Method and system for appointment/reservation scheduling

Abstract

The present invention is a scheduling method and apparatus for scheduling appointments/reservations between Service Providers offering services and End Users seeking to schedule services. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention includes a Central Controller for mediating the scheduling method including a database for storing Service Provider schedules. In one embodiment, the controller receives an End User request including an appointment/reservation type and day of desired service. A scheduling program displays a Service Provider schedule, including available times and appointment/reservation types, to respond to the End User request. The End User then secures an available appointment/reservation from the displayed schedule. The scheduling program analyzes the request and returns a confirmation/rejection in response. The method and apparatus of the present invention have applications via computer networks, such as the Internet, as well as conventional voice telephony systems.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.