MERGING CALENDAR ENTRIES

• US 20110317523A1
• Filed: 06/25/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: LANCE, JOHN M., COHEN, DAVID B., KAHN, BRUCE A., KLOUDA, GREGORY R., KRISHNAMURTHY, RAM, MAURER, DEBORAH E., PAVELSKI, FRANK A., STONER, MICHELLE
• Granted Patent: US 8,407,075 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 368/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A method, operable on a processing device, for merging calendar entries may include receiving a plurality of calendar entries each associated with entry identification data. The method may also include comparing by the processing device at least a portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries. The method may additionally include merging, by the processing device, the calendar entries based at least in part on comparing of at least the portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the at least two calendar entries. The method may further include comparing at least one time attribute associated with each of the calendar entries and comparing at least one textual attribute associated with each of the calendar entries and basing merging the calendar entries additionally on comparing the time attributes and the textual attributes.

Claims

1. A method, operable on a processing device, for merging calendar entries, the method comprising:

receiving, by the processing device, a plurality of calendar entries each associated with entry identification data;

comparing, by the processing device, at least a portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries; and

merging, by the processing device, the plurality of calendar entries based at least in part on the comparing of at least the portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries to create a merged calendar entry.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising comparing, by the processing device, at least one time attribute associated with each of the calendar entries, wherein merging the calendar entries is based at least in part on comparing at least the portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries and at least in part on comparing the at least one time attribute associated with each of the calendar entries.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one time attribute comprise one of a start time associated with each of the calendar entries and an end time associated with each of the calendar entries.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising comparing, by the processing device, at least one textual attribute associated with each of the calendar entries, wherein merging the calendar entries is based at least in part on comparing the at least one textual attribute associated with each of the calendar entries.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least one textual attribute comprises one of a summary of the entry and a description of the entry.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising comparing, by the processing device, at least one time attribute associated with each of the calendar entries, wherein merging the calendar entries is based at least in part on comparing at least a portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries, based at least in part on comparing the at least one time attribute associated with each of the calendar entries, and based at least in part on comparing the at least one textual attribute associated with each of the calendar entries.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising instructing, by the processing device, a display device to display the merged calendar entry.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein:

the plurality of calendar entries are each associated with at least one display attribute,

the plurality of calendar entries are each associated with a predetermined priority,

the merging of the plurality of calendar entries comprises comparing the predetermined priorities of each of the calendar entries; and

wherein the method further comprises associating one of the at least one display attributes with the merged calendar entry based at least in part on the comparison of the predetermined priorities of the calendar entries and at least in part on the at least one display attribute associated with each of the calendar entries; and

wherein instructing, by the processing device, a display device to display the merged calendar entry is based at least in part on the one of at least one display attributes associated with the merged calendar entry.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein a first calendar entry of the plurality of calendar entries is associated with a first calendar and a second calendar entry of the plurality of calendar entries is associated with a second calendar, the first and second calendars each being selected by a user for inclusion in a merged calendar, and wherein instructing, by the processing device, a display device to display the merged calendar entry comprises instructing, by the processing device, the display device to display the merged calendar entry as part of the merged calendar.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

receiving user input selecting the displayed merged calendar entry, by the processing device; and

instructing, by the processing device, the display device to display information associated with at least one of the plurality of calendar entries based on the received user input selecting the displayed merged calendar entry.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein a first calendar entry of the plurality of calendar entries is associated with a first calendar and a second calendar entry of the plurality of calendar entries is associated with a second calendar, the first and second calendars each being selected by a user for inclusion in a merged calendar;

the method further comprising;

un-merging, by the processing device, the merged calendar entry based at least in part on input from the user deselecting one or both of the first and second calendars for inclusion in the merged calendar.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein a first calendar entry of the plurality of calendar entries is associated with a first calendar and a second calendar entry of the plurality of calendar entries is associated with a second calendar, the first and second calendars each being selected by a user for inclusion in a merged calendar;

the method further comprising;

un-merging, by the processing device, at least a portion of the merged calendar entry based at least in part on input from the user changing at least one time attribute associated with at least one of the calendar entries.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving user input, by the processing device, selecting the merged calendar entry; and

instructing, by the processing device, a display device, to display a prompt requesting user input regarding which of the at least two calendar entries to open.

14. A processing device comprising:

a processor configured to receive a plurality of calendar entries each associated with entry identification data;

a module operable on the processor for merging calendar entries, the module comprising;

a module for comparing at least a portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries; and

a module for merging the calendar entries based at least in part on the comparing of at least the portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries to create a merged calendar entry.

15. The processing device of claim 14 wherein the module operable on the processing device for merging calendar entries further comprises a module for comparing at least one time attribute associated with each of the calendar entries, wherein the module for merging the calendar entries merges based at least in part on the comparing of at least the portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries and at least in part on the comparing of the at least one time attribute associated with each of the calendar entries.

16. The processing device of claim 14 wherein the module operable on the processing device for merging calendar entries further comprises a module for comparing at least one textual attribute associated with each of the calendar entries, wherein the module for merging the calendar entries merges based at least in part on the comparing of the at least one textual attribute associated with each of the calendar entries.

17. The processing device of claim 14 wherein the module operable on the processing device for merging calendar entries further comprises a module for comparing at least one time attribute associated with each of the calendar entries, wherein the module for merging the calendar entries merges based at least in part on the comparing of at least the portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries, based at least in part on the comparing of the at least one time attribute associated with each of the calendar entries, and based at least in part on the comparing of the at least one textual attribute associated with each of the calendar entries.

18. The processing device of claim 14 wherein a first of the calendar entries of the plurality of calendar entries is associated with a first calendar and a second of the calendar entries of the plurality of calendar entries is associated with a second calendar, the first and second calendars each being selected by a user for inclusion in a merged calendar, the processing device further comprising a module for communicating instructions for displaying the merged calendar entry as part of the merged calendar.

19. A computer program product for merging calendar entries, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to receive a plurality of calendar entries each associated with entry identification data;

computer readable program code configured to compare at least a portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries; and

computer readable program code configured to merge the calendar entries based at least in part on the comparison of at least the portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries to create a merged calendar entry.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, the computer readable program code further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to compare at least one time attribute associated with each of the calendar entries,

wherein the computer readable program code configured to merge the calendar entries is configured to merge based at least in part on comparing of at least the portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries and at least in part on the comparison of the at least one time attribute associated with each of the calendar entries.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, the computer readable program code further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to compare at least one textual attributes associated with each of the calendar entries,

wherein the computer readable program code configured to merge the calendar entries is configured to merge based at least in part on the comparison of the at least one textual attribute associated with each of the calendar entries.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, the computer readable program code further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to compare at least one time attribute associated with each of the entries,

wherein the computer readable program code configured to merge the calendar entries is configured to merge based at least in part on the comparison of at least the portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries, based at least in part on the comparison of the at least one time attribute associated with each of the calendar entries, and based at least in part on the comparison of the at least one textual attribute associated with each of the calendar entries.

23. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein a first calendar entry of the plurality of calendar entries is associated with a first calendar and a second calendar of the plurality of calendar entries is associated with a second calendar, the first and second calendars each being selected by a user for inclusion in a merged calendar, the computer readable program code further comprising computer readable program code configured to communicate instructions for displaying the merged calendar entry as part of the merged calendar.

24. A method, operable on a processing device, for merging calendar entries, the method comprising:

receiving, by the processing device, a plurality of calendar entries each associated with entry identification data;

comparing, by the processing device, at least a portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the plurality of calendar entries;

comparing, by the processing device, at least one time attribute associated with each of the at least two calendar entries;

comparing, by the processing device, at least one textual attribute associated with each of the plurality of calendar entries;

merging, by the processing device, the plurality of calendar entries based at least in part on the comparing of at least the portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the plurality of calendar entries, based at least in part on comparing at least one time attribute associated with each of the plurality of calendar entries, and based at least in part on comparing at least one textual attribute associated with each of the plurality of calendar entries to create a merged calendar entry; and

instructing, by the processing device, a display device to display the merged calendar entry.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein a first calendar entry of the plurality of calendar entries is associated with a first calendar and a second calendar entry of the plurality of calendar entries is associated with a second calendar, the first and second calendars each being selected by a user for inclusion in a merged calendar, and wherein instructing, by the processing device, a display device to display the merged calendar entry comprises instructing, by the processing device, the display device to display the merged calendar entry as part of the merged calendar.