Display accurate information when multiple contacts are matched for an incoming phone number

• US 7,542,557 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sun, Ray, Wieland, Peter William, Eberhardy, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US11/144,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20060291635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/88.19, 379/88.2, 379/88.21, 379/142.01, 379/142.06, 379/142.019, 379/142.14, 379/142.17, 455/415
• US Class Current: 379/142.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party

Abstract

When multiple contacts are detected for a phone number of an incoming call, a notification that multiple contacts matched the phone number is displayed. When the display area for displaying the notification is adequate to display a full list of the contacts that correspond to the phone number of the incoming call, the full list is displayed. When the display area is inadequate to display the full list, a scrollable list of the multiple contacts is displayed. Alternatively, when the display area is inadequate, a multiple contacts message is displayed that notifies a user that multiple stored contacts matched the phone number of the incoming phone call.

Claims

1. A method for displaying accurate contact information when multiple contacts are matched to a phone number of an incoming call, the method comprising:

determining whether a telephonic device is capable of displaying the multiple contacts; and

displaying a notification indicating that multiple contacts matched the phone number, wherein the notification displayed depends on the capability of the telephonic device to display the multiple contacts and the notification corresponds to one of a group comprising;

a full list of the multiple contacts, a scrollable list of the multiple contacts, and a multiple contact message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the telephonic device is capable of displaying the multiple contacts further comprises determining the available display area of the telephonic device for displaying contact information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the telephonic device is capable of displaying the multiple contacts when the display area is adequate to display the full list of multiple contacts that correspond to the phone number of the incoming call.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the notification displayed corresponds to the full list of the multiple contacts when the display area is adequate to display the full list of multiple contacts that correspond to the phone number of the incoming call.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the display area is adequate when the multiple contacts are within a threshold number given the display area available.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the notification displayed corresponds to at least one of the scrollable list of the multiple contacts and the multiple contacts message when the display area is inadequate to display the full list of multiple contacts that correspond to the phone number of the incoming call.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the notification displayed when the display area is inadequate to display the full list of multiple contacts that correspond to the phone number of the incoming call is dependent on a pre-selected setting that determines which of the scrollable list of multiple contacts and the multiple contacts massage to display.

8. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed implements the method of claim 1.

9. A telephonic device comprising:

a communication module for receiving an incoming call;

a contacts application that is arranged to determine when contacts stored on the telephonic device match a phone number corresponding to the incoming call;

a display; and

an application that includes computer-executable instructions for displaying accurate information when multiple contacts are matched to a phone number of an incoming call, the computer-executable instructions comprising;

determining whether a display area is adequate for displaying a full list of the multiple contacts matched to the phone number,

displaying the full list of multiple contacts when the display area is adequate for displaying the full list of the multiple contacts,

determining whether a pre-selected setting is chosen for displaying the multiple contacts when the display area is inadequate, and

displaying at least one of a scrollable list of multiple contacts and a multiple contacts message when the display area is inadequate, wherein the scrollable list of multiple contacts is displayed when the pre-selected setting corresponds to a first selection and the multiple contacts message is displayed when the pre-selected setting corresponds to a second selection.

10. The telephonic device of claim 9, wherein the contacts application further comprises a contact matching API that is configured to search the stored contacts and determine which of the stored contacts includes the phone number of the incoming call.

11. The telephonic device of claim 9, wherein the stored contacts are stored within a contacts database.

12. The telephonic device of claim 9, further comprising a display area application that is arranged to determine the available display area for displaying contact information.

13. The telephonic device of claim 9, wherein displaying the full list of multiple contacts corresponds to providing instructions to a display interface to display the full list of multiple contacts.

14. The telephonic device of claim 9, wherein displaying the scrollable list of multiple contacts corresponds to providing instructions to a display interface to display the scrollable list of multiple contacts when the pre-selected setting corresponds to the first selection.

15. The telephonic device of claim 9, wherein displaying the multiple contacts message corresponds to providing instructions to a display interface to display the multiple contacts message when the pre-selected setting corresponds to the second selection.

16. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon the computer-executable instructions of claim 9, wherein the computer-readable medium is arranged so that the computer-executable instructions are executable on the telephonic device.

17. A system comprising:

means for determining when contacts stored on a telephonic device match a phone number corresponding to the incoming call;

means for determining whether a display area is adequate for displaying a full list of the multiple contacts matched to the phone number,

means for displaying the full list of multiple contacts when the display area is adequate for displaying the full list of the multiple contacts,

means for determining whether a pre-selected setting is chosen for displaying the multiple contacts when the display area is inadequate, and

the means for displaying further arranged to display at least one of a scrollable list of multiple contacts and a multiple contacts message when the display area is inadequate, wherein the scrollable list of multiple contacts is displayed when the pre-selected setting corresponds to a first selection and the multiple contacts message is displayed when the pre-selected setting corresponds to a second selection.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for determining the available display area for displaying contact information.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for determining when contacts stored on a telephonic device match a phone number corresponding to the incoming call further comprises means for searching stored contacts and determining which of the stored contacts includes the phone number of the incoming call.

20. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed implements the system of claim 17.