WO2013091068A1 - Réseau social, systèmes et procédés de gestion d'activités dans des groupes et avec des contacts - Google Patents

Réseau social, systèmes et procédés de gestion d'activités dans des groupes et avec des contacts Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2013091068A1
WO2013091068A1 PCT/CA2012/001162 CA2012001162W WO2013091068A1 WO 2013091068 A1 WO2013091068 A1 WO 2013091068A1 CA 2012001162 W CA2012001162 W CA 2012001162W WO 2013091068 A1 WO2013091068 A1 WO 2013091068A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
activity
household
group
calendar
household group
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/CA2012/001162
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Ravinesan PUVANACHANDRAN
Original Assignee
Puvanachandran Ravinesan
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Puvanachandran Ravinesan filed Critical Puvanachandran Ravinesan
Publication of WO2013091068A1 publication Critical patent/WO2013091068A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/10—Office automation; Time management
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
    • H04L67/2866—Architectures; Arrangements
    • H04L67/30—Profiles
    • H04L67/306—User profiles
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L63/00—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security
    • H04L63/10—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security for controlling access to devices or network resources
    • H04L63/104—Grouping of entities

Definitions

  • This invention relates to social networks and systems and methods for managing activities and calendars within groups and with contacts.
  • Mediabee discloses a group calendar system that allows for family information to be shared via a web user interface, called a family dashboard.
  • US2010/0159967 entitled "Method and Apparatus for a Family Centre” relates to a family centre, including a family calendar, which is offered by Broadsoft.
  • these solutions combine multiple individual calendar entries for each participant in an activity.
  • the resulting calendar view for a particular time slot becomes cluttered with multiple entries for each participant, and can be difficult to read.
  • Cozi Group offers a family organizer in which members sign into a single account with a shared password.
  • the calendar functionality is limited and offers only a shared view in the form of a daily listing of all activities for all family members. It is also difficult to schedule activities and share information with people outside the family.
  • the present invention seeks to eliminate, or at least mitigate, the disadvantages of these known solutions, systems and methods, or provide an alternative.
  • aspects of the invention provide a social network, and systems and methods for managing activities, information and calendars within a household group and with connections or contacts in another household.
  • the social network is centred around a household group, such as a family group, and systems and methods provide for scheduling and planning activities, such as tasks, to-do lists, events and appointments, within a household, using a household group calendar.
  • a household group such as a family group
  • systems and methods provide for scheduling and planning activities, such as tasks, to-do lists, events and appointments, within a household, using a household group calendar.
  • Other aspects of the invention relate to facilitating communications and management of activities with contacts in other households. This network solution also potentially makes it easier for household members to schedule activities which may involve other external groups, such as schools, businesses and community centres.
  • One aspect of the invention provides a social network structure for managing household group activities and calendars, comprising: a household group centric membership structure comprising a plurality of household groups wherein each household group comprises one or more members of the household group, and wherein each household group is assigned unique household group identity; each member of the o household group has a respective identity which is associated with (i.e. linked to or connected with) their respective household group identity; and at least one member is designated as a household group administrator; database means for storing and managing at least identity, communication preferences, and calendar information for the household group and for each member of the household group, and access controls for managing5 (e.g. accessing, displaying, viewing, storing, sharing, et al.) household group information on a household group basis in accordance with permissions set for each individual member of the household by the respective household group administrator.
  • a household group centric membership structure comprising a plurality of household groups wherein each household group comprises one or more members of the household group, and wherein each household group is assigned unique household group identity; each
  • calendar information for all members of the household group is linked to provide a unified view of group activities and activities involving one or more o members of the household group.
  • a filtered view of activities of one or more selected members may also be provided.
  • group members can see how they are impacted by other members' activities.
  • Access to view calendar information for a household group may be restricted to members of the household group only.
  • the network structure may be implemented as a server system comprising a database means for storing information and a computer readable medium storing instructions, i.e. software or a computer program, for defining the household group centric membership structure and providing access controls for managing information comprising the household calendar.
  • the system may, for example, be based on a Model0 View Controller (MVC) architecture.
  • MVC Model0 View Controller
  • a household group typically includes several individual members, such as a family or other group of people sharing a dwelling or residential unit.
  • a household group may comprise only one member, e.g. a single person.
  • the household group may include members such as young children or others without email or internet access. It may also 5 include pets.
  • At least one member of a household group is o designated as a household administrator, to manage the household membership and group information, and manage a household group calendar and activities.
  • Calendar information for confirmed events or activities may be represented graphically as blocks, i.e. for a particular date or time slots. Calendar information may also comprise activity requests (suggestions) comprising a plurality of availability5 instances, i.e. suggested dates and time slots for a proposed activity of a particular
  • Activity requests may be shared with (i.e. sent to) participants who are contacts in other household groups. On selection by a participant of an availability instance within an activity request, the activity is confirmed for the accepted date and time slot in the household group o calendar of each participant, and other alternative available time slots are released.
  • Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for managing activities and calendars of multiple users of a server system serving a social network comprising a plurality of household groups, wherein each household group comprises one or more members, the method comprising:
  • each household group assigning to each household group a unique household group ID; linking each member of a household group to the respective household group ID; linking an identity of each member of the household group to the respective household group identity;
  • the method may comprise linking calendar information of all members of a household group and generating:
  • Access to calendar information for a household group may be restricted to members of the household group only.
  • the method may comprise generating an activity request (or suggestion), comprising a plurality of availability instances, a duration of a proposed activity and associated information about the activity and participants.
  • the plurality of availability instances may comprise a plurality of time slots for the proposed activity duration, within one or more available time windows, on one or more dates. Finding or negotiating a mutually convenient time slot for an activity is facilitated by offering multiple availability instances, e.g. several available time windows or time slots, from which a participant or invitee may select a time slot of the appropriate duration for the proposed activity.
  • Managing activity requests may include sending activity requests by email or otherwise sharing with participants who are contacts in other household groups.
  • the method comprises selection by the participant of a time slot offered by availability instance and confirming the activity for the accepted date and time slot in the household group calendar of each participant, and releasing other alternative available timeslots.
  • Creating, managing and displaying activities and activity requests in a household group calendar may be based on connections and permissions established between members of the household group, e.g. access permissions set by a household group administrator and/or the creator of the activity.
  • the method may comprise creating, managing and/or displaying an activity request wherein the activity request is accessible to others on an activity and contact specific basis set by the individual member.
  • Displaying activity blocks in a calendar user interface may comprise graphically 5 displaying participant and/or event information in each activity block, and may comprise displaying distinct mini-icons or other visual attributes representing each participant in the activity.
  • a system for managing group activitieso and calendars, comprising: a database layer and an application layer; the application layer assigning to each household group a unique identity, and assigning a respective identity to each member of a household group; and designating at least one member of the household group as a household group administrator; the database layer storing information comprising at least identity, communication preferences and calendar5 information for each of a plurality of household groups, each household group having a unique identity and comprising one or more members, each member of a household group being linked by the respective unique household group identity; and the application layer further controlling access for managing stored information on a per household group basis and in accordance with permissions set for individual members of the o household group by a household group administrator.
  • the application layer provides for creating, managing and displaying calendar information comprising activities in a household group calendar based on permissions established between members of the household group. It provides for linking of calendar information of each member of a household group and generating5 a graphical user interface for displaying a calendar view comprising: a unified view of calendar information comprising all group activities and all activities involving one or more individual members, or a filtered view of calendar information comprising activities for a selected member or members of a household group. Access to calendar information for a household group may be restricted to members of the household group only.
  • the application layer may further be configured for generating activity requests
  • the system may further comprise connections between users enabling members of a household to have contacts in other household groups. These connections provide for sharing activity requests, e.g. by email, with participants who are contacts in other
  • an availability instance such as a particular time slot within an available time window
  • the activity is confirmed for the selected time slot and displayed in the household group calendar of each participant, and other alternative available time slots are released.
  • the system provides for creating, managing and displaying calendar information comprising a confirmed activity or an activity request in a household group calendar, based on permissions established between members of the household group, e.g. as set by a household group administrator and/or the creator of the activity.
  • An activity request may be made accessible to others on an activity and contact specific basis set by the
  • the system may provide for selected calendar information comprising activities (i.e. current activities of interest, busy time) and availability information (free time) and other information about the household group and its members, such as location, age group of family members, etc., to be used to obtain suggestions for new activities which o may be of interest, while maintaining user privacy according to access controls or
  • Another aspect of the invention provides a software product, i.e. a computer readable medium storing instructions for execution in a processor, for implementing the method steps in a server system or electronic calendar system such as described herein.
  • Another aspect of the invention provides an electronic calendar system for implementing the method steps described herein.
  • the calendar system may comprise a o graphical user interface for presenting unified views and filtered views of the household calendar information.
  • Yet another aspect of the invention provides a method for managing activity requests in an electronic calendar system for a plurality of users wherein each user has a user calendar, the method comprising: receiving from a user a request to initiate a new activity request; prompting the user for inputs comprising at least one user contact
  • an activity identification i.e. available time windows and time slots
  • sending the activity request to each invitee; prompting each invitee for a response; on receiving from an invitee a request to accept the activity request, prompting the user to select an availability instance offered in the activity request and to select a time slot of the activity duration within the selected o availability instance; on receiving user input selecting a time slot, confirming the activity in the respective time slot of the calendars of the user and the invitee.
  • the method may further comprise, after receiving input from an invitee selecting an availability instance, displaying to the invitee a calendar view comprising a selected availability instance in a corresponding time window within the calendar view,
  • the method may further comprise awaiting responses from any other invitee or invitees, deleting the activity request when responses are received from all invitees, or on expiry of the activity request.
  • the method may further comprise receiving user input from an invitee to ignore, or otherwise refuse the activity request, and if the invitee is the only invitee, deleting the activity request; otherwise removing the invitee from the activity request; and awaiting a response from any other invitee or invitees.
  • the step of prompting each invitee for a response comprises presenting the activity request to the user in a listing 5 associated with the calendar of the invitee, or presenting the activity request to the invitee in a calendar view associated with the calendar of the invitee.
  • the method optionally comprises presenting the activity request to the user in a listing associated with the calendar of the invitee, wherein the listing provides an indication of whether or not each availability instance is free or busy in the invitee's calendar.
  • the step of displaying to o the invitee a calendar view may comprise displaying to the invitee a calendar view in a household group calendar of a household group, such as described herein.
  • Particular embodiments of the invention provide methods for displaying and managing information relating to activities of members of a household and their contacts or connections, for scheduling of activities using activity requests or suggestions comprising a plurality of availability instances, and a household group calendar showing planned or scheduled activities.
  • Features may include:
  • a household/group calendar providing one or more unified calendar views filtered for an individual's activities and/or for group/shared activities;
  • calendar entries comprising one or both of participant information and event information wherein individual participants and/or event information are each displayed/represented as mini- icons or other graphics in the calendar entry/activity slot in the calendar.
  • the group centric network architecture, systems and methods, and particularly a shared household group calendar and use of activity requests comprising a plurality of availability instances facilitate scheduling, coordinating and planning of shared or group activities of the household and/or of individual members of the household group.
  • the network structure also facilitates communications and coordinating activities involving connections or contacts who are members of other household groups. This facilitates organizing activities with other family groups and friends or extended family, for example.
  • Figure 1 labeled Prior Art, illustrates schematically a conventional social network showing links between individuals in the social network
  • Figure 2 illustrates schematically a network diagram for a social network according to a first embodiment of the present invention
  • Figure 3 illustrates schematically an example of a representation of a household group, comprising four family members, for a network according the first embodiment
  • Figure 4 illustrates schematically a representation of a household network of the embodiment, showing five exemplary household groups, each comprising at least one individual member, and having connections between individuals in these households;
  • Figure 5 shows a table representing household group information
  • Figure 6 illustrates schematically a graphical user interface for a system according to an embodiment of the system, showing a system signup/login page for existing and new members;
  • Figure 7 illustrates schematically another graphical user interface for the system of the embodiment, displaying a shared calendar view for the household group, in which users who are household group members can view activities or events for all other household members or alternatively select filters to view activities for a selected member or members of the household;
  • Figure 8 illustrates schematically how a plurality of activity requests of a user are offered to schedule activities with a selected connected contact or contacts for a method for scheduling activities according to an embodiment of the invention
  • Figure 9 illustrates schematically a user interface for the system of the embodiment showing an example of how an activity request comprising a plurality of availability instances is created and presented in the calendar view, by specification by the user of an activity name, one or more recipients or participants, an activity duration and availability instances, and any other relevant information, depending on the nature of the activity, such as, mode of communication or contact information or location of an event;
  • Figure 10 illustrates schematically a user interface for the system of the embodiment showing how a listing of activity requests, created by a user and sent to one or more of the user' s contacts, is presented for review by the user;
  • Figure 11 illustrates schematically a user interface for the system of the embodiment showing how a listing of activity requests received from a user's contacts, for various activities, may be displayed to the user;
  • Figure 12A illustrates schematically a user interface for the system of the embodiment comprising a calendar view presenting an available time window for a selected activity request;
  • Figure 12B illustrates schematically part of the calendar view of Figure 12A together with a window opened after clicking on the available time window in the calendar to select a time and confirm an activity;
  • Figure 13 illustrates schematically a graphical user interface for presenting information for a member of a household group comprising a plurality of members; and
  • Figure 14 shows a flow chart representing method steps for a method according to an embodiment of the invention for managing activity requests comprising a plurality of availability instances for scheduling an activity for a user and one or more connections or contacts (invitees).
  • a conventional social network 100 comprising a number of individual users 102 (User 1 ... User n) and connections or links 104 between individual users is illustrated schematically in Figure 1.
  • This type of social network structure is typical of social networks for individuals, such as FacebookTM and LinkedlnTM, or other networks that are offered for individual users.
  • each user may request and form links or connections with other individual users, e.g. to allow individual members to communicate or to view content in another member's profile or pages.
  • individuals may then also sign up to various groups, e.g. with shared interests.
  • a social network system 200 is more particularly structured around household groups and facilitates managing group activities or shared activities and managing a shared or household group calendar. In particular, it allows members to more readily 5 schedule activities and share content with other household members and with
  • FIG. 2 illustrates schematically a network diagram for a social network system 200 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, called JemplerTM.
  • the Jempler system comprises a server system comprising one or more web servers 204, l o comprising an application layer 206 and database storage 208.
  • Individual users 202 i.e.
  • User 1...User n can connect to the Jempler server 204 from any suitable internet connected device 210, such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone.
  • Any suitable internet connected device 210 such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone.
  • Each user is registered to a household group which is identified by a unique household group ID, e.g. Group 1, Group 2, ...Group m.
  • Each member of a household group has a user ID, e.g.
  • the server system 200 is centered on the database 208, i.e. the JemplerTM database, which together with the application layer 206 forms the core of the system.
  • the system may, for example, be based on a Model View Controller (MVC) architecture.
  • MVC Model View Controller
  • system may alternatively comprise a distributed server system comprising a network of servers 204 to accommodate a large number of users.
  • the system may typically be a service provider server system, e.g. a hosted server or distributed server network, for access by users from multiple households. For each
  • the database 208 stores household group information and individual household member information, including calendar information, which is made accessible to a household group and household members per the rules (or permissions) of the respective household.
  • the calendar information is accessible via a suitable interface, i.e. a graphical user interface that may take the form of a
  • FIG. 3 illustrates schematically an example of a representation of one household group 300 having a household group ID 4641234 with four members.
  • the household group is a family, the Smith family, comprising four family members.
  • Members in the household are indicated, i.e. the household comprises parents, father and 5 mother, 310 and 304 who each have individual emails and household administrator
  • FIG. 3 members with an email are represented in solid outline, administrators in heavy solid outline, and the non-email member is represented in dotted outline).
  • the family name Smith 302, and their group name "The Smith Family" need not be unique, because the family is assigned a unique household group ID, e.g. 4641234.
  • Each member of the 5 household group has a unique user ID within their own group, which may simply be their own name or nickname, since their Jempler membership is dependent on and linked to the household group ID.
  • Each member or user ID, whether an email or non-email member must be associated with the household group ID, so that the household group exists as a logical entity within the Jempler network o system.
  • the household group ID links each member to the household and allows for household group calendar information to be provided for managing activities of all members of the household group.
  • the Jempler network is particularly directed to assisting with scheduling and coordinating activities of a typical household, such as a family with children.
  • a household may comprise another group of individuals, and many households may comprise a single individual.
  • a "household" may comprise a household group of one or more members of a residential unit, dwelling, for example.
  • a household of one will require a household ID, household name, and a name/user ID for its one member. Larger households of two or more individuals require a o unique name/user ID for each member of the household group.
  • Figure 4 illustrates schematically a household group centric network 400 according to the embodiment comprising five household groups: 300, 410, 420, 430 and 440, each comprising at least one individual member. Some representative examples of connections 402 and 404 between individuals in different household groups are shown. 5
  • the above described Smith family 300 ( Figure 3) is shown in the centre. Susan Smith, as a single person, is a household group of one 440.
  • Figure 5 shows information, in table form 500, comprising group and individual information for two of these exemplary households, the Smith family 300, with Group ID shown in box 460, and Susan's single household 440 with household group ID 46412 o shown in box 470.
  • the Smith family parents 310, 304 each have connections 402 to individuals in other households.
  • the older son Mathew 306 has connections 404 with children in two other households, i.e. the Parker family 410, and the Kent family 420.
  • the Jones household which is a household group of three, e.g. a parent who has email login and is an administrator, and5 two young children who do not yet have email login access. Members of both
  • households 430 and 440 each have a connection with one of the parents 304 in the Smith family 300.
  • Each household group has a name, usually their group or family name. Since such names may not be unique (i.e. the Smith Family), each household group must be also be assigned a unique household group ID.
  • Each member of the household has a unique user/member ID within their household group (usually their name or nickname), and most members of the household will have an email address. Each member's email address must be unique and should be associated with only one household group ID. (i.e., in this example, each member can belong to only one household group).
  • the user account is added. If the user has received an invitation from an existing household group, more information may be provided about the group (e.g. location, members, etc.). The user has the option to join an existing household group (usually by invitation) or to create a new household group.
  • Each member's unique user ID is associated with, or linked to, their
  • Each member of the household is assigned user privileges or permissions which determine how they can interact with the system, e.g. what information they can change, or view, how information is displayed in the individual member's own calendar, and how information may be shared or viewed in the household group calendar. Permissions for operations such as create, edit, view, delete (or other required operations) may depend on the role of the member in the household and whether or not they have administrator privileges.
  • Household Group Members i.e. regular members, not Administrator
  • privileges or rules allow the members to;
  • Household Group Administrator (Admin) privileges additionally allow the Admin to;
  • Manage household group information • Modify group name and other group related information, e.g. phone, important dates, postal code/ZIP code, or other information that may be required or optional.
  • Assign the relationship structure of the group e.g. a role within the group, such as, father, mother, son, friend, and room-mate, pet; (permissions for members may depend on the role).
  • a schematic representation of a graphical user interface 600 comprising a sign- o up/login page for existing and new members of the Jempler network is illustrated
  • registered users may sign in by entering their email and password in the sign-in bar 602.
  • New users may sign up using the Join Now window 604, which, for example, requests the user's full name, email and password, and/or any other information required for registration.
  • Membership of a household group may be restricted by the administrator of the household group, so as to be by invitation only.
  • a household name or family name may not be unique. However, each household has a unique household group ID.
  • a household comprises a group of one or more members. That is, a household group may be a family, but a household group may also be a single person.
  • each member has a unique email address, although, for example, a young child may be a non-email member. That is, in some cases, a group admininstrator can create a member without an individual email address, e.g. infant or young child, pet, computer illiterate person.
  • Each member ID and member email address will be associated with the household group ID. That is, a household group is a logical entity within the Jempler system, and each member belongs to a respective household group.
  • the Jempler systems allows for a household group calendar to be created for the household group, comprising each activity (i.e. tasks, appointments or other planned or scheduled activities or events) involving one or more members of the household group.
  • the household group calendar comprises a graphical user interface 700 for displaying a shared calendar view, such as illustrated.
  • a unified view such as shown in Figure 7, the entire calendar and all activities involving one or more members is visible to all members, so that each member can see how they are impacted by each other group member's activities.
  • the calendar information may be displayed as a weekly view 700, e.g. Monday to Sunday, with time slots 710 indicated for each day; alternatively a daily or monthly view may be displayed, for example.
  • the household group calendar view provides for a unified view of each members activities, as represented in Figure 7, where each family member is assigned a visual identifier 720 such as a colour, shape, symbol, icon, or other visual attribute, i.e. as listed for each member in the window 702.
  • a visual identifier 720 such as a colour, shape, symbol, icon, or other visual attribute, i.e. as listed for each member in the window 702.
  • John's golf activity 720 is shown with dotted shading, as indicated by his name in the window 702. His other activity 708 is similarly shaded.
  • each activity block e.g. as shown in Family Movie activity 706, so that one or more participants for each activity displayed can easily be recognized.
  • Figure 7 is represented simply as a black and white line drawing, each participant in an activity is represented by an icon in the form of a block with different cross hatching or patterning to represent different colours.
  • John's activities, e.g. o 708 are shown as blocks with dotted shading, e.g. to represent green blocks in the
  • each activity is shown as a single block in the appropriate time slot e.g. 706, with a number of correspondingly hatched or coloured shapes or icons, 720, i.e. to5 indicate each participant.
  • the activity blocks may be tiled or overlaid in such a way that each activity block is visible.
  • a unified view is provided which allows for an "at a glance" view of who is participating in each activity, e.g. as represented by colour coding or icons, even when multiple activities overlap in a particular time slot, or when an activity involves o multiple participants.
  • Each registered user who is a member of the household group e.g. Jane, John, Mathew and Paula in the Smith family, can view activities or events in a unified view showing calendar entries for all other household members, by selecting the "Household" filter 722 in window 702. Alternatively, they can select individual filters 724 to view 5 activities for only one or several selected members of the household.
  • the user interface 700 represented in Figure 7 shows only the shared household group calendar.
  • a household group main page may comprise the calendar and optionally also provide additional information, for example, links to other resources such as, family photo albums and other shared0 media, task lists, information and alerts, such as, pending messages and activity requests, with their status.
  • the system provides for improved ways to manage group and individual activities by using an enhanced form of activity request, i.e. an invitation or suggestion, comprising a plurality of availability instances.
  • An activity request for a particular activity may comprise a plurality of availability instances in the calendar for a proposed activity, together with associated information about the activity and invited participants, and the duration of the activity.
  • Each availability instance comprises a suggested time window of at least the duration of the activity.
  • multiple availability instances may be presented as multiple available time slots for the activity on one date, or one or more respective available time slots on each of several different dates.
  • Each suggested available time window comprises one or more time slots of at least the proposed duration of the activity.
  • an activity request may present multiple availability instances by offering an available time window of 2 hours on a particular day, during which any 30 minute time slot may be selected.
  • a particular 30 minute time slot may be offered on each of 3 separate dates.
  • the activity request presents participants or invitees with a choice of available time windows, from which the invitee may select a convenient time slot. Negotiation and arrangement of a mutually agreeable or convenient time for an activity is thereby facilitated.
  • the group administrator of the household manages activity requests for shared or group activities, and is able to check for conflicts in availabilities when planning or scheduling shared activities for members of the household group.
  • An individual member who wants to schedule their own activity is able to check for conflicts with activities of other members or with group activities.
  • Rules for activity requests within the household group include:
  • any other activity requests for that time window will be reduced accordingly.
  • Members of the household group may form connections with individuals in other households.
  • Individuals in other household groups may form connections with individuals in the household group. However, when there are connections between members of different household groups, they do not have access to each other's household group calendar information.
  • connection with a contact in another household group allows a user to:
  • a particular and important feature of the calendar interface is to provide a method of managing and displaying activity requests for specific activities or events and/or for specific individuals, i.e. other members of the household or contacts in other households.
  • Figure 8 illustrates schematically how activity requests comprising a plurality of availability instances are created by a user to schedule activities with a selected connected contact or contacts.
  • a user may access their calendar 802, and generate three activity requests or suggestions 804, which are stored on the Jempler 5 server system 200 and sent to contacts 806 as indicated. That is, activity request 1 is sent to, and viewable by contact A only. Activity request 2 is sent to and viewable by all three contacts A, B and C. Activity request 3 is sent to and viewable by contact C only.
  • Figure 9 illustrates schematically a user interface 900 showing an example of how an activity request (or suggestion), comprising two availability instances, is created by a user in the Jempler system.
  • the user specifies one or more recipients or participants (invitees) in box 902, an activity name in box 904, an activity duration in box 908.
  • the user also specifies a plurality of availability instances, in this case two availability
  • the availability instances 914 and 916 may be entered and listed in the window 920.
  • the time windows of the availability instances 914 and 916 are also displayed in the respective time slots for each day in the calendar.
  • the window 906 may optionally display comments, e.g. any other relevant information, depending on the nature of the activity, such as, mode of communication, contact information or location
  • the calendar view 900 can be used to select one or more time slots or windows, for the proposed activity. For example, two potential time slots can be selected by selecting time slots 914 and 916 on the calendar display, and/or by entering information for one or more dates and time windows in the box 920.
  • a wizard for managing activity requests may be provided that prompts the user for the required information in an easy to use format.
  • Figure 10 shows schematically a user interface 1000 showing a listing of activity requests 1006 created by a user, and sent to contacts, to illustrate some examples 30 of how these activity requests may be displayed to the user who created them.
  • the first listing is an activity request for lunch, sent to an individual connected contact in another household.
  • This listing is shown in expanded form indicating some comments with details of the activity, and two availability instances, i.e. available time windows 1004 for the lunch with the connected contact.
  • the duration of the activity is selected as 60 minutes, but each availability instance offers a larger time window of 90 minutes.
  • the invitee is offered a choice of availability instances and may select a time slot of the activity duration, within one of the available time windows.
  • the second listing is shown as an activity request for a 30 minute activity, with three available time slots, sent to a three contacts.
  • the third listing is an activity request for a home dinner invitation for a duration of 120 minutes, sent to another household group, with 5 available times indicated.
  • the user interface includes a button 1002 to initiate creation of a new activity request, and buttons that provide options to edit or delete existing activity requests.
  • Figure 11 illustrates schematically how a listing of activity requests received by a user from a user's contacts, i.e. invitations for various activities, may be displayed to the user.
  • the user may select an activity request, e.g. 1102 or 1104 by clicking on the activity request.
  • the user is then offered a choice of several available time windows, as shown for 1104, for example.
  • the user selects a time slot of the proposed activity duration in one of the available time windows to confirm or book the activity and schedule the activity into his/her own calendar.
  • the first suggestion 1102 is an individual invitation to the user from a connected contact for dinner, duration 60 minutes, and offering availability for two time slots, which are also indicted to be free in the user's calendar.
  • the second suggestion 1104 is for a phone call, of 30 minutes duration, offering 3 potential time slots or availability instances. Two of the time slots are indicated to be available in the user's calendar but the third is not free/busy.
  • the activity request is for a duration of only 30 minutes
  • the available time windows are offered for a larger time range and the user can select any 30 minute time slot within the available time windows offered.
  • Figure 12A shows another graphical user interface 1200 displaying a calendar view showing a selected time window 1202 within an activity request in the user's 5 household calendar. This view may be accessed, for example, when the user clicks on a selected time window within an activity request in the user interface with a listing of activity requests received, e.g. as shown in Figure 11.
  • the calendar view 12A is displayed, the user can see other scheduled activities in the calendar view, together with a new pending activity request 1202 in dotted outline, for example. The user may click on i o the activity request 1202 to accept the activity request.
  • a new window 1252 opens, to allow the user to select a time slot within the time window 1254 having beginning and end times 1256 and 1258 as shown, i.e. 2pm to 4pm. If the
  • the user can select a time slot of the duration of the activity, i.e. selects the start time and end time, to confirm the activity in the calendar.
  • a time slot of the duration of the activity i.e. selects the start time and end time, to confirm the activity in the calendar.
  • the proposed duration of the phone call in the activity request is 30 minutes, and thus a 30 minute time slot 1260 is automatically indicated in the time window 1254. The the user can select a time slot of the duration of the activity, i.e. selects the start time and end time, to confirm the activity in the calendar.
  • the proposed duration of the phone call in the activity request is 30 minutes, and thus a 30 minute time slot 1260 is automatically indicated in the time window 1254. The the user can select
  • the Jempler server system 200 also updates the calendar of the host user and any other invitee users. The steps
  • Information for a household, family or individual within a household may alternatively be shown in a graphical form, as shown schematically in Figure 13, which illustrates contact information and other personal information for one of the members of
  • This view may, for example, allow for
  • permissions may be set to allow only invited participants to view details of suggestions.
  • a household would set permissions to restrict access to the unified view of their household group calendar so that those from other household groups could not see it.
  • Available time slots may be shared with others selectively, e.g. based on member identity and activity. The use of activity requests, therefore, provides improved ways for individually managing availabilities and arranging activities, while maintaining an appropriate level of privacy.
  • permissions for access to the household group calendar can be set to avoid or reduce problems with conventional shared calendars that reveal details of all busy and free time to anyone who has access.
  • a group suggestion or activity request shows up in the individual calendar and activity request listings of any one of the recipients (i.e. each invitee).
  • the confirmed suggestion will show up in all group members' individual calendars, i.e. as a confirmed activity block in the selected time slot.
  • any member in the other household group can accept a group invitation i.e. even if the member of the other household is not a group administrator. However, the member may accept a suggestion from the other household group for themselves only. Only the group administrator may respond on behalf of the entire group. If a member is not a household administrator, he may accept an invitation from an individual in another household group. For example, a 17-year old can accept an invitation from his 18-year old buddy, who in Jempler is represented as a group of 1 (single), without requiring involvement of his group administrator.
  • any member in a group can accept a group invitation from another group administrator, because it is possible that there can be a household group of 1 , or household group of two or more with only one email member (comprising a toddler or other non-email members, for example).
  • Figure 14 shows a flow chart illustrating how an activity request comprising a plurality of availability instances (i.e. time windows) is managed by system 200 of the embodiment.
  • a user initiates a new activity request, by clicking the "New Activity Request" button 1002 on interface 1000 ( Figure 10).
  • system 200 receives the request for a new activity at step 1410.
  • the user is prompted at step 1415 for inputs of the names of the invitees (from the user's contacts), activity name, a time duration for the activity and a plurality of available time windows containing one or more time slots of at least the time duration of the activity.
  • the user inputs are checked and validated or returned to the user for correction at step 1420.
  • the activity request is sent to the invitee or invitees.
  • the pending activity request is displayed to the recipient, i.e. to invitee, for example in a listing of pending activity requests, next to the invitee's calendar.
  • the system then awaits a response, step 1435.
  • the system may receive input from the invitee to ignore the activity request (step 1440). For example, a user may choose to respond by ignoring the request 1450, deleting it 1460, or accepting the request 1470.
  • the system receives input from the user, at step 1470, comprising a user selection at of one of the available time windows offered.
  • the invitee is then asked to select a time slot within the time window, i.e. by selecting the start and/or end time for the required duration, and confirms the activity, and these inputs are received by the system at step 1472.
  • the system books the activity as a confirmed activity in the respective time slot in the calendars of both the invitee user and the host user who initiated the activity request.
  • the system checks if the invitee is the only invitee 1476, and if so, deletes the pending activity request 1462 after the activity is confirmed in the calendars of the host and invitee.
  • the system reduces the available times on the pending activity request accordingly 1480, i.e. to limit the activity request to the 5 selected time slot, and awaits responses from the other invitees 1440. If required, an option may also be provided for an invitee to tentatively accept an activity request.
  • the system may receive input 1450 from the user to ignore the request 1450 or may receive input 1460 from a user to delete a request the activity request. If the invitee selects to delete or ignoreo the activity request, 1450 or 1460, and the user is the only invitee, the request will be deleted, step 1462. If the system receives user input to ignore the activity request 1450, the system will check if there are other invitees, at step 1452. If there is any other invitee or invitees, the invitee ignoring the activity request is deleted 1454 and the system awaits responses from other invitees 1440.
  • Jempler messages may be internal or external and sent via email, or in alternative embodiments, another communication mode, such as SMS or instant messaging, may be used.
  • the household group centric network architecture and associated systems provides for a household group calendar, that facilitates scheduling, coordinating and planning of shared or group activities of the household group and/or of individual members of the household group (i.e. within the household).
  • the group calendar information is preferably presented as part of a user interface displaying a household o group home page comprising the shared household group calendar.
  • the calendar may be provided on a home page, for example, which optionally provides links for other shared information or resources, e.g. a family photo album.
  • the calendar may provide options for selecting a unified household group view showing all activities for all members, or filtered views for selected individual member(s) activities only. Preferably, unified views of the group activities may be selected based on various options, e.g.
  • each activity may be colour coded by individual member, i.e. some attribute such as colour, pattern or texture as described above.
  • mini-icons may represent each household member participating in an activity.
  • a graphic such as an icon may also be displayed to indicate the type of activity or event.
  • the calendar interface provides information on availability, confirmed appointments for each member, with appropriate identification such as colour coding.
  • the calendar interface may show pending requests from within the household or from another household or member (un-confirmed) with availabilities associated with those requests.
  • the interface for the calendar view shows confirmed and unconfirmed activities together with icons, or other graphical indications, representing which members are involved.
  • Each household group controls its membership, and has one or more
  • Each member of the household group must be registered, or sign up, to the household group with at least basic identification and communication information, such as name and email address.
  • Each member may have a role, e.g. administrator (usually a parent), or a relationship or connection within the family, i.e. parent, other adult, teenager, young child, caregiver, et al., that determines rules for permissions or user privileges that are set for each member of the household by the administrator.
  • Operations/functions include planning and monitoring household activities for household group activities and activities of individuals in the household and scheduling activities with individuals from other household groups such as friends and family (external connections).
  • Standard calendar information for dates and time slots may be displayed in any conventional manner, i.e. daily, weekly, monthly views. However, details of activities and their participants will be displayed for viewing based on permissions for the household group view.
  • activities such as appointments or meetings may be displayed by blocks in the relevant time slots, with a brief description such as music lesson, swimming, teacher/parent interview, dinner with grandparents, etc.
  • the participant or participants in each activity block are indicated by including the icon 5 for each participant in a group activity, or a corresponding icon or colour coding in the activity block if there is only one participant.
  • the activity blocks may be suitably tiled or overlaid to display information for each activity.
  • additional details of the activities permitted for viewing by the household group may be displayed, or details of o the activities may be hidden in the household group view.
  • the calendar replaces functionality of a conventional wall calendar and provides additional functions to facilitate monitoring, scheduling, coordination, planning or otherwise managing activities such as appointments, tasks, and meetings for the group and for members of the group.
  • each member may have varying levels5 of permissions or access privileges to create, schedule, confirm or accept activity requests or invitations, and to set availability instances, send messages, etc.
  • the household administrator manages household permissions on household information and content (e.g. photo albums). Permissions are household dependent, and can vary by household and by member. An individual's contacts and connections are o made by the individual user.
  • Suggestions, meeting requests or invitations can be sent and received, responded to with various options, e.g. accept, tentative and decline.
  • Privileges for requesting and booking (confirming) activities may be controlled by the administrator(s), e.g. a parent, and may require confirmation by the appropriate person, e.g. administrator or group5 member.
  • Individual household members manage their own contacts, calendar items and task items; individuals can read the group calendar and tasks, and can delegate tasks within the group or to contacts.
  • Any connected contact can view shared resources, and permitted availability (but, for reasons of privacy, may not be able to view details of individual calendar items)0 and schedule activities. Individuals can request activities/events with a connected contact. On receiving a request, availabilities are updated to/overlaid on the other household calendar.
  • a member may display an availability for a particular time slot or slots (time, duration, expiry, location, description, etc.) specifically for a family or group event (only administrators can issue group requests), or for a particular meeting request. But such time may appear as not available or busy with respect to requests for other activities.
  • individuals can prioritize activity requests dependent on a specific activity, e.g. a parent may indicate availability for a visit or phone call at home after school, but be available or busy for activities outside the home, since the children cannot be left alone.
  • Activity requests can be set to expire.
  • activity requests provide a filtered view of available times in an individual's calendar, which can show different availability for different occasions or activities.
  • a hierarchy of confirmed individual or group activities supercedes other available time slots.
  • the household administrator can manage availability for the household group.
  • An individual member can manage only their own availability.
  • a member or the administrator can set permissions to view or otherwise manage activity requests, or set expiries.
  • activity requests provides uniqueness in the inheritance of confirmed group activities, presence of activity requests, and assigning activity requests and visibility (i.e. a filtered view) of activity requests (who sees what).
  • participant members for that activity may be one or more individual members and/or one or more members of other households.
  • This network solution also potentially makes it easier for household members to schedule activities which may involve other external groups, such as schools, businesses and community centres.
  • the system may optionally provide for calendar information comprising activities and availability instances for a household group and/or individual members to be used, together with other information, such as the demographics of the household group and its location, as a basis to search for activities and events of interest to the household group and/or its members or to generate suggestions for such activities.
  • calendar information comprising activities and availability instances for a household group and/or individual members to be used, together with other information, such as the demographics of the household group and its location, as a basis to search for activities and events of interest to the household group and/or its members or to generate suggestions for such activities.
  • individuals, families or other household groups may wish to generate a user profile with selected user information and/or activity requests to access information on suggested activities which may be of interest, for particular dates or times. Privacy may be preserved by setting permissions to allow only selected calendar information or other information to be made available for generation of such suggestions.
  • a social networking system and solution is provided which is particularly focused on household groups and families.
  • the household group focused network provides for systems and methods for managing group and individual activities through a household group calendar, which is particularly useful for scheduling and planning activities within a household and with connections or contacts within other online households.
  • This solution provides for management of activities and calendars for a household group and/or for individual members of the household group, and arranging activities with contacts in other on-line households.
  • an activity request may be created comprising a plurality of availability instances. Users may select a time slot, of the appropriate duration, from one or more available time windows offered in the activity request. Thus negotiation of a convenient or mutually acceptable time for an activity is facilitated.
  • the household group calendar and messaging capabilities provide for one or more of the following features:
  • managing and displaying a shared or household group calendar e.g. to provide unified views on a per household group or per individual member basis;
  • participant and event information e.g. using distinctive colours, mini-icons
  • participant and event information e.g. using distinctive colours, mini-icons

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation (AREA)
  • Strategic Management (AREA)
  • Human Resources & Organizations (AREA)
  • Operations Research (AREA)
  • Economics (AREA)
  • Marketing (AREA)
  • Quality & Reliability (AREA)
  • Tourism & Hospitality (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Data Mining & Analysis (AREA)
  • Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne une solution de réseautage social centré sur les groupes. Des systèmes et des procédés se rapportent à la gestion d'activités, d'informations et de calendriers dans un groupe de ménage, par exemple une famille, et au partage d'informations sélectionnées, comportant des demandes d'activité, avec des contacts dans un autre groupe de ménage. Un calendrier pour un groupe de ménage facilite la programmation et la planification d'activités, par exemple des tâches et des rendez-vous, du groupe et/ou de membres particuliers au sein du groupe. Des vues unifiées d'un calendrier présentent des activités et des informations détaillées sur la disponibilité pour tout le groupe de ménage tandis que des vues filtrées présentent des activités et des informations détaillées sur la disponibilité pour un sous-ensemble d'un ou de plusieurs membres sélectionnés. La présente invention concerne également un procédé de gestion d'activités selon lequel on crée une demande d'activité comprenant une pluralité d'instances de disponibilité. Des utilisateurs peuvent sélectionner un créneau temporel, de la durée appropriée, à partir d'une ou plusieurs fenêtres de temps disponibles proposées dans la demande d'activité. De cette façon, on facilite une négociation d'une date mutuellement convenable pour une activité.
PCT/CA2012/001162 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 Réseau social, systèmes et procédés de gestion d'activités dans des groupes et avec des contacts WO2013091068A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201161578346P 2011-12-21 2011-12-21
US61/578,346 2011-12-21

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2013091068A1 true WO2013091068A1 (fr) 2013-06-27

Family

ID=48667556

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/CA2012/001162 WO2013091068A1 (fr) 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 Réseau social, systèmes et procédés de gestion d'activités dans des groupes et avec des contacts

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2013091068A1 (fr)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9626720B2 (en) 2013-11-25 2017-04-18 Apple Inc. Linked user accounts
WO2018044226A1 (fr) * 2016-08-31 2018-03-08 Soo Jin Chua Système de réservation
WO2018165441A1 (fr) * 2017-03-08 2018-09-13 Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC Système et procédé de réalisation de suggestions de jeu gratuit et d'activité
US10284510B2 (en) 2016-08-19 2019-05-07 International Business Machines Corporation Technology for message delivery to subscribers in a network
FR3079949A1 (fr) * 2018-04-05 2019-10-11 Evolucare Technologies Procede pour selectionner un creneau horaire sur l’afficheur d’un appareil numerique et dispositif associe
WO2022087461A1 (fr) * 2020-10-22 2022-04-28 Seize LLC Systèmes et procédés pour organiser des données provenant de multiples plates-formes avec des supports lisibles par ordinateur non transitoires et procédés d'organisation de données

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA2333803A1 (fr) * 2000-02-04 2001-08-04 Palm, Inc. Systeme et methode de gestion d'horaire et de renseignements personnels
US20030050986A1 (en) * 2001-09-13 2003-03-13 Matthews Charles R. System and method for community interfaces
US20080005168A1 (en) * 2006-06-30 2008-01-03 Microsoft Corporation Managing family information
US20100180212A1 (en) * 2007-03-20 2010-07-15 Tungle Corporation Method and apparatus for sharing calendar information

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA2333803A1 (fr) * 2000-02-04 2001-08-04 Palm, Inc. Systeme et methode de gestion d'horaire et de renseignements personnels
US20030050986A1 (en) * 2001-09-13 2003-03-13 Matthews Charles R. System and method for community interfaces
US20080005168A1 (en) * 2006-06-30 2008-01-03 Microsoft Corporation Managing family information
US20100180212A1 (en) * 2007-03-20 2010-07-15 Tungle Corporation Method and apparatus for sharing calendar information

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9626720B2 (en) 2013-11-25 2017-04-18 Apple Inc. Linked user accounts
US10284510B2 (en) 2016-08-19 2019-05-07 International Business Machines Corporation Technology for message delivery to subscribers in a network
WO2018044226A1 (fr) * 2016-08-31 2018-03-08 Soo Jin Chua Système de réservation
WO2018165441A1 (fr) * 2017-03-08 2018-09-13 Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC Système et procédé de réalisation de suggestions de jeu gratuit et d'activité
US10265626B2 (en) * 2017-03-08 2019-04-23 Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC System and method for making free-to-play and activity suggestions
US11000769B2 (en) 2017-03-08 2021-05-11 Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC System and method for making free-to-play and activity suggestions
US11986738B2 (en) 2017-03-08 2024-05-21 Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC System and method for making free-to-play and activity suggestions
FR3079949A1 (fr) * 2018-04-05 2019-10-11 Evolucare Technologies Procede pour selectionner un creneau horaire sur l’afficheur d’un appareil numerique et dispositif associe
WO2022087461A1 (fr) * 2020-10-22 2022-04-28 Seize LLC Systèmes et procédés pour organiser des données provenant de multiples plates-formes avec des supports lisibles par ordinateur non transitoires et procédés d'organisation de données

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US20210344624A1 (en) Appointment negotiation systems and methods
US20230031878A1 (en) Systems and methods for incorporating calendar functionality into electronic messages
US20210027253A1 (en) Appointment negotiation systems and methods
US7991637B1 (en) Freeform communication in calendaring system
US8630885B2 (en) System and method for providing temporary and limited grants of calendar access
US9881281B2 (en) Collaborative event planning system
US20060200374A1 (en) Automatic scheduling method and apparatus
US20080015922A1 (en) Method and user interface for computer-assisted schedule coordination
US7359946B2 (en) System and method for an event planner
US20100010864A1 (en) Contact priority schedule coordinator
US20130151637A1 (en) System and methods for filtering and organizing events and activities
US20100004971A1 (en) Coordinating shedules based on contact priority
US20140237380A1 (en) Online shared calendar application that facilitates communication and coordination of shared events amongst users and their contacts
CA2681355A1 (fr) Procede et appareil pour partager des informations de calendrier
WO2012091735A2 (fr) Procédé d'association automatique de contacts dans un réseau social en ligne
WO2013091068A1 (fr) Réseau social, systèmes et procédés de gestion d'activités dans des groupes et avec des contacts
US20140095629A1 (en) Systems and Methods for Organizing Events
US20160247121A1 (en) Method and system for scheduling of time-restricted shared assets
Masli et al. The design and usage of tentative events for time-based social coordination in the enterprise
KR20200060241A (ko) 일정 서비스를 제공하는 인스턴트 메시징 서비스 방법 및 장치
KR102439877B1 (ko) 일정 서비스를 제공하는 인스턴트 메신저 서버의 동작 방법 및 장치
WO2017141126A1 (fr) Système et procédé de réalisation de marqueurs d'association sociale dans une application de réseau social
KR102648684B1 (ko) 일정 서비스를 제공하는 인스턴트 메신저 서버의 동작 방법 및 장치
US20230385776A1 (en) Easing cross-geo collaboration with intelligent scheduling
WO2014053045A1 (fr) Systèmes et procédés d'organisation de manifestations

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 12859559

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 12859559

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1