Meeting notification and modification service

• US 8,364,400 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Coughlin, Stephen J., Meisels, Adrienne C., Greenberg, Steven E.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US13/296,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20120059580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/408, 701/410, 701/412, 701/300, 701/465, 701/527, 705/7.18
• US Class Current: 701/465
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

Techniques are described for providing a meeting notification and automatic modification service. A system may be configured to identify an appointment in a calendar application, identify a geographic location of the appointment, and identify, before the appointment time, a geographic location of a first participant of the appointment. Based on the geographic information, the system may identify a route extending from the geographic location of the first participant to the geographic location of the appointment, and may identify a travel time associated with the route. Based on the travel time and the appointment time, the system may determine whether the first participant is estimated to arrive at the appointment on time and, based on the determination, the system may send a message to participants of the appointment or dynamically reschedule the appointment.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving information identifying a current geographic location of a first participant of an appointment;

determining, based on at least the received information identifying the current geographical location of the first participant, an estimated arrival time for the first participant to arrive at a location associated with the appointment;

determining, using a processor, whether the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to a start time of the appointment; and

transmitting a notification to at least one of the first participant or a second participant of the appointment, when the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to the appointment start time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises information indicating that the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to the appointment start time.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a travel route between the current geographical location of the first participant and the location associated with the appointment;

receiving information identifying a travel condition associated with the travel route; and

calculating, based on the travel condition, a travel time corresponding to the travel route,

wherein determining the estimated arrival time of the first participant comprises computing the estimated arrival time based on the travel time corresponding to the travel route.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the travel condition comprises at least one of (i) a condition of a road along the travel route or (ii) a flow of traffic along the travel route.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein:

receiving the information identifying the travel condition comprises receiving historical information associated with the travel route; and

calculating the travel time corresponding to the travel route comprises calculating the travel time based on the historical information.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a modality of travel associated with the travel route; and

calculating the travel time corresponding to the travel route, based on the modality of travel and a distance along the travel route between the current geographic location of the first participant and the location associated with the appointment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the modality of travel comprises determining a plurality of modalities of travel for the travel route.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein calculating the travel time further comprises:

computing first travel times corresponding to the modalities of travel; and

computing second travel times corresponding to transitions between the modalities of travel.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the travel time further comprises calculating a sum of the first and second travel times.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the travel route is associated with an initial travel condition;

the method further comprises detecting a change in the initial travel condition; and

determining the estimated arrival time comprises computing the estimated arrival time based on the detected change in the initial travel condition.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein detecting the change in the initial travel condition comprises:

receiving information indicative of a subsequent travel condition; and

detecting the change in the initial travel condition based on the subsequent travel condition.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the travel route is associated with an initial modality of travel;

the method further comprises detecting a change in the initial modality of travel; and

determining the estimated arrival time comprises computing the estimated arrival time based on the detected change in the initial modality of travel.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the detecting the change in the initial modality of travel comprises:

receiving information identifying a subsequent modality of travel; and

detecting the change in the initial modality of travel based on at least the subsequent modality of travel.

14. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining a speed of travel along the travel route for the first participant, wherein:

determining the estimated arrival time comprises computing the estimated arrival time of the first participant at the associated with the appointment based on at least the speed of travel.

15. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying alternate travel routes for the first participant traveling to the appointment, when the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to the appointment start time; and

computing, for the alternate travel routes, estimated arrival times for the first participant to arrive at the location associated with the appointment.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the method further comprises determining that the estimated arrival time for one of the alternate travel routes occurs at or prior to the start time of the appointment; and

transmitting the notification comprises transmitting information associated with the corresponding one of the alternate travel routes to the first participant.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

selecting one of the alternate travel routes based on the estimated arrival times; and

transmitting the notification further comprises transmitting information associated with the selected one of the alternate travel routes to the first participant.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the method further comprises identifying an updated start time for the appointment, when the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to the start time of the appointment, the updated start time occurring at or subsequent to the estimated arrival time; and

transmitting the notification comprises transmitting the updated start time to at least one of the first participant or the second participant.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a storage device that stores a set of instructions; and

at least one processor that is coupled to the storage device, the at least one processor executing the set of instructions to;

receive information identifying a current geographic location of a first participant of an appointment;

determine, based on at least the received information identifying the current geographical location of the first participant, an estimated arrival time for the first participant to arrive at a location associated with the appointment;

determine whether the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to a start time of the appointment; and

transmit a notification to at least one of the first participant or a second participant of the appointment, when the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to the appointment start time.

20. A tangible computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving information identifying a current geographic location of a first participant of an appointment;

determining, based on at least the received information identifying the current geographical location of the first participant, an estimated arrival time for the first participant to arrive at a location associated with the appointment;

determining whether the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to a start time of the appointment; and

transmitting a notification to at least one of the first participant or a second participant of the appointment, when the estimated arrival time occurs subsequent to the appointment start time.