Warped Calendar Event Presentation Across Time Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current calendaring software struggles to clearly present events in other time zones, especially when users travel or attend events in-person, as it often requires manual time zone adjustments or dual-view calendars, which can be cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
The system warps the presentation of events in calendars to reflect how they will be experienced in a different time zone, allowing users to view events as they occur, by identifying a specific period for warped presentation and rendering events accordingly, with visual distinctions between warped and non-warped regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If events are presented in the active time zone, then the calendar remains organized according to the user's local time, but events in other time zones become difficult to clearly present and understand
Solution Approach 1:
The calendar view is segmented into multiple time zone representations simultaneously. The primary time zone displays events in local time, while secondary time zones display the same events in their respective local times, allowing users to see both perspectives without switching views or losing clarity about event times in different zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a temporal dimension to the calendar display by showing multiple time zone perspectives concurrently. Instead of a single linear time representation, the system layers multiple time zone contexts, enabling users to understand event timing across zones without manual conversion or view switching.
2Loss of information
If the user toggles between time zones dynamically, then events can be viewed in the destination time zone, but the process becomes cumbersome and interrupts workflow
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and pre-displays event times across multiple time zones before the user needs to view them. By automatically computing and rendering events in both the active time zone and destination time zone simultaneously, the system eliminates the need for users to manually switch time zones or perform time conversions, saving time and maintaining workflow continuity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a dual-view calendar is used to show multiple time zones, then events in different time zones can be seen, but the interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple time zone views into a single unified calendar interface. Instead of creating separate dual-view calendars or multiple windows, the system integrates events from different time zones into one coherent display, showing local time events and destination time zone events together in a harmonized layout that reduces interface complexity while maintaining multi-time zone adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and software for providing warped event presentations in calendars. A calendar is set to an active time zone and a period of time is identified within which to display a warped presentation of events scheduled to occur outside of the active time zone. For at least an event scheduled to occur outside of the active time zone at a time in a different time zone that falls within the period of time, the event is presented in the calendar as if the event were scheduled for that time, but in the active time zone.