Calendar item hierarchy for automatic specialization

• US 7,827,240 B1
• Filed: 01/02/2007
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Lenard, Rohan, Atkins, Richard J., Kalsi, Sunny Singh, Thambiratnam, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US11/619,145
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709203-204, 709/206, 705/9
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and systems for specializing calendar items. More specifically, a user or number of users may receive a calendar item having certain original parameters. The receiving user may wish to adjust those parameters for a subset of users that may or may not include the calendar item originator. The receiving user can then specialize certain parameters of the calendar item and transmit them to the determined subset of users without sending the same specialized calendar item to users outside of the subset that received the original calendar item.

Claims

1. A hierarchical method for calendar management comprising:

a first recipient receiving a first calendar item scheduling an event and having at least one parameter from an originator, the first calendar item having a first hierarchical position;

the first recipient adjusting the at least one parameter to create a second calendar item having the adjusted at least one parameter providing additional, specialized information regarding the event for at least one recipient, the second calendar item being stored in association with and in addition to the first calendar item at a server and the second calendar item having a second, different, hierarchical position than the first calendar item,

wherein conflicts between the first calendar item and the second calendar item are resolved based on hierarchical positions of the first calendar item and the second calendar item;

the first recipient determining the at least one second recipient for the second calendar item, wherein the at least one second recipient excludes the originator; and

the first recipient sending the second calendar item to the at least one second recipient to update a calendar of the at least one second recipient with the adjusted at least one parameter of the event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second recipient comprises a recipient of the first calendar item, further comprising:

sending the second calendar item to the recipient of the first calendar item;

adjusting the at least one parameter of the first calendar item according to the second calendar item; and

notifying a recipient of the first and second calendar items that the at least one parameter has been adjusted.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting comprises at least one of (i) adding, (ii) removing, and (iii) changing the at least one parameter of the first calendar item.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the originator updating a parameter of the first calendar item;

determining if the updated first calendar item conflicts with the second calendar item; and

performing at least one of the following;

(i) in the event that the updated first calendar item conflicts with the second calendar item, updating the parameter in the second calendar item for the at least one second recipient of the second calendar item; and

(ii) in the event that the updated first calendar item does not conflict with the second calendar item, allowing the second calendar item to remain unchanged.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining if the updated first calendar item conflicts with the second calendar item comprises comparing the updated parameter with the adjusted at least one parameter to determine if each is associated with a common parameter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of a location, time, and resource.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of a link, reference, and pointer is created logically connecting the first and second calendar items.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions operable to perform the method of claim 1.

9. A system for coordinating actions of multiple users based on a hierarchical position, comprising:

a server including a processor and memory operable to;

transmit a first calendar item scheduling an event and having a first set of parameters from an originator to one or more users, the first calendar item having a first hierarchical position,

receive a second calendar item having a second set of parameters having at least one parameter adjusted from the first set of parameters from at least one of the one or more users that received the first calendar item from the originator, the second set of parameters providing additional, specialized information regarding the event for a population of recipients,

store the second calendar item in association with and in addition to the first calendar item, and

transmit the second calendar item to the population of recipients excluding the originator, such that the first set of parameters received by the population of recipients are altered to reflect the second set of parameters,

wherein the population of recipients comprises the one or more users and the second calendar item having a second, different, hierarchical position than the first calendar item,

wherein conflicts between the first calendar item and the second calendar item are resolved based on hierarchical positions of the first calendar item and the second calendar item.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the server is further operable to store the second calendar item in association with the first calendar item.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the server is further operable to notify the population of recipients that the first set of parameters have been altered to reflect the second set of parameters.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of a location, time, and resource.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the server alters the first set of parameters by at least one of (i) adding, (ii) removing, and (iii) changing at least one parameter in the first set of parameters.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the server is further operable to receive an updated first calendar item comprising at least one updated parameter from the originator, determine the updated first calendar item conflicts with the second calendar item, and update a parameter in the second calendar item corresponding to the at least one updated parameter for the population of recipients.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the server is operable to determine that a conflict exists between the first and second calendar item by comparing the at least one updated parameter with an altered parameter in the second set of parameters to determine if each is associated with a common parameter.

16. A calendar server that manages a data structure for a calendar item, comprising:

a database including one or more memory storage devices that store an original set of parameters generated by an originator of a first calendar item scheduling an event, the first calendar item having a first hierarchical position; and

at least one specialized parameter associated with the first calendar item, wherein the at least one specialized parameter is associated with a second calendar item generated by at least one or more users that received the first calendar item from the originator and represents a specialization of at least one of the original set of parameters of the first calendar item, the second calendar item stored in association with and in addition to the first calendar item, and having a second, different, hierarchical position than the first calendar item,

wherein the second calendar item is transmitted to the at least one recipient excluding the originator such that the original set of parameters received by the population of recipients are altered to reflect the specialized parameter,

wherein conflicts between the first calendar item and the second calendar item are resolved based on hierarchical positions of the first calendar item and the second calendar item.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein the original set of parameters comprise at least one of location, time, and resources associated with the first calendar item.

18. The server of claim 16, wherein the first calendar item is associated with a user that is different from the originator.

19. The server of claim 16, wherein multiple specialized parameters from different user groups are associated with one another according to at least one of originator, recipient, and timestamp information stored in associated with the first calendar item.

20. The server of claim 16, wherein multiple specialized parameters from different user groups are associated with one another according to at least one of originator, recipient, and timestamp information stored in association with the calendar item.