Interactive records and groups of records in an address book database
First Claim
1. In a computer system having an input device and a display device, a method for retrieving information from a database, the database comprising a first record with a first field assigned a first property and a second record with a first like field assigned the first property, wherein the first field and the first like field are capable of containing an entry corresponding to the first property, the first record having an entry in the first field and the second record not having an entry in the first like field, the display method comprising the steps of:
- in response to receiving a display request from the input device, querying the database a first time to determine if the second record has an entry in the first like field;
if the first like field of the second record is empty, querying the database a second time to determine if the first record has an entry in the first field; and
if the first record has a first entry in the first field, retrieving the first entry from the first field of the first record.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An address book database includes household records in addition to contact records and group records. A household record contains a household distribution list that identifies a household group of contact records and a family group of contact records. The household distribution list further contains information about the relative hierarchy of each contact record in the family group, and that hierarchical information can be used to generate family trees. Each household record further contains a name field and other types of fields. Contact records that are included in the household distribution list include a household property which points to the household record so that entries of the household record can be displayed in place of entries of the contact records. Additionally, when a household record is created based upon a previously created contact record, entries of the contact record are copied to the household record, and entries for a name field, letter salutation field and address name field of the household record are created based at least partially upon the entry in the name field of the contact record.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. In a computer system having an input device and a display device, a method for retrieving information from a database, the database comprising a first record with a first field assigned a first property and a second record with a first like field assigned the first property, wherein the first field and the first like field are capable of containing an entry corresponding to the first property, the first record having an entry in the first field and the second record not having an entry in the first like field, the display method comprising the steps of:
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in response to receiving a display request from the input device, querying the database a first time to determine if the second record has an entry in the first like field; if the first like field of the second record is empty, querying the database a second time to determine if the first record has an entry in the first field; and if the first record has a first entry in the first field, retrieving the first entry from the first field of the first record. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure, comprising:
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a plurality of records, each record comprising at least one entry and at least one unique identifier such that each record can be located and distinguished from other records of the records by its identifier; a first record of the records further comprising relationship information comprising the identifier of a second record of the records, whereby the first record is linked to the second record; a third record of the records further comprising relationship information comprising the identifier of the second record, whereby the third record is linked to the second record; and the second record further comprising information indicating a hierarchical relationship between the first record and the third record, and relationship information comprising the identifiers of the first and third records, whereby the second record is linked to the first and third records.
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11. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure, comprising:
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a plurality of records, each record comprising at least one entry and at least one unique identifier such that each record can be located and distinguished from other records by its identifier; a first record of the records further comprising relationship information comprising the identifier of a second record of the records, whereby the first record is linked to the second record, wherein the first record is for a first individual and the entry of the first record pertains to the first individual; a third record of the records further comprising relationship information comprising the identifier of the second record, whereby the third record is linked to the second record, wherein the third record is for a second individual and the entry of the third record pertains to the second individual; and the second record further comprising relationship information comprising the identifiers of the first and third records, whereby the second record is linked to the first and third records, wherein the second record is for a group that the first individual and the second individual are included in, and the entry of the second record pertains to the group. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. In a computer system having an input device and a database comprising a first record comprising a first entry, a method for creating a second record of the database that is derived from the first record, the method comprising the steps of:
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retrieving a copy of the first entry from the first record; modifying the copy of the first entry to create a second entry that is different from the first entry; and assigning the second entry to the second record so that the second record contains the second entry, wherein the first record is for a contact and the second record is for a group that contains the contact. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification