RESOLVING CONTACTS IN CONFLICT THROUGH SUGGESTION

• US 20130080521A1
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Neto, Mayerber Carvalho, Kashiramka, Komal, Conceicao, Ladislau, Souza, Jeremy de
• Application Number:
  US13/246,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080521A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A communication application resolves contacts in conflict through a suggestive user interface. The communication application retrieves a contact that includes conflicting information with an existing contact from an external resource through a data service. External resources include social networks, e-mail servers, local address providers, etc. The user application employs a sliding scale algorithm to recognize the contact that includes the conflicting information according to a variety of categories including source of the contact, level of interaction and number of matching identifiers between the user and the contact. Subsequently, the communication application presents a suggestion to link the contact that includes the conflicting information with the existing contact to the user in a linking user interface. Upon a user acceptance of the suggestion, the communication application links the contact that includes the conflicting information to the existing contact.

Claims

1. A method to be executed at least in part in a computing device for resolving conflicting contact information through a suggested link, the method comprising:

retrieving a contact that includes conflicting information with an existing contact from a data service;

presenting at least one suggestion to link the contact that includes the conflicting information with the existing contact; and

resolving the conflicting information based on a response to the suggestion from a user including one of;

augmenting the existing contact with the conflicting information upon an acceptance of the suggestion, and

discarding the contact that includes the conflicting information upon a rejection of the suggestion.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

employing a sliding scale based algorithm to recognize the contact that includes the conflicting information.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

assigning a confidence score based on a degree of match of a predetermined number of identifiers between the contact that includes the conflicting information and the existing contact.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

assigning a confidence score according to a source for the contact that includes the conflicting information.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

increasing the confidence score if the source is a local source; and

decreasing the confidence score if the source is an external source.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

displaying a list of rejected contacts to enable the user to undo accidental rejections.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

adjusting the sliding scale according to a level of interaction between the user and the existing contact.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a history of the resolution of the conflicting information.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing at least one of the acceptance, the rejection, and an ignorance of the suggestion; and

preventing subsequent suggestion of the contact that includes the conflicting information upon at least one of the rejection and the ignorance of the suggestion by the user.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying the contact that includes the conflicting information intermittently according to an application setting upon the rejection of the contact that includes the conflicting information and a subsequent detection of the contact that includes the conflicting information from a different data service.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

unlinking the contact that includes the conflicting information from the existing contact upon a subsequent user action to discard a previously linked contact.

12. A communication system for resolving conflicting contact information through a suggested link, the system comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor executing a communication application, wherein the communication application is configured to;

retrieve a contact that includes conflicting information with an existing contact from a data service;

employ a sliding scale based algorithm to recognize the contact that includes the conflicting information;

present a suggestion to link the contact that includes the conflicting information with the existing contact through a linking user interface; and

resolve the conflicting information based on a response to the suggestion from a user including one of;

augment the existing contact with the contact that includes the conflicting information upon an acceptance of the suggestion, and

discard the contact that includes the conflicting information upon a rejection of the suggestion.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication application is further configured to:

display a summary card that includes summary contact information and the suggestion;

during resolution of the conflicting information, display additional contact information; and

upon completion of the resolution, revert to the summary card with the suggestion discarded.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication application is further configured to display, through the linking user interface:

a count of suggestion links; and

the contact that includes the conflicting information in an appearing-and-disappearing manner.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication application is further configured to:

limit a number of displayed suggestions to simplify resolving the conflicting information.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein communication application is further configured to:

provide hints to remind the user about the suggestion in response to at least one from a set of;

the user receiving a communication from the contact that includes the conflicting information, the user sending a communication to the contact that includes the conflicting information, the user performing a search, and the user editing contact information for the contact that includes the conflicting information.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the linking user interface displays the suggestion in-line with other suggestions to streamline a user action to resolve the conflicting information.

18. A computer-readable memory device with instructions stored thereon for resolving conflicting contact information through a suggested link, the instructions containing:

retrieving a contact that includes conflicting information with an existing contact from a data service;

employing a sliding scale based algorithm to recognize the contact that includes the conflicting information;

presenting at least one suggestion to link the contact that includes the conflicting information with the existing contact through a linking user interface;

resolving conflicting information based on a response to the suggestion from a user including one of;

augmenting the existing contact with contact the that includes conflicting information upon an acceptance of the suggestion, and

discarding the contact that includes the conflicting information upon a rejection of the suggestion and;

maintaining a history of the resolution of the conflicting information.

19. The computer-readable memory device of claim 18, wherein the instructions further comprise:

adjusting the linking user interface to multiple platforms including one of a desktop device based platform and a mobile device based platform by displaying the at least one suggestion in a scalable summary card.

20. The computer-readable memory device of claim 18, wherein the instructions further comprise:

comparing the contact that includes the conflicting information with the existing contact for one of a partial match and a complete match of at least one from a set of;

a name, an e-mail address, a phone number, an instant messaging address, and a birthdate.