Cross-Organization Calendar Supplemental Information Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional calendar systems lack contextual information from external sources, restricting users to basic details during meetings, which can hinder productivity when collaborating with individuals or companies from different organizations.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based calendaring system that allows users to share supplemental information between attendees from different organizations by configuring access to restricted fields, enabling users to view additional details such as biographies, working hours, and languages through an inline popup window.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional calendar systems restrict information access to basic details only, then data security and organizational boundaries are maintained, but productivity and collaboration effectiveness deteriorate due to lack of contextual information
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts information access permissions based on the interaction context. When two attendees from different organizations are scheduled to meet, the system automatically makes their supplemental information mutually visible to each other, while maintaining restricted access for all other users. This dynamic permission adjustment enables contextual information sharing precisely when needed for collaboration, without compromising overall data security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying different information access rules to different user groups within the same system. Attendees from the same organization have full access to each other's supplemental information, while attendees from different organizations have selective access based on scheduled meetings. This localized information sharing approach enables productive cross-organizational collaboration while maintaining organizational data boundaries.
2Adaptability or versatility
If supplemental information from external sources is made accessible to all users, then collaboration and understanding between organizations improve, but system complexity and data management burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically discovers and integrates supplemental information from external sources without requiring manual user configuration. Users simply need to connect their organizational calendars to the system, after which it autonomously retrieves supplemental information about attendees from external databases, social networking systems, and connected devices. This self-service approach enables comprehensive collaboration capabilities while minimizing user burden and perceived system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer between users and external data sources. This intermediary system automatically manages the complexity of retrieving and managing supplemental information from multiple external sources, transforming it into simple, context-aware information presentation for users. The intermediary handles data integration, permission management, and contextual relevance filtering, thereby enabling versatile collaboration without exposing users to underlying system complexity.
3Ease of operation
If basic calendar information is shared among all attendees, then ease of operation is maintained, but information completeness and contextual understanding deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments information into two distinct layers: basic calendar information (always visible to all attendees for ease of operation) and supplemental contextual information (conditionally visible based on meeting context). This segmentation allows the system to maintain simple, easy-to-use basic calendar functionality while selectively providing enriched contextual information when attendees from different organizations are scheduled to meet, without overwhelming users with unnecessary complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for creating a calendar event in a calendar application to provide at least some attendees with access to supplemental information related to the calendar event. The calendar application is configurable to allow sharing of supplemental information between users who are affiliated with a first organization that utilizes the calendar application in a cloud computing system, and other users who are affiliated with a second organization. When a user affiliated with the first organization creates create a calendar event that includes a list of attendees that includes second user-attendee(s) affiliated with a second organization that utilizes the calendar application, the user can enable sharing of the supplemental information with any of the second user-attendees included in the list of attendees so that they are allowed to view the supplemental information when viewing the calendar event.