Patent Application
20080091494
The subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Disclosed herein is an application that permits the user to be alerted of events that are scheduled for after-hours, early morning work-hours and during or immediately after lunch-hours on a global preference basis. In an exemplary embodiment, the application permits the user to be alerted of after-hour events, early morning work-hour events and during or immediately after lunch-hour events within a desired selected interval on a chosen day. For after-hour and early morning work-hour events, the chosen day is preferably at least one day prior to the desired event that the user desires to be reminded of. For events that are around lunch-hour, the chosen day is preferably on the same day as the desired event. In another exemplary embodiment, the application permits the user to specify the exact time that he/she would like to be notified of the event. This feature can advantageously co-exist with other current notification features provided by current programs and can be added to a global preference page.
After-hours refers to those hours in a day that the employee is not within the confines of the office. Work-hours refers to those hours when the employee would normally be within the confines of the office. Lunch hours are those hours between work-hours when the employee is not within the confines of the office. The term “global preference” indicates that the user will be notified of all meetings that are scheduled to occur prior to the chosen time, irrespective of the date or the nature of the meeting.
As may be seen below in the
The first command interface 20 and the third command interface 40 both comprise a plurality of boxes. The first command interface 20 permits the user to turn on or off the events on the implementation screen 10. As noted above, the first command interface 20 comprises a number of boxes that permit the user to select the type of event that he or she desires to be notified of. Examples of such events are appointments, meetings, anniversaries, birthdays, or the like. Thus as seen in the
The boxes in the third command interface 40 that correspond to the boxes in the first command interface 20 permit the user to specify the amount of time T1 prior to a final time tn (usually the start time of the event) that they would like to be notified of the corresponding event. The third command interface 40 permits the user to select how far in advance of the final time tn, the computer would execute a command to activate a notification for the benefit of the user. As discussed below, the selections/specifications in the boxes in the third command interface 40 operate in conjunction with the selections/specifications in the boxes in the second command interface 30 to activate a notification.
The second command interface 30 comprises a plurality of boxes for specifying those events that a user would like to be notified of on a global preference basis. In an exemplary embodiment, the second command interface 30 comprises a first box 32, a second box 34, a third box 36 and a fourth box 38. The first box 32 permits the user to specify a first time t1 prior to which the user would like to be notified of all events occurring before the first time t1, while the second box 34 specifies a final time tn prior to t1 that the user would like to be notified of all events. The third box 36 permits the user to specify a period t2 prior to t1 that notification is desired. The fourth box 38 permits the user to specify the units for t2 in minutes, hours, days or weeks prior to the event that notification is desired. The time period t2 can therefore vary from 0 minutes to as many weeks ahead of the event that the user desires notification of.
In one embodiment pertaining to after-hour events and early morning work-hour events, the final time tn represents the time at the close of a work day preceding the day of the event that the user desires notification of. With reference to the first command interface 20 in the
In another embodiment pertaining to lunch-time events, the final time tn can be used to represent the time just prior to the user's lunch break (e.g., 12:00 PM). Thus, in general, tn can vary from 1 minute to 24 hours, while t2 can therefore vary from 0 minutes to several weeks ahead of the event that the user desires notification of
In one embodiment, a system can comprise one or more implementation screens that permit the user to choose this global preference type of notification for several events that occur during the course of a day. In other words, each implementation screen permits a user to choose a global preference for a different event that occurs during the course of a day. Thus there can be 1 to 10 implementation screens that permit the user to be notified on a global preference basis of 1 to 10 events.
In another embodiment, the implementation screen 10 can comprise a plurality of second command interfaces 20 that permit the user to choose this global preference type of notification for several events that occur during the course of a day. Thus there can be 1 to 10 second command interfaces that permit the user to be notified on a global preference basis of 1 to 10 events.
The implementation screen 10 further comprises a box that permits the user to select different sounds for purposes of notifying the user. Additionally it can further comprise a box that permits the enabling of the display of alarm notifications.
As can be seen in the
In one embodiment, in one method of using the implementation screen 10, a user may select or specify from the first command interface 20, which event the user desires to be notified of. The user may then select or specify from the second command interface 30 of an implementation screen 10, the first time t1, prior to which the user desires notification of all events that occur before t1. The user may also then select or specify from the second command interface 30 of the implementation screen 10, a final time tn, prior to t1, that the user would like to be notified of all events. The user can also specify a period t2 prior to t1 that notification is desired while also specifying the units for t2 in minutes, hours, days or weeks prior to the event that notification is desired. The user may also specify or select in the third command interface 40 of the implementation screen 10, a time T1 in minutes prior to the final time tn, that the user desires notification.
This implementation screen has a number of advantages. As noted above, the application can be added to a global preference page and can be executed by an operating device such as a computer or a palm pad. This feature can also advantageously co-exist with other current notification features provided by current programs. In addition, the user can specify the exact time at which they want to be notified of these early meeting instead of calculating the exact hours and minutes in advance. The user will only be notified of early meetings or lunch-time meetings that there is a propensity for employees to forget. This idea can also be augmented to incorporate notifications for Monday meetings. In other words, the “day before” can be defined to mean the “previous work day”.
It is to be noted that while the terms specify or select are used above, they can be used interchangeably. Selecting applies when a pull down menu is available from which the user selects a time or a date, while specifying occurs when a pull down menu is not available on the implementation screen and the user therefore manually specifies the time or date of the event and other related information.
While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention.
