METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CONTACT INFORMATION REPRESENTATION

• US 20110196868A1
• Filed: 02/11/2010
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schmidt, Andreas, Hans, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 9,094,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/737
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for the convenient arrangement of a user'"'"'s address book according to intelligent algorithms. These intelligent algorithms, in one embodiment, take advantage of one or more of: (i) stored contact information associated with one or more users, (ii) stored geographic location information associated with the users and one or more contact entries in the user'"'"'s address book, and/or (iii) stored voice and data communication information associated with the user. This algorithm arranges the entries in the users address book, using the stored information as an input, in an intelligent manner. In other embodiments, additional information is used as an input to the contact entry arranging algorithms such as, for example, entries in a user'"'"'s digital calendar. Business methods utilizing the aforementioned methods and apparatus are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of arranging a plurality of contacts in an address book associated with a user'"'"'s portable device, the method comprising:

storing first data associated with a first portion of the plurality of contacts, the first data comprising geographic information;

storing temporal information associated with the user; and

arranging the first portion of the plurality of contacts using at least the first data and the stored temporal information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the first data from an external entity via a network interface prior to storing the first data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing second data associated with the first portion of the plurality of contacts, the second data comprising communication information; and

arranging the first portion of the plurality of contacts using at least the first and second data and temporal information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the communication information comprises voice call information.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the communication information further comprises data call information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of arranging is based at least in part on a physical proximity of the user to a physical location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of arranging is based at least in part on a physical proximity to at least a portion of the user'"'"'s contacts.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the address book is maintained by a mobile network entity in communication with the portable device.

9. A method of arranging a plurality of contacts in an address book associated with a user'"'"'s device, the method comprising:

arranging the plurality of contacts in a time sequential order, the time sequential order of the plurality of contacts determined at least in part by a geographic proximity between the user of the portable device and individual ones of the plurality of contacts.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the act of arranging further comprises determining an elapsed time since the user of the portable device was within the predetermined geographic proximity to individual ones of the plurality of contacts; and

the time sequential order takes into account the elapsed time since the user of the portable device was within the predetermined geographic proximity for at least a portion of the plurality of contacts.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the geographic proximity is determined based on a satellite-based fix of the portable device obtained from the portable device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the geographic proximity is determined based on the satellite-based fix of the portable device and data obtained from corresponding satellite receivers of portable devices of the plurality of contacts.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the geographic proximity is determined based on the satellite-based fix of the portable device and data obtained from one or more base stations associated with portable devices of the plurality of contacts.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the geographic proximity is determined based on the satellite-based fix of the portable device and data obtained from one or more WLAN access points associated with devices of the plurality of contacts.

15. A method of arranging a plurality of contacts in an address book present in a user'"'"'s portable device, the method comprising:

grouping a portion of the plurality of contacts based at least in part on a predetermined geometric proximity between the user of the portable device and the portion of the plurality of contacts.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the portion is grouped by being within the predetermined geometric proximity of the user of the portable device within a given time slot.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the portion is grouped by being within the predetermined geometric proximity of the user of the portable device at the same time.

18. A method of arranging a plurality of contacts in an address book associated with a user'"'"'s portable device, the method comprising:

arranging at least a portion of the plurality of contacts based on the occurrence of a previous meeting between the user and one or more of the contacts.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the occurrence of a meeting between the user is based at least in part on satellite receiver data relating to the user'"'"'s location at the time of the meeting, and positioning information of a portable device associated with the one or more contacts at the meeting.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the occurrence of a previous meeting was determined at least in part via a short-range wireless communication between the user'"'"'s portable device and a device of a contact at the meeting.

21. A computer readable apparatus having a storage medium with at least one computer program stored thereon, the at least one computer program comprising a plurality of computer executable instructions that when executed by a processor:

provide an address book associated with a first user, the address book comprising a plurality of contacts; and

arrange the plurality of contacts into a first group based on a geographic proximity parameter, the first group comprising individual ones of the plurality of contacts which were part of a previous communication with the first user when the geographic proximity parameter met a first criterion.

22. Portable apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a storage device in data communication with the processor; and

a computer program stored on the storage device and operative to run on the processor, the program which when executed arranges at least a portion of a plurality of contacts within a user'"'"'s contact management function based at least in part on the occurrence of a meeting between the user and one or more of the contacts.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the arrangement of at least a portion of a plurality of contacts is further based at least in part on the temporal relationship between the meetings of the user with each of the at least portion of contacts.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising apparatus enabling at least one of relative or absolute geo-positioning of the portable apparatus;

and

wherein the apparatus enabling at least one of relative or absolute geo-positioning of the portable apparatus is used by the computer program in determining the occurrence of a meeting between the user and at least one of the contacts.