Calendar Conflict Resolution via Trusted Crowd Voting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing calendaring systems fail to effectively manage conflicts among calendar items as the number of scheduled activities increases, making it difficult for users and their associates to notice overlapping events and schedule meetings efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A computer system that extracts calendar item details, detects conflicts, and uses votes from a trusted crowd to determine the importance of each item, with machine learning predicting votes from absent members to alter conflicting items' schedules based on a tally of votes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If more calendar items are added to the calendar, then the calendar becomes more comprehensive, but conflicts among items become harder to notice and manage
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses visual indicators (color coding) to highlight conflicting calendar items. When a conflict is detected, the involved items are marked with distinctive visual cues in the calendar view, making them immediately noticeable regardless of how many items are present. This transforms the undetectable conflict state into a visually apparent one.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary conflict detection and resolution mechanism that mediates between multiple calendar items. This intermediary system automatically identifies conflicts, presents them to users for resolution, and manages the resolution process, thereby making conflicts detectable and manageable even in crowded calendars.
2Measurement precision
If users manually review and resolve each calendar conflict, then conflict resolution accuracy improves, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service conflict resolution by automatically detecting conflicts, analyzing them, and presenting resolution options to users. The system can also automatically implement resolutions based on user-defined preferences or importance criteria, reducing the time users need to spend on manual conflict management while maintaining resolution quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary conflict detection and analysis before users need to make decisions. By pre-identifying conflicts and preparing resolution options in advance, the system reduces the time users spend on conflict resolution while ensuring accurate analysis through automated detection mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If associates need to schedule meetings requiring user presence, then meeting coordination improves, but scheduling efficiency decreases due to calendar crowding
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides immediate feedback to associates when they attempt to schedule meetings that would conflict with existing calendar items. By detecting potential conflicts and notifying users in real-time, the system enables associates to adjust meeting times or durations accordingly, maintaining coordination while improving scheduling efficiency through iterative feedback loops.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts calendar item timing and duration based on conflict detection and resolution. When conflicts are identified, the system can automatically reschedule items or suggest alternative time slots, making the calendar adaptable to new meeting requests while maintaining overall scheduling efficiency through dynamic optimization.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided. Details of a calendar item may be extracted. A conflict involving the calendar item and a second calendar item may be detected. Plural votes related to an importance of the calendar item may be received on behalf of a trusted crowd. When a vote is not received on behalf of a member of the trusted crowd within a certain time period, a prediction may be made regarding how the member of the trusted crowd would vote based on using machine learning to analyze a voting history of the member of the trusted crowd with respect to calendar items related to a subject of the calendar item. The predicted vote may be submitted on behalf of the member. One of the calendar item and the second calendar item may be altered based on a tally of the plural votes to resolve the conflict.