System and method for performing local searches across user defined events

• US 7,970,751 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2009
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael Emil Ogrinz, William Mcbride Fesq
• Original Assignee: Michael Emil Ogrinz, William Mcbride Fesq
• Inventors: Ogrinz, Michael Emil, McBride Fesq, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US12/572,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20100088337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 707/770, 707/706, 707/769, 707/802
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

The instant invention presents a system and method for performing local searches across one or more events created by one or more users. The system of the present invention comprises an event data structure comprising one or more user defined events, each event associated with a zip code. A zip list processor is provided to receive a zip code and a distance value, e.g., from user defined input, which are used to calculate a zip list comprising all zip codes geographically located with the distance value from the zip code. An event list generator to receives the zip list and queries the event data structure to retrieve events associated with zip codes contained in the zip list. The method of the present invention comprises creating an event data structure comprising one or more user defined events, each event associated with a zip code, calculating a zip list comprising all zip codes geographically located within a distance equal to a received distance value from a received zip code, and querying the event data structure to retrieve events associated with zip codes contained in the zip list.

Claims

1. A system for performing searches across user defined events for an arbitrary geographic region or regions, the system comprising:

a server computer coupled over a computer network to a plurality of client devices, the server operable at least to;

maintain an event data structure comprising a plurality of user defined events, each of the plurality of events in the data structure comprising a zip code, a unique calendar identification that identifies an event as belonging to a calendar of one of a plurality of users, an event identification, an event date, an indication, an event description, and an indication whether the event is a private event;

receive a zip code and a distance value from the at least one client device;

calculate a zip list comprising zip codes geographically located within the distance value from the zip code using a zip data structure comprising zip codes and associated latitude and longitude values;

receive the zip list and query the event data structure; and

retrieve events associated with zip codes contained in the zip list.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the zip list processor utilizes great circle mathematics to calculate all zip codes geographically located with the distance value from the zip code.

3. The system of claim 1 comprising a calendar generator to facilitate creation of a calendars and a calendar data structure.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the each of the one or more user defined events are associated with a calendar in the calendar data structure.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the calendar generator is operative to format and present the calendar and associated user defined events on a display device.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more user defined events are marked as public or private events.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein private events are excluded from the query performed by the event list generator.

8. A method for performing searches across user defined events for an arbitrary geographic region or regions, the method comprising:

creating an event data structure comprising one or more user defined events, each of the plurality of events in the data structure comprising a zip code, a unique calendar identification that identifies an event as belonging to a calendar of one of a plurality of users, an event identification, an event date, an indication, an event description, and an indication whether the event is a private event;

calculating a zip list comprising all zip codes geographically located within a distance equal to a received distance value from a received zip code using a zip data structure comprising zip codes and associated latitude and longitude values; and

querying the event data structure to retrieve events associated with zip codes contained in the zip list.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein calculating comprises utilizing great circle mathematics to calculate all zip codes geographically located with the distance value from the zip code.

10. The method of claim 8 comprising generating a calendar data structure and one or more calendars through the use of a calendar generator.

11. The method of claim 10 comprising associating each of the one or more user defined events with a calendar in the calendar data structure.

12. The method of claim 11 comprising formatting and presenting the calendar and associated user defined events on a display device.

13. The method of claim 8 comprising marking the one or more user defined events are marked as public or private events.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein querying excludes private events.

15. A system for performing searches across user defined events for an arbitrary geographic region or regions, the system comprising:

a server computer coupled over a computer network to a plurality of client devices, the server operable at least to;

maintain an event data structure comprising a plurality of user defined events, each event in the data structure comprising a unique calendar identification that identifies particular events as belonging a calendar of one of a plurality of users, a zip code location of the event, an event identification, an event date, an event description, and an indication from the one of the plurality of users that created the event that the event is one of a public event and a private event, the calendar of the at least one user comprising at least one private event and at least one public event;

receive a zip code and a distance value from the at least one client device;

calculate a zip list comprising zip codes geographically located within the distance value from the zip code using a zip data structure comprising zip codes and associated latitude and longitude values;

receive the zip list and query the event data structure; and

retrieve events associated with zip codes contained in the zip list, wherein the server queries the data structure for the at least one private event only for the at least one user that created the private event and for the at least one public event for all users.

16. the system of claim 15, the data structure further comprising a second plurality of user defined events, each of the second plurality of events associated with an indication that the event is a public non-searchable event, the calendar of the at least one user comprising at least one non-searchable private event, wherein the server queries the non-searchable public event only for the user that created the event and for a published calendar of the at least one use.