Inventors receive patent for work-family balance software

A group of local inventors has finally received a U.S. patent for a piece of software developed for Hewlett-Packard more than nine years ago.

As described in the patent, the software was designed to help families better integrate work schedules with their obligations at home. It was also designed to help manage family-related emails and other tasks.

According to the patent, the inventors of the software were Jeri L. Callaway of Spring, William Caldwell Crosswy of The Woodlands and Philip H. Doragh of Cypress. However, Crosswy is currently listed as living in Spring.

The patent's official number is 7,882,433. It was originally filed on Dec. 21, 2001 and was approved on Feb. 1 of this year.

The average wait time for a U.S. patent is approximately three years. Wait times often vary by the industry and the kind of technology under consideration.

HP owns the patent. While its international headquarters are in Palo Alto, California, HP's Houston offices serve as the nerve center of its U.S. division. They are located in the Cy-Fair area at 20555 SH 249.