Displaying calendar information in a horizontal bar

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016358125-A1
Application number	US-201514731965-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 5, 2015
Priority date	Jun 5, 2015
Publication date	Dec 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product for improving the usability of a calendar application. A calendar client agent receives calendar information, such as meetings, appointments, vacations, tasks, etc. from various systems, such as an electronic mail system, a social networking system, an instant messaging system and a wiki. The calendar client agent evaluates the retrieved calendar information with respect to a set of presentation rules. The calendar client agent then presents the retrieved calendar information in a horizontal bar (also referred to as a “calendar bar”) in the calendar application over a duration of time (e.g., twelve hours of the current day) in relation to the set of presentation rules. In this manner, the user will be able to more easily ascertain which events or activities are scheduled.

First claim

1 . A method for improving the usability of a calendar application, the method comprising:
retrieving, by a processor, calendar information; presenting, by said processor, said retrieved calendar information in a horizontal bar in said calendar application over a duration of time; detecting a current time; and automatically scrolling to said current time in said horizontal bar such that items in said horizontal bar that occur prior to said current time are less visible than items in said horizontal bar that occur after said current time.

2 . The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
prioritizing a view of said horizontal bar by assigning a highest priority to meetings that a user is required to attend followed by assigning a next highest priority to meetings that said user is optionally required to attend followed by assigning a lowest priority to meetings that were only sent to said user for the user's information in response to a first meeting and a second meeting having a conflict in their scheduled times and displaying said first meeting and said second meeting in said horizontal bar according to said prioritization, wherein a higher prioritized meeting is shown above a lower prioritized meeting in said horizontal bar, wherein said first and second meetings are displayed in two rows on a user's interface.

3 . The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
displaying three or more scheduled meetings as a merged block in said horizontal bar in response to said three or more meetings having a conflict in their scheduled times.

4 . The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
detecting a time a meeting is scheduled to occur from said retrieved calendar information that occurs earlier or later than a user's workday or a period of time designated by said user; and
presenting an object in said calendar application representing a time of day said meeting is scheduled to occur.

5 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein said calendar information comprises one or more of the following: meetings, appointments, vacations and tasks, wherein said calendar information is retrieved from one or more of the following systems: electronic mail, social networking, instant messaging, a wiki, a project management system and a customer relationship management system.

6 . The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
evaluating said retrieved calendar information with respect to a set of presentation rules; and
presenting said retrieved calendar information in said horizontal bar in relation to said set of presentation rules.

7 . The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
generating a reward based on a pattern of activity exhibited from completing items of said retrieved calendar information.

8 . A computer program product for improving the usability of a calendar application, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code comprising the programming instructions for:
retrieving calendar information; presenting said retrieved calendar information in a horizontal bar in said calendar application over a duration of time; detecting a current time; and automatically scrolling to said current time in said horizontal bar such that items in said horizontal bar that occur prior to said current time are less visible than items in said horizontal bar that occur after said current time.

9 . The computer program product as recited in claim 8 , wherein the program code further comprises the programming instructions for:
prioritizing a view of said horizontal bar by assigning a highest priority to meetings that a user is required to attend followed by assigning a next highest priority to meetings that said user is optionally required to attend followed by assigning a lowest priority to meetings that were only sent to said user for the user's information in response to a first meeting and a second meeting having a conflict in their scheduled times and displaying said first meeting and said second meeting in said horizontal bar according to said prioritization, wherein a higher prioritized meeting is shown above a lower prioritized meeting in said horizontal bar, wherein said first and second meetings are displayed in two rows on a user's interface.

10 . The computer program product as recited in claim 8 , wherein the program code further comprises the programming instructions for:
displaying three or more scheduled meetings as a merged block in said horizontal bar in response to said three or more meetings having a conflict in their scheduled times.

11 . The computer program product as recited in claim 8 , wherein the program code further comprises the programming instructions for:
detecting a time a meeting is scheduled to occur from said retrieved calendar information that occurs earlier or later than a user's workday or a period of time designated by said user; and presenting an object in said calendar application representing a time of day said meeting is scheduled to occur.

12 . The computer program product as recited in claim 8 , wherein said calendar information comprises one or more of the following: meetings, appointments, vacations and tasks, wherein said calendar information is retrieved from one or more of the following systems: electronic mail, social networking, instant messaging, a wiki, a project management system and a customer relationship management system.

13 . The computer program product as recited in claim 8 , wherein the program code further comprises the programming instructions for:
evaluating said retrieved calendar information with respect to a set of presentation rules; and presenting said retrieved calendar information in said horizontal bar in relation to said set of presentation rules.

14 . The computer program product as recited in claim 8 , wherein the program code further comprises the programming instructions for:
generating a reward based on a pattern of activity exhibited from completing items of said retrieved calendar information.

15 . A system, comprising:
a memory unit for storing a computer program for improving the usability of a calendar application; and a processor coupled to the memory unit, wherein the processor is configured to execute the program instructions of the computer program comprising:
retrieving calendar information;
presenting said retrieved calendar information in a horizontal bar in said calendar application over a duration of time;
detecting a current time; and
automatically scrolling to said current time in said horizontal bar such that items in said horizontal bar that occur prior to said current time are less visible than items in said horizontal bar that occur after said current time.

16 . The system as recited in claim 15 , wherein the program instructions of the computer program further comprises:
prioritizing a view of said horizontal bar by assigning a highest priority to meetings that a user is required to attend followed by assigning a next highest priority to meetings that said user is optionally required to attend followed by assigning a lowest priority to meetings that were only sent to said user for the user's information in response to a first meeting and a second meeting having a conflict in their scheduled times and displaying said first meeting and said second meeting in said horizontal bar according to said prioritization, wherein a higher prioritized meeting is shown above a lower prioritized meeting in said horizontal bar, wherein said first and second meetings

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bastide Paul R
• Davis Andrew E
• Ezekiel Margo L
• Lawrence Leah A
• Parsons Katherine M
• Rajaniemi Jodi

Classifications

• G06F3/04847

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• Y10S715/974

  Slider control as on-screen object in operator interface · CPC title

• G06F15/0266 Primary

  for time management, e.g. calendars, diaries · CPC title

• G06F9/451

  Execution arrangements for user interfaces · CPC title

• Y10S715/963

  Calendar or scheduling · CPC title