Dynamic contact information

• US 7,720,832 B1
• Filed: 04/25/2007
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: da Rosa, Louis Francisco Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus; Jean M
• Application Number:
  US11/789,889
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 707/9, 707/10, 707/101, 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/705, 707/736, 707/781, 707/782
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method for presenting contact information that includes receiving a search request for the contact information and retrieving a result set comprising a plurality of contacts corresponding to the search request, wherein each contact comprises a plurality of common contact data fields. The method also includes, for each common contact data field in the result set, determining a differentiating factor for the common contact data field, and selectively displaying at least one value of the common contact data field based on the differentiating factor.

Claims

1. A method for presenting contact information, comprising:

receiving a search request for the contact information;

retrieving, in response to the search request, a result set comprising a plurality of contacts, wherein the plurality of contacts comprises a first set of values corresponding to a first common contact data field and a second set of values corresponding to a second common contact data field;

identifying, using a processor, a plurality of distinct values from the first set of values;

calculating, using the processor, a plurality of differentiating factors for the plurality of distinct values by determining a number of occurrences of each of the plurality of distinct values in the first set of values; and

selectively displaying the plurality of distinct values and a portion of the second set of values based on the plurality of differentiating factors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the result set is retrieved from a plurality of contact data repositories.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

altering a priority of at least one selected from a group consisting of the first common contact data field and the second common contact data field.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein altering the priority is responsive to a client'"'"'s behavior in a previous search request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second common contact data field is selected from a group consisting of a default common contact data field and a previously selected common contact data field.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the second set of values is received in a markup language.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a weight to at least one of the plurality of distinct values for use in calculating the plurality of differentiating factors.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a plurality of priorities to the first common contact data field and the second common contact data field, wherein selectively displaying the plurality of distinct values and the portion of the second set of values is further based on the plurality of priorities.

9. A method for presenting contact information, comprising:

generating a search request for the contact information; and

accessing the contact information retrieved in response to the search request, wherein the contact information is selectively displayed by;

selecting contact information from a result set having a plurality of contacts, wherein the plurality of contacts comprises a first set of values corresponding to a first common contact data field and a second set of values corresponding to a second common contact data;

identifying, using a processor, a plurality of distinct values from the first set of values;

calculating, using the processor, a plurality of differentiating factors for the plurality of distinct values by determining a number of occurrences of each of the plurality of distinct values in the first set of values; and

selectively displaying, based on the plurality of differentiating factors, the plurality of distinct values and a portion of the second set of values.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

altering a priority of at least one selected from a group consisting of the first common contact data field and the second common contact data field.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein altering the priority is responsive to a client'"'"'s behavior in a previous search request.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the second common contact data field is selected from a group consisting of a default common contact data field and a previously selected common contact data field.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the second set of values is received in a markup language.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the contact information is further selectively displayed by assigning a weight to at least one of the plurality of distinct values for use in calculating the plurality of differentiating factors.

15. A system for presenting contact information, comprising:

a processor;

a first contact data repository; and

a dynamic contact application executing on the processor, in communication with the first contact data repository, wherein the dynamic contact application is configured to;

receive a search request for the contact information;

retrieve, in response to the search request, a result set comprising a plurality of contacts, wherein the plurality of contacts comprises a first set of values corresponding to a first common contact data field and a second set of values corresponding to a second common contact data field;

identify a plurality of distinct values from the first set of values;

calculate a plurality of differentiating factors for the plurality of distinct values by determining a number of occurrences of each of the plurality of distinct values in the first set of values; and

selectively display, based on the plurality of differentiating factors, the plurality of distinct values and a portion of the second set of values.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a second contact data repository, wherein the dynamic contact application is further configured to retrieve the result set from the first contact data repository and the second contact data repository.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the second set of values is received in a markup language.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein of the second common contact data field is selected from a group consisting of a default common contact data field and a previously selected common contact data field.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the dynamic contact application is further configured to assign a weight to at least one of the plurality of distinct values for use in calculating the plurality of differentiating factors.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the dynamic contact application is further configured to assign a plurality of priorities to the first common contact data field and the second common contact data field, wherein selectively displaying the plurality of distinct values and the portion of the second set of values is further based on the plurality of priorities.

21. A computer readable medium having stored therein thereon computer-readable instructions, which when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to:

receive a search request for the contact information;

retrieve, in response to the search request, a result set comprising a plurality of contacts, wherein the plurality of contacts comprises a first set of values corresponding to a first common contact data field and a second set of values corresponding to a second common contact data field;

identify a plurality of distinct values from the first set of values;

calculate a plurality of differentiating factors for the plurality of distinct values by determining a number of occurrences of each of the plurality of distinct values in the first set of values; and

selectively display, based on the plurality of differentiating factors, the plurality of distinct values and a portion of the second set of values.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the result set is retrieved from a plurality of contact data repositories.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 21, the instructions further causing the computer processor to alter a priority of at least one selected from a group consisting of the first common contact data field and the second common contact data field.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the priority is altered responsive to a client'"'"'s behavior in a previous search request.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the second common contact data field is selected from a group consisting of a default common contact data field and a previously selected common contact data field.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein at least one of the second set of values is received in a markup language.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 21, the instructions further causing the computer processor to assign a weight to at least one of the plurality of distinct values for use in calculating the plurality of differentiating factors.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 21, the instructions further causing the computer processor to assign a plurality of priorities to the first common contact data field and the second common contact data field, wherein selectively displaying the plurality of distinct values and the portion of the second set of values is further based on the plurality of priorities.