Graphic entries for interactive directory

• US 7,375,730 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2002
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tagliabue, Roberto, Germade, Ignacio, Susani, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung; Kee M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARRISON, CHANTE E
• Application Number:
  US10/207,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20040017376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,122 Days
• Field of Search: 345/440, 345/763, 345/767, 345/772, 345/789, 345/735, 345/783, 345/790, 345/794, 345/810, 345/811, 345/864, 345/866, 345/853, 345/629, 345/661, 345/676, 345/660, 345/672, 345/619, 715/700, 715/772, 715/783, 715/790, 715/794, 715/811, 715/810, 715/815, 715/864, 715/866, 715/853
• US Class Current: 345/581
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus (800) and method (700) for a communication device (100) having a display for graphically organizing communication patterns (602) of the user. Visual attributes of the images associated with specific parties are varied dynamically as the communication patterns of the user with specific parties change.

Claims

1. A display for a communication device for graphically organizing communication patterns of a user, the display comprising:

a first image displayed at a first position, the first image associated with a first party, indicative of a first communication pattern between the user and the first party within a predetermined period;

a second image displayed at a second position, the second image associated with a second party, indicative a second communication pattern between the user and the second party within the predetermined period; and

concentric areas having a center;

wherein the first and second images are dynamically varied based upon a variance between the first and second communication patterns, and

the first and second positions relative to the center are proportional to the variance,

wherein said first communication pattern and said second communication pattern are based upon total time of communication between the first party and the user, and the second party and the user, respectively, within said predetermined period, or wherein said first communication pattern and said second communication pattern are based upon a total number of occurrences of communications between the first party and the user, and the second party and the user, respectively, within said predetermined period.

2. The display of claim 1, wherein the size of the first image and the size of the second image are varied proportional to the variance.

3. The display of claim 1, wherein the size of the first image and the size of the second image are varied inversely proportional to the variance.

4. The display of claim 1, wherein the proportionality to the variance of the first and second positions relative to the center includes inverse proportionality.

5. The display of claim 1 further comprising a first group of images comprising the first and second images wherein the first group of images is depicted on the display as a first cluster.

6. The display of claim 1 further comprising a first group of images having a first group name, the first group of images comprising the first and second images wherein the first group name is depicted on the display.

7. The display of claim 6 further comprising a first area, a second area independent of and separate from the first area, and a second group of images, the first group of images associated with the first area, and the second group of images having a second group name associated with the second area, wherein the first group name and the first group of images are depicted on the display within the first area and the second group name and the second group of images are depicted on the display within the second area.

8. A communication device for graphically organizing communication patterns of a user for communications between the user and a plurality of parties, the communication device comprising:

a transceiver;

a processor coupled to the transceiver;

a memory device coupled to the processor, the memory device storing a first image representing a first communication pattern of the user with a first party of the plurality of parties, and a second image representing a second communication pattern of the user with a second party of the plurality of parties, wherein said first communication pattern and said second communication pattern are based upon total time of communication between the first party and the user, and the second party and the user, respectively, within a predetermined period, or wherein said first communication pattern and said second communication pattern are based upon a total number of occurrences of communications between the first party and the user, and the second party and the user, respectively, within a predetermined period;

a display coupled to the processor; and

a user interface, coupled to the display and the processor, being effective to dynamically vary the first and second images on the display based upon a variance between the first and second communication patterns,

wherein the display includes predefined concentric areas having a center and the first and second images are displayed relative to the center proportional to the variance.

9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the size of the first image and the size of the second image are varied proportional to the variance.

10. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the size of the first image and the size of the second image are varied inversely proportional to the variance.

11. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the first and second images displayed relative to the center proportional to the variance includes the first and second images displayed relative to the center inversely proportional to the variance.

12. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the memory device further storing a first group of images comprising the first and second images;

wherein the processor is further effective to show the first group of images on the display as a first cluster.

13. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the memory device further storing a first group of images having a first group name, the first group of images comprising the first and second images;

wherein the processor is further effective to show the first group name on the display.

14. The communication device of claim 12 wherein the display further comprising a first area and a second area independent of and separate from the first area, the memory device further storing a second group of images, the first group of images associated with the first area, and the second group of images having a second group name associated with the second area;

wherein the processor is further effective to show the first group name and the first group of images on the display within the first area, and the second group name and the second group of images on the display within the second area.

15. The communication device of claim 8 capable of establishing communication with a desired party by selecting an image associated with the desired party.

16. The communication device of claim 14 capable of establishing communication with a desired group by selecting a group name associated with the desired group.

17. A method in a communication device for organizing a plurality of images on the display, the method comprising steps of:

displaying the plurality of images, each of the plurality of images corresponding to communications between at least two parties;

varying a visual attribute of each of the plurality of images based upon a frequency of the corresponding communications wherein said frequency of the corresponding communications defines a historical use pattern;

positioning each of the plurality of images from a common center of the display based upon the frequency of the corresponding communications wherein a position of a first image relative to said common center compared to the position of a second image relative to said common center defines a variance of said historical use pattern between said first image and said second image; and

dynamically updating the visual attribute of each of the plurality of images as the historical use pattern changes.

18. The method of claim 17, varying the visual attribute of each of the plurality of images by sizing each image of the plurality of images in proportion to the frequency of the corresponding communications.