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Software Patent Abstract
A computer implemented method of providing time-zone capability
to existing personal information management (PIM) software that
lacks time-zone capability, the method comprising: executing the
existing PIM software; executing a time-zone application in parallel
with the existing PIM software, wherein the time-zone application
determines that there has been a change in time zone; and changes
times of appointments stored in the PIM software to reflect the
new time zone.
Software Patent Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A computer implemented method of providing time-zone capability
to existing personal information management (PIM) software that
lacks time-zone capability, the method comprising: executing the
existing PIM software; executing e-mail software; and executing
a time-zone application in parallel with the existing PIM software,
wherein the time-zone application determines that there has been
a change in time zone; and changes times of appointments stored
in the PIM software to reflect the new time zone and wherein the
creation time of e-mails stored in a user's outbox in the e-mail
software, but not yet sent, is adjusted in response to a time zone
change.
2. A computer program product including at least one computer-readable
storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored
therein, the computer-readable program code portions including executable
portions comprising computer software, for providing time-zone capability
to existing personal information management (PIM) software that
lacks time-zone capability, comprising instructions for executing
the existing PIM software; executing e-mail software; and executing
a time-zone application in parallel with the existing PIM software,
wherein the time-zone application determines that there has been
a change in time-zone; and changes times of appointments stored
in the PIM software to reflect the new time zone and wherein the
creation time of e-mails stored in a user's outbox in the e-mail
software, but not yet sent, is adjusted in response to a time zone
change.
3. The subject matter of claim 1 or 2 wherein a user of the software
picks a default time zone at the outset of using the time-zone application.
4. The subject matter of claim 1 or 2 wherein the time-zone application
chooses a default time zone based on the local clock time of the
device to which the time-zone application is initially downloaded.
5. The subject matter of claim 1 or 2 wherein daylight savings
time adjustments to appointments stored in the PIM software are
made either automatically or with a prompt to a user asking if the
adjustment should be made.
6. The subject matter of claim 1 or 2 wherein time zone changes
to appointments are effected by adjustment to the system clock of
the device operating the software.
7. The subject matter of claim 1 or 2 wherein the software gives
a user the option of not changing appointment records in the PIM
software upon changing time zones.
8. The subject matter of claim 1 or 2 wherein the existing PIM
software lacks the capability to store an appointment that crosses
a day boundary, so that the start time of the appointment is in
one day, and the end time of the appointment is in a following day,
and wherein the time-zone application enters the correct start time
for the time-zone adjusted appointment, the time-zone application
enters an end time for the time-zone adjusted appointment that is
within the same day, and the time-zone application enters an appointment
duration in a separate field of the appointment record.
9. The subject matter of claim 8 wherein the separate field comprises
one of the Note field, the appointment description field, and an
application specific field made available by the API of the PIM
software.
10. The subject matter of claim 8 wherein, after the time zone
changes so that the appointment no longer crosses a day boundary,
the time-zone application reads the duration stored in the separate
field, and uses the duration to determine the correct end time for
the appointment.
11. The subject matter of claim 10, wherein the time-zone application
thereafter removes the appointment duration data from the separate
field in which it was stored.
12. The subject matter of claim 8 wherein the end time used for
time-zone adjusted appointments that cross a day boundary is a time
ending near midnight that a user would not ordinarily use for an
ending time for an appointment.
13. The subject matter of claim 8 wherein an appointment that crosses
a day boundary is repeated on both the start and stop day.
14. The subject matter of claim 13 wherein the appointment stored
for the second day is not accurate at a view level that shows start
and stop times but is accurate at a higher level view.
15. The subject matter of claim 14 wherein the higher level view
comprises a view that only indicates whether an appointment exists
on a particular day.
16. The subject matter of claim 1 or 2 wherein the time-zone application
communicates with a server to which the existing PIM software synchronizes,
and wherein the time-zone application can be interrogated by the
server and provide the server with the time zone of the appointments
stored in the existing PIM software.
17. The subject matter of claim 16 wherein the server uses the
time zone acquired from the device running the existing PIM software
to convert the times of appointments in the server to a universal
time when processing the appointments in the synchronization.
18. A method comprising: Executing existing personal information
management (PIM) software that lacks time-zone capability and lacks
the capability to store an appointment that crosses a day boundary
such that the start time of an appointment is in one day, and the
end time of the appointment is in a following day; and Executing
a time-zone application and e-mail software in parallel with the
existing PIM software, wherein the time-zone application is configured
to: Store an appointment duration in a separate field of an appointment
record corresponding to each appointment; Determine that there has
been a change in time zone; Change times of appointments stored
in the PIM software to reflect the new time zone such that, in response
to a determination that an appointment crosses a day boundary due
to changing times of the appointments to reflect the new time zone,
the changed times are determined based on the stored appointment
duration; and Adjust the creation time of e-mails stored in a user's
outbox in the e-mail software, but not yet sent, in response to
the time zone change.
Mobile Phone Patent Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to personal information management software
of the type used for recording appointments and other calendar events.
BACKGROUND
Personal information management (PIM) software is widely used today
for recording appointments and other calendar events. PIM software
is used on both desktop computers and handheld computing devices.
Often, the PIM database on one computer will be synchronized with
a PIM database on another computer. Some PIM software includes enterprise
synchronizing and scheduling capabilities that synchronize PIM databases
for users across an enterprise, or that schedule meetings for multiple
participants in the enterprise.
Some PIM software, typically software intended for desktop use,
represents the time of appointments in universal time (UTC), which
is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Microsoft Outlook, for
example, makes all time entries into its PIM database in universal
time (UTC). The actual time that a user sees varies with the time
zone setting of the user's software. This arrangement has the advantage
that when a user changes time zones (e.g., as a consequence of traveling),
his appointments can readily be adjusted to appear in the local
time of that time zone merely by entering the new time zone. Also,
when PIM databases across an enterprise are synchronized, or appointments
scheduled using scheduling software, the different time zones of
users in the enterprise are automatically taken into account.
Other PIM software, e.g., the Palm OS, a very widely used PIM software
for handheld devices, represents appointments in local time. No
provision is made for time zones. As long as the user does not move
between time zones, and only synchronizes with another PIM database
in the same time zone (e.g., between his desktop and handheld),
this limitation is not a practical problem. The latest version of
the Palm OS (Version 4.0) has added a limited time-zone capability
that allows a user to change his time zone, but making such a change
has no effect on appointments, which remain at the local time at
which they were first entered.
SUMMARY
The inventors have found a practical method of adding time-zone
capability to existing PIM software that lacks such capability.
A separate time-zone application runs in parallel with the existing
PIM software. When the time-zone application determines that the
user's time zone has changed, it changes appointments in the PIM
database to reflect the new time zone.
In a first aspect, an embodiment of the invention features a computer
implemented method of providing time-zone capability to existing
personal information management (PIM) software that lacks time-zone
capability. The method comprises: executing the existing PIM software;
executing a time-zone application in parallel with the existing
PIM software, wherein the time-zone application determines that
there has been a change in time zone; and changes times of appointments
stored in the PIM software to reflect the new time zone.
In a second aspect, an embodiment of the invention features computer
software including at least one computer-readable storage medium
having computer-readable program code portions stored therein. The
computer-readable program code portions include executable portions
for providing time-zone capability to existing personal information
management (PIM) software that lacks time-zone capability. The code
portions comprise instructions for executing the existing PIM software;
executing a time-zone application in parallel with the existing
PIM software, wherein the time-zone application determines that
there has been a change in time zone; and changes times of appointments
stored in the PIM software to reflect the new time zone.
In preferred implementations of the invention, one or more of the
following features may be incorporated.
A user of the software may pick a default time zone at the outset
of using the time-zone application.
The time-zone application may choose a default time zone based
on the local clock time of the device to which the time-zone application
is initially downloaded.
Daylight savings time adjustments to appointments stored in the
PIM software may be made either automatically or with a prompt to
a user asking if the adjustment should be made.
The creation time and date of e-mails may be adjusted to reflect
changes in time zone. For example, e-mails stored in a user's outbox
in the e-mail software, but not yet sent, may be adjusted in response
to a time zone change.
Time zone changes to appointments may be effected by adjustment
to the system clock of the device operating the software.
The software may give a user the option of not changing appointment
records in the PIM software upon changing time zones.
The existing PIM software may lack the capability to store an appointment
that crosses a day boundary, so that the start time of the appointment
is in one day, and the end time of the appointment is in a following
day, and the time-zone application may enter the correct start time
for the time-zone adjusted appointment, but an end time for the
time-zone adjusted appointment that is within the same day, and
the time-zone application may enter an appointment duration in a
separate field of the appointment record.
The separate field may comprise one of the Note field, the appointment
description field, and an application specific field made available
by the API of the PIM software.
When the time zone changes so that the appointment no longer crosses
a day boundary, the time-zone application may read the duration
stored in the separate field, and use the duration to determine
the correct end time for the appointment.
The time-zone application may thereafter remove the appointment
duration data from the separate field in which it was stored.
The end time used for time-zone adjusted appointments that cross
a day boundary may be a time ending near midnight that a user would
not ordinarily use for an ending time for an appointment.
An appointment that crosses a day boundary may repeated on both
the start and stop day.
The appointment stored for the second day may not be accurate at
a view level that shows start and stop times but accurate at a higher
level view.
The higher level view may comprise a view that only indicates whether
an appointment exists on a particular day.
The time-zone application may communicate with a server to which
the existing PIM software synchronizes, and wherein the time-zone
application may be interrogated by the server and provide the server
with the time zone of the appointments stored in the existing PIM
software.
The server may use the time zone acquired from the device running
the existing PIM software to convert the times of appointments in
the server to a universal time when processing the appointments
in the synchronization.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set
forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other
features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent
from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a flow chart for a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a flow chart for a preferred embodiment in which e-mail
creation times are adjusted.
FIG. 3 is a flow chart for a preferred embodiment in which appointments
crossing an end of day boundary are handled by the invention.
FIG. 4 is a flow chart for a preferred embodiment in which time
zone information is provided to a server with which the PIM database
is being synchronized.
FIGS. 5 and 6 are screen shots showing the presentation of an appointment
that crosses an end of day boundary.
FIGS. 7 and 8 are screen shots showing two of the interfaces with
which the user selects a time zone and the treatment of daylight
savings time adjustments.
FIGS. 9-11 are screen shots showing the interfaces with which the
user installs an embodiment of the time-zone application.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Preferred embodiments of the invention may incorporate one or more
of the following features:
User picks the default time zone at outset of using time-zone application,
or the application chooses a default time zone based on the local
clock time of the device to which the software is initially downloaded.
Daylight savings time adjustments are made either automatically
or with a prompt to the user asking if the adjustment should be
made. When the adjustments are made, changes are made to appointments
in the PIM database.
The creation time and date of e-mails stored in a user's outbox,
but not yet sent, is adjusted in response to the time zone change.
The system clock of the device is adjusted. This is all that is
adjusted in the case of some PIM software that has limited time-zone
capability.
The user is given the option of not changing records in the PIM
database upon changing time zones. This helpful to deal with a problem
that the user may have.
When a time zone change causes an appointment to span across more
than one day, e.g., an existing appointment for 8 pm to 11 pm in
the Pacific Time Zone of the United States becomes an appointment
for 11 pm to 2 am when the user moves to the Eastern Time Zone,
the software has the capability of handling the change even when
the PIM software is incapable of recording an appointment that crosses
a day boundary. The software will also restore the original appointments
to their original times when the user moves back to his original
time zone, in which the appointment does not cross a day boundary.
What the software does, when the adjusted appointment begins on
one day and ends on the next, is enter an appointment that runs
from the correct start time to an end time that is within the same
day, and enter an appointment duration in a separate field. Typically,
the field used is the Note field, but the duration could be entered
in the appointment description field, or in an application specific
field made available by the API of the PIM software. When the user
moves to a time zone (e.g., the original zone) in which the appointment
no longer bridges a day boundary, the duration entry is read, used
to determine the correct ending time for the appointment, and removed
from the field in which it was stored. A technique that can be used
to determine whether an appointment has such a duration entry is
to search for appointments with ending times near midnight (e.g.,
in the Palm OS, the ending time may be set to 11:59 pm, which is
not ordinarily available for use by a user making a manual entry
of an appointment ending time).
To preserve the correct appearance in certain calendar views on
the device, an appointment that bridges a day boundary may be repeated
on both days. The entry on the second day is not accurate at a detailed
level (as it shows the start time on the prior day), but the view
on certain of the device's calendar views (e.g., dots indicating
appointments on the Palm OS monthly view, or bold face in Outlook)
will correctly show that there is an appointment on both days (i.e.,
a portion on day one, and a portion on day two).
The new time-zone application is also useful for synchronizing
the PIM database with a server with more sophisticated time-zone
capability. The server with which the synchronizing occurs can interrogate
the time-zone application on the local device to determine the time
zone of the entries in the local device's PIM database. Knowing
the time zone, it can convert the entries to a universal time when
processing the entries in the synchronization.
FIGS. 1-4 are flow charts showing the steps followed by various
embodiments of the invention.
One platform on which embodiments of the invention can run is the
Palm platform, which is in common use in a variety of handheld devices.
The time-zone application installed on the Palm platform allows
a user to select the time zone used by the Palm handheld. The Palm
handheld uses this time zone for data display and entry, specifically,
for calendar dates and times, as well as e-mail postmark dates and
times. The server to which the handheld connects stores all times
in a universal time format (GMT), and performs the necessary conversions
for a given time zone. Time zone conversion supports users that
travel across time zones and meetings and appointments where attendees
are geographically dispersed.
Installing the time-zone application generates a default time zone
setting. By default the software installs support for all available
time zones on the Palm handheld, and it sets the current time zone
to the one being used on the PC used for the installation. The PC's
operating system determines the time zones that are available. The
default time zone settings may be viewed by selecting Time Zone
Support for PalmPilot Organizers. The Time Zone for Palm Computing
Platform opening dialog box (FIG. 9) appears. This dialog box displays
the default settings. The scroll bars may be used to view the entire
list of available time zones.
To change time zone settings for the Palm handheld, the Time Zone
Support for Palmpilot Organizers is selected, to open the Time Zone
for Palm Computing Platform dialog box (FIG. 9). The user clicks
Change to modify settings. This brings up the Time Zone Properties
dialog box (FIG. 10).
The user chooses the General tab to change the current zone on
the handheld. If the user wants a time zone that supports both standard
and daylight savings time, the user can specify additional options.
One option indicates whether the time zone application should automatically
adjust for daylight savings changes; another specifies whether the
user wants to be notified, via alarm, when a change to and from
daylight savings time occurs. The user can also set these options
from the Palm handheld.
The user may then choose the Time zones tab (FIG. 11) to customize
the list of time zones that displays on the Palm handheld. Checkboxes
are checked or unchecked to select time zones.
To set the current time zone from the Palm handheld, Time Zone
is selected from the application screen. The Time Zone dialog boxes
(FIGS. 7 and 8) appear. The desired time zone is selected, and details
for that time zone appear. If the user selects a time zone that
supports both standard and daylight time, the user can specify additional
options by clicking the corresponding check box. A Change Time Zone
dialog box then appears, with an Update calendar/e-mail records
option checked. If this checkbox is left checked, then the time-zone
application will adjust all calendar events and e-mail records to
the selected time zone. Typically, this is what the user will want
to do. Once the user selects this checkbox, it is advisable to leave
it in its checked state so that all events and records uniformly
observe the current time zone. If the user clicks this box to uncheck
the box, the time-zone application adjusts only future calendar
events and e-mail records to use the selected time zone. Other calendar
events and e-mail records are left unchanged.
When entering appointments for events occurring in other time zones,
one must enter the event in the correct time for that zone. For
example, suppose one is located in Paris and needs to schedule an
8:00 pm event in Tokyo for a given date. One would enter the event
based on Paris time, which is seven hours earlier (during daylight
savings time), and so would enter the appointment as 1:00 pm. When
one goes to Tokyo and changes the time zone to Tokyo's time zone,
the event time will be correctly displayed as 8:00 pm. Another way
to do this is to select the current time zone for Tokyo on the handheld,
enter the appointment in Tokyo time, then switch back to the current
time zone.
The time-zone application is capable of handling appointments that
span over two or more days. An appointment of this type can result
from time zone adjustments. For example, suppose a user has an appointment
that goes from 8 pm to 11:30 pm, and his device is set for Pacific
standard time. If he chooses to change the device time zone to Eastern
standard time, he will cause all appointments to shift forward three
hours. This causes the appointment to appear as 11:00 pm to 2:30
am. This may make the existing appointment invalid according to
the operating system running on the handheld device.
When this situation occurs--the time-zone application forcing an
appointment to cross an end of day boundary--the appointment is
changed into a two-day repeat (an exception is when the adjusted
appointment ends exactly at midnight). The time-zone application
adds a tag field containing the appointment duration to the appointment
Note field, and the end time of the appointment is chopped to 11:59
pm. In the case of the 8:00 pm to 11:30 pm example, the appointment
is changed to appear as follows: (1) the appointment becomes 11:00
pm to 11:59 pm (FIG. 5); (2) the Note field is modified to include
"Actual Duration: 210 minutes" (FIG. 6); (3) the record
becomes a daily repeat for a length of two days. This latter action
may provide an incorrect low-level view, but a correct high level
view, of the appointment (e.g., showing that he has an appointment
on two consecutive days).
A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless,
it will be understood that various modifications may be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly,
other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
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