Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for keeping calendars up-to-date, whereby a person's working hours, events, and actual availability are accurately reflected. In response to user-generated input and/or application-generated input, working hours can be updated and calendar events can be added to, deleted from, or changed on the user's calendar. This makes it easy for users to keep calendars (including working hours) up-to-date and helps both people and applications that use calendar data. Profiles are preferably used to specify working hours, and a particular user may have one or more profiles available (including a default profile); the user can then easily select from among these profiles to update the working hours for a date/day, or a range of dates/days. Preferences may be associated with the profiles, providing a convenient way of isolating information that applies only to a particular set of working hours.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for keeping calendars up-to-date, whereby a person's working hours, events, and actual availability are accurately reflected. In response to user-generated input and/or application-generated input, working hours can be updated and calendar events can be added to, deleted from, or changed on the user's calendar. This makes it easy for users to keep calendars (including working hours) up-to-date and helps both people and applications that use calendar data. Profiles are preferably used to specify working hours, and a particular user may have one or more profiles available (including a default profile); the user can then easily select from among these profiles to update the working hours for a date/day, or a range of dates/days. Preferences may be associated with the profiles, providing a convenient way of isolating information that applies only to a particular set of working hours.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for keeping calendars up-to-date, whereby a person's working hours, events, and actual availability are accurately reflected. In response to user-generated input and/or application-generated input, working hours can be updated and calendar events can be added to, deleted from, or changed on the user's calendar. This makes it easy for users to keep calendars (including working hours) up-to-date and helps both people and applications that use calendar data. Profiles are preferably used to specify working hours, and a particular user may have one or more profiles available (including a default profile); the user can then easily select from among these profiles to update the working hours for a date/day, or a range of dates/days. Preferences may be associated with the profiles, providing a convenient way of isolating information that applies only to a particular set of working hours.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for scheduling meetings by exploiting information of the type used with electronic calendars. By leveraging advanced calendaring system information and using location, other context information such as corporate policy, legal constraints, and technology constraints, and/or user-specific preferences to provide a complete picture of a person's availability, the functionality (and therefore the value) of scheduling systems in increased, resulting in an ability to schedule meetings with more accuracy and less rework. Various allowable participation types for meeting invitees may be specified, and each invitee's availability is determined accordingly. Location-sensitive travel times (including optional user-specific travel time adjustments) are used in preferred embodiments when in-person participation is required.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for performing free-time searches that exploit information of the type used with electronic calendars. By leveraging advanced calendaring system information and using location, other context information such as corporate policy, legal constraints, and technology constraints, and user-specific preferences to provide a complete picture of a person's availability, the functionality (and therefore the value) of scheduling systems in increased, resulting in an ability to schedule meetings with more accuracy and less rework. Various allowable participation types for meeting invitees may be specified, and each invitee's availability is determined accordingly. Location-sensitive travel times (including optional user-specific travel time adjustments) are used in preferred embodiments when in-person participation is required.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for detecting and resolving conflicts in context information from various sources. That information may be used to automatically update one or more context sources and/or to validate or invalidate (until further notice or for a period of time) input from one or more context sources. Or, the updates can be made in response to the user's instructions. Rules are used in preferred embodiments to dictate the conflict resolution approach for individual users. Updating the context source is particularly useful when the source is an electronic calendar. Updates that may be made to the calendar include adding, deleting, or changing scheduled events and/or working hours. Invalidating data from a context source is particularly useful for lost, forgotten, misplaced, or loaned devices. Marking data from a context source as valid is preferably done when harmony among several context sources is detected. Context suppliers may be notified of errors or discrepancies in their context data.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for detecting and resolving conflicts in context information from various sources. That information may be used to automatically update one or more context sources and/or to validate or invalidate (until further notice or for a period of time) input from one or more context sources. Or, the updates can be made in response to the user's instructions. Rules are used in preferred embodiments to dictate the conflict resolution approach for individual users. Updating the context source is particularly useful when the source is an electronic calendar. Updates that may be made to the calendar include adding, deleting, or changing scheduled events and/or working hours. Invalidating data from a context source is particularly useful for lost, forgotten, misplaced, or loaned devices. Marking data from a context source as valid is preferably done when harmony among several context sources is detected. Context suppliers may be notified of errors or discrepancies in their context data.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for detecting and resolving conflicts in context information from various sources. That information may be used to automatically update one or more context sources and/or to validate or invalidate (until further notice or for a period of time) input from one or more context sources. Or, the updates can be made in response to the user's instructions. Rules are used in preferred embodiments to dictate the conflict resolution approach for individual users. Updating the context source is particularly useful when the source is an electronic calendar. Updates that may be made to the calendar include adding, deleting, or changing scheduled events and/or working hours. Invalidating data from a context source is particularly useful for lost, forgotten, misplaced, or loaned devices. Marking data from a context source as valid is preferably done when harmony among several context sources is detected. Context suppliers may be notified of errors or discrepancies in their context data.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for detecting and resolving conflicts in context information from various sources. That information may be used to automatically update one or more context sources and/or to validate or invalidate (until further notice or for a period of time) input from one or more context sources. Or, the updates can be made in response to the user's instructions. Rules are used in preferred embodiments to dictate the conflict resolution approach for individual users. Updating the context source is particularly useful when the source is an electronic calendar. Updates that may be made to the calendar include adding, deleting, or changing scheduled events and/or working hours. Invalidating data from a context source is particularly useful for lost, forgotten, misplaced, or loaned devices. Marking data from a context source as valid is preferably done when harmony among several context sources is detected. Context suppliers may be notified of errors or discrepancies in their context data.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for performing free-time searches that exploit information of the type used with electronic calendars. By leveraging advanced calendaring system information and using location, other context information such as corporate policy, legal constraints, and technology constraints, and user-specific preferences to provide a complete picture of a person's availability, the functionality (and therefore the value) of scheduling systems in increased, resulting in an ability to schedule meetings with more accuracy and less rework. Various allowable participation types for meeting invitees may be specified, and each invitee's availability is determined accordingly. Location-sensitive travel times (including optional user-specific travel time adjustments) are used in preferred embodiments when in-person participation is required.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for performing free-time searches that exploit information of the type used with electronic calendars. By leveraging advanced calendaring system information and using location, other context information such as corporate policy, legal constraints, and technology constraints, and user-specific preferences to provide a complete picture of a person's availability, the functionality (and therefore the value) of scheduling systems in increased, resulting in an ability to schedule meetings with more accuracy and less rework. Various allowable participation types for meeting invitees may be specified, and each invitee's availability is determined accordingly. Location-sensitive travel times (including optional user-specific travel time adjustments) are used in preferred embodiments when in-person participation is required.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for predicting and adjusting future working hours and calendar events for users of electronic calendars. Predictions may be made based on historical calendar data (e.g., a user's scheduled working hours/events and that user's actual working hours/events); based on updates to working hours or events; and/or based on external information. Rules are used in preferred embodiments to indicate the actions that should be taken when a particular condition occurs.

Abstract: A method, system, and product are disclosed for providing calendar-enhanced awareness/presence information for instant messaging systems and electronic status boards. This invention automates status transitions, enhances and automates status messages, and automates and extends the IM “who can see me” function. Additionally, this invention extends awareness to dimensions other than IM status, to include availability in-person, via telephone, via wireless device or wireless messaging device (e.g., pager).

Abstract: A method, system, and product are disclosed for displaying directory information and dynamically updated contact information for one or more people in response to a directory search. A user submits a query criteria when the directory search is requested. A search of the directory information is first executed utilizing the query criteria to return a first result set. A search of dynamically updated contact information is then executed using the first result set to produce a second result set. A final result of the directory search request is then produced by coalescing the first and second result sets. This final result includes both directory information and dynamically updated contact information for each person whose name was included in the final result.

Abstract: A method, system, and product are disclosed for providing calendar-enhanced awareness/presence information for instant messaging systems and electronic status boards. This invention automates status transitions, enhances and automates status messages, and automates and extends the IM “who can see me” function. Additionally, this invention extends awareness to dimensions other than IM status, to include availability in-person, via telephone, via wireless device or wireless messaging device (e.g., pager).

Abstract: The present invention provides a method, system, and computer program product for defining calendar events for users of electronic calendaring systems and using those calendar events to customize information pertaining to the user. A multi-level hierarchy of calendar events is defined, where a top level of the hierarchy is used for context events which have a relatively long duration and a lower level of the hierarchy is used for specific events which occur during context events. The calendar user may specify attribute values for attributes of context events and/or specific events, such as how the user can be reached when that event is active; whether, and how often, the user checks his e-mail or voice mail when that event is active; etc. Attribute values are hierarchically coalesced, with specific event attribute value taking precedence over the values of corresponding context attributes.

Abstract: A method, system, and product are disclosed for providing calendar-enhanced awareness/presence information for instant messaging systems and electronic status boards. This invention automates status transitions, enhances and automates status messages, and automates and extends the IM “who can see me” function. Additionally, this invention extends awareness to dimensions other than IM status, to include availability in-person, via telephone, via wireless device or wireless messaging device (e.g., pager).

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for performing free-time searches that exploit information of the type used with electronic calendars. By leveraging advanced calendaring system information and using location, other context information such as corporate policy, legal constraints, and technology constraints, and user-specific preferences to provide a complete picture of a person's availability, the functionality (and therefore the value) of scheduling systems in increased, resulting in an ability to schedule meetings with more accuracy and less rework. Various allowable participation types for meeting invitees may be specified, and each invitee's availability is determined accordingly. Location-sensitive travel times (including optional user-specific travel time adjustments) are used in preferred embodiments when in-person participation is required.

Abstract: Methods, systems, computer program products, and methods of doing business by using various types of media to enhance greetings and/or responses provided to users of communication systems, for example by providing music or sound for a telephone caller, or video or image for a video phone caller, or any of these types of media or an executable program for a message sender who is using an e-mail system or an instant messaging system. In preferred embodiments, information from an intended message recipient's calendar (and/or context) is used when selecting the media to enhance a greeting/response, thereby providing contextual information for the message sender. In alternative embodiments, the selection is based on one or more factors such as information stored in user profiles. The disclosed techniques enable alleviating some of the problems that result from distance communication (as contrasted to face-to-face communication), and may also make distance communication more enjoyable and/or more productive.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for keeping calendars up-to-date, whereby a person's working hours, events, and actual availability are accurately reflected. In response to user-generated input and/or application-generated input, working hours can be updated and calendar events can be added to, deleted from, or changed on the user's calendar. This makes it easy for users to keep calendars (including working hours) up-to-date and helps both people and applications that use calendar data. Profiles are preferably used to specify working hours, and a particular user may have one or more profiles available (including a default profile); the user can then easily select from among these profiles to update the working hours for a date/day, or a range of dates/days. Preferences may be associated with the profiles, providing a convenient way of isolating information that applies only to a particular set of working hours.