CONTACT PICKER INTERFACE

• US 20080307306A1
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Denise L., Perlow, Jonathan D., Owens, John-Anthony, van Dok, Cornelis K., Silbey, Marc A., Pettinati, Fabio
• Granted Patent: US 7,802,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/968 interface for database querying and retrieval

Abstract

An interface for enabling a user to quickly access contact information automatically displays a list of expected contacts that are most likely to be selected by the user when attention is directed to an appropriate object requiring contact information. When a contact is selected, the corresponding and appropriate contact information is automatically entered. If a user does not select a listed contact, but instead begins manually typing in the contact information then the interface performs a search and displays a list of unexpected contacts having contact information matching the typed input from the user. Various criteria can be used to identify which contacts will be presented to the user and how they will be presented.

Claims

1. In a computing system that is connected with a display device and that includes a user interface that is configured to display contact information at the display device, a method for intuitively obtaining contact information from at least one contact information directory, the method comprising:

detecting focus input directed at a type-in line that is displayed at the display device, the type-in line being configured to receive desired contact information for enabling a desired function to be performed with the contact information, wherein the focus input comprises at least one of tabbing a prompt into the type-in line or hovering a pointer over the type-in line; and

automatically in response to detecting the tabbing of the prompt into the type-in line or the hovering of the pointer over the type-in line, and prior to receiving any input typed into the type-in line, obtaining and displaying a list of expected contacts based on a likelihood of selection criteria, each of the listed expected contacts being obtained from the at least one contact information directory;

wherein upon receiving typed input received into the type-in line, the method further includes obtaining and displaying a list of unexpected contacts, which is different than the list of expected contacts.