METHOD FOR SETTING UP RECURRENCE PATTERN IN COMPUTING APPARATUS AND APPARATUS USING THE SAME
FIELD

The present invention relates to methods and a computing apparatus for generating recurring events. In particular, methods for setting up recurrence pattern in the computer apparatus is provided to provide finer granularity of configuring recurrence pattern and generation of recurrent events at the computing apparatus accordingly.

BACKGROUND

Network operators have various requirements for recurrent tasks. There are difficulties in generating recurrent events/performing recurrent tasks when configuring the schedules which follow common requirements such as: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly. Other requirements may be such as: weekday-daily, weekend-daily, fortnightly, every 30 days, every 45 days, every 60 days, every 180 days.

Organizations usually have different approaches in designing a comprehensive recurrence pattern. For example, a commercial email client application on computer may use dozens of options/fields provided in a user interface for configuring recurrent events (meetings, appointments or reminders), so as to give users the capability to accommodate commonly used recurrence cycles, such as daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, weekday-daily, weekend-daily, fortnightly, every 30 days, every 45 days, every 60 days, every 180 days and so forth. However it is still quite difficult to master the full configuration.

For another example, in a network equipment, measurement or statistical calculations on the measurements may be taken every few seconds such as taking an average of number of received packets for every active user every 30 seconds, and the network equipment may need to be switched into a maintenance mode (which means it will be stopped from performing recurrent tasks of measurements or statistical calculations) during first 5 days for every 30 day cycle. Then it requires a big cycle of 30 days and a small cycle of inactive period of 5 days and also a small cycle of active period during which the recurrent tasks will be performed every 30 seconds. It is also difficult to convert such a complex and various configuration (of recurrent events) to text-like configuration format for Command Line Interface (CLI) based system operation and maintenance. As such, it is desirable to find solutions which may provide a method, a computing apparatus or a system to efficiently and effectively configure for generating recurring events/performing recurring tasks.

SUMMARY

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for setting up a recurrence pattern in a computing apparatus, comprising:
receiving information defining a first interval that indicates a start condition and an end condition associated with a time-related item;
receiving information defining recurring events being associated with the time-related item, where the recurring events occur within the first interval;
receiving information defining a second interval where the first interval covers at least one of the second interval;
receiving information defining a third interval between consecutive ones of the recurrent events;
generating a recurrence rule according to the first interval, the recurring events, the second interval and the third interval; and
executing the time-related item at the computing apparatus according to the generated recurrence rule.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the second interval is an active interval during which the recurring events occur within the active interval.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the third interval is a recurrence interval defining frequency of the recurring events occurring within the active interval.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the method further comprises: receiving information defining a fourth internal during which the recurring event does not occur within the first interval, wherein the at least one fourth interval follows the at least one second interval within the first interval.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the fourth interval is an inactive interval and the method further comprising: modifying the generated recurrence rule according to the first interval, the recurring events, the second interval, the third interval and the fourth interval; and executing the time-related item at the computing apparatus according to the modified recurrence rule.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the start condition is a combination of a start date, a start hour, a start minute and a start second, at which the first interval starts.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the end condition is an end time being a combination of an end date, an end hour, an end minute and an end second, at which the first interval ends.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the end condition is a maximum number of cycles that the recurrent event occurs within the first interval, and when the number of recurrent events is equal to the maximum number of cycles, the first interval ends.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the time-related item is a meeting notification, a task, or a message.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the computing apparatus is a network equipment, a mail server, or a server generating notification messages.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the method further comprises: repeating the second interval and the fourth interval alternatively in the first interval, where the recurrent events occur during the second interval but stops occurring during the fourth interval within the first interval.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a computing apparatus for setting up recurrence pattern, comprising:
an input unit, configured for:
receiving information defining a first interval that indicates a start condition and an end condition associated with a time-related item;
receiving information defining recurring events being associated with the time-related item, where the recurring events occur within the first interval;
receiving information defining a second interval where the first interval covers at least one of the second interval; and
receiving information defining a third interval between consecutive ones of the recurrent events;
a recurrence rule generator, connected with the input unit and configured for generating a recurrence rule according to the first interval, the recurring events, the second interval and the third interval; and
an execution unit, connected with the recurrence rule generator and configured for executing a time-related item at the computing apparatus according to the generated recurrence rule.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the input unit is further configured for receiving information defining a fourth internal during which the recurring event does not occur within the first interval, where the at least one fourth interval follows the at least one second interval within the first interval; and the recurrence rule generator is further configured for modifying the generated recurrence rule according to the first interval, the recurring events, the second interval, the third interval and the fourth interval; and the execution unit is further configured for executing the time-related item at the computing apparatus according to the modified recurrence rule.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates physical elements of a computing apparatus 100 according to a first exemplary embodiment;
Figure 2 illustrates a schematic diagram illustrating parameters related to a recurrence pattern according to an embodiment.
Figure 3 illustrates physical elements of a computing apparatus 100 according to a second exemplary embodiment;
Figure 4 illustrates architecture of an exemplary data network 40 in which the computing apparatus 100 operates;
Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for setting up a recurrence pattern in a computing apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment;
Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating another method for setting up a recurrence pattern in a computing apparatus according to a third exemplary embodiment; and
Figure 7 illustrates architecture of an exemplary communication network 70 in which the computing apparatus 100 operates.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various illustrative embodiments of the invention. It will be understood, however, to one skilled in the art, that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process operations have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure pertinent aspects of embodiments being described. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to same or similar functionalities or features throughout the several views.

In order to address the problems or challenges faced by computing or communication industry, the present disclosure provides methods and a computing apparatus for setting up a recurrence patter in the computing apparatus for generating recurrent events or performing recurring tasks in the communication network or computing environment.

Figure 1 illustrates physical elements of a computing apparatus 100 according to a first exemplary embodiment. The computing apparatus 100 may be, for example, network equipment in a communication network or a data network, a mail server or a server in a data network. The computing apparatus 100 may include a processor unit 102, a storage unit 103, an output interface 104, and one or more input interfaces 101a, 101b, ..., 101x. The one or more input interfaces 101a, 101b, ..., 101x may be connected to other computing apparatus 11a, 11b, .., 11x, respectively.

It is envisaged that the computing apparatus 100 will typically include more than one input interface 101. However, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that an embodiment of the computing apparatus 100 may include only one input interface 101. For example, in an embodiment of the computing apparatus 100 configured to only monitor for Internet Protocol (IP) packets transmitted over a specified interface in a wireless communication network, the computing apparatus 100 may have only one input interface 101.

The processor unit 101 is configured to implement (or execute) a number of software modules based on program code and/or data stored in the storage unit 103. The storage unit 103 stores program code for implementing software modules for receiving input commands and related parameters from an operating user, and generating a recurrence rule according to the received commands and parameters, and finally generating recurrence pattern or performing recurrent tasks according to the generated recurrence rule. However, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the functional components executed by the processor unit 101 could alternatively be implemented in some other way, for example, by one or more dedicated electronic circuits.

According to the first exemplary embodiment, in the computing apparatus 100 for setting up a recurrence pattern, the processor unit 102 may include an input unit 202, a recurrence rule generator 203 and an execution unit 204. The input unit 202 is connected to the one or more of the input interfaces 101a, 101b, ...,101x, and the input unit 202 is configured for receiving information, from an operating user, defining a first interval that indicates a start condition and an end condition associated with a time-related item; receiving information defining recurring events being associated with the time-related item, where the recurring events occur within the first interval; receiving information defining a second interval where the first interval covers at least one of the second interval; and receiving information defining a third interval between consecutive ones of the recurrent events, via the one or more of the input interfaces 101a, 101b, ..., 101x.

The recurrence rule generator 203 is connected with the input unit 202, and the recurrence rule generator 203 generates a recurrence rule according to the first interval, the recurring events, the second interval and the third interval. The execution unit 204 is connected with the recurrence rule generator 203 and one or more of the input interfaces 101a, 101b, ..., 101x, and the execution unit 204 executes a time-related item at the computing apparatus 100 according to the generated recurrence rule.

According to an embodiment derived from the first exemplary embodiment, the input unit 202 may be further configured for receiving, from the operating user and via the input interfaces 101a, 101b, ...,101x, information defining a fourth internal during which the recurring event does not occur within the first interval, where the at least one fourth interval follows the at least one second interval within the first interval. The fourth interval is an inactive interval during which the recurring event does not occur within the first interval. Then, the recurrence rule generator 203 modifies the generated recurrence rule according to the first interval, the recurring events, the second interval, the third interval and the fourth interval. The execution unit 204 executes the time-related item at the computing apparatus 100 according to the modified recurrence rule.

According to another embodiment derived from the first exemplary embodiment, the start condition is a combination of a start date, a start hour, a start minute and a start second, at which the first interval starts. For example, the start condition may be merely a start date with an implication that the start hour, the start minute and the start second are default preconfigured start hour, start minute and start second such as in the format of {00:00:00}. For another example, the start condition may be a combination of merely a start date and a start hour with an implication that the start minute and the start second are default preconfigured start minute and the start second such as in the format of {00:00}. For yet another example, the start may be a combination of merely a start date, a start hour and a start minute with an implication that the start second is default preconfigured start second such as in the format of {00}.

According to another embodiment derived from the first exemplary embodiment, the end condition is an end time being a combination of an end date, an end hour, an end minute and an end second, at which the first interval ends. For example, the end condition may be merely a end date with an implication that the end hour, the end minute and the end second are default preconfigured end hour, end minute and end second such as in the format of {23:59:59}. For another example, the end condition may be a combination of merely an end date and an end hour with an implication that the end minute and the end second are default preconfigured end minute and end second such as in the format of {23:59}. For yet another example, the end may be a combination of merely an end date, an end hour and an end minute with an implication that the end second is default preconfigured end second such as in the format of {59}.

According to yet another embodiment derived from the first exemplary embodiment, the end condition is a maximum number of cycles that the recurrent events occur within the first interval. When the number of recurrent events is equal to the maximum number of cycles, the first interval ends.

According to the first exemplary embodiment, the time-related item may be, for example, a meeting notification, a task, or a message. According to another embodiment derived from the first exemplary embodiment, the computing apparatus 100 may be a mail server, or a server configured for one or more generating notification messages.

Figure 2 illustrates a schematic diagram illustrating parameters related to a recurrence pattern according to an embodiment. In Figure 2, it is illustrated a start condition and an end condition, a first interval t1, a second interval t2, a third interval t3 and a fourth interval t4. In the example in Figure 2, the start condition refers to when the first interval t1 starts, the end condition refers to when the first interval t1 ends. The second interval t2 refers to an active period during which the recurrence event(s) occur; the fourth interval t4 refers to an inactive period during which no recurrent event occurs, and the fourth interval t4 follows the second interval t2 and/or the second interval t2 follows the fourth interval t4. In the example of Figure 2, the second interval t2 and the further interval t4 alternately occur one after another. However in another embodiment derived from the first exemplary embodiment, there may be merely one second interval t2 and the third interval t3 within the first interval t1. Additionally, the third interval t3 refers to a temporal interval between consecutive recurring events. In yet another embodiment derived from the first exemplary embodiment, there may be one second interval t2 and one fourth interval t4 within the first interval t1.

Figure 3 illustrates physical elements of a computing apparatus 100 according to a second exemplary embodiment. The second exemplary embodiment is derived from the first exemplary embodiment. The computing apparatus 100 in the second exemplary embodiment may include input interface 101a, 101b, 101c respectively connected to network equipment 31a, 31b and an input device 32. The input device 32 may be a keyboard, a touch panel input device, voice recognition command input device and so forth. The computing apparatus 100 may also include a processor unit 102, a storage unit 103 and an output interface 104, which is connected to an external network equipment 33.

In the second exemplary embodiment, the processor unit 102 may include an input unit 202, a recurrence rule generator 203 and an execution unit 204. The input unit 202 is connected to input interface 101a, 101b, 101c, and is configured for receiving, from the operating user via the input interface 101c, information defining a first interval t1, a second interval t2, a third interval t3 and/or a fourth interval t4 as defined in descriptions of the first exemplary embodiment.

In the second exemplary embodiment, the recurrence rule generator 203 is connected to the input unit 202 and is configured for generating a recurrence rule according to the first interval, the second interval, the third interval, and recurrence events associated with the first interval t1, the second interval t2 and the third interval t3. Also, the recurrence rule generator 203 may be configured for modifying the generated recurrence rule according to the first interval t1, the recurring events, the second interval t2, the third interval t3 and the fourth interval t4. Then, the execution unit 204 executes a time-related item at the computing apparatus 100 according to the generated recurrence rule or the modified recurrence rule. The output of the execution unit 204 from execution of the time-related item can be output to the network equipment 33 via the output interface 104.

Figure 4 illustrates architecture of an exemplary data network 40 in which the computing apparatus 100 operates. In the exemplary data network 40, a computing apparatus 100 may be a network monitoring device, which connects to a link between a gateway 401 and an internal router 402 further connecting to a plurality of computing devices 403a,…, 403x. For the simplicity of illustration, only the router 402 is shown in Figure 4, and there may be multiple computing devices connecting to the data network 40 through the router 402. The computing device 403 may represent at least one subscriber in the data network 40. For the simplicity of illustration, only one server 410 is shown in Figure 4, and the server 410 may be part of the data network 40 or disposed in Internet which is external to the data network 40.

The computing apparatus 100 transparently receives packets from a plurality of traffic flows directly associated with each computing device 403. The computing apparatus 100 may merely passively extract copies of packets from traffic flows in the data network 40 and transparently processes the received packets. The computing apparatus 100 is further configured to generate statistics reports based on the received packets and send the generated statistics reports to the external network equipment 33. The network equipment 33 in the data network 40 may be a customer experience management (CEM) system or a data analysis processing device.

Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for setting up a recurrence pattern in a computing apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment. Referring to Figure 3, 4 and 5, the method of setting up a recurrence pattern in the computing apparatus 100 may include following steps A-1 to A-6.

At step A-1, the input unit 202 of the processor unit 102 may receive, from an operating user via the input device 32 and the input interface 101c, information defining a first interval t1 indicating a start condition and an end condition associated with a time-related item. For example, the start condition may be in format of POSIX time or Epoch time, such as: "141739200" (which may be equivalent to a time in year of 2014, month of 12 and date of 01, and the hour, minute and second are T00:00:00Z). However the present invention is not limited to POSIX time or Epoch time and the format of start condition can be in any other format of date, hour, minute and/or second. In this example, the end condition may be in format of POSIX time or Epoch time, such as: "1419984000" (which may be equivalent to a time in year of 2014, month of 12 and date of 31, and the hour, minute and second are T00:00:00Z). Further, the time-related item may be a meeting notification, a task or a message.

At step A-2, the input unit 202 may receive, from the operating user via the input interface 101c, information defining recurring events being associated with the time-related item, where the recurring events should occur within the first interval t1. For example, the recurring events may be the execution unit 204 of the computing apparatus 100 taking an average of the number of received IP packets from each of the computing apparatus 403a, .., 403x for every 30 seconds, and such action occurs recurrently within the first interval t1.

At step A-3, the input unit 202 may receive, from the operating user via the input interface 101c, information defining a second interval t2, and the first interval t1 covers at least one of the second interval t2. In the present example, the first interval t1 cover a plurality of second intervals t2, and the second interval t2 may be expressed in active seconds such as: "86,400" seconds, equivalent to 24 hours.

At step A-4, the input unit 202 may receive, from the operating user via the input interface 101c, information defining a third interval t3 between consecutive ones of the recurrent events, where the third interval t3 refers to a cyclic interval between consecutive ones among the recurrent events and also defines the frequency of the recurrent events. For example, the third interval t3 refers to a recurrence interval, which may be 30 seconds in the example previously described associated with the execution unit 204 taking an average of the number of received IP packets from each of the computing apparatus 403a, .., 403x for every 30 seconds.

At step A-5, the recurrence rule generator 203 may generate a recurrence rule according to the first interval t1, the recurring events, the second interval t2 and the third interval t3. At step A-6, the execution unit 204 may execute the time-related item according to the generated recurrence rule.

Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating another method for setting up a recurrence pattern in a computing apparatus according to a third exemplary embodiment. The third exemplary embodiment is derived from the second exemplary embodiment. The third exemplary embodiment can include all the steps A-1 to A-6, and further include following steps B-7 to B-9.

At the step B-7, the input unit 202 may receive, from the operating user via the input interface 101c, information defining a fourth internal t4 during which no recurring event should occur within the first interval t1, wherein the at least one fourth interval t4 follows the at least one second interval t2 within the first interval t1, or the at least one second interval t2 follows the at least one fourth interval t4 within the first interval t1. In the present example, the first interval t1 may cover a plurality of second intervals t2 and fourth intervals t4, and the fourth interval t4 may be expressed in inactive seconds such as: "86,400" seconds, equivalent to 24 hours.

In the example of both second intervals t2 and fourth intervals t4 are expressed as "86,400" seconds during the first interval t1 expressed as the start condition of "141739200" and the end condition of "1419984000" and the third interval t3 expressed as 30 seconds, the recurrent events may occur every 30 seconds in an odd number date (i.e., the second interval t2 and the fourth interval t4 are alternated every 24 hours) from the first date of December in year 2014 until the last date of December in year 2014.

At the step B-8, the recurrence rule generator 203 may modify the generated recurrence rule according to the first interval t1, the recurring events, the second interval t2, the third interval t3 and the fourth interval t4.

At the step B-9, the execution unit 204 may execute the time-related item according to the modified recurrence rule.

The present invention is not limited to the application/operation in the data network 40, and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that the method and the computing apparatus 100 may be applied and operated in different network environments. For example, the method and the computing apparatus 100 may be applied and operated in communication networks using different communication protocol standards, for example, Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, 3G network as defined in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specifications. In different data networks, the computing apparatus 100 may be deployed to sniff packets from high speed link over different interfaces. For example, in 3G network, the computing apparatus 100 may be deployed to sniff packets from a high speed link over Gn interface as shown in Figure 7. For another example, in the LTE network, the computing apparatus 100 may sniff traffic flows from LTE interfaces, for instance, LTE S1-U, S4, S11 and S12 interfaces over high speed links. Additionally, the computing apparatus 100 may be configured to sniff messages/signalling containers from control plane interfaces of LTE network. After sniffing the traffic flows from the user plane and messages/signalling containers from control plane interfaces of 3G/LTE network, the computing apparatus 100 may be configured to calculate statistical values related to the received IP packets at preconfigured recurring time instants.

Figure 7 illustrates architecture of an exemplary communication network 70 in which the computing apparatus 100 operates. In the exemplary communication network 70, a computing apparatus 100 may be a network monitoring device, which connects to a link between Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 704 and Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) 705 to extract traffic flows. The traffic flows originate from or transmit to a user equipment (UE) 703 which is connected with the SGSN 704 via a base station 701 through an air interface Uu. The UE 703 receives packets from and transmits packets to the Internet via the GGSN 705. As shown in Figure 7, the computing apparatus 100 may be configured to extract traffic flows from the Control-plane (C-Plane) and the User-Plane (U-Plane) via the Gn interface in the communication network 70, and then generate statistic reports based on packets received from the traffic flows and send the generated reports to the computing apparatus 33 connected to the computing apparatus 100.

The computing apparatus 100 may perform the methods illustrated in the first, second or third exemplary embodiments in the communication network 70. For example, the first period t1 may be configured with start condition in form of POSIX format such as "141739200" (which may be equivalent to a time in year of 2014 month of 11 and date of 30, and the hour, minute and second are T21:15:37Z). The end condition of the the first period t1 may be configured as 1,000 cycles that the recurrent events occur within the first interval t1, and when the number of recurrent events is equal to the maximum number of cycles, the first interval t1 ends. The second interval t2 may be "432,000" active seconds (which may be equivalent to 5 days), and the third interval t3 may be "172,800" active seconds (which may be equivalent to 2 days) and the third interval t3 (i.e, the recurrence interval) may be configured as 900 seconds. In this example, the computing apparatus 100 may be configured to take statistical average on the number of the received packets over the Gn interface for every 15 minutes (as defined by the third interval t3) on every working days of 5 days (as defined by the second interval t2) but stop carrying out any recurrent tasks during the weekend of 2 days (as defined by the fourth interval t4). The recurrent tasks starts from the time at year of 2014, month of November and 30th date, and the hour, minute and second are T21:15:37Z, and then stops when the number of recurrent tasks reach 1,000 cycles.

The recurrent tasks may be a time-related item, and the time-related item may be, for example, transmitting a meeting notification, performing a task, or transmitting a message. The task is not limited to taking average of counted value associated to the packets, and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that the recurrent tasks may refer to other task such as taking average of throughput (i.e., the number of bytes) in uplink/downlink for each subscriber, and so forth. Also, in other embodiment, the recurrent tasks performed by the computing apparatus 100 may refer to transmitting notifications, transmitting meeting notifications, and the computing apparatus 100 may be a server or a mail server for carrying out the recurrent tasks.

Further, in another example of application of the method for generating recurring events and the computing apparatus 100, the computing apparatus 100 may receive from the operating user the fourth interval t4 as the period where the computing apparatus 100 may be maintained or upgraded. For example, if the operator of the computing apparatus 100 determines to maintain or upgrade the computing apparatus 100 during the first 5 days for every cycle of 30 days (i.e., the first interval), then the inactive period will be 5 days (i.e., the fourth interval t4) followed by the active period will be 25 days (i.e., the second interval t2), and the third internal t3 which is the recurrence interval can be configured by the operator according to the practical requirements in the operational environment.

Further aspects of the computing apparatus 100 will be apparent from the above description of the computing apparatus 100. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that any of the methods described above could be embodied in program code. The program code could be supplied in a number of ways, for example on a tangible computer readable medium, such as a disc or a memory or as a data signal. The proposed method and the computing apparatus provide finer granularity in configuring recurrence pattern at the computing apparatus and can be beneficial to computing and communication network scenarios where finer granularity in recurrence patterns is required. Also the proposed method can enable simple implementation of CLI based system operation and maintenance as well as graphical user interface with less number of option fields compared to conventional approach in configuring a recurrence pattern at a computing apparatus.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the prior art forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art in any country. In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, that is to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

CLAIMS:1. A method for setting up a recurrence pattern in a computing apparatus, comprising:
receiving information defining a first interval that indicates a start condition and an end condition associated with a time-related item;
receiving information defining recurring events being associated with the time-related item, wherein the recurring events occur within the first interval;
receiving information defining a second interval wherein the first interval covers at least one of the second interval;
receiving information defining a third interval between consecutive ones of the recurrent events;
generating a recurrence rule according to the first interval, the recurring events, the second interval and the third interval; and
executing the time-related item at the computing apparatus according to the generated recurrence rule.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second interval is an active interval during which the recurring events occur within the active interval.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the third interval is a recurrence interval defining frequency of the recurring events occurring within the active interval.

4. A computing apparatus for setting up recurrence pattern, comprising:
an input unit, configured for:
receiving information defining a first interval that indicates a start condition and an end condition associated with a time-related item;
receiving information defining recurring events being associated with the time-related item, wherein the recurring events occur within the first interval;
receiving information defining a second interval wherein the first interval covers at least one of the second interval; and
receiving information defining a third interval between consecutive ones of the recurrent events;
a recurrence rule generator, connected with the input unit and configured for generating a recurrence rule according to the first interval, the recurring events, the second interval and the third interval; and
an execution unit, connected with the recurrence rule generator and configured for executing a time-related item at the computing apparatus according to the generated recurrence rule.

5. The computing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second interval is an active interval during which the recurring events occur within the active interval.

6. The computing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the third interval is a recurrence interval defining frequency of the recurring events occurring within the active interval.

7. The computing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein:
the input unit is further configured for receiving information defining a fourth internal during which the recurring event does not occur within the first interval, wherein the at least one fourth interval follows the at least one second interval within the first interval; and
the execution unit is further configured for modifying the generated recurrence rule according to the first interval, the recurring events, the second interval, the third interval and the fourth interval; and executing the time-related item at the computing apparatus according to the modified recurrence rule.