Consensus Scheduling for Business Calendar

• US 20170061388A1
• Filed: 09/01/2015
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Pablo, Anna Aleksandrovna, McKenna, Carolyn Amy, Singh, Jaskaran, Mendes, Roberto Ribeiro da Fonseca, Madejczyk, Szymon
• Granted Patent: US 10,163,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

Using a set of alternative events with both modern and legacy systems. A method includes identifying a master message including a set of alternative events formatted for a modern system. The master message includes default information for all events in the set of alternative events as well as exception information representing exceptions to the default information for individual events in the set of alternative of events. A plurality of instance messages is identified. Each of the instance messages includes default information from the master message and exception information for a given event in the set of alternative events. The master message and the instance messages are sent to other systems without regard to whether the other systems are modern or legacy systems so as to allow modern systems to select event alternatives using the master message and to allow legacy systems to select event alternatives using the instance messages

Claims

1. A system for facilitating using a set of alternative events with both modern and legacy systems the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media comprise computer-executable instructions that when executed by at least one of the one or more processors the system to perform the following;

identifying a master message including a set of alternative events formatted for a modern system, wherein the master message comprises default information for all events in the set of alternative events as well as exception information representing exceptions to the default information for individual events in the set of alternative of events;

identifying a plurality of instance messages, wherein each of the instance messages comprises default information from the master message and exception information for a given event in the set of alternative events; and

sending the master message and the instance messages to other systems without regard to whether the other systems are modern or legacy systems so as to allow modern systems to select event alternatives using the master message and to allow legacy systems to select event alternatives using the instance messages.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the master message is usable by modern systems to allow users at modern clients to select an alternative.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the instance messages are meeting invites that allow legacy clients to select an alternative by accepting one of the instance messages and declining the rest of the instance messages.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-readable media comprise computer-executable instructions that when executed by at least one of the one or more processors the system to perform the following:

receiving from modern clients'"'"' votes for one or more of the events in the plurality of events;

receiving from legacy clients one or more acceptances and one or more declines for one or more of the events in the plurality of events; and

using the votes, the acceptances and the declines creating an identification of a consensus of one or more of the alternative events.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more computer-readable media comprise computer-executable instructions that when executed by at least one of the one or more processors the system to send an event request for the identified consensus to both modern and legacy clients.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more computer-readable media comprise computer-executable instructions that when executed by at least one of the one or more processors the system to send out a cancellation for all of the events in the set of events except one or more selected consensus events selected by an organizer to the legacy clients.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more computer-readable media comprise computer-executable instructions that when executed by at least one of the one or more processors the system to send out a cancellation for all of the events in the set of events and send out one or more consensus event invites selected by an organizer to the legacy clients.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the exception information is included in the master message by using pointers to the instance messages.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-readable media comprise computer-executable instructions that when executed by at least one of the one or more processors the system to create the instance messages by using the master message and propagating information from the master MCS to the instance messages.

10. A system for facilitating using a set of alternative events with both modern and legacy systems the system comprising:

a calendaring server, wherein the calendaring server is configured to;

identify a master message including a set of alternative events formatted for a modern system, wherein the master message comprises default information for all events in the set of alternative events as well as exception information representing exceptions to the default information for individual events in the set of alternative events;

identify a plurality of instance messages, wherein each of the instance messages comprises default information from the master message and exception information for a given event in the set of alternative events; and

send the master message and the instance messages to other systems without regard to whether the other systems are modern or legacy systems so as to allow modern systems to select event alternatives using the master message and to allow legacy systemsto select event alternatives using the instance messages.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the server is further configured to:

receive from modern clients votes for one or more of the events in the plurality of events;

receive from legacy clients one or more acceptances and one or more declines for one or more of the events in the plurality of events;

using the votes, the acceptances and the declines to create an identification of a consensus of one or more of the alternative events; and

send a consensus meeting to the modern clients and the legacy clients.

12. In a computing environment a method of facilitating using a set of alternative events with both modern and legacy systems the method comprising:

identifying a master message including a set of alternative events formatted for a modern system, wherein the master message comprises default information for all events in the set of alternative events as well as exception information representing exceptions to the default information for individual events in the set of alternative of events;

identifying a plurality of instance messages, wherein each of the instance messages comprises default information from the master message and exception information for a giver went in the set of alternative events; and

sending the master message and the instance messages to other stems without regard to whether the other systems are modern or legacy systems so as to allow modern systems to select event alternatives using the master message and to allow legacy systems to select event alternatives using the instance messages.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the master message is usable by modern systems to allow users at modern clients to select an alternative.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the instance messages are meeting invites that allow legacy clients to select an alternative by accepting one of the instance messages and declining the rest of the instance messages.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving from modern clients votes for one or more of the events in the plurality, of events;

receiving from legacy clients one or more acceptances and one or more declines for one or more of the events in the plurality of events; and

using the votes, the acceptances and the declines creating an identification of a consensus of one or more of the alternative events.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending an event request for the identified consensus to both modern and legacy clients.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending out a cancellation for all of the events in the set of events except one or more selected consensus events selected by an organizer to the legacy clients.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending out a cancellation for all of the events in the set of events and sending out one or more consensus event invites selected by an organizer to the legacy clients.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the exception information is included in the master message by using pointers to the instance messages.

20. The method of claim 12, farther comprising creating the instance messages by using the master message and propagating information from the master message to the instance messages.