Process for organizing business and other contacts for multiple users

• US 7,437,320 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Contactree Limited
• Original Assignee: Contactree Limited
• Inventors: Davidson, David Peter, McCreadie, Duncan Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam; Hosain T
• Assistant Examiner(s): OBERLY, VAN HONG
• Application Number:
  US10/966,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20050131777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method is provided that can include providing a computer, storing data records in the data store, processing the data records to form a hierarchical chart that reflects a relationship field and displaying the hierarchical chart on the display device. Each data record can include an identifier field, a relationship field, and a quality assurance field, where the relationship field for at least one of the data records defines a hierarchical relationship with at least one of the other of the data records. The computer can include a processing device, a display device, a storage device, and a data store. A computer program and system are also provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a computer comprising a processing device, a display device, a storage device, and a data store;

storing a plurality of contact data records from one or more contacts in the data store, each contact data record comprising at least one contact field for storing contact information about a contact and a relationship field for storing relationship information about the contact, wherein for at least one of the contact data records the relationship field defines a hierarchical relationship with at least one of the other contact data records, each contact field comprises a first quality assurance field that comprises a user-defined multi-dimensional subjective value that represents both a level of certainty and a level of importance of the contact information stored in the respective contact field, and each relationship field comprises a second quality assurance field that comprises a user-defined multi-dimensional subjective value that represents both a level of certainty and a level of importance of the relationship information stored in the relationship field;

determining that at least two of the plurality of contact data records represent the same contact;

processing the at least two contact data records that represent the same contact to determine a processed contact data record for the contact by combining the respective multi-dimensional subjective values of the first quality assurance field of each contact data record against each other using a mathematical process, and by combining the respective multi-dimensional subjective values of the second quality assurance field of each contact data record against each other using a mathematical process;

forming a hierarchical chart using at least one of the plurality of contact data records such that the hierarchical chart is based on the relationship fields of the contact data records; and

outputting a display of the hierarchical chart to the display device, wherein the display comprises a plurality of boxes and connectors between the boxes such that each box comprises contact information and such that the connectors display the hierarchy of the boxes, the hierarchy of the boxes is determined by the relationship fields of the contact data records, and the method further comprises defining a graphical attribute that is a graphical representation of at least one of the boxes based on at least one of the first quality assurance field and the second quality assurance field of the contact data record associated with the box.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting one or more contact data records from the plurality of contact data records wherein at least one of the respective first quality assurance field and the second quality assurance field for each selected contact data record meet a desired criterion.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first quality assurance field and the second quality assurance field further comprises a data record modification timestamp.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship field records a relationship between at least one of a contact and a supervisor of the contact and a contact, and a subordinate of the contact.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the display of the hierarchical chart further comprises a display of the respective contact data record on the display device in response to a user selection of any one of the boxes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical attribute is designed to visually impart a level of certainty of the respective contact data record.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical attribute further comprises a representation of at least one of the one or more connectors based on at least one of the respective first quality assurance field and the second quality assurance field of the respective contact data record, to visually impart a level of certainty of the respective contact data record.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship field records a relationship between a primary designation and a secondary designation.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a contact data record from the plurality of contact data records and the processing the at least two contact data records comprises traversing the relationship field of each contact data record to compute hierarchy above and below the selected contact data record.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising highlighting a selected contact data record in the hierarchical chart in order to connect with associated data.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a contact network analysis on the plurality of contact data records based on a value of the respective relationship field of each contact data record.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer further comprises an input device and each contact data record comprises a plurality of contact fields for storing contact information about a contact, and the method further comprises inputting a value for one contact field of the plurality of contact fields, and predicting values for at least one other contact field of the plurality of contact fields, based on the value of the one contact field.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer further comprises a printer, and the method further comprises printing the hierarchical chart using the printer.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute is defined to visually impart a level of importance of the respective contact data record.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining an attribute that is a graphical representation of at least one of the one or more connectors, to visually impart a level of importance of the respective contact data record.

16. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer program, the computer program comprising:

a data store manager adapted to manage a plurality of contact data records from one or more contacts, each contact data record including a plurality of contact fields for storing contact information about a contact and a relationship field for storing relationship information about the contact, wherein for at least one of the contact data records the relationship field defines a hierarchical relationship with at least one other contact data record, each contact field comprises a first quality assurance field comprising a user-defined multi-dimensional subjective value that represents a level of certainty and a level of importance of the contact information stored in the respective contact field, the relationship field comprises a second quality assurance field comprising a user-defined multi-dimensional subjective value that represents a level of certainty and a level of importance of the relationship information stored in the relationship field, and at least two of the contact data records represent the same contact;

a hierarchical chart processing module configured to process the at least two contact data records that represent the same contact, and configured to form a hierarchical chart that reflects the relationship between each of the contact data records, and configured to define a graphical attribute, wherein the module is configured to process the at least two contact data records from the same contact to form a processed contact data record for the contact by combining the respective multi-dimensional subjective values of the first quality assurance field of each contact record against each other using a mathematical process, and by combining the respective multi-dimensional subjective values of the second quality assurance field of each contact data record against each other using a mathematical process, the hierarchical chart is based upon the relationship fields of the respective contact data records, the hierarchical chart comprises boxes and one or more connectors, each box comprising contact information for a particular contact and the one or more connectors configured to display a hierarchy of the boxes, and the graphical attribute is a graphical representation of at least one of the boxes based on at least one of the first quality assurance field and the second quality assurance field of the contact data record associated with the box;

a display module configured to output a display of the hierarchical chart on a display device; and

an input module adapted to accept a value for one contact field of the plurality of contact fields, and predict values for one or more of other contact fields of the plurality of contact fields based on the value of the one contact field.

17. A system comprising:

a computer comprising a processing device, a display device, a storage device, and an input device;

a database manager adapted to store a plurality of contact data records from one or more contacts on the storage device, each contact data record including a plurality of fields for storing contact information about a contact, and a relationship field for storing relationship information about the contact, wherein for at least one of the contact data records, the relationship field defines a hierarchical relationship with at least one other contact data records, each contact field comprises a first quality assurance field that comprises a user-defined multi-dimensional subjective value that represents a level of certainty and a level of importance of the contact information stored within that respective contact field, the relationship field comprises a second quality assurance field that comprises a user-defined multi-dimensional subjective value that represents a level of certainty and a level of importance of the contact information stored within that respective relationship field, and at least two of the contact data records represent the same contact; and

a contact manager comprising

a hierarchical chart processing module configured to process the at least two contact data records that represent the same contact, and configured to form a hierarchical chart that reflects the relationship between each of the contact data records, and configured to define an attribute, wherein the module is configured to process the at least two contact data records that represent the same contact to form a processed contact data record for that contact by both combining the respective multi-dimensional subjective values of the first quality assurance field of each contact data record against each other using a mathematical process, and by combining the respective multi-dimensional subjective values of the second quality assurance field of each contact data record against each other using a mathematical process, the hierarchical chart is based upon the relationship fields of the respective contact data records, the hierarchical chart comprises boxes and one or more connectors, each box comprising contact information for a particular contact and the one or more connectors configured to display a hierarchy of the boxes, and the attribute is a graphical representation of at least one of the boxes based on at least one of the first quality assurance field and the second quality assurance field of the contact data record associated with the box,

a display module configured to output a display of the hierarchical chart on the display device, and

an input module adapted to accept a value for a first contact field of the plurality of contact fields, and predict values for one or more other contact fields of the plurality of contact fields, based on the value of the first contact field.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a personal digital assistant or a mobile telephone as an input or display device.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a printer capable of printing the hierarchical chart.