Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-26
2004-08-31
Pardo, Thuy N. (Department: 2175)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C342S457000, C434S238000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06785680
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to digital data processing devices, and in particular to the integration of data used in computer systems and computer system networks with portable digital devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The latter half of the twentieth century has been witness to a phenomenon known as the information revolution. While the information revolution is a historical development broader in scope than any one event or machine, no single device has come to represent the information revolution more than the digital electronic computer. The development of computer systems has surely been a revolution. Each year, computer systems grow faster, store more data, and provide more applications to their users.
Early computer systems were very expensive and difficult to use, capable of being programmed and manipulated by only a handful of highly-educated specialists. The cost of operating such computers was correspondingly high, and they were therefore used for only the most essential tasks. The dynamic which has driven the information revolution is the sustained reduction in the cost of computing. Thus, information which was too expensive to gather, store and process a few years ago, is now economically feasible to manipulate via computer. The reduced cost of information processing drives increasing productivity in a snowballing effect, because product designs, manufacturing processes, resource scheduling, administrative chores, and many other factors, are made more efficient.
The declining prices and expanding capabilities of modern computers cause them to be applied to an ever increasing variety of applications. For some years now, inexpensive “personal computers” have been available for personal use at home or for the use of a single individual at a place of business. Increased miniaturization has made it possible to design portable “laptop” computers, having essentially the same functions as desktop personal computers.
In recent years, a family of portable digital devices known as palm-tops or personal digital assistants (PDA), have been introduced. Generally, these devices are digital computing devices, but have somewhat more limited function than the laptop or desktop personal computers. A PDA device typically contains a very restricted keyboard for data entry when compared with the laptop or desktop. I.e., the keys may be very small and/or limited in number, so that touch typing is not practical. This is a design sacrifice which is made to reduce the size of the device to something than will fit in the palm of one hand.
PDA devices are commonly provided with an interface for receiving data from another digital device, such as a desktop personal computer. It is anticipated that a PDA functions as a limited portable version of the user's primary (i.e., desktop) computer system, and therefore a means should be provided for periodically transferring data from the desktop to the PDA. Since direct manual data entry using the keys or buttons of the PDA is somewhat difficult when compared with the conventional desktop computer, such an interface has the secondary purpose of providing an easier, alternative way to get data into the PDA.
One common use to which PDAs are put is the recording of calendar events. As used herein, “calendar events” means any data item which is associated with a date and/or time, and thus might typically be stored in a calendar type application. Examples of such calendar events include, but are not necessarily limited to, things a person might be doing at a particular date and time (meetings, appointments, etc), reminders to be given a person at a particular date and time (“project X due today”, “call your broker today”, etc), or general date-related annotations (“Mary's birthday today”, etc). Conventionally, calendar events are entered into a PDA device in one of two ways. The events may be entered manually, or the events may be downloaded from a user's desktop, usually as a copy of event recorded in a calendar application on the user's desktop system.
In general, each PDA functions as a self-contained miniature computer system. Except for downloading information from the user's desktop, the PDA typically has little interaction with other computer systems. Specifically, the user typically makes all calendar entries himself, whether directly or by downloading from the desktop. This limits the usefulness of the PDA. Due to the burden of entering information, the user often does not enter potentially useful information into the PDA. For example, some calendar events may not be entered at all because the user feels that he will remember them without the reminder, or that they are of insufficient importance. Furthermore, information associated with calendar events may be abbreviated to ease the burden of entry. For example, a user may enter the date and time of a doctor's appointment, but may omit the doctor's telephone number, or specific instructions for a medical test, such as fasting or medication. This associated information may well be useful if it is necessary to change the appointment, or to remember the pre-appointment instructions.
While conventional methods of using calendar functions in portable digital devices, such as PDAs, provide some value to the user, they fail to take full advantage of the potential of today's technology. An unrecognized need exists for greater integration of information contained in computer system of service providers with PDAs of their clients
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A service provider generates digital records of calendar events with respect to its clients from its own information, and automatically transfers these records to portable digital devices of the clients, obviating the need for the clients to enter the information by other means.
In the preferred embodiment, the service provider maintains a computer system or terminal at the point of personal contact with the client, such as an appointment desk, checkout desk, sales desk or the like. The computer system is used to track service provider operations. The service provider's computer system automatically generates electronic calendar event records in formats for use by the service provider's clients, from data in the computer system used to track service provider operations. In the preferred embodiment, the service provider maintains a list of clients and their associated portable digital device interface type in a computer system. In an alternative embodiment, the computer system prompts an operator for interface information at the time the event record is generated. The service provider's computer system generates an appropriate calendar event records, and formats and transmits it according to the client's interface type. The service provider may include with a calendar event record any associated data which might be useful to the client, such as the telephone number of the service provider, hours of service, instructions for something the client should do, general advertising of additional services available, etc. The service provider may provide multiple calendar event records with respect to the same event, each record containing different information or serving a different purpose (e.g., a displayable entry record for an electronic calendar, and a reminder entry record to be presented at a particular time). A client without a portable digital device may be provided with calendar event data by alternative means, e.g., by sending an e-mail message over the Internet.
In a first example, the service provider is a public library. When the client wishes to check out a book, checkout information is entered into the library's computer system as in conventional library tracking systems. This checkout information includes, for example, the item being checked out and the name of the client checking out the item. The library computer system may generate a due date, e.g., by accessing a database to determine a length of time the item may be borrowed, and performing the necess
International Business Machines - Corporation
Pardo Thuy N.
Truelson Roy W.
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