In scheduling multi-media presentations (i.e., in assigning time intervals to different events like showing a videoclip), one must take into consideration that some events must be scheduled during the others, some after the others, etc. To describe the ordering relation between time intervals corresponding to different events, the authors use Allen's interval algebra of ordering relations. In addition to ordering, we also know the durations of different events (sometimes, we only know the intervals of possible durations). The authors design an algorithm that checks whether given requirements on ordering and durations are consistent, and, if they are, produces a corresponding schedule.
Dan E. Cooke