Integrated spatial view of time, location, and event schedule information

• US 7,590,553 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2003
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Coates, Justine, Morris, Jeffrey D., Sharpe, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Boswell; Beth V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kardos; Neil R
• Application Number:
  US10/694,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20050091096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,150 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8, 368/28, 368/89
• US Class Current: 705/7.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

Systems and methods integrate various types of scheduling information to create a single spatial view of a schedule. The spatial view enables observation of one'"'"'s schedule at a glance and reduces the need for accessing additional information from other sources in order to comprehend scheduling information. Thus, users can access information regarding the time, location, and subject matter of appointments and/or events in a single location without the hassle of looking back and forth between various information sources. This helps users meet their scheduled appointments and events in an on-time and prepared manner.

Claims

1. A processor-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, perform acts comprising:

receiving scheduling information including event times, event locations, and event details;

accessing a map that encompasses the event locations

for each event location, expressing event times in a single illustrated clock face, wherein the expressing event times comprises;

expressing AM hours in which an event can occur as an inner circle partitioned into an AM event-on section and an AM event-off section;

expressing PM hours in which an event can occur as a first ring surrounding the inner circle, the first ring partitioned into a PM event-on section and a PM event-off section;

expressing an event time as a clock hand extending radially away from the center of the inner circle in a direction which expresses a particular minute in an analog clock hour;

wherein the event occurs at the particular minute for every hour of the AM event-on section and every hour of the PM event-on section;

displaying each clock face on the map at its corresponding event location;

receiving a user input instruction from a cursor hovering over an event time in the single spatial view; and

in response to the user input instruction, displaying a pop-up pane containing underlying event information associated with the event time.

2. A processor-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, perform acts comprising:

expressing multiple event times of at least two events on a single analog clock face;

wherein the clock face includes an inner circle depicting active AM hours in which event times may occur for the at least two events, a first concentric ring around the inner circle depicting active PM hours in which event times may occur, a second concentric ring around the first concentric ring, the second concentric ring depicting time markings consistent with an analog clock, and event hands extending toward the center of the inner circle from the outer edge of the second concentric ring to the inner edge of the second concentric ring, each event hand designating a particular minute in an analog clock hour when an event of the at least two events will occur for every active AM hour and for every active PM hour;

wherein the event hands are divided into at least two indicators when at least two events occur at an identical particular minute.

3. A processor readable medium as recited in claim 2, further comprising displaying a plurality of the clock faces on a map, each clock face displayed at a different location to form a route on the map.

4. A processor readable medium as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

receiving scheduling information including event times, event information, and event locations;

accessing a map based on the event locations;

integrating the event times, event information, and event locations into a schedule route on the map;

designating each event location with an analog clock face that depicts an event time corresponding to the event location; and

displaying the schedule route on the map in a single spatial view.

5. A processor readable medium as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a user input instruction from a cursor hovering over an event time in the single spatial view; and

in response to the user input instruction, displaying a pop-up pane containing underlying event information associated with the event time.

6. A processor readable medium as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

receiving user input through the pop-up pane that includes altered event information selected from the group comprising;

edited event information;

added event information; and

deleted event information.

7. A processor readable medium as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

transferring the altered event information from the single spatial view of the scheduling information to a calendar view of the scheduling information.

8. A processor readable medium as recited in claim 6, wherein the event locations can include local, regional, national, and international locations, the method further comprising:

zooming the single spatial view between a local view, a regional view, a national view, and an international view according to a user input instruction;

wherein each of the local view, regional view, national view, and international view include relevant event times, event information, and event locations.

9. A computer system for scheduling and displaying event information, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a processor-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, perform acts comprising;

receiving scheduling information including event times, event locations, and event details;

accessing a map that encompasses the event locations

for each event location, expressing event times in a single illustrated clock face, wherein the expressing event times comprises;

expressing AM hours in which an event can occur as an inner circle partitioned into an AM event-on section and an AM event-off section;

expressing PM hours in which an event can occur as a first ring surrounding the inner circle, the first ring partitioned into a PM event-on section and a PM event-off section;

expressing an event time as a clock hand extending radially away from the center of the inner circle in a direction which expresses a particular minute in an analog clock hour;

wherein the event occurs at the particular minute for every hour of the AM event-on section and every hour of the PM event-on section;

displaying each clock face on the map at its corresponding event location;

receiving a user input instruction from a cursor hovering over an event time in the single spatial view; and

in response to the user input instruction, displaying a pop-up pane containing underlying event information associated with the event time.