Separate meeting time from occupied time
This original fictional example uses Room Alder, capacity eight, on October 20, 2026. All times use America/New_York. The interval rule is explicitly start included, end excluded: one booking ending exactly when another begins does not overlap under this demonstration rule.
| Record | Meeting or event | Effective occupancy | Attendees | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R0 | Existing event | 09:00-09:50 | Not supplied | Approved in fictional schedule. |
| R1 | Requested meeting 10:00-11:00 | Setup 09:45 through cleanup end 11:15 | 6 | Pending approver and projector confirmation. |
| R2 | Proposed meeting 11:30-12:00 | Setup 11:15 through cleanup end 12:15 | 7 | Proposed; no booking approval supplied. |
The Cambridge College application asks for event date/time, room, people, setup, and audio/visual needs. The scenario, capacity, time zone, and overlap rule here are original inputs, not the college's reservation policy.
Find the five-minute conflict
R1's effective start is 09:45. R0 ends at 09:50. The overlap is 09:45-09:50, five minutes, even though R1's meeting starts later.
Under the stated rule, R2 starts occupying the room at 11:15, exactly when R1's occupancy ends. Those intervals do not overlap. That observation does not approve either request or guarantee that real setup can start on that boundary. Apply the actual organization's turnover rule and confirmed records when replacing this example.
For matching date/time-zone records, overlap exists when start A is earlier than end B and start B is earlier than end A. A meeting-only view can help explain the request, but the conflict view must use setup-through-cleanup occupancy.
Check capacity and equipment separately
R1's six and R2's seven attendees fit the supplied capacity of eight. A nine-attendee variant exceeds it and needs a different room or an authorized change; do not call it suitable simply because the time is clear.
Projector confirmation remains open for R1. A room calendar entry does not establish that the equipment is available or that the approver agreed. Keep the request fields room/time; capacity; equipment; approver; final reservation evidence separate.
Ask the office manager to resolve the setup conflict through the actual request process. Do not silently shift R1's setup, remove cleanup, or mark the request approved to make the display look conflict-free.
Copy a room-request prompt
Draft an original boardroom request and occupancy-review sheet in US English.
Room and supplied capacity: [inputs]
Date, time zone and actual interval/turnover rule: [inputs]
Existing approved occupancy records with IDs: [inputs]
Requested meeting start/end, setup start and cleanup end: [inputs]
Attendees, equipment needs, approver and actual status: [inputs or unknown]
Required calendar/request process: [format]
Show meeting time and effective occupancy separately. Preserve IDs, dates and time zones, compare full setup-through-cleanup intervals, and explain any overlap duration. Under a supplied half-open rule use startA<endB and startB<endA; do not invent that policy for our room. Check attendees against supplied capacity and equipment against actual confirmation.
Keep requested/proposed/approved states distinct. Do not infer booking from an empty-looking calendar or approve changes. Use [NEEDED: input] for gaps. Optional local meeting/occupancy views are reading aids only, with text states and keyboard access; no reserve, submit, message or calendar-sync claim. Return the request in the authorized process format.
Revise the request with the office manager, confirm the equipment and capacity, and retain actual approval in the authorized calendar or request record. A clear occupancy comparison identifies the decision needed; it does not make the reservation.
Optional: inspect the fictional conflict copy in NOS
NOS can save and render a prepared HTML copy of R0/R1/R2 for reviewing the setup overlap. Keep the example's proposed and pending labels visible, and maintain actual reservation approval in the organization's authorized system.