System and method for acknowledging calendar appointments using a mobile device

• US 8,457,669 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2012
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Hardy, Michael Thomas, May, Darrell, Coode, Catherine Michelle
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG-HURST, KATHY W
• Application Number:
  US13/408,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/550.1
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A system and method are provided for communicating calendar appointment acknowledgements to a sender from a recipient device, in particular a mobile communication device capable of receiving SMS messages. The sender creates a calendar object comprising calendar event data, designates a recipient, and selects a transport method for delivering the calendar event data. If the transport method is SMS, then a calendar object message in plaintext SMS format is prepared, comprising a unique identifier, and transmitted to the recipient. The recipient'"'"'s mobile communication device receives the SMS message and parses the message to extract the calendar event data, and transmits an acknowledgement to the sender including the unique identifier.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a communication device, an SMS message comprising first calendar event data for a first calendar event, the first calendar event data comprising at least one of;

a predefined heading and a value associated with the predefined heading; and

a predefined delimiter to delimit values associated with a predefined set of calendar event data types, wherein each value being delimited is represented by a character string of predefined length;

the communication device scanning the received SMS message for a first unique calendar event identifier;

if the first unique calendar event identifier is found, the communication device;

generating a responding SMS message comprising the first unique calendar event identifier and either an accept response or a decline response depending on whether or not the first calendar event is stored at the communication device; and

transmitting the responding SMS message to an organizer of the first calendar event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the communication device transmitting the first calendar event data and the first unique calendar event identifier for storage in a network data store associated with the communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the responding SMS message is addressed to a sending device associated with the organizer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the communication device storing the first calendar event data from the received SMS message in a calendar data store at the communication device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein if the first unique calendar event identifier is not found, the communication device:

generating a unique calendar event identifier and storing the first calendar event data from the received SMS message in association with the unique calendar event identifier thus generated;

generating a responding SMS message comprising either an accept response or a decline response; and

transmitting the responding SMS message to an organizer of the first calendar event.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first calendar event data and the unique calendar event identifier thus generated are stored at the communication device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first calendar event data and the unique calendar event identifier thus generated are stored at a network data store associated with the communication device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the communication device obtaining second calendar event data from input at the communication device;

generating a second unique calendar event identifier associated with the second calendar event data;

generating a calendar message comprising the second calendar event data and the second unique calendar event identifier;

selecting a transport method for a recipient of the calendar message;

addressing the calendar message to the recipient; and

transmitting the calendar message according to the selected transport method.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein selecting the transport method for the recipient of the calendar message comprises determining a preferred transport method for the recipient.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the transport method is SMS.

11. A communication device configured to receive and transmit SMS messages, the communication device comprising:

a memory comprising a calendar data store for storing calendar event data; and

a processor configured to;

enable receipt of an SMS message comprising first calendar event data for a first calendar event, the first calendar event data comprising at least one of;

a predefined heading and a value associated with the predefined heading; and

a predefined delimiter to delimit values associated with a predefined set of calendar event data types, wherein each value being delimited is represented by a character string of predefined length;

scan the SMS message which was received for a first unique calendar event identifier; and

if the first unique calendar event identifier is found,

generate a responding SMS message comprising the first unique calendar event identifier and either an accept response or a decline response depending on whether or not the first calendar event is stored at the communication device; and

initiate transmission of the responding SMS message to an organizer of the first calendar event.

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the communication device is configured to transmit the first calendar event data and the first unique calendar event identifier for storage in a network data store associated with the communication device.

13. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to address the responding SMS message to a sending device associated with the sender.

14. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the communication device is configured to store the first calendar event data from the received SMS message in the calendar data store.

15. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to, if the first unique calendar event identifier is not found:

generate a unique calendar event identifier and store the first calendar event data from the received SMS message in association with the unique calendar event identifier thus generated;

generate a responding SMS message comprising either an accept response or a decline response; and

transmit the responding SMS message to a sender of the received SMS message.

16. The communication device of claim 15, wherein the first calendar event data and the unique calendar event identifier thus generated are stored in the calendar data store.

17. The communication device of claim 15, wherein the communication device is configured to transmit the first calendar event data and the first unique calendar event identifier thus generated for storage at a network data store associated with the communication device.

18. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

obtain second calendar event data from input at the communication device;

generate a second unique calendar event identifier associated with the second calendar event data;

generate a calendar message comprising the second calendar event data and the second unique calendar event identifier;

select a transport method for a recipient of the calendar message;

address the calendar message to the recipient; and

transmit the calendar message according to the selected transport method.

19. The communication device of claim 18, wherein the communication device is configured to select the transport method for the recipient of the calendar message by determining a preferred transport method for the recipient.

20. The communication device of claim 18, wherein the transport method is SMS.

21. A communication device configured to receive and transmit SMS messages, the communication device comprising:

a memory comprising a calendar data store for storing calendar event data;

a processor configured to;

select a preferred transport method for a selected recipient of a calendar message;

if the selected transport for the recipient is SMS, format the calendar message as an SMS message;

generate the calendar message comprising calendar event data and a unique calendar event identifier, the calendar event data comprising at least one of;

a predefined heading and a value associated with the predefined heading; and

a predefined delimiter to delimit values associated with a predefined set of calendar event data types, wherein each value being delimited is represented by a characters string of predefined length;

initiate transmission of the SMS message to the recipient,

the communication device being further configured to receive a responding SMS message from the recipient, the responding SMS message comprising the unique calendar event identifier and either an accept response or a decline response depending on whether or not the calendar event is stored by the recipient, and to store the accept response or the decline response in the calendar data store.