System for calculating occasion dates and converting between different calendar systems, and intelligent agent for using same

• US 6,108,640 A
• Filed: 01/13/1998
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tumbleweed Holdings LLC (Equitable IP Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Benjamin Slotznick
• Inventors: Slotznick, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tkacs, Stephen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alvarez, Raquel
• Application Number:
  US09/006,681
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/10, 705/6, 705/8, 705/1, 705/28, 705/39, 705/40, 706/11, 706/59, 704/9, 345/326, 364/479.01, 364/705.08, 368/108, 368/24, 377/52
• US Class Current: 705/7.18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• 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: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

An occasion database and a date converter are provided in a device which allows a user to retrieve restored occasion information, whether the occasion occurs in the Gregorian calendar or a non-Gregorian calendar. A formula is stored for each occasion to allow its date to be calculated for any given year. The date converter converts between Gregorian and non-Gregorian dates. Conversions from one non-Gregorian calendar to another non-Gregorian calendar may also be performed. An intelligent agent executes date sensitive tasks by using at least one calendar and date calculation module for providing date information necessary to execute the date sensitive tasks. The tasks may be executed at a future time and on a periodic basis. Periodic tasks may be associated with occasions that occur in the Gregorian or non-Gregorian calendar.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining the date of periodic occasions, the apparatus comprising:

(a) an occasion database for storing a plurality of occasions and a formula for each occasion for determining the date of each occasion for a given year; and

(b) a processor for determining the date of occasions by using the formula.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

(c) a user interface including an occasion input device for entering an occasion, and an output device for communicating to a user the date of the occurrence of the occasion in a desired year as determined from the occasion database.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the desired year is the year of the next occurrence of the occasion.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the occasion database further includes information regarding at least some of the occasions, the information being retrieved for the entered occasion and communicated to the user by the output device along with the occasion date.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the occasion database includes occasions and respective formulas associated with Gregorian and non-Gregorian calendars, the apparatus further comprising:

(d) a date converter for storing data which allows for date conversions between Gregorian and non-Gregorian calendars, the date converter being used to obtain the occasion date in a desired calendar type from a specified occasion.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the date converter is a table of Gregorian calendar dates for a predetermined number of years and corresponding calendar dates in at least one non-Gregorian calendar.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the data converter includes:

(i) a Gregorian reference date and a corresponding reference date for each of the non-Gregorian calendars; and

(ii) a formula for each of the non-Gregorian calendars, the formula and the reference date being used by the processor for converting a Gregorian date to a corresponding date in the non-Gregorian calendar, or for converting a non-Gregorian date to a corresponding date in the Gregorian calendar.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

(c) a user interface including a time frame input device, and an output device for communicating to a user the occasions identified by the occasion database which occur within an inputted time frame.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the time frame is a specified date, week or month.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the occasion database includes occasions and respective formulas associated with Gregorian and non-Gregorian calendars.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

(c) a user interface having an occasion input device, the user interface including an occasion entry mode for allowing new occasions to be added to the occasion database by using the occasion input device to enter the new occasion and the formula for determining the date of the occasion for a given year.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the occasion database includes occasions and respective formulas associated with Gregorian and non-Gregorian calendars, the apparatus further comprising:

(c) a user interface including an occasion input device for entering an occasion associated with a non-Gregorian calendar, and an output device for communicating to a user the date of the occurrence of the occasion in a desired year in the Gregorian calendar and the non-Gregorian calendar associated with the occasion, as determined from the occasion database.

13. An apparatus for converting Gregorian dates to corresponding dates in at least two non-Gregorian calendar types, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a date converter for storing data which allows for date conversions between a Gregorian calendar and at least two non-Gregorian calendars; and

(b) a user interface connected to the date converter including an input device for entering a Gregorian date and at least two target non-Gregorian calendar types, and an output device for communicating to a user the corresponding dates in the targeted non-Gregorian calendar types.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the date converter is a table of Gregorian calendar dates for a predetermined number of years and corresponding calendar dates in the at least two non-Gregorian calendar types.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the data converter includes:

(i) a Gregorian reference date and a corresponding reference date for each of the non-Gregorian calendars; and

(ii) a formula for each of the non-Gregorian calendars, the formula and the reference date being used by the processor for converting an entered Gregorian date to a corresponding date in each of the non-Gregorian calendars.

16. An apparatus for converting a non-Gregorian date to a corresponding date in at least one other non-Gregorian calendar type, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a date converter for storing data which allows for date conversions between at least two different non-Gregorian calendars; and

(b) a user interface connected to the date converter including an input device for entering a non-Gregorian date and at least one different target non-Gregorian calendar type, and an output device for communicating to a user the corresponding date in the at least one targeted non-Gregorian calendar type.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the date converter is a table of corresponding calendar dates for a predetermined number of years in the at least two different non-Gregorian calendar types.

18. An apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the data converter includes:

(i) a Gregorian reference date and a corresponding reference date for each of the non-Gregorian calendars; and

(ii) a formula for each of the non-Gregorian calendars, the formula and the reference date being used by the processor for converting an entered non-Gregorian date to a corresponding date in at least one other non-Gregorian calendar.

19. A method for determining the date of periodic occasions, the method using an occasion database and a processor, the method comprising:

(a) storing a plurality of occasions and a formula for each occasion for determining the date of each occasion for a given year; and

(b) using the processor and the formula to determine the date of occasions.

20. A method for converting Gregorian dates to corresponding dates in at least two non-Gregorian calendar types, the method using a date converter and a user interface connected to the date converter, the user interface including an input device and an output device, the method comprising:

(a) storing data in the date converter which allows for date conversions between a Gregorian calendar and at least two non-Gregorian calendars;

(b) entering a Gregorian date and at least two target non-Gregorian calendar types into the input device; and

(c) communicating to a user via the output device the corresponding dates in the targeted non-Gregorian calendar types.

21. A method for converting a non-Gregorian calendar date to a corresponding date in at least one other non-Gregorian calendar type, the method using a date converter and a user interface, the user interface including an input device and a an output device, the method comprising:

(a) storing data in the date converter which allows for date conversions between at least two different non-Gregorian calendars;

(b) entering a date of a non-Gregorian calendar and at least one different target non-Gregorian calendar type into the input device; and

(c) communicating to a user via the output device the corresponding date in the at least one targeted non-Gregorian calendar type.

22. An intelligent agent for executing tasks, at least some of the tasks being date sensitive, and at least some of the tasks being physical commercial transactions which require payment of funds for completion of the task, the intelligent agent comprising:

(a) at least one data input device for entering tasks to be executed, wherein at least one of the tasks include a first subtask for executing a physical commercial transaction at a first predetermined future time, and a second subtask for executing a payment of funds at a second predetermined future time, the payment of funds being related to the cost of the physical commercial transaction;

(b) at least one calendar and date calculation module for providing date information necessary to execute the date sensitive tasks;

(c) a computer connected to the at least one data input device and to the at least one calendar and date calculation module, the computer receiving the entered tasks and calendar and date information relevant to the tasks, processing the information, and generating instructions for executing the tasks; and

(d) at least one output device connected to the computer for execution of the tasks, the at least one output device including a first output device to perform the physical commercial transaction, and a second output device to execute the payment of funds.

23. An intelligent agent according to claim 22 wherein the first and second subtask are executed at the same time.

24. An intelligent agent for executing tasks, at least some of the tasks being date sensitive, the intelligent agent comprising:

(a) at least one data input device for entering tasks to be executed, wherein at least some of the date sensitive tasks are based upon a date of a non-Gregorian calendar;

(b) at least one calendar and date calculation module for providing date information necessary to execute the date sensitive tasks, the calendar and date calculation module being programmed to determine Gregorian calendar dates for executing the tasks based upon the non-Gregorian calendar or based at least in part on a non-Gregorian periodicity or periodicities;

(c) a computer connected to the at least one data input device and to the at least one calendar and date calculation module, the computer receiving the entered tasks and calendar and date information relevant to the tasks, processing the information, and generating instructions for executing the tasks, the instructions for executing the date sensitive tasks including instructions to execute at least one of the date sensitive tasks on a periodic basis; and

(d) at least one output device connected to the computer for execution of the tasks.

25. An intelligent agent for executing tasks, at least some of the tasks being date sensitive, the intelligent agent comprising:

(a) at least one data input device for entering tasks to be executed;

(b) at least one calendar and date calculation module for providing date information necessary to execute the date sensitive tasks;

(c) a computer connected to the at least one data input device and to the at least one calendar and date calculation module, the computer receiving the entered tasks and calendar and date information relevant to the tasks, processing the information, and generating instructions for executing the tasks, the instructions for executing the date sensitive tasks including instructions to execute at least one of the date sensitive tasks on a periodic basis, wherein the periodicities are non-conventional, and the calendar and date calculation module is programmed to determine selected non-conventional periodicities; and

(d) at least one output device connected to the computer for execution of the tasks.

26. A method of interconnecting a plurality of devices to form an intelligent agent for executing tasks, the devices including (i) at least one data input device, (ii) at least one calendar and date calculation module for providing date and information necessary to execute date sensitive tasks, the at least one calendar and date calculation module being programmed to determine Gregorian calendar dates for executing the tasks based upon the non-Gregorian calendar or based at least in part on a non-Gregorian periodicity or periodicities, (iii) a computer connected to the at least one data input device and to the at least one calendar and date calculation module, and (iv) at least one output device connected to the computer the method comprising the steps of:

(a) entering date sensitive tasks to be executed into the at least one data input device, wherein at least some of the date sensitive tasks are based upon a date of a non-Gregorian calendar;

(b) receiving the entered tasks and the calendar and date calculation module information relevant to the tasks by the computer;

(c) processing the information by the computer to generate instructions for executing the tasks including instructions to execute at least one of the date sensitive tasks on a periodic basis; and

using the non-Gregorian calendar data when generating the task instructions, and

(d) executing the tasks with the at least one output device.

27. A method of interconnecting a plurality of devices to form an intelligent agent for executing tasks, the devices including (i) at least one data input device, (ii) at least one calendar and date calculation module for providing date and information necessary to execute date sensitive tasks, (iii) a computer connected to the at least one data input device and to the at least one calendar and date calculation module, and (iv) at least one output device connected to the computer, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) entering date sensitive tasks to be executed into the at least one data input device;

(b) receiving the entered tasks and the calendar and date calculation module information relevant to the tasks by the computer;

(c) processing the information by the computer to generate instructions for executing the tasks, including instructions to execute at least one of the date sensitive tasks on a periodic basis; and

(d) executing the tasks with the at least one output device, wherein the periodicities are non-conventional, and the calendar and date calculation module is programmed to determine selected non-conventional periodicities, step (a) including entering date sensitive tasks wherein the dates for executing the tasks have non-conventional periodicities.

28. A method of interconnecting a plurality of devices to form an intelligent agent for executing tasks, the devices including (i) at least one data input device, (ii) at least one calendar and date calculation module for providing date and information necessary to execute date sensitive tasks, (iii) a computer connected to the at least one data input device and to the at least one calendar and date calculation module, and (iv) at least one output device connected to the computer, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) entering date sensitive tasks to be executed into the at least one data input device, wherein at least one of the tasks includes a first subtask for executing a physical commercial transaction, and a second subtask for executing a payment of funds, the payment of funds being related to the cost of the physical commercial transaction;

(b) receiving the entered tasks and the calendar and date calculation module information relevant to the tasks by the computer;

(c) processing the information by the computer to generate instructions for executing the tasks; and

(d) executing the tasks with the at least one output device by;

(i) using a first output device to perform the physical commercial transaction at a first predetermined future time, and

(ii) using a second output device to execute the payment of funds at a second predetermined future time.

29. A method according to claim 28 wherein the first and second subtasks are executed at the same time.