first shared electronic calendar user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the at least one new electronic calendar modification notice comprises transmitting the notice to a client-computer associated with the first shared electronic calendar user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one new electronic calendar modification notice is a sound, a bubble, an icon, a text format, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one new electronic calendar modification notice includes at least one modification detail.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises identifying a calendar view accessed by the first shared electronic calendar user at the first instance;

and wherein identifying the second instance comprises identifying an instance the first shared electronic calendar user accessed the calendar view at the first instance.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first view and second view comprise a day view associated with a specific day, a week view associated with a specific week, a month view associated with a specific month, a year view associated with a specific year, a task view associated with a specific task or series of tasks, or a combination thereof.

12. A graphical user interface embodied on one or more computer-readable media and executable on a computer, said graphical user interface comprising:

a first display area of a shared electronic calendar configured to display at least one new electronic calendar modification notice to provide a first shared electronic calendar user notice of at least one new electronic calendar modification entered by a second shared electronic calendar user, wherein display of the at least one new electronic calendar modification notice is determined based on an identification of the first shared electronic user and an identification of a previous instance the first shared electronic user accessed the shared electronic calendar.

13. The graphical user interface of claim 12, wherein the at least one new electronic calendar modification notice comprises a sound, an icon, a text format, a bubble, or a combination thereof.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 12 further comprising a second display area configured to display at least one modification detail.

15. The graphical user interface of claim 12, wherein the at least one new electronic calendar modification notice comprises a sound, a bubble, an icon, a text format, or a combination thereof.

16. One or more computer-readable media embodying computer-executable instructions for performing a method of notifying a viewing shared electronic calendar user of at least one shared electronic calendar modification, the method comprising:

identifying the viewing shared electronic calendar user accessing a calendar view of a shared electronic calendar at a first instance;

identifying a previous instance the viewing shared electronic calendar user accessed the calendar view of the shared electronic calendar;

determining at least one new shared electronic calendar modification entered by a modifying shared electronic calendar user after the previous instance the first shared electronic calendar user accessed the calendar view of the shared electronic calendar; and

outputting at least one shared electronic calendar modification notice.

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the previous instance the viewing shared electronic calendar user accessed the calendar view of the shared electronic calendar immediately precedes the first instance the first shared electronic calendar user accesses the calendar view of the shared electronic calendar.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the at least one new electronic calendar modification notice comprises a sound, an icon, a text format, a bubble, or a combination thereof.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein outputting the at least one shared electronic calendar modification notice includes outputting at least one modification detail.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the at least one shared electronic calendar modification comprises a cancelation, an uncancelation, a deletion, an update, a move, or a combination thereof.