Activity management system and method, active management apparatus, client terminal, and computer program

• US 7,739,606 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Sawada, Takayuki, Yoshida, Yuma, Tanaka, Mami
• Primary Examiner(s): Theriault; Steven B
• Application Number:
  US11/250,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20060095868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 715/781, 715/963, 715/733, 715738-740
• US Class Current: 715/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A CRM server sends to a client terminal activity data that has been read from a DB server, and directs the display thereof. When the activity data has been received from the CRM server, a client terminal obtains the screen data of a calendar screen is generated. Then a screen data for the activity detail screen that displays the activity data, screen data for an activity calendar screen is generated after display data for displaying information about a portion of the content of the activity has been added to screen data for a calendar screen in a field corresponding to a date and time shown by the activity data, and these generated screens are output on one screen.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for integrating a remote customer relationship management (CRM) application and a local calendaring application, the method comprising:

receiving, at a client device and from a CRM application hosted at a remote sewer, first information used to generate a registration screen of the CRM application for editing business activities;

retrieving from a local calendaring application stored at the client device, second information used to generate a calendar screen configured to display events within a determined time period, wherein the local calendaring application maintains persistent data from which the second information is derived;

generating at the client device one screen that comprises the generated calendar screen and the generated registration screen, wherein the generated calendar screen and the generated registration screen are displayed at a same time;

determining that the first information includes an information portion that corresponds to a first business activity associated with a first specified date;

modifying the second information using the information portion such that the first business activity is displayed in the generated calendar screen for the first specified date, and such that the persistent data of the local calendar application is unaffected by modifying the second information; and

using the modified second information, updating the generated calendar screen to display the first business activity for the first specified date such that the first business activity is displayed concurrently in the generated calendar screen and in the generated registration screen.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input corresponding to a user of the client device editing the first business activity in the generated registration screen to be associated with a second specified date;

in response to receiving the input, modifying the second information such that the edited first business activity is displayed in the generated calendar screen for the second specified date, and such that the persistent data of the local calendar application is unaffected by modifying the second information; and

using the second information being modified to include the edited first business activity, updating the generated calendar screen to display the edited first business activity for the second specified date such that the edited first business activity is displayed concurrently in the generated calendar screen and in the generated registration screen.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said updating the generated calendar screen to display the edited first business activity comprises:

transmitting to the CRM application the first business activity edited within the generated registration screen; and

receiving, from the CRM application and at the client device, a command to update the generated calendar screen.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

editing a second business activity within the generated calendar screen; and

updating the generated registration screen to display the second business activity edited within the calendar screen.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said updating the generated registration screen comprises transmitting to the CRM application the second business activity edited within the generated calendar screen.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said updating the generated registration screen further comprises receiving, from the CRM application and at the client device, a command to update the generated registration screen.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying within the generated calendar screen the first business activity corresponding to the date and time associated with a field that the user has indicated by using a pointing device in the generated calendar screen.

8. An article comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause one or more machines to perform operations of integrating a remote customer relationship management (CRM) application and a local calendaring application, the operations comprising:

receiving, at a client device and from a CRM application hosted at a remote server, first information used to generate a registration screen of the CRM application for editing business activities;

retrieving from a local calendaring application stored at the client device, second information used to generate a calendar screen configured to display events within a determined time period, wherein the local calendaring application maintains persistent data from which the second information is derived;

generating at the client device one screen that comprises the generated calendar screen and the generated registration screen as adjacent screens, wherein the generated calendar screen and the generated registration screen are displayed at a same time;

determining that the first information includes an information portion that corresponds to a first business activity associated with a first specified date;

modifying the second information using the information portion such that the first business activity is displayed in the generated calendar screen for the first specified date, and such that the persistent data of the local calendar application is unaffected by modifying the second information; and

using the modified second information, updating the generated calendar screen to display the first business activity for the first specified date such that the first business activity is displayed concurrently in the generated calendar screen and in the generated registration screen.

9. The article of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

receiving input corresponding to a user of the client device editing the first business activity in the generated registration screen to be associated with a second specified date;

in response to receiving the input, modifying the second information such that the edited first business activity is displayed in the generated calendar screen for the second specified date, and such that the persistent data of the local calendar application is unaffected by modifying the second information; and

using the second information being modified to include the edited first business activity, updating the generated calendar screen to display the edited first business activity for the second specified date such that the edited first business activity is displayed concurrently in the generated calendar screen and in the generated registration screen.

10. The article of claim 8, wherein said updating the general calendar screen to display the edited first business activity comprises:

transmitting to the CRM application the first business activity edited within the generated registration screen; and

receiving, from the CRM application and at the client device, a command to update the generated calendar screen.

11. The article of claim 8, further comprising instructions operable to cause the one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

editing a second business activity within the generated calendar screen; and

updating the generated registration screen to display the second business activity edited within the calendar screen.

12. The article of claim 11, wherein said updating the generated registration screen comprises:

transmitting to the CRM application the second business activity edited within the generated calendar screen.

13. The article of claim 12, wherein said updating the generated registration screen further comprises:

receiving, from the CRM application and at the client device, a command to update the generated registration screen.

14. The article of claim 8, further comprising instructions operable to cause the one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

displaying within the generated calendar screen the first business activity corresponding to the date and time associated with a field that the user has indicated by using a pointing device in the generated calendar screen.

15. A system comprising:

a customer relationship management (CRM) application hosted at a remote server;

a local calendaring application; and

a client device that stores the local calendaring application, the client device operative to;

receive from the CRM application first information used to generate a registration screen of the CRM application for editing business activities;

retrieve from the local calendar application, second information used to generate a calendar screen configured to display events within a determined time period, wherein the local calendaring application maintains persistent data from which the second information is derived;

generate one screen that comprises the generated calendar screen and the generated registration screen as adjacent screens, wherein the generated calendar screen and the generated registration screen are displayed at a same time;

determine that the first information includes an information portion that corresponds to a first business activity associated with a first specified date;

modify the second information using the information portion such that the first business is displayed in the generated calendar screen for the first specified date, and such that the persistent data of the local calendar application is unaffected by modifying the second information; and

using the modified second information, update the generated calendar screen to display the first business activity for the first specified date such that the first business activity are displayed concurrently in the generated calendar screen and in the generated registration screen.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the client device is further operative to:

receive input corresponding to a user of the client device editing the first business activity in the generated registration screen to be associated with a second specified date;

in response to receiving the input, modify the second information such that the edited first business activity is displayed in the generated calendar screen for the second specified date, and such that the persistent data of the local calendar application is unaffected by modifying the second information; and

using the second information being modified to include the edited first business activity, update the generated calendar screen to display the edited first business activity for the second specified date such that the edited first business activity is displayed concurrently in the generated calendar screen and in the generated registration screen.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the client device is further operative to:

transmit to the CRM application the first business activity edited within the generated registration screen; and

receive from the CRM application a command to update the generated calendar.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the client device is further operative to:

receive second business activity edited within the generated calendar screen by the user of the client device; and

update the generated registration screen to display the second business activity edited within the calendar screen.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the client device is further operative to:

transmit to the CRM application the second business activity edited within the generated calendar screen.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the client device is further operative to:

display within the generated calendar screen, the first business activity corresponding to a date or time associated to a field that the user has indicated by using a pointing device in the generated calendar screen.