CH717167A1 - Method implemented by computer and computer system for reprogramming appointments and itineraries. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for rescheduling an appointment bringing together several participants (U) equipped with personal equipment (A), comprising the following steps: a) obtaining an initial itinerary for a group of participants in said appointment you, said initial route comprising at least one section of travel between a place of departure and a place of arrival, and between a planned departure time and a planned arrival time; b) associate each said initial route with at least one appointment entry in a shared electronic diary (2.1), said appointment starting at said place of arrival at an appointment start time equal to or later than said time d expected arrival; c) detecting an event requiring a reprogramming of said appointment; d) in response to this detection, calculating a plurality of alternative routes for each participant (U) of said group, including at least one alternative route to join an alternative meeting whose duration and / or location is modified; e) calculating a cost function associated with each alternative route; f) sorting and / or filtering said alternative routes according to the overall cost for all the participants. A corresponding computer system is also claimed.

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for reprogramming appointments and routes. The present invention also relates to a server or a distributed agent system, and to equipment for implementing this method.

State of the art

[0002] In the state of the art, software and navigation devices are known which allow users to program a route to a destination. Some devices permanently determine the user's position and predict the time of arrival at the destination. Certain devices also make it possible to automatically reprogram the route according to the user's choices and / or traffic information obtained in real time from a web platform, for example.

Diary programs are also known which allow a user to register his appointments and consult them. In particular, shared calendar servers are known which allow several users, for example within an organization, to consult their appointments or to organize multiple appointments. The appointments registered in the shared calendar server can often be viewed or modified from individual user equipment, for example a smartphone or a computer, by means of an app, a program or a web page.

[0004] A user who follows a route advised by his navigation software in order to get to an appointment may be the victim of events, for example delay linked to heavy traffic, disruption of public transport, new appointment you urgently need to place, etc. which prevent him from arriving on time for the appointment. He is admittedly informed of this delay thanks to his navigation software, but it is up to him to have the difficult task of informing the other participants of the appointment of his delay, and if necessary to propose to delay the appointment. you. However, such a delay is not always possible if some of the participants have other commitments after this meeting.

The consequences of the delay of a single participant can affect all the other participants in the meeting and it is often extremely difficult to find an alternative solution. The search for this solution is particularly complex when the user affected by the delay and responsible for finding an alternative solution is on the move, for example if he is driving a vehicle. The number of alternative solutions to be tested quickly exceeds a user's research capabilities. In addition, the user generally does not have all the information he needs; for example, it usually does not know if the other participants in the delayed appointment have other appointments afterwards, and it does not have the schedules or traffic information that it needs to estimate the time that these other users need to get to these later appointments. On the other hand, he generally does not have all the information he needs to plan his route; for example, if he is abroad, it may be difficult to have easy access to information on schedules, delays, security risks, etc.

Brief summary of the invention

[0006] An aim of the present invention is to provide an appointment reprogramming method free from the limitations of the known methods.

An object of the present invention is also to influence the decisions of the users on the basis of the separate parameters.

[0008] According to the invention, these goals are achieved in particular by means of a computer-implemented method for reprogramming an appointment bringing together several participants, comprising the following steps: a) obtaining an initial itinerary for a group of participants at said rendezvous, said initial route comprising at least one section of movement between a starting point (Id) and a place of arrival (Ia), and between an expected departure time (td) and an arrival time ( ta) planned; b) associate each said initial route with at least one appointment entry in a shared electronic diary, said appointment starting at said place of arrival at an appointment start time equal to or later than said expected arrival time ; c) detecting a condition requiring reprogramming of said appointment; d) in response to this detection, calculating a plurality of alternative routes for each participant of said group, including at least one alternative route to join an alternative meeting whose duration and / or location is modified; e) calculating a cost function associated with each alternative route; f) sorting and / or filtering said alternative routes according to the overall cost for all the participants.

[0009] This method thus makes it possible to calculate and propose itineraries involving modifications of the duration or of the meeting place in an electronic diary. It is also possible to modify the start time of the appointment if necessary. Thanks to the association between routes and appointment entries in an electronic diary, the method makes it possible to propose more optimal routes in terms of cost than known navigation methods which do not offer alternative routes involving such routes. changes in the agenda, and which generally do not take into account the costs of each route.

The method may include a step of modifying said appointment entry associated with the shared electronic diary with data corresponding to a said alternative appointment.

The step of calculating a plurality of alternative routes may involve a step of selecting a subset of alternative routes from among the set of possible alternative routes.

[0012] The selection of the subset of alternative routes from among the set of possible alternative routes can involve an a priori estimation of optimal sub-routes, that is to say likely to have a reduced cost function.

The method can employ a step of a priori limitation of the number of alternative routes to be investigated.

A first selection of groups of optimal alternative routes can be made at a global or macro level. The method can include a second step. The method can be an iterative multistep method to refine these macro choices by increasing the granularity phase by phase in order to find the optimal solution (s) in terms of cost within the selected group (s).

[0015] For example, the macro step can result in defining the place of an appointment; once the optimal location has been found, the method finds a route for each participant to this location, and determines the most judicious start time.

This limitation can be done for example on the basis of an artificial intelligence in order to quickly eliminate alternative routes unlikely to lead to reduced costs, or routes which do not correspond to the preferences of the participants or of organizations.

The calculation of a plurality of alternative routes can be performed at least in part by a reprogramming module in a server. This makes it possible to calculate a global solution taking into account the preferences and appointments of several participants.

The calculation of a plurality of alternative routes can be performed at least in part by personal equipment of the participant affected by an event requiring reprogramming. This makes it possible to distribute the computational load and to reprogram a participant's route even when they do not have online access. This also avoids having to communicate to the central server or to other participants the preferences and / or subsequent appointments of the affected participant. An exclusively local calculation does not, however, make it possible to find an optimal solution for all participants.

The calculation of a plurality of alternative routes can be performed by one or more agents, for example a network of agents distributed in a network. Each agent calculates alternative routes for a group of participants and proposes alternative solutions to the participants of said group. Alternatively, this agent can also perform reprogramming calculations for a subgroup of users, for example participants affiliated with an organization.

An agent can be constituted by a software module in a participant's equipment or in a server.

The calculation of a plurality of alternative routes may include a first step of calculating an approximate global solution performed centrally by a reprogramming module, and a second step of calculating an individual route for each participant performed. locally by the equipment of each participant. This variant allows both to take into account the needs of each participant while distributing the workload and limiting the amount of personal information of each participant that must be exchanged.

The detection of an event requiring reprogramming can be carried out locally by equipment of a participant affected by this event. For example, a delay can be detected automatically by navigation software executed in such equipment, or notified by a participant.

The detection of an event requiring reprogramming can be performed by an agent representing a group or subgroup of participants affected by this event.

The detection of an event requiring reprogramming can be performed by a shared event detection module.

In one embodiment, the method comprises the following steps: attempting to reprogram the route of a participant affected by an event requiring reprogramming; when no reprogramming solution is found which allows the participant to reach an appointment associated with the route to be reprogrammed in time, search for an alternative solution involving a modification of this appointment and the reprogramming of the routes of other participants in this meeting.

The participation of certain participants in an appointment can be marked in the diary system as compulsory while that of other participants can be optional. Rescheduling an itinerary may include canceling an optional participant's participation in a meeting; for example the cancellation of the participation of the participant affected by an event, or that of one or more other participants.

This variant makes it possible to try to resolve the reprogramming needs locally at the level of the equipment of each participant, and not to involve a rescheduling of appointments and an alternative route calculation for other participants only in situations where a local solution is not possible or the cost of this alternative solution allowing the participant to participate in the meeting is prohibitive.

The choice of the steps carried out centrally by the server or in a distributed manner by the equipment of the participants and / or the distributed agents makes it possible to solve the technical problem of the calculation speed of the solution - thanks to a distributed calculation - while limiting the risk of distributing confidential information when it is not necessary.

Likewise, saving the participants' appointments in a diary separate from the navigation application makes it possible to reduce the risks of exploiting the confidential data of the participants.

The step of calculating a plurality of alternative route can involve a decomposition of the problem into a plurality of sub-problems.

A sub-problem can for example correspond to the calculation of the cost associated with several route sections of one or more participants.

A sub-problem can for example correspond to the calculation of the cost associated with an alternative appointment.

A sub-problem can for example correspond to the calculation of the individual cost, for a given participant, of several routes or sections of routes.

A solution to a sub-problem can be used to determine the overall cost associated with multiple routes.

The calculation of different sub-problems can be performed in parallel.

The calculation of different sub-problems can be performed by different equipment. For example, the calculation of different subproblems can be performed by different equipment of participants.

At least part of the calculation of a plurality of routes can be performed on the terminals of the participants. This solution makes it possible to perform calculations even when these terminals are offline. It also makes it possible to improve responsiveness and to propose route changes quickly enough to be able to be implemented in real time while traveling.

At least part of the calculation of a plurality of routes can be performed centrally and / or outside the terminals of the participants. This characteristic makes it possible to calculate an overall cost for several participants.

In one embodiment, part of the calculation of a plurality of routes is performed on the terminals of the participants and part is performed centrally and / or outside the terminals of the participants. This characteristic makes it possible to distribute the calculation, and to calculate an overall cost for several participants.

In one embodiment, at least one participant terminal obtains a list of appointments from the participant, and determines an individual route to reach these appointments. The individual route optimizes the individual cost function.

If the participant's participation in the meeting becomes impossible, or the associated cost becomes too high, the terminal will offer other participant terminals a modified meeting. In an alternative, the participant's terminal will ask an analysis tool to calculate a global solution, involving other participants, in order to resolve its conflict.

The step of calculating a plurality of alternative routes may include the following sub-steps: identify on the basis of participants' preferences and / or artificial intelligence a limited number of possible alternative solutions; adjust these alternative solutions so as to reduce their cost.

The step of calculating a plurality of alternative routes can take into account relevant information coming from external data bases. This information may include information on risks of an environmental, safety, health, or other nature.

Information from external databases can influence the selection of alternative routes offered to participants.

The integration of information from external databases can limit the risk of exposing a participant to a risky or undesirable situation, even if the route concerned has a low cost. For example, we should avoid recommending a low-cost itinerary but crossing an area presenting a security, environmental or health hazard, for example during environmental disasters, volcanic eruptions, acts of terrorism, epidemics, etc.

The risks can include environmental risks, meteorological risks, security risks, health risks, risks of acts of terrorism, health risks, political risks, and the like.

By integrating preferences, for example of the company, as well as information and external parameters in the calculation of the proposed solutions, the method can influence the behavior of the participants. This makes it possible, for example, to encourage participants to choose modes of transport that are more respectful of the environment, by offering such solutions, by highlighting them, and by displaying their environmental cost, for example their carbon footprint, where applicable.

The cost function associated with each route can take into account the cost of the appointment (s) associated with this route.

The appointments can be fixed or mobile. A fixed appointment cannot be moved. A mobile appointment can be modified or moved. For example, it is possible to modify the place, the start time, the end time and / or the duration of an appointment. It is also possible to determine appointments for which only one or a subset of these parameters can be moved. For example, a calendar might contain appointments whose start time and location can be changed, but not the duration.

It is possible to assign a numerical flexibility value to certain appointments, or to certain appointment parameters. A fixed appointment, or a fixed parameter of an appointment, can be associated with a flexibility value of zero. An appointment, or a freely movable appointment parameter can be associated with a high flexibility value. Intermediate flexibility values can be provided. The cost of moving an appointment, or an appointment setting, can depend on the flexibility value of the appointment or the modified appointment setting.

It is possible to assign an importance to certain appointments. The importance of an appointment can be indicated by a numeric value. The cost function takes into account the importance of appointments, so that the cost associated with modifying an important appointment is greater than the cost associated with modifying an appointment less. important.

It is possible to assign importance to certain route sections. The importance of a section can be indicated by a numerical value. The cost function takes into account the importance of the edges, so that the cost associated with modifying a major section is greater than the cost associated with modifying a smaller section. For example, a participant may assign a high importance to a section of a train, because they plan to use this train trip to work or sleep, and they want to reduce the risk of this section being rescheduled.

The step of detecting an event requiring reprogramming of a said appointment may involve a recalculation of the expected arrival time of each participant to the appointment, and detection that the expected arrival time at least one participant is later than the appointment start time.

This recalculation can be carried out permanently or periodically, for example during the movements of the participants.

This recalculation can also be triggered by external events, for example a request for recalculation from a participant, or a delay notice obtained from a site or a timetable platform communicating with the computer implementing the method. . External events may also include news relating to news reported on media channels, information and advice provided by governments, such as ministries of foreign affairs, or by non-governmental organizations, such as l WHO, or others.

The step of detecting an event requiring rescheduling of an appointment may involve the detection of a risk of extending an appointment.

The step of detecting an event requiring rescheduling of an appointment may involve the detection of a risk of travel longer than initially assessed.

The step of detecting an event requiring rescheduling of an appointment may involve the detection of an unforeseen event or of a priority event (accident, illness, death, birthday, etc.).

The step of detecting an event requiring rescheduling of an appointment can involve the detection of the unavailability of a room or a place for the appointment.

The step of detecting an event requiring rescheduling of an appointment may involve the detection of a budget change.

The step of detecting an event requiring rescheduling of an appointment may involve the detection of a security risk.

The step of detecting an event requiring reprogramming of an appointment can involve the detection of a possible optimization of the environmental impact.

The step of detecting an event requiring reprogramming of an appointment may involve the detection of a risk or of a meteorological event.

The step of detecting an event requiring a rescheduling of an appointment can involve the detection of an unexpected impediment of a participant or of a resource.

The step of detecting an event requiring rescheduling of an appointment may involve detecting the availability of a new route.

The step of detecting an event requiring rescheduling of an appointment may involve the detection of a request for deliberate rescheduling of a participant.

The step of detecting an event requiring rescheduling of an appointment may involve the detection of a new appointment to be scheduled for a participant, or of a modification to an already scheduled appointment. .

The method can involve determining at least one said alternative appointment so as to avoid overlaps with other appointments of one or more participants.

The method can involve the implementation of an analysis tool accessing participant preferences and / or databases in order to propose said alternative routes.

The method can involve the implementation of an analysis tool accessing organizational preferences in order to propose said alternative routes.

The preferences of participants and / or organizations can be associated with priorities. For example, an organization may require travel by public transport and prohibit travel by plane or car. A participant may prefer an airline or a meeting place.

The preferences of the participants and / or organizations can be determined manually by the participants or by operators.

[0073] The preferences of participants and / or organizations can be determined automatically, for example using artificial intelligence, based on previous selections, or by extracting baseline information about the participant, about the organization, or on participants or similar organizations.

The method can involve a step during which a participant determines what information relating to his appointments and / or relating to his routes can be shared with other participants.

The method can involve a step during which a participant determines what information relating to his appointments and / or relating to his routes can be shared with an analysis tool.

The data relating to the appointments of a participant can be transmitted in encrypted form to an analysis tool which determines at least one alternative route.

The method can involve the implementation of an analysis tool making it possible to determine at least one alternative route by performing homomorphic calculations on encrypted calendar data and / or on encrypted participant preferences. This feature helps to preserve the confidentiality of participants' data.

The method can involve the implementation of an analysis tool implementing a self-learning system to determine the individual preferences of each participant from the choice of routes of this participant.

The self-learning system can also determine the individual preferences of each participant on the basis of decisions of this participant, for example as to meeting places.

The self-learning system can also determine the environmental costs of a section or of a resource on the basis of a classification of this section or of this resource and of information on similar sections or resources.

The method may involve consulting meeting room databases for said alternative appointments.

The method may involve consulting databases of services to participants, for example services linked to itineraries or to appointments, in order for example to check the availability of services marked in user preferences.

The method may involve consulting external public or private databases, including, for example, databases with information relating to public transport timetables, meteorological or environmental information, security alerts, traffic information. or on traffic, and / or information relating to the availability of rooms, hotel rooms, catering services. These databases can be accessed through APIs.

The method can involve the reservation of services, for example meeting rooms, means of transport, as soon as an alternative route and / or an alternative appointment has been organized. In the case of a system distributed between several agents and / or equipment, the method may involve consultation by means of messages between agents or equipment to determine which agent / equipment organizes the reservation.

At least one said alternative route may involve at least one of the following possibilities: cancellation of an appointment; cancellation or replacement of a participant in an appointment; authorize a participant to arrive late for the appointment or to leave this appointment before the end; replace a section of the initial route with a section traveled by another means of transport.

The cost function associated with each alternative route takes into account the financial cost, the cost of time, the cost in terms of CO2 generation and / or its compliance with personal preferences, such as class of travel, of a participant. The cost function associated with each alternative route also takes into account the cost of safety and / or the cost of health.

The cost function can be determined by performing a weighted sum of different parameters, or another cost function integrating several parameters.

The cost function can be determined using an optimizer making it possible to find an optimal solution taking into account various parameters.

The method may include a step during which at least one participant of said group accepts or declines an alternative route.

The method may include a step during which, following the acceptance of a proposed alternative route, the electronic agendas of the participants (X) are updated automatically.

The method may include a step during which, following the acceptance of an alternative route proposed, reservations of rooms or means of transport are executed automatically, or semi-automatically following validation by at least one. participant.

Another subject of the invention is a computer system comprising a central server and a plurality of participant terminals, said central server having access to a shared electronic diary and to a route calculation tool, said participant terminals allowing display the itinerary of each participant, the itineraries of a group of participants being associated with an appointment entry of said participants of the group in a shared electronic diary, so that said appointment starts at a location arrival at a meeting start time equal to or later than the expected arrival time for each route, said server implementing an analysis tool in order to allow the reprogramming of the routes of a group of participants to a rendezvous in response to the detection of an event, said reprogramming comprising calculating a plurality of alternative routes for each participant of said group, including at m oins an alternative route to join an alternative meeting whose duration and / or location is modified.

Brief description of the figures

Examples of implementation of the invention are indicated in the description illustrated by the appended figures in which: Figure 1 is a block diagram of the route programming and reprogramming system; • Figure 2 illustrates different modules of individual participant equipment; • Figure 3 is a schematic representation of an example of routes and appointments involving multiple participants; • Figure 4 illustrates schematically an example of the individual costs of participants for their participation in a scheduled meeting. • Figure 5 is an example of a screen view of a route and appointment options display on the screen of a participant equipment.

Example (s) of embodiment of the invention

FIG. 1 illustrates in the form of a block diagram an example of a system for implementing the method of the invention. In this example, the system comprises on the one hand a plurality of participants U1, U2, .. A team of respective personal equipment A1, A2, .., An as well as one or more organizations O1, O2, ..Om.

The personal equipment A of participants U can be, for example, smartphones, tablets, computers, navigation devices, etc.

The different participants can form groups; only one group 1 is illustrated in FIG. 1. A participant can belong to one or more groups. A group brings together the participants in the same meeting.

The equipment A of the various participants U and the organization or organizations O are linked together via a communication network 14, for example a mobile network, the Internet, a corporate Internet network, and / or any type of suitable network . One or more information providers 8.2 can also be connected to this communication network 14 in order to make data available in a database 8, for example through a connector 8.3, for example an API. The databases 8 may include, for example, databases of public transport timetables, one or more databases of traffic, services, offers from airlines or other transport companies, databases of meeting rooms, weather databases, databases with security information, etc.

At least one organization O manages a route programming server 4 and, preferably, a shared calendar server 2.

The route programming server 4 can be internal to the organization, for example in the form of a dedicated server machine, a virtual server, or a calculation module within the organization. The programming server can also be external to the organization, for example in the form of a server in the cloud. A function of the route planning server 4 is to find optimal or at least suitable solutions in order to allow several participants to go to one or more appointments, and to reschedule appointments when a more optimal solution. (ie inexpensively) can be found.

[0100] The shared calendar server 2 can also be internal or external to the organization, for example in the form of a server in a cloud. In one embodiment, the calendar server can be a conventional shared calendar server, for example an MSExchange server, a GMAIL server, etc. The shared calendar server 2 makes it possible to manage the calendars of several participants, with access rights for the other participants defined by an administrator and / or by each participant. The shared calendar data can be stored in a database 8.3 internal or external to the organization O, for example accessible through an API. The shared calendar server 2 shares its data and can be accessed by the equipment A of the participants U via a connector 2.2, for example an API. The U participants can thus directly add or modify appointments in the shared calendar server 2, for example through a web page and / or a dedicated application executed in their equipment A.

The programming server can also be constituted by an IT agent, that is to say a computer module. The system can set up one or more distributed agents that communicate and cooperate with each other, or compete, to find solutions to manage the agendas and routes of participants preferably taking into account the preferences of participants and organizations. . The distribution of the computational work between several agents allows an efficiency gain in terms of computation compared to a centralized solution, but potentially results in a less optimal overall solution in terms of cost since the agent does not have visibility on the network. 'set of agendas and preferences of all participants.

In one embodiment, at least one organization O, or at least one group of participants, entrusts the management of agendas and routes to a specific IT agent. In this case, an agent can for example access the agendas and / or preferences of the group of participants or the organization, determine one or more solutions that are suitable for this group of participants, and negotiate with other agents if necessary. , or other participants, to find the best solution.

[0103] The use of distributed computer agents makes it possible to preserve the confidentiality of the appointments and / or preferences of each participant, which are only exchanged with a trusted agent but not with other agents. For example, the agent of a group of attendees in a meeting may determine on the basis of the information from those attendees that the most suitable venue for a meeting with other attendees would be London or Berlin, and offer this meeting place to other agents representing other participants.

[0104] Several IT agents can calculate a partial solution to a reprogramming program, then communicate with each other to exchange their partial solutions and find a solution that suits all the participants managed by these different agents. Agents can cooperate with each other, or compete. Agents can be associated with different priorities, so that a higher priority agent can impose a solution on a lower priority agent. The priority of an agent may depend, for example, on the number of participants it manages, or on the personal priorities associated with these participants.

[0105] Some IT agents can also manage resources, for example meeting rooms, vehicles, and the like.

The appointments in the database can be associated with a value indicating their priority, that is to say their importance. A high priority appointment cannot be moved or canceled, or only with a high cost. A low priority appointment can be moved more easily, at low cost. It is also possible to determine that only certain parameters of the appointment can be modified, for example only the start time, the end time, the duration and / or the place. Different priorities can be associated in a database with different parameters of a single appointment.

[0107] The organization also preferably manages a database with preferences of the organization and / or preferences of each participant. Organizational preferences may, for example, include company policies relating to the mode of transport (eg permitted modes of transport, classes of transport, preferred transport companies or hotels, etc.). Participants' preferences may, for example, include preferences for mode of transport, meeting places, transport company, etc. Certain preferences may be imperative so that the proposed routes respect them in all cases, or ask the person in charge of the preference for an authorization to bypass them. Other preferences can be marked as non-imperative. In a variant, at least some organization and / or participant preferences are associated with a value indicating their priority; a preference associated with a high priority value is then more imperative than a value associated with a lower preference. The cost function associated with an itinerary solution may depend on respecting the preferences of participants and / or organizations, and their priority. The preferences of the organizations and / or the participants, and / or their priorities, can be set by the organizations respectively by the participants, for example through a web page or an application on their equipment. At least some preferences of the organizations and / or participants can preferably be determined automatically by a preference management module (not shown) in the server, for example on the basis of past choices. The preference management module may include a self-study module for learning the preferences of organizations and / or participants.

The programming server 4 preferably comprises an event detection module 4.1 and a route calculation module 4.2.

[0109] The programming server 4 can also include a rules engine in order to verify and follow rules when programming new routes. These rules may for example depend on the preferences of the user and / or his organization.

[0110] Different rules can be checked in cascade, according to their priority and / or according to their logical organization. For example, organization-level preferences may be imperative and match input executed rules, to immediately rule out solutions that do not conform to those rules. Participant preferences may be associated with lower priorities, or with varying priorities. Rules can be relative or depend on parameters. For example, an organization can create a rule to ban the airplane for flights under 1000km, allow it beyond 1000km, and allow business class beyond 5000km.

[0111] The method may involve editing rules and / or preferences by means of a rule or preference editor. The personal rules or preferences that may be chosen by a participant who is an employee of an organization may be constrained by choices previously made by an administrator of that organization.

[0112] The rules and / or preferences editor can include a possibility of associating a priority and / or a cost with different means of transport, with different transport companies, with different meeting rooms, etc.

[0113] A self-learning module can propose preferences and / or rules on the basis of previous choices of an organization or a participant.

The event detection module 4.1 comprises, for example, a software module executed by the programming server 4 in order to detect in real time events requiring the reprogramming of one or more routes. Such an event can be detected for example when the expected arrival time of at least one participant is later than the start time of an appointment in which this participant must participate. The event detection module can also detect, for example, one or more of the events such as the unavailability of a meeting room; a security or weather risk, the availability of a new route option, a delay in a mode of transport used by one of the participants in an appointment, a delay in a previous appointment involving a participant, and / or a request for deliberate rescheduling of a participant, when such an event involves rescheduling at least one itinerary and / or at least one appointment.

The event detection module 4.1 can integrate changing or fluctuating conditions in order to trigger reprogramming. For example, temporary disruptions to roads and / or public transport means can be detected as events.

The route calculation module 4.2 makes it possible to propose one or more routes for a group of participants A in a meeting. It also allows one or more routes to be reprogrammed when the event detection module 4.1 detects an event requiring a route to be reprogrammed. As will be seen later, the route calculation module 4.2 can in particular propose solutions to a need for reprogramming involving moving one or more appointments of one or more participants in the shared agenda 2, for example changing the start time, the end time, the duration and / or the place of the meeting. Module 4.2 calculates a cost function associated with each proposed solution and sorts or selects these solutions according to their cost. The cost of a solution also depends on the consequences of a reprogramming on the routes and / or subsequent appointments of each participant affected by the reprogramming, when these routes or subsequent appointments must also be modified due to the reprogramming.

The route calculation module 4.2 can include an algorithmic software module for determining several possible solutions to a programming or reprogramming problem. This algorithmic software can for example use a parallel architecture in order to simultaneously calculate the cost of several routes. In one embodiment, the software is executed by a graphics processor (GPU), signal processor (DSP) and / or an FPGA. In another embodiment, these parallel calculations are performed by one or more multicore processors. In another embodiment, these parallel calculations are performed by a cluster of machines in a distributed environment.

A priori assumptions can be made in order to quickly determine low cost solutions. These a priori hypotheses can be obtained for example by taking into account the preferences of the participants, and / or by implementing artificial intelligence. The route calculation module 4.2 can then calculate, from these solutions determined a priori, the cost of similar solutions, involving for example minimal modifications of routes, involving a limited number of participants, or minor modifications of appointments you, in order to converge quickly. To this end, module 4.2 can for example implement a mathematical optimization method.

In a preferred embodiment, the determination of an optimal or in any case advantageous solution to a meeting problem between participants is carried out using calculations distributed between the server 4 and the equipment A of the participants U FIG. 2 represents in block diagram form certain components of a device of participant A. This device advantageously comprises a processor 1010 accessing a memory not shown in order to execute one or more software modules 1011-1012, for example a participant local calendar module 1011 and a navigation and reprogramming module 1012. A database 1013 accessible by the module 1011 makes it possible to store local preferences of participants, for example preferences relating to modes of transport, meeting places , at meeting or travel times, transport companies, etc.

[0120] The participant's local calendar module 1011 can be constituted, for example, by a software application or a web page allowing the participant to register and consult his appointments. This module is advantageously synchronized with the shared calendar server 2, or has direct access to this shared calendar.

[0121] The navigation and programming module 1012 has at least two functions. It first of all makes it possible to guide a participant during a movement along a programmed route, for example by showing him a route on a map displayed by a screen of the equipment A. The module 1012 preferably accesses a geolocation component, for example a GPS, Magellan or Glonass receiver, or an inertial sensor, in order to determine the participant's position at all times. The module 1012 further preferably calculates the expected time of arrival of the participant at the destination or change point before the next appointment.

[0122] The navigation and reprogramming module 1012 can also be connected to the calendar module 1011 and / or to the calendar server 2 in order to associate a route with one or more appointments. It is thus possible to determine locally, depending on the progress of the participant along his route and / or information about events likely to affect the next sections (traffic jams, delays, cancellations, etc.) whether the participant will be late for the next appointment and if the route and / or appointment needs to be rescheduled.

The navigation and reprogramming module 1012 can also calculate one or more new routes for the participant U associated with the corresponding equipment item, for example in the event of detection of an event requiring reprogramming of this route. Such reprogramming may for example be necessary when the navigation module 1011 detects a delay in the next appointment in the diary, and / or in the event of detection of another event by the equipment A or received from the server 4 and requiring reprogramming. The module 1012 calculates a local cost function for each new reprogrammed route, and sorts the solutions according to their cost. The local cost is the cost of the itinerary and the possible modification of the appointment for the participant, without taking into account the cost for the other participants.

[0124] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an example of a set of routes and appointments involving several participants U, in a starting situation. The appointments M1, M2 and M3 represented schematically with a circle are flexible appointments; the M4 appointment is a fixed appointment that cannot be moved or modified. A flexible appointment is for example an appointment whose start time, end time, duration and / or location can be changed. A fixed appointment can be for example an international conference, or an event with a fixed date such as Christmas, a national holiday, a birthday, etc.

The routes I of the participants U who go to these appointments are represented by arrows; an itinerary may include one or more sections, involving one or more modes of transport. For example, the first route I1P1 of the participant P1 comprises a single section I1P1; the first route I1P2 of the participant P2 comprises for its part two sections I1P2-1 and 1P2-2.

[0126] Certain sections, shown with thin arrows, may be flexible; other sections, such as I2P1-2, shown with bold arrows, can be fixed, that is to say not modifiable. For example, a section by metro can be flexible while a transcontinental section by plane will be fixed or in any case associated with a high priority.

[0127] The different sections of the same route can be connected to connection points, marked with Xs. A connection point can correspond to a change of vehicle, or to a change of mode of transport. Connections can also correspond Certain connections can be associated with parameters, for example a minimum duration necessary, or required services (a restaurant, a bar, a kiosk, a mobile charging station, etc.).

[0128] Each section T is associated with several parameters, including for example: • A place of departure TLd • A place of arrival TLa. • A departure time Ttd • An arrival time Tta • One or more participants, for example several participants wishing to travel together on this section. • A cost, per example obtained from a cost function which takes into account the financial cost, the cost in terms of greenhouse gas production, the cost in terms of comfort, the safety cost, the cost in terms of productivity, and / or cost in terms of respecting user or organization preferences, for example. • Optionally, a priority which indicates whether this section, or certain parameters of this section, is fixed or movable.

[0129] One or both ends of each route can also be associated with an appointment M in a diary. For example, the route I1P1 of the participant U1 allows him to go to his first appointment M1 while the second route I2U1 allows him to go from the appointment M1 to the appointment M2.

A section can also be associated with a resource necessary to travel this section, for example a vehicle.

[0131] A section can for example correspond to the time required between arrival at the airport and departure of the aircraft. Such a section is not associated with a vehicle, but can be associated with services available, for example a lounge room.

[0132] The use of certain services associated with a section can have an influence on the execution time of the section, for example, a section in an airport can be carried out more quickly by reserving a fast or even service, which the method can offer. . Conversely, using a restaurant service can extend the time required for a section.

The parameters of each route can be stored in a memory of the equipment A or of the server 4.

M appointments can be associated with parameters in the local agenda 1011 of the participants concerned and in the shared agenda 8.1. This information includes, for example, the start time, the end time, the location and the participant (s). In addition, the M appointments can be associated with additional parameters stored in the local or shared agenda, and / or the scheduling server 4. These additional parameters may include, for example, the cost (in terms of reservation, comfort , conforming to the preferences of participants or their organization, etc.) and a priority value to indicate whether the appointment is important or not, and whether it is flexible, or whether certain parameters of the appointment are flexible.

[0135] FIG. 3 illustrates an initial solution to a problem of scheduling appointments and routes I from different participants to these appointments M. Unforeseen events can however disrupt the execution of this program. For example, a participant being late on their route to appointment M1 may prevent them from arriving on time for that appointment. It is sometimes possible to wait for this participant late and start the M1 appointment late, but this decision may have consequences for the routes and next appointments of all participants in the M1 appointment. For example, if appointment M1 starts and ends late, participants U1 and U3 may miss the connection to subsequent appointments M2 and M3, which can cascading also disruptions for appointment M4 and for participants U4, U5 and U6.

[0136] The data corresponding to the programming of routes and / or appointments may be available, optionally in encrypted form, in the server 4. These data, for example all the data of all the participants or the data. of the single participant U, may also or alternatively be available in the equipment A of this participant. A synchronization can be carried out between the data in the equipment (s) of participants and the server 4. For example, the equipment of a participant can determine a route for this participant in order to go to a meeting M, and communicate this route provided to the server 4. The event detection module can receive the instantaneous position of the participant during his movement along the route, and / or information on other events likely to affect this route, and thus detecting events requiring reprogramming.

The delay of a single participant on a single section towards the appointments M1 can have consequences on all the appointments M1 to M4 and on the itineraries of all the participants. The situation can become even more complex in the case of appointments involving more than four participants, or trips involving more appointments. The reprogramming of all the itineraries and the appointments of all the affected participants then turns out to be an extremely complex task and the optimum solution difficult to obtain.

According to various aspects, this problem is first of all solved by detecting events requiring such reprogramming, either at the local level by means of a module in the equipment of a participant, or at the global level by means of the control module. event detection 4.1 described above. For example, the navigation and programming module 1012 of a device A of a participant can locally detect a delay of a participant in relation to the planned route, or another event likely to cause a delay, and automatically propose an alternative route for this participant. The event detection module 4.1 can also obtain other information on events likely to disturb the movement of the participant along the planned route, and report them to the equipment of the participant. In a variant, or in addition, the route calculation module 4.2 can also calculate an alternative route for the affected participant and offer it to the equipment of this participant.

[0139] If the reprogramming of the itinerary for a participant allows him to reach the next appointments without delay, or with an acceptable delay depending on the event, the reprogramming stops there and the participant is simply guided by his equipment along the reprogrammed alternative route.

[0140] However, it happens that the equipment A of the participant and / or the route calculation module 4.2 does not find a solution to respond to an event so as to allow the affected participant to participate in the meeting, or not. from the beginning. In this case, a rescheduling of the appointment is necessary.

In a simple case, the appointment is simply reprogrammed by the software in the participant's equipment, or by the route calculation module 4.2 of the reprogramming server 4, by canceling the participation of the affected participant, or by tolerating his late arrival. If the participant and / or the server 4 accepts this solution, the participant's local and global calendar is simply updated by deleting the appointment, or by modifying the start time for this participant. In an advantageous embodiment, the other participants are automatically informed of this cancellation or delay. Their other appointments or routes are not affected and should not be rescheduled.

[0142] In a more complex case, the participation of the affected participant is essential and the appointment must be modified for all the participants. This situation can be detected either by the participant U itself, or automatically by its equipment A, or again by the event detection module 4.1 of the reprogramming server 4. In such a case, according to one aspect of the invention , the route calculation module 4.2 of the server 4 proposes alternative solutions involving a modification of the appointment M to which the participant U affected by the event goes.

[0143] The modifications of assigned M appointments proposed by module 4.2 can include, for example, one or more of the following modifications: • Cancellation of the appointment, for example when it is associated with a low priority • Postponement of the appointment -you • Modification of the start time of the appointment • Modification of the end time of the appointment • Modification of the duration of the appointment • Modification of the meeting place

[0144] These modifications will only be proposed when the parameters associated with the assigned appointment allow it. The proposed solutions may also depend on a check of the available options; for example, a modification of the meeting place can be proposed only when another room or another meeting place is available according to a database 8, for example accessible via an API, and allows this reprogramming.

[0145] It will be understood that some of these modifications may have an impact on the appointments and on the subsequent itineraries of at least some participants. For example, moving the end time or location of an appointment is likely to have an impact on the subsequent routes of participants affected by the rescheduling.

The calculation of the solutions proposed to this reprogramming problem involves a calculation of the cost of each solution. The cost of the solution depends on the cost of the routes and appointments involved. To this end, the method implements a computerized calculation of a cost function for each route section as well as, preferably, for each appointment.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, each section is thus associated with a cost function calculated at the local level by an item of equipment A and / or at the global level by the route calculation module 4.2. The cost function depends on various parameters, for example the financial cost, the impact in terms of greenhouse gas production, the security risk, the productivity, and / or the respect of the preferences of the users or of an organization. for example.

[0148] The cost function can include respecting the preferences of the participant and / or his organization. For example, an organization may indicate a preference for travel with a particular airline, or for appointments at a preferred hotel chain.

[0149] An organization O can also give preference to a meeting in a place far from the usual places of work of the participants, to ensure that the meeting takes place in a neutral environment or mentally distant from the environment. usual working hours of the participants.

[0150] Failure to respect these preferences can be authorized, but involves a higher cost function.

[0151] The various parameters of the cost function can be weighted. This weighting can be done locally for each participant. The weighting can also be done globally, at the level of the organization O.

[0152] The ability to reprogram not only the routes, but also to access shared agendas to offer solutions involving changes to appointments, offers greater flexibility to adapt to unforeseen events and to find solutions. more optimal solutions to these reprogramming needs, that is to say solutions associated with reduced cost functions.

[0153] It will be understood however that the number of potential solutions available by modifying the duration and / or the place of the meetings, for example, can become very large and that the calculation of the cost of these solutions can become impossible to carry out at hand and even for a high performance computer or server. However, it is necessary to be able to propose a solution in a sufficiently short time so that this solution can be applied, in particular if the participants continue to move during the calculation. Technical considerations and new technical solutions must therefore be implemented in order to make it possible to determine these solutions to the reprogramming problem in a time short enough to be applicable.

According to a first aspect, as we have seen, the calculation of the solutions can be carried out advantageously in a distributed manner. First of all, each item of equipment A of participant U can monitor compliance with the planned route, detect a certain number of events liable to cause disruption of the route, and offer the participant an alternative route when necessary. When an alternative solution can be found which does not affect the other participants, it is immediately offered to the participant who can accept it. In a variant, it is accepted automatically. The central server is at most informed of this change of route, but in this case is not requested to calculate it.

It may happen that the need to reprogram one or more routes and one or more appointments is detected by the module 4.1. Such detection can be carried out for example on the basis of information obtained as to the instantaneous position of each participant, and / or information about events liable to disrupt one or more routes or one or more appointments. . The detection can also come from a request from a device A of a participant which sends a message to the server 4 to inform it that the following of a route is disrupted and that it cannot, alone, resolve the problem. problem. The message can be generated automatically by a module in the equipment A. The message can possibly propose a modification of an appointment, or let the module 4.2 propose such a modification.

[0156] In such a case, when the module 4.2 detects a need to reprogram an appointment and / or one or more routes, it can for example calculate itself various alternative solutions, including solutions involving modifications of location. or appointment duration, to find routes for each participant to get to these modified appointments, and to calculate the cost of the different solutions in order to sort them or to retain only the most advantageous solution (s). In a variant, the route calculation module 4.2 delegates part of these calculations to the equipment of the participants concerned; for example, it can propose one or more modified alternative appointments and ask each participant equipment A to calculate the cost of the best route to get there.

The module 4.2 preferably performs calculations in parallel, for example with one or more multicore processors or with a graphics processor or a DSP, u an FPGA, in order to calculate or evaluate in parallel the cost of several solutions or possible routes.

[0158] Module 4.2 can also break down the problem of calculating the optimal solution to a reprogramming problem into sub-problems. A sub-problem can for example correspond to a section, to a route, to a meeting movement at a given time or place, to a cost of a solution for one of the participants, etc. A sub-problem can for example correspond to the calculation of the cost associated with an alternative appointment M. The solution to each sub-problem can be calculated by module 4.2, or delegated to a device A, and calculated only once for several possible solutions.

[0159] The determination of a global solution can be simplified by determining the optimal local solution for each participant. This optimal local solution can be calculated for example at the central level by the module 4.2, or in a distributed manner by each device. This optimal local solution can be calculated for example on the basis of constraints proposed by module 4.2. For example, module 4.2 can propose an alternative time, duration and / or meeting place, and calculate or ask each device to calculate the cost of the best route for this alternative meeting. A solution often close to the global optimum is then found by breaking down the problem to calculate local optima for each participant.

[0160] Even by delegating part of the calculation to the equipment A of the participants and by performing calculations in parallel or by breaking them down into sub-problems, the number of solutions to be evaluated by the route calculation module remains potentially extremely large and implies at least in certain situations a too long computation time for a practical application. In order to further reduce this calculation time, according to one aspect, the route calculation module performs an a priori evaluation of a limited number of potentially acceptable solutions, then selects from these a priori solutions one or more solutions with the lowest cost. smaller, then improves them or loads the equipment of the participants to improve them. In a variant, module 4.2 determines a priori a certain number of promising options, for example by moving the place or time of an appointment, then calculates the cost of possible solutions by posing the options retained as constraints .

The selection of the a priori solutions or options can be carried out for example using an artificial intelligence module trained on the basis of previous calculations in order to propose acceptable solutions. The artificial intelligence module makes it possible to quickly classify a large number of potential solutions, without having to calculate their exact cost, on the basis of input parameters such as for example the mode of transport used or the respect of the preferences of the organization or participants.

[0162] Artificial intelligence also makes it possible to quickly eliminate alternative solutions that are unlikely to lead to reduced costs, or routes that do not correspond to the preferences of users or organizations. It can also be used to automatically determine preferences of participants and / or organizations.

[0163] For example, an artificial intelligence module may in certain configurations rule out a priori solutions involving travel by plane when the train is available, because the cost in terms of greenhouse gases of the plane will be in a low level. majority of cases higher than the cost of rescheduling the appointment, or because this intelligence determined on the basis of previous selection that air routes are never retained by one of the participants. Algorithmic methods, for example comparisons of solutions with indications of preference, can also be implemented to quickly select a limited number of a priori acceptable solutions.

The route calculation module 4.2 can then select one or more solutions from among these a priori solutions, and calculate or have their exact cost function calculated. The best of these solutions can then be refined, for example by changing the routes of one or more participants, or by slightly adjusting the time or duration or location of an appointment. For example, an approximate solution may suggest that a priori it will be cheaper to organize a meeting in Berlin rather than in London; a fine-tuned solution may result in selecting a particular venue in berlin, for example by checking databases of meeting or coworking rooms available, the cost for each attendee to travel to that venue, and the impact on subsequent trips and subsequent appointments of participants.

The selection of a solution from among the solutions preselected a priori may involve the use of a numerical optimization method, for example a method of successive approximations. It is thus possible to converge on a solution at reduced cost without calculating the cost of all the possible solutions.

The search for an alternative solution can take into account the probability that certain events will occur. For example, the estimated duration of a section in an automobile can be associated with a probability that this duration is exceeded, or with a standard deviation, or with a probability that the duration exceeds a threshold. The time it takes at the airport to check-in, go through security, and get on a plane can also be associated with a probability or a probability function. The consequences of exceeding the planned duration can be significant, for example if a delay on the road section or at the airport prevents taking the plane.

The alternative route calculation module 4.2 can therefore implement a calculation of the probability that each solution can be applied, in order to sort the solutions according to this probability and to eliminate solutions which have little probability of being able to be applied. to come true. A solution associated with a significant risk may therefore be ranked less well in the list of proposed solutions than a less optimal solution in terms of cost but associated with less uncertainty. For example, a route which includes a large number of vehicle changes, with reduced changeover times and significant risks of delays or delays on certain sections, will be associated with a low probability that this not very robust route can be applied. Statistics indicating, for example, the average delays of trains or planes, by airport, by company, by country, or by time of day or date, or the risk of motorway traffic jams, can be used to determine this probability.

It is also possible to take into account the fallback solutions that may be available if a solution associated with a high uncertainty cannot be achieved. For example, if the cost of an alternative solution which will have to be chosen in the event of a delay on a section remains limited, a high risk associated with this section could be accepted.

[0169] The different calculated solutions can be presented to the participants U on the screen of their equipment, for example in the manner proposed in FIG. 4. This presentation shows a geographical map, in which the possible places for a meeting are marked. This presentation also shows icons of the participants U in the meeting M, and gives for each proposed solution the place, date and duration of the meeting. The overall cost of a selection of cost functions are also shown for each solution. Participants or organizations can then choose their preferred cost function annually or as needed. This choice can be used to train an artificial intelligence module to automatically determine the preferences of the participants.

The presentation of the various solutions proposed also preferably indicates the environmental cost of each solution. This environmental cost (for example the quantity of greenhouse gas produced) has already been integrated into the cost function used for the selection of the proposed solutions; by displaying it, one also creates an awareness of the participant, and one gives him the opportunity to still take this element into account for his final choice among several displayed solutions, if several solutions are displayed.

It is also possible to display a representation of all the costs associated with the previous programming and reprogramming of a participant or of an organization. In one embodiment, this representation is displayed as a tree that grows in case of environmentally responsible behavior, yes that declines in case of less responsible decisions.

When the route calculation module 4.2 has found the chosen solution to a reprogramming problem, it sends a confirmation message (if necessary) to the equipment A of the users concerned, so that they can modify their route. In one embodiment, the devices A themselves update their itinerary when an appointment is modified.

[0173] When the route calculation module 4.2 has found the chosen solution to a reprogramming problem, it also sends an update (if necessary) to the calendar server, in order to modify the affected appointment (s). .

[0174] The route calculation module can also send messages to various providers of resources required for reprogramming, for example in order to automatically reserve means of transport, to pay for transport tickets, to reserve meeting rooms. you, or to inform other partners.

[0175] The method can involve a step during which a participant determines which information relating to his appointments and / or relating to his routes can be shared with other participants and / or with the server 4. These authorizations can be shared. be introduced by means of the navigation module 1012 on the equipment A and / or through a web page. It is also possible, in a variant, to provide default access authorizations for each participant or group of participants.

[0176] In order to guarantee the confidentiality of the data relating to the appointments and / or the position of the participants, the equipment A and / or the shared calendar server 3 can exchange information on this subject in an anonymous and / or encrypted manner. with the server 4.

[0177] The route reprogramming module 4.2 can perform calculations of alternative routes and / or appointments on the encrypted database by performing homomorphic calculations which make it possible to find homomorphic solutions returned in encrypted form to the equipment. Who decrypts them. In this way, the method makes it possible to take into account all the appointments, positions and / or preferences of all the participants, without these participants having to imperatively transmit their appointments in clear to the server, their preferences and / or their instantaneous position.

Methods

[0178] In a centralized embodiment, the method comprises the detection in a central server of an event requiring the reprogramming of at least one route, and the calculation in this server of a solution to the need for reprogramming, the solution involving the modification of the duration and / or location of at least one appointment in a shared calendar, and the calculation of new routes to this appointment or from this appointment. The new appointment and the new routes are then communicated by messages to the equipment of the participants concerned.

[0179] In a centralized calculation embodiment, the method comprises the detection by a participant's equipment of an event resulting in the participant failing to participate in an appointment scheduled in a shared calendar, the communication from this situation to a centralized server, and the calculation in this server of a solution to the need for reprogramming, the solution involving the modification of the duration and / or the place of at least one appointment in a shared calendar, and the calculation of new routes to this appointment or from this appointment.

[0180] In a centrally calculated embodiment, the method comprises the detection by a participant's equipment of an event resulting in the participant failing to participate in an appointment scheduled in a shared calendar, the attempt to find a solution in this equipment, and in case of impossibility or prohibitive cost the communication of this situation to a centralized server, and the calculation in this server of a solution to the need for reprogramming, the solution involving the modification of the duration and / or place of at least one appointment in a shared calendar, and the calculation of new routes to this appointment or from this appointment.

[0181] In an embodiment with agents, the method comprises the detection by a participant's equipment or by a distributed IT agent of an event having the consequence that the participant, respectively a participant managed by this agent, will not succeed. to participate in an appointment scheduled in a shared calendar, the calculation by this agent of an alternative solution that may, according to needs, involve new itineraries or a modified duration or meeting place, and the negotiation or communication of these solutions with a centralized server or with other distributed IT agents managing other meeting participants.

Terminology

[0182] The expression "participant" includes in particular any person who can participate in a meeting.

[0183] The expression "resource" includes any object, place, room, vehicle, or animal, the use or presence of which during meetings is recorded in an agenda. Some resources can be mobile and the system allows in this case to calculate or reprogram a route. Other resources can be fixed.

[0184] The expression "cost function" includes any calculated value associated with an itinerary and / or a solution which depends on parameters such as the financial cost, the impact in terms of greenhouse gas production, security risk, productivity, and / or respect for user or organization preferences, for example, including class of travel. The cost also includes the impact in terms of safety or health of a user. The cost can thus be any objective function or score associated with a solution, or with part of a solution, and which must be minimized in order to find the optimal solution.

The expression "route" designates a list with one or more sections of movements between two points, each section being for example characterized by a place of departure, a time of arrival, a place of arrival and a time of arrival. 'arrival. An itinerary can include intermediate stops, all of which can be associated with an arrival time, a departure time, and a location.

The expression "appointment" includes any meeting or common activity requiring the presence of one or more participants, for all or part of the duration of the appointment. The meeting can take place in a single common place for all the participants, or possibly in several places if the participants are connected to each other by a telephone or videoconference link, for example. The term appointment therefore includes business meetings, romantic dates, gatherings, games of tennis or other sports, events such as concerts, shows, etc., work sessions, etc. An appointment can also be associated with a resource necessary for the appointment to take place, for example a room, a video projector, an appointment on a videoconference system, a place in a restaurant, etc.

The expression "solution" designates an itinerary with one or more associated appointments, and possibly one or more resources. Each solution can be associated with a cost function. A solution is said to be individual if it concerns only one or more routes and one or more appointments of a single U participant. A solution is said to be global if it concerns the routes and M appointments of several U participants.

A method is said to be "implemented by computer" if its implementation involves at least one personal computer, or server, a smartphone, a computing center, an IT agent, distributed computing resources, for example in a cloud.

[0189] A "server" designates in this request a server in the form of a dedicated machine, a computer performing calculations on behalf of several participants, a virtual server, a set of servers, a server in the cloud, or computing distributed in the cloud for example.

[0190] An "agent" or "IT agent" or "distributed IT agent" is software which can act autonomously in a network, managing its own resources, and which can communicate with other agents. Each agent has only a partial representation of a global problem to solve.

Reference numbers used in figures

[0191] 1 User group 2.1 Shared calendar server 2.2 Connector 3 Route reprogramming system 4 Route planning server 4.1 Event detection module 4.2 Route calculation module 8.1 Participant database 8.2 Organization database 14 Communication network 1010 Processor 1011 Local participant agenda 1012 Local navigation and programming module 1013 Local preferences Ai User equipment i Oi Organization i Ui Participant i I Itinerary ImUnItinerary M of participant NX Planned connection or break in a route M Appointment td Start time (route) ta Arrival time (route) Ld Place of departure (route) La Place of arrival (route) UnTmtd Departure time of participant N (section M) UnTmta Arrival time of participant N ( section M)

Claims (26)

1. A computer-implemented method for rescheduling an appointment (M) bringing together several participants (U) equipped with personal equipment (A), comprising the following steps: a) obtaining an initial route (I) for a group (1) of participants in said meeting, said initial route comprising at least one section (T) of movement between a place of departure (Ld) and a place of arrival ( La), and between an expected departure time (td) and an expected arrival time (ta); b) associate each said initial route with at least one appointment entry (M) in a shared electronic diary (2.1), said appointment starting at said place of arrival (La) at an appointment start time equal to or later than said expected time of arrival (ta); c) detecting an event requiring a reprogramming of said appointment; d) in response to this detection, calculating a plurality of alternative routes for each participant (U) of said group (1), including at least one alternative route to join an alternative meeting whose duration and / or location is amended; e) calculating a cost function associated with each alternative route; f) sorting and / or filtering said alternative routes according to the overall cost for all the participants. 2. Method according to claim 1, said step of detecting a condition comprising: c1) recalculation of the expected arrival time (ta) of each participant (U); c2) detection that the expected arrival time of at least one participant is later than the appointment start time. 3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, said detection step comprising the detection of one of the following events: unavailability of a resource; security or meteorological risk; availability of a new route option; request for deliberate rescheduling of a participant. 4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which said calculation of a plurality of alternative routes is carried out at least in part by a reprogramming module (4.2) in a server. 5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which said calculation of a plurality of alternative routes is carried out at least in part by personal equipment of participants (A). 6. Method according to one of claims 4 or 5, wherein said calculation of a plurality of alternative routes comprises a first step of calculating an approximate global solution performed by the reprogramming module (4.2), and a second step individual route calculation for each participant carried out locally by the equipment (A) of each participant (U). 7. Method according to one of claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein said calculation of a plurality of alternative routes is an iterative process in several steps. 8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said detection of an event requiring reprogramming is carried out locally by equipment (A) of a participant (U) affected by this event. 9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which said calculation of a plurality of alternative routes is carried out at least in part by a plurality of agents distributed in a computer network. 10. Method according to the preceding claim, in which an agent calculates a plurality of alternative routes for a plurality of participants, and communicates with another agent to negotiate an alternative route also suitable for participants managed by this other agent. 11. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the cost function associated with each alternative route takes into account the financial cost, the time, the cost in terms of CO2 generation, the safety cost, the health cost, class of travel and / or its compliance with personal preferences, such as, of a participant. 12. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which said detection of an event requiring reprogramming is carried out by a shared event detection module (4.1). 13. Method according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the following steps: attempt to reprogram the route of a participant (U) affected by an event requiring reprogramming; when no rescheduling solution is found that allows the participant to arrive on time at an appointment associated with the route to be reprogrammed, search for alternative solutions involving a modification of this appointment and the reprogramming of the routes of other participants in this meeting. 14. Method according to one of the preceding claims, the step of calculating a plurality of alternative routes comprising the following sub-steps: identify on the basis of participants' preferences and / or artificial intelligence a limited number of possible alternative solutions; adjust these alternative solutions so as to reduce their cost. 15. Method according to one of the preceding claims, the step of calculating a plurality of alternative routes comprising a calculation of the probability that each solution can be applied. 16. Method according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a verification of participant preferences in order to propose said alternative routes. 17. Method according to one of claims 1 to 16, comprising the sending of diary data and / or preferably in encrypted form, and the homomorphic calculation of alternative routes on the basis of these encrypted data. 18. The method of claim 17, implementing a self-learning system for determining the individual preferences of each participant from the route choices of that participant. 19. Method according to one of claims 1 to 18, comprising checking meeting room databases to organize alternative appointments. 20. Method according to one of the preceding claims, at least one said alternative route being determined on the basis of a solution proposing at least one of the following possibilities: cancellation of an appointment; cancellation or replacement of a participant in an appointment; authorize a participant to arrive late for the appointment or to leave this appointment before the end; replace a section of the initial route with a section traveled by another means of transport. 21. Method according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a step during which at least one participant (U) of said group (1) accepts or declines an alternative route. 22. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which following the acceptance of an alternative route proposed, the agendas of the participants (U) are updated automatically. 23. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which following the acceptance of a proposed alternative route reservations of meeting rooms or means of transport are carried out automatically. 24. Computer system comprising a central server and a plurality of participant terminals, said central server having access to a shared electronic diary and to a route calculation tool, said participant terminals making it possible to display the route of each participant. , the routes of a group of participants being associated with an appointment entry of said participants of the group in a shared electronic diary, so that said appointment starts at an arrival location at a start time of appointment equal to or later than the expected arrival time for each route, said server implementing an analysis tool (X) in order to allow the reprogramming of routes from a group of participants to an appointment in response to detecting an event, said reprogramming comprising calculating a plurality of alternative routes for each participant of said group, including at least one alternative route for r join an alternative meeting the duration and / or location of which is modified. 25. Computer system comprising a plurality of agents and a plurality of participant terminals, each agent having access to a shared electronic diary and to a route calculation tool, said participant terminals making it possible to display the route of each. participant, the routes of a group of participants being associated with an appointment entry of said participants of the group in a shared electronic diary, so that said appointment starts at an arrival location at a start time appointment equal to or later than the expected arrival time for each route, each agent being arranged to reprogram routes from a group of participants to an appointment in response to the detection of an event, said reprogramming comprising the calculation of a plurality of alternative routes for each participant of said group, including at least one alternative route to join an alternative meeting, the duration of which and / o u the place is changed. 26. Computer system according to the preceding claim, each agent being furthermore arranged to negotiate an alternative route with another agent.