Contact text box

• US 7,430,719 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Perlow, Jonathan D., Dunn, Melissa W., Owens, John-Anthony, Pettinati, Fabio
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Termanini; Samir
• Application Number:
  US10/885,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20060010104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 715/739
• US Class Current: 715/739
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

A contact text box interface for resolving user input with contact information selected from contact directories and compared against usage patterns. Users are provided with a list of potentially relevant contacts from which a selection can be made. When a contact is selected, the corresponding and appropriate contact information is automatically provided to the application. 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 resolving user input received at an application and corresponding to contact information that can be utilized by the application to perform a function, the method comprising:

identifying user input that needs to be resolved;

opening a contact text box interface configured to display a list of contacts having contact information matching the user input;

using at least one resolver from the contact text box to query at least one contact information directory for contacts having contact information matching the user input;

applying the user input against at least one usage pattern in the at least one contact information directory;

identifying any contacts satisfying the query and having an appropriate usage pattern; and

displaying said any contacts within at least two graphically distinguished and separate groupings, and such that contacts having a higher likelihood of selection are displayed in a first grouping that is positioned above contacts in a second grouping having a lower likelihood of selection.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

resolving the user input.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein resolving the user input includes:

receiving additional user input which indicates that one of the displayed contacts should be selected; and

replacing the user input with a corresponding UI object.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the additional user input includes a selection of the one of the displayed contacts.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the additional user input includes a textual character that limits said any available contacts to a single contact comprising the one of the displayed contacts.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the additional user input comprises a delimiting character.

7. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein resolving the user input includes providing contact information corresponding to the one of the displayed contacts to an application.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the method further includes receiving a request to resolve user input from the application prior to opening the contact text box.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the application uses the contact information to perform a function.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, further including:

sending a request to update the usage pattern data corresponding to the one of the displayed contacts at a contact information directory from which the one of the displayed contacts was identified.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the contacts are displayed in an order controlled at least in part by the usage pattern data and wherein the usage pattern includes at least one of a frequency of use, a network proximity, a geographic proximity, a system compatibility, a last selection.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the displayed contacts includes at least two contacts and the at least two contacts are displayed in said at least two visually distinguished groupings.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the groupings have titles to indicate a significance corresponding to a distinction between the groupings.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein each of the groupings corresponds to a different database.

15. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein each of the groupings corresponds to a different contact information directory.

16. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein each of the groupings corresponds to a different search criteria used to identify the displayed contacts.

17. A method as recited in claim 1, further including:

receiving additional user input;

using at least one resolver from the contact text box to query at least one contact information directory for contacts having contact information matching a combination of the user input and the additional user input;

applying the combined user input against at least one usage pattern in the contact information directory;

identifying any contacts satisfying the query and having an appropriate usage pattern; and

displaying said any contacts.

35. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further includes displaying, along with said any contacts satisfying the query and having an appropriate usage pattern, at least one additional contact that is determined to have contact information that does not match the user input, but that corresponds to a particular usage pattern data.

36. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a particular contact is displayed in a visually distinct manner than at least one other contact as an indication that said particular contact is associated with a plurality of email addresses.

37. A method as recited in claim 36, wherein the method further includes displaying the plurality of email addresses associated with the particular contact, simultaneously with the display of the particular contact, and in response to hovering a mouse prompt over the particular contact.

38. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said first and second groupings is alphabetized.

39. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the usage pattern includes at least a geographic proximity.

40. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the usage pattern includes at least a system compatibility.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media having stored computer-executable instructions for implementing a method 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, wherein the method is for resolving user input received at an application and corresponding to contact information that can be utilized by the application to perform a function, the method comprising:

identifying user input that needs to be resolved;

opening a contact text box interface configured to display a list of contacts having contact information matching the user input;

using at least one resolver from the contact text box to query at least one contact information directory for contacts having contact information matching the user input;

applying the user input against at least one usage pattern in the contact information directory;

identifying any contacts satisfying the query and having an appropriate usage pattern; and

displaying said any contacts within at least two graphically distinguished and separate groupings, and such that contacts having a higher likelihood of selection are displayed in a first grouping that is positioned above contacts in a second grouping having a lower likelihood of selection.

19. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

resolving the user input.

20. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 19, wherein resolving the user input includes:

receiving additional user input which indicates that one of the displayed contacts should be selected; and

replacing the user input with a corresponding UI object.

21. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 20, wherein the additional user input includes a selection of the one of the displayed contacts.

22. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 20, wherein the additional user input includes a textual character that limits said any available contacts to a single contact comprising the one of the displayed contacts.

23. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 22, wherein the additional user input comprises a delimiting character.

24. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 19, wherein resolving the user input includes providing contact information corresponding to the one of the displayed contacts to an application.

25. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 24, wherein the method further includes receiving a request to resolve user input from the application prior to opening the contact text box.

26. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 25, wherein the application uses the contact information to perform a function.

27. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 18, further including:

sending a request to update the usage pattern data corresponding to the one of the displayed contacts at a contact information directory from which the one of the displayed contacts was identified.

28. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 18, wherein the contacts are displayed in an order controlled at least in part by the usage pattern data.

29. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 18, wherein the displayed contacts includes at least two contacts and the at least two contacts are displayed in said at least two visually distinguished groupings.

30. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 29, wherein the groupings have titles to indicate a significance corresponding to a distinction between the groupings.

31. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 29, wherein each of the groupings corresponds to a different database.

32. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 29, wherein each of the groupings corresponds to a different contact information directory.

33. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 29, wherein each of the groupings corresponds to a different search criteria used to identify the displayed contacts.

34. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving additional user input;

using at least one resolver from the contact text box to query at least one contact information directory for contacts having contact information matching a combination of the user input and the additional user input;

applying the combined user input against at least one usage pattern in the contact information directory;

identifying any contacts satisfying the query and having an appropriate usage pattern; and

displaying said any contacts.