Side-by-side shared calendars

• US 9,098,837 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2008
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hill, Brian, Bjordahl, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LE V
• Application Number:
  US12/028,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20080178110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,733 Days
• Field of Search: 715/792, 715/963, 715/72
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/048 Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/048
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/06 using stored programs, i.e. using an internal store of processing equipment to receive or retain programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for presenting a plurality of shared calendars in a single electronic display frame or window where each of the plurality of shared calendars is displayed in a common view mode relative to other displayed shared calendars. Users may select one or more shared calendars to be displayed in the same display frame or window as their own calendar. Upon selection of a shared calendar to be displayed alongside a first calendar, an aggregate view object is called to control and coordinate all shared calendars selected for display in the common window or frame. The aggregate view object determines the view data object, including view mode (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly) and other calendar display settings of the first or active calendar displayed in the common view of shared calendars.

Claims

1. A method for displaying shared electronic calendars, the method comprising:

providing a calendar software application capable of displaying a plurality of calendars simultaneously;

displaying a plurality of available calendars in a first view frame of a navigation pane for selection;

displaying data associated with each displayed calendar in a particular displayed calendar to which the data is associated, wherein the data comprises textual information and a plurality of icons wherein each one of the plurality icons represents at least one action associated with a calendar event;

in response to receiving a user selection of at least a subset of the plurality of available calendars, displaying at least a portion of the selected subset of the plurality of available calendars in;

a main view frame simultaneously in side-by-side orientation, wherein displaying at least the portion of the selected subset of the plurality of available calendars simultaneously in the main view frame comprises aligning each displayed calendar at one of the following;

a common time position and a

common date position, and wherein aligning each displayed calendar comprises realigning each displayed calendar at the common time position and the common date position in response to a manipulation of the one of the following;

the common time position and the common date position at one of the displayed subset of the plurality of available calendars, and

a view mode indicated by a view data object, the view data object being;

obtained from a first selected calendar, the view data object being indicative of the view mode of the first selected calendar, the view mode comprising at least one of the following;

a position and a size of display associated with the first selected calendar, and

used to pass the view mode of the first selected calendar for displaying at least a portion of the selected subset of the plurality of available calendars and aligning each displayed calendar, and

a tool bar for providing editing, display, file management, and printing functionality to specified displayed calendars.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying a representation of the plurality of available calendars in the first view frame of the navigation pane for selection comprises displaying representations of calendars associated with other users.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

displaying another plurality of available calendars associated with the user in a second view frame of the navigation pane; and

in response to receiving a user selection of a subset of the other plurality of available calendars associated with the user, displaying the subset of the other plurality of calendars associated with the user along with the subset of the available calendars in the main view frame simultaneously.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing, within the first view frame and the second view frame, checkboxes for selection of the plurality of available calendars.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying in a third view frame of the navigation pane at least one summary calendar.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying in another navigation pane a plurality of selection controls for modifying the view mode, wherein the selection controls are displayed as a combination of graphical representations and textual representations.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving a first user selection of a calendar item in one of the displayed calendars, displaying a menu of available actions associated with the selected calendar item; and

in response to receiving a second user selection of one of the available actions, displaying a secondary menu of available calendars to which the selected action is to be applied to.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to receiving a user indication to print, displaying in a print management view frame a list of the displayed calendars for user selection.

9. A system comprising a processor to execute instructions for displaying shared electronic calendars comprising:

a calendar software application capable of displaying a plurality of calendars simultaneously, the calendar software application configured to call a frame object module for managing display of a selected calendar view; and

the frame object module configured to call an aggregate view object module for displaying the plurality of calendars in a common display view frame of the selected calendar view, the aggregate view object module being configured to;

display at least one first calendar associated with a user,

display at least one second calendar associated with other users,

receive a user selection of at least a subset of displayed calendars for display in the common display view frame,

obtain a view data object from a first selected calendar of the displayed calendars, the view data object indicating a view mode of the first selected calendar, the view mode being associated with a position of the first selected calendar,

pass the position of calendar display within the common display view frame for each selected calendar to be displayed within the common display view frame,

display each selected calendar in the main view frame simultaneously in side-by-side orientation, wherein each selected calendar displayed in the common display view frame is aligned in accordance to the view mode indicated by the view data object including a common time position and a common date position,

display data associated with each displayed calendar in a particular displayed calendar to which the data is associated, wherein the data comprises textual information and a plurality of icons wherein each one of the plurality icons represents at least one action associated with a calendar event,

display a tool bar for providing editing, display, file management, and printing functionality to specified displayed calendars,

receive a manipulation of a time position at the at least one first calendar, and

adjust, in response to the received manipulation, the at least one second calendar to correspond to the manipulated time position of the at least one first calendar.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the user is enabled to select calendars through checkboxes associated with each displayed calendar.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the aggregate view object module is further configured to display in a toolbar a plurality of selection controls for modifying the view mode, wherein the selection controls are displayed as a combination of graphical representations and textual representations.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the aggregate view object module is further configured to display a menu of available actions associated with a selected calendar item in response to receiving a user selection of a calendar item in one of the displayed calendars.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the aggregate view object module is further configured to display a secondary menu of available calendars to which a selected action is to be applied to in response to receiving a user selection of one of the available actions.

14. A computer readable storage system memory with instructions encoded thereon, which when executed by a computer perform a method for displaying shared electronic calendars, the method executed by the instructions comprising:

providing a user interface of a calendar software application capable of displaying a plurality of calendars simultaneously, the user interface being associated with a user;

displaying data associated with each displayed calendar in a particular displayed calendar to which the data is associated, wherein the data comprises textual information and a plurality of icons wherein each one of the plurality icons represents at least one action associated with a calendar event;

displaying a first plurality of available calendars associated with the user for selection;

displaying a second plurality of available calendars associated with other users for selection;

in response to receiving a user selection of at least a subset of the first plurality of available calendars and the second plurality of available calendars, displaying at least a portion of the selected subset of the first plurality of available calendars and the second plurality of available calendars in;

a main view frame simultaneously in side-by-side orientation, wherein displaying at least the portion of the selected subset of the first plurality of available calendars and the second plurality of available calendars simultaneously in the main view frame comprises aligning each displayed calendar at a common time position and a common date position, and synchronizing each displayed calendar upon a change in one of the displayed calendars,

a view mode indicated by a view data object, the view data object being;

obtained from a first selected calendar, the view data object being indicative of the view mode of the first selected calendar, the view mode comprising at least one of the following;

a position and a size of display associated with the first selected calendar, and

used to pass the view mode of the first selected calendar for displaying at least a portion of the selected subset of the plurality of available calendars and aligning each displayed calendar, wherein aligning each displayed calendar comprises realigning each displayed calendar at the common time position in response to a manipulation of the common time position at the first selected calendar, and

a tool bar for providing editing, display, file management, and printing functionality to specified displayed calendars.

15. The computer readable storage system memory of claim 14, wherein the instructions further comprise displaying at least one summary calendar.

16. The computer readable storage system memory of claim 14, wherein the instructions further comprise:

in response to receiving a first user selection of a calendar item in one of the displayed calendars, displaying a menu of available actions associated with the selected calendar item; and

in response to receiving a second user selection of one of the available actions, displaying a secondary menu of available calendars to which the selected action is to be applied to.

17. The computer readable storage system memory of claim 14, wherein the instructions further comprise:

in response to receiving a user indication for performing an action associated with a one of the displayed calendars, displaying a menu of available actions; and

in response to receiving a user selection of one of the available actions, displaying a secondary menu of available calendars to which the selected action is to be applied to.

18. The computer readable storage system memory of claim 14, wherein the instructions further comprise in response to receiving a user indication to print, displaying in a print management view frame a list of the displayed calendars for user selection.