Automatic event scheduling

• US 9,978,043 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Jon, Tiffany S., Lemay, Stephen O., Yang, Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Doon
• Assistant Examiner(s): NICHOLAS, WENDY K
• Application Number:
  US14/500,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20150347982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 705 713, 705 719, 705 718, 705 724, 707951, 715751, 715764, 715768, 715769, 715780, 715810, 715864, 715963, 708112
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a method for creating a new appointment for an electronic calendar. The method receives a set of proposed attendees for the new appointment. The method retrieves and analyzes calendars of the proposed attendees. The method proposes a time for the new appointment at which all proposed attendees, including an organizer of the appointment, are available to attend the new appointment. In some embodiments, the proposed time is an earliest future time at which all proposed attendees are available to attend the new appointment. In some embodiments, the method also proposes a second time for the new appointment at which a subset of the proposed attendees are available to attend the new appointment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a portable electronic device with a display and one or more input devices;

receiving, via the one or more input devices, a request to select a time for an appointment that includes a set of proposed attendees;

in response to the request to select the time for the appointment, concurrently displaying, on the display, a plurality of selectable options that correspond to proposed times for the appointment and a selectable item for showing additional times for the appointment, wherein;

the proposed times for the appointment are based on calendars of the proposed attendees;

the plurality of selectable options that are concurrently displayed on the display includes;

a first selectable option that corresponds to a first time for the appointment at which all proposed attendees, including an organizer of the appointment, are available to attend the appointment;

a second selectable option that corresponds to a second time for the appointment at which a subset of the proposed attendees are available to attend the appointment and one or more of the proposed attendees are not available to attend the appointment;

receiving, via the one or more input devices, user selection of the selectable item for showing additional times for the appointment; and

in response to receiving the user selection of the selectable item for showing additional times for the appointment, while maintaining display of the first selectable option on the display, replacing display of the second selectable option with a third selectable option that corresponds to a third time for the appointment at which all proposed attendees, including the organizer of the appointment, are available to attend the appointment, wherein the third time is different from the first time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time is an earliest future time at which all proposed attendees, including the organizer of the appointment, are available to attend the appointment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional times for the appointment comprise a plurality of times within a threshold time range at which all proposed attendees are available to attend.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the threshold time range is one week.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, user selection of a selectable option of the plurality of selectable options;

in response to receiving the user selection of the selectable option, causing an electronic calendar application to display a calendar of the organizer of the appointment with the appointment at a time corresponding to the selected selectable option.

6. The method claim 1, wherein the appointment has an initial proposed time, and wherein the method further comprises concurrently displaying, with the plurality of selectable options, a list of proposed attendees unavailable for the appointment at the initial proposed time.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a third selectable item for requesting additional proposed times at which subsets of the proposed attendees are available to attend the appointment and one or more of the proposed attendees are not available to attend the appointment;

receiving, via the one or more input devices, user selection of the third selectable item; and

in response to receiving the user selection of the third selectable item, displaying additional times at which different subsets of the proposed attendees are available to attend the appointment and one or more of the proposed attendees are not available to attend the appointment.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a particular proposed attendee is available for a first one of the additional times and is not available for a second one of the additional times.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second time is before the first time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to receiving, via the one or more input devices, the user selection of the selectable item for showing additional times for the appointment, the plurality of selectable options that are concurrently displayed on the display does not include the third selectable option.

11. A machine readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one processing unit creates an appointment for an electronic calendar application of a portable electronic device with a display and one or more input devices, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, a request to select a time for an appointment that includes a set of proposed attendees;

in response to the request to select the time for the appointment, concurrently displaying, on the display, a plurality of selectable options that correspond to proposed times for the appointment and a selectable item for showing additional times for the appointment, wherein;

the proposed times for the appointment are based on calendars of the proposed attendees;

the plurality of selectable options that are concurrently displayed on the display includes;

a first selectable option that corresponds to a first time for the appointment at which all proposed attendees, including an organizer of the appointment, are available to attend the appointment;

a second selectable option that corresponds to a second time for the appointment at which a subset of the proposed attendees are available to attend the appointment and one or more of the proposed attendees are not available to attend the appointment;

receiving, via the one or more input devices, user selection of the selectable item for showing additional times for the appointment; and

in response to receiving the user selection of the selectable item for showing additional times for the appointment, while maintaining display of the first selectable option on the display, replacing display of the second selectable option with a third selectable option that corresponds to a third time for the appointment at which all proposed attendees, including the organizer of the appointment, are available to attend the appointment, wherein the third time is different from the first time.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first time is an earliest future time at which all proposed attendees, including the organizer of the appointment, are available to attend the appointment.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the additional times for the appointment comprise a plurality of times within a threshold time range at which all proposed attendees are available to attend.

14. The machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the threshold time range is one week.

15. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, user selection of a selectable option of the plurality of selectable options; and

in response to receiving the user selection of the selectable option, causing the electronic calendar application to display a calendar of the organizer of the appointment with the appointment at a time corresponding to the selected selectable option.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the second time is before the first time.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein prior to receiving, via the one or more input devices, the user selection of the selectable item for showing additional times for the appointment, the plurality of selectable options that are concurrently displayed on the display does not include the third selectable option.

18. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a display;

one or more input devices;

a set of processing units; and

a machine readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one of the processing units creates an appointment for an electronic calendar application of the portable electronic device, the program comprising sets of instructions for;

receiving, via the one or more input devices, a request to select a time for an appointment that includes a set of proposed attendees;

in response to the request to select the time for the appointment, concurrently displaying, on the display, a plurality of selectable options that correspond to proposed times for the appointment and a selectable item for showing additional times for the appointment, wherein;

the proposed times for the appointment are based on calendars of the proposed attendees;

the plurality of selectable options that are concurrently displayed on the display includes;

a first selectable option that corresponds to a first time for the appointment at which all proposed attendees, including an organizer of the appointment, are available to attend the appointment;

a second selectable option that corresponds to a second time for the appointment at which a subset of the proposed attendees are available to attend the appointment and one or more of the proposed attendees are not available to attend the appointment;

receiving, via the one or more input devices, user selection of the selectable item for showing additional times for the appointment; and

in response to receiving the user selection of the selectable item for showing additional times for the appointment, while maintaining display of the first selectable option on the display, replacing display of the second selectable option with a third selectable option that corresponds to a third time for the appointment at which all proposed attendees, including the organizer of the appointment, are available to attend the appointment, wherein the third time is different from the first time.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the appointment has an initial proposed time, and wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for concurrently displaying, with the plurality of selectable options, a list of proposed attendees unavailable for the appointment at the initial proposed time.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

displaying a third selectable item for requesting additional proposed times at which subsets of the proposed attendees are available to attend the appointment and one or more of the proposed attendees are not available to attend the appointment;

receiving, via the one or more input devices, user selection of the third selectable item; and

displaying additional times at which different subsets of the proposed attendees are available to attend the appointment and one or more of the proposed attendees are not available to attend the appointment.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein a particular proposed attendee is available for a first one of the additional times and is not available for a second one of the additional times.

22. The device of claim 18, wherein the second time is before the first time.

23. The device of claim 18, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

receiving, via the one or more input devices, user selection of a selectable option of the plurality of selectable options; and

in response to receiving the user selection of the selectable option, causing the electronic calendar application to display a calendar of the organizer of the appointment with the appointment at a time corresponding to the selected selectable option.

24. The device of claim 18, wherein prior to receiving, via the one or more input devices, the user selection of the selectable item for showing additional times for the appointment, the plurality of selectable options that are concurrently displayed on the display does not include the third selectable option.