Apparatus and method for presenting schedule information depending on situation

• US 6,925,603 B1
• Filed: 09/01/2000
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Takayama, Kuniharu, Sekiguchi, Minoru, Maeda, Yoshiharu, Naito, Hirohisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US09/654,524
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 345/963, 345/733, 345/760, 345/751, 345/744, 345/745, 345/747, 345/864, 345/962, 705/9, 705/7, 705/8, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 701/200, 701/206, 701/207, 701/208, 701/213, 340/990, 340/989, 340/995
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/963 Calendar or scheduling

Abstract

Schedule data described using a sequence of a predetermined specification based on a set of a place condition and a time condition, and a schedule to be performed based on the place condition and time condition is processed depending on a range of a place information and a range of a time information to be presented to a user, and information corresponding to the schedule is presented to the user.

Claims

1. An apparatus which presents a schedule to a user depending on a situation, comprising:

an input device inputting a schedule comprising a sequence of instructions based on a predetermined specification capable of describing one of the instructions by a combination by at least place information, time information, a schedule to be performed according to the place information and the time information, and a method of presenting the user with the schedule;

a device performing one of obtaining a situation of a current place and a current time, and generating a situation of a virtual current place and a virtual current time;

a process device executing an instruction described in the input schedule depending on the current place and the current time obtained by one of obtaining the situation and generating the situation; and

a presentation device presenting a schedule according to the executed instruction.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a device suggesting and performing an action corresponding to the schedule, wherein

said input device inputs a schedule containing a method of suggesting and performing the action.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said schedule is described in a markup language which identifies using a tag the place information, the time information, the schedule to be performed, the method of presenting the user with the schedule, the method of suggesting and performing the action corresponding the schedule, and other components of the instructions.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said process device executes an instruction when said place information corresponds to one of the current place of the user and the virtual current place and said time information corresponds to one of the current time and the virtual current time.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said input device inputs a user-specified schedule by one of communicating with an external device for providing a schedule through a network, reading from a computer-readable electronic medium, and inputting a schedule by the user.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a conversion device analyzing the input schedule and converting the schedule into structured data for schedule management, wherein

said process device executes an instruction represented in a form of the structured data for schedule management.

7. An apparatus which presents a schedule to a user depending on a situation, comprising:

an input device inputting a schedule comprising a sequence of instructions based on a predetermined specification capable of describing place information, time information, and a method of presenting a schedule to be processed according to a place and a time corresponding to the place information and the time information, using a combination of a name identifying each of the place information, the time information, and the method of presenting the schedule, and contents of each of the place information, the time information, and the method of presenting the schedule;

a setting device setting as an operation mode one of a real mode and a simulation mode, by one of inputting an operation by the user and setting by a system;

an obtaining device obtaining a situation of a current time and a current place in the real mode;

a generation device generating a situation of a virtual current time and a virtual current place in the simulation mode;

a process device executing an instruction described in the input schedule depending on the current place and the current time obtained by obtaining the situation in the real mode and depending on the virtual current place and the virtual current time obtained by generating the situation in the simulation mode; and

a presentation device presenting a schedule according to the executed instruction.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising

a device suggesting and performing an action corresponding to the schedule, wherein

said input device inputs a schedule containing a method of suggesting and performing the action.

9. A method of presenting a schedule to a user depending on a situation, comprising:

inputting a schedule comprising a sequence of instructions based on a predetermined specification capable of describing one of the instructions by a combination of at least place information, time information, a method of presenting a schedule to be executed according to a place and a time corresponding to the place information and the time information, and a method of suggesting and performing an action corresponding to the schedule, using a combination of a name identifying a type of each piece of information and contents of the information, by one of communicating through a network, reading from an electronic medium, and inputting by the user;

performing one of obtaining a situation of a current place and a current time and generating a situation of a virtual current place and a virtual current time;

executing an instruction described in the input schedule depending on the current time and current place obtained by one of obtaining the situation and generating the situation; and

performing one of presenting a schedule, and suggesting and performing an action corresponding to the schedule, according to the executed instruction.

10. A method of presenting a schedule to a user depending on a situation, comprising:

inputting a schedule comprising a sequence of instructions based on a predetermined specification capable of describing place information, time information, a method of presenting a schedule to be processed according to a place and a time corresponding to the place information and the time information, and a method of suggesting and performing an action corresponding to the schedule, using a combination of a name identifying each of the place information, the time information, and the method of presenting the schedule, and contents of each of the place information, the time information, and the method of presenting the schedule;

setting as an operation mode one of a real mode and a simulation mode, by one of inputting an operation by the user and setting by a system;

obtaining a situation of a current time and a current place in the real mode, and generating a situation of a virtual current time and a virtual current place in the simulation mode;

executing an instruction described in the input schedule depending on the current place and the current time obtained by obtaining the situation in the real mode and depending on the virtual current place and the virtual current time obtained by generating the situation in the simulation mode; and

performing one of presenting a schedule, and suggesting and performing an action corresponding to the schedule, according to the executed instruction.

11. A storage medium storing a program for a computer presenting a schedule to a user depending on a situation, said program enabling the computer to perform:

inputting a schedule comprising a sequence of instructions based on a predetermined specification capable of describing one of the instructions by place information, time information, a method of presenting a schedule to be executed according to a place and a time corresponding to the place information and the time information, and a method of suggesting and performing an action corresponding to the schedule, using a combination of a name identifying a type of each piece of information and contents of the information, by one of communicating through a network, reading from an electronic medium, and inputting by the user;

performing one of obtaining a situation of a current place and a current time and generating a situation of a virtual current place and a virtual current time;

executing an instruction described in the input schedule depending on the current time and current place obtained by one of obtaining the situation and generating the situation; and

performing one of presenting a schedule, and suggesting and performing an action corresponding to the schedule, according to the executed instruction.

12. A storage medium storing a program for a computer presenting a schedule to a user depending on a situation, said program enabling the computer to perform:

inputting a schedule comprising a sequence of instructions based on a predetermined specification capable of describing place information, time information, a method of presenting a schedule to be processed according to a place and a time corresponding to the place information and the time information, and a method of suggesting and performing an action corresponding to the schedule, using a combination of a name identifying each of the place information, the time information, the method of presenting of schedule, and the method of suggesting and performing the action, and contents of each of the place information, the time information, the method of presenting of schedule, and the method of suggesting and performing the action;

setting as an operation mode one of a real mode and a simulation mode, by one of inputting an operation by the user and setting by a system;

obtaining a situation of a current time and a current place in the real mode, and generating a situation of a virtual current time and a virtual current place in the simulation mode;

processing an instruction described in the input schedule depending on the current place and the current time obtained by obtaining the situation in the real mode and depending on the virtual current place and the virtual current time obtained by generating the situation in the simulation mode; and

performing one of presenting a schedule, and suggesting and performing an action corresponding to the schedule, according to a process of the instruction.

13. A computer-readable storage medium for a computer presenting a schedule to a user depending on a situation, storing schedule data:

wherein said schedule data comprise an electronic code string described in a markup language based on a predetermined specification, said code string including a sequence of instructions based on a predetermined specification capable of describing place information, time information, a method of presenting a schedule to be processed according to a place and a time corresponding to the place information and the time information, and a method of suggesting and performing an action corresponding to the schedule, using a combination of a name identifying each of the place information, the time information, the method of presenting of schedule, and the method of suggesting and performing the action, and contents of each of the place information, the time information, the method of presenting the schedule, and the method of suggesting and performing the action; and

wherein said schedule data are read and used by the computer for presenting a schedule to the user, and suggesting and performing an action corresponding to the schedule accoding to the instructions.

14. An automatic schedule generation apparatus which automatically generates a schedule to be presented to a user depending on a situation, comprising:

a device obtaining a situation of a current time and a current place one of at predetermined time intervals, at predetermined places, at predetermined distances, at each matching item in a prepared user action list, for each characteristic user action, and for a user instruction;

a device estimating a user action performed when the situation is obtained, and determining a schedule and one of a method of presenting the schedule to the user depending on the schedule and a method of suggesting and performing an action depending on the schedule;

a device generating schedule data comprising a sequence of instructions based on a predetermined specification capable of describing place information, time information, a method of presenting the schedule to be processed according to a place and a time corresponding to the place information and the time information, and a method of suggesting and performing an action corresponding to the schedule, using a combination of a name identifying each of the place information, the time information, the method of presenting the schedule, and the method of suggesting and performing the action, and contents of each of the place information, the time information, the method of presenting the schedule, and the method of suggesting and performing the action, according to information about the determined schedule; and

a device storing generated schedule data in an electronic medium.

15. A schedule presentation apparatus which presents a user with information corresponding to a schedule, comprising:

an input device inputting data comprising a sequence of a predetermined specification capable of describing the sequence by a combination of a place condition, a time condition, and a schedule to be performed based on the place condition and time condition; and

a process device processing the schedule described in the input data using the place condition and time condition depending on a range of place information and a range of time information to be presented to the user.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising

a display device displaying the schedule described in the input data together with the place condition on a map corresponding to the range of the place information.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

said display device displays the schedule when a range of the place condition is contained in a display range of the map.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

said display device displays an order of executing a plurality of schedules when the plurality of schedules having a series of place conditions are displayed on the map, by sequentially connecting the plurality of schedules using lines.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising

a display device displaying a map corresponding to the range of the place information and a time axis schedule table corresponding to the range of the time information, and displaying the schedule described in the input data on the map together with the place condition, and on the time axis schedule table together with the time condition when a range of the place condition is contained in a display range of the map and a range of the time condition is contained in a display range of the time axis schedule table.

20. A schedule presentation apparatus which presents a user with information corresponding to a schedule, comprising:

an input device inputting data comprising a sequence of a predetermined specification capable of describing the sequence by a combination of a place condition, a time condition, a schedule to be performed based on the place condition and time condition, and a method of presenting a user with presentation information for the schedule; and

a process device processing at least one of the schedule described in the input data and the presentation information for the schedule using the place condition, the time condition, and the method of presenting, depending on a range of a place information and a range of a time information to be presented to a user.

21. A schedule presentation apparatus which presents a user with information corresponding to a schedule, comprising:

an input device inputting data comprising a sequence of a predetermined specification capable of describing the sequence by a combination of a place condition, a time condition, a schedule to be performed based on the place condition and time condition, and a method of presenting a user with presentation information for the schedule;

a device performing one of obtaining a situation of a current place and a current time, and generating a situation of a virtual current place and a virtual current time; and

a process device processing at least one of the schedule described in the input data and the presentation information for the schedule using the place condition, the time condition, and the method of presenting, depending on the current place and the current time obtained by one of obtaining the situation and generating the situation.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising

a display device displaying a map, and displaying on the map at least one of the schedule described in the input data and the presentation information for the schedule, together with the place condition.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein

said display device changes a display range of the map as the current place moves, and displays a schedule having a place condition contained in the changed display range.

24. A schedule presentation apparatus which presents a user with information corresponding to a schedule, comprising:

an input device inputting data comprising a sequence of a predetermined specification capable of describing the sequence by a combination of a place condition, a time condition, a schedule to be performed based on the place condition and time condition, a method of presenting a user with presentation information for the schedule, and an action to be performed for the schedule;

a device performing one of obtaining a situation of a current place and a current time, and generating a situation of a virtual current place and a virtual current time; and

a process device processing at least one of the schedule described in the input data and the presentation information for the schedule using the place condition, the time condition, and the method of presenting, depending on the current place and the current time obtained by one of obtaining the situation and generating the situation; and

an execution device performing the action to be performed for the schedule described in the input data using the place condition and time condition, depending on the current place and the current time obtained by one of obtaining the situation and generating the situation.

25. A schedule presentation apparatus which presents a user with information corresponding to a schedule, comprising:

input means for inputting data comprising a sequence of a predetermined specification capable of describing the sequence by a combination of a place condition, a time condition, and a schedule to be performed based on the place condition and time condition; and

process means for processing the schedule described in the input data using the place condition and time condition, depending on a range of place information and a range of time information to be presented to the user.

26. A schedule presentation apparatus which presents a user with information corresponding to a schedule, comprising:

input means for inputting data comprising a sequence of a predetermined specification capable of describing the sequence by a combination of a place condition, a time condition, a schedule to be performed based on the place condition and time condition, and a method of presenting the user with presentation information for the schedule;

means for performing one of obtaining a situation of a current place and a current time, and generating a situation of a virtual current place and a virtual current time; and

process means for processing at least one of the schedule described in the input data and the presentation information for the schedule using the place condition, the time condition, and the method of presenting, depending on the current place and the current time obtained by one of obtaining the situation and generating the situation.