Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Remote data accessing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-27
2003-05-27
Coulter, Kenneth R. (Department: 2141)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Remote data accessing
C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06571281
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the control of information in a data processing system and, more particularly, to a system in which the information is provided with “tags” pursuant to downloading the information with a suitable downloading platform (e.g. a personal electronic time management device operatively coupled with a personal computer) to a database. In turn, the tags are used to facilitate distribution of the information from the database to selected users or sites designated by the tags. Moreover, the present invention is directed to access management of the information after it is off-loaded from a personal electronic time management system.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
The prior art has disclosed a number and variety of interactive electronic calendaring systems and methods. The objective of all of these systems is primarily to assist the person who, for a number of different reasons, maintains a calendar of future events containing various information about the event at entry points on the calendar which relate to the time of the event.
The increase of personal computers and intelligent workstations in recent years has made it possible for calendar owners to establish and maintain their calendars on these interactive type data processing systems.
Two general types of interactive electronic calendaring systems have thus evolved in the art. In one type of calendaring system, the owner of the calendar is generally also the user of the workstation and that workstation is generally not a part of a larger network. Generally, in these types of systems, the calendar functions involve presenting a screen to the user representing a day calendar divided into a number of time periods or time slots. Each period is capable of displaying a limited amount of text that the user enters. In some systems, the day calendar can scroll vertically to present more time periods to the user or horizontally to present longer text entries. The operator can generally “page” forward or backward and, in most arrangements, can display a requested date. These calendaring arrangements generally do not limit the type of event that is calendared nor the terminology employed at any of the entry points and, to that extent, function in the same manner as conventional manual calendars or appointment books. The electronic calendaring method and systems do have an advantage over the prior art manual calendaring of events in that the user generally has the ability to scan a time span involving a large number of days and identify calendared events quite rapidly.
The other type of calendaring arrangement that has developed in the prior art involves multi-user environments having a large number of terminals or workstations which are generally part of a larger communication network that has been established to permit the users to interact with each other and with data maintained on the data processing system. In this environment, a user at a terminal or workstation can send a message to one or more of the other users on the network and is notified when the users have received and read the messages.
In most of these environments, each user generally maintains a calendar, and in many of these environments the reason for the interaction with each other quite often involves reference to respective calendars. A considerable amount of time is therefore spent in many organizations, with people checking and rearranging their calendars to accommodate various events such as meetings, presentations, etc. In this environment, the calendar systems and method have progressed to the point where a person who is calling a meeting can at least review within the constraints that the security system dictates, the calendars of other users on the system that he intends to invite to a meeting, to determine whether a given time period is available on the respective calendars of the perspective attendees. However, once the meeting time is set and the prospective participants notified of the date, time, and subject of the meeting, each participant must update his or her own electronic calendar and reply to the meeting request. While the system can facilitate the request and reply message process, it is sometimes less frustrating when a negative reply has to be transmitted to merely use the telephone to arrive at another mutually convenient time. As a result, a considerable amount of time and effort is spent by calendar owners replying to requests for participation in events that are being calendared by other persons.
The following patents represent various improvements to electronic calendaring methods for increasing productivity and making the overall system more appealing to the calendar owner by providing functions that the calendar owner came to expect and rely on when her calendar was being kept manually.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,018 to Cree et al. discloses an electronic calendaring method for use in a data processing system that has a plurality of interactive type work stations (terminals or personal computers) connected directly or indirectly to a host processor. The method assists a calendar owner who receives a notice at his work station requesting his involvement in a future event that is being calendared by another calendar owner on the system, to manually or automatically designate in the reply a temporary alternate to attend the meeting being calendared or a permanent alternate to attend all future meetings without affecting his status in the system as a recipient of the meeting notice.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,191 is directed to an electronic calendaring method in which a calendar owner can selectively trigger a predefined action and response to detecting one or more criteria related to the calendar event that has previously been defined and entered into the system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,611 is directed to an electronic calendaring method in which a calendar owner who keeps a detached personal copy of her master calendar can automatically reconcile the calendar entries that have been made on each calendar copy, independently of the other since the last time the detached copy was made and interactively resolve calendar event conflicts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,552 to Scully et al. discloses an electronic calendaring method for use in a data processing system that has a plurality of interactive type work stations connected directly or indirectly to a host processing unit. The method assists a calendar owner to request the system to develop and display a composite calendar comprising entries from a plurality of calendars within a specified time span which have been selected by criteria entered interactively into the system by the calendar owner. The criteria entered are not limited to “free periods” nor system established terminology, but can include terms established by the calendar owner community.
As indicated by way of the discussion above, maintaining calendars on and between personal computers represents a very effective way to develop and maintain a composite calendar. Nevertheless, in a mobile society where even a “laptop” computer can represent, for some, more “baggage” than desired, personal electronic time management systems (“PETMS”s) are gaining in popularity. Indeed, many users now effectively use PETMSs in networked calendaring approaches.
A first example of a PETMS well suited for use in a calendaring process is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,438 to Subas et al., the personal time management system being directed toward both a system and method for permitting event information to be inputted in graphic form directly onto a primary display screen without the need to pull up a separate, intrusive pop-up screen for entering calendar events. The invention additionally provides a positive indication of a conflict between calendared events which is immediately visually apparent and which does not require a visual comparison between shaded segments of a Gantt chart. The most essential calendaring information can be entered and displayed on a single primary visual display for improved at-a-glanc
Blair Philip E.
Cohen Gary B.
Coulter Kenneth R.
Xerox Corporation
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