Contact picker interface

• US 7,802,191 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Denise L., Perlow, Jonathan D., Owens, John-Anthony, van Dok, Cornelis K., Silbey, Marc A., Pettinati, Fabio
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHANTANA ANGKOOL, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/195,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20080307306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 715/739, 715/968, 707/6
• US Class Current: 715/739
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/968 interface for database querying and retrieval

Abstract

An interface for enabling a user to quickly access contact information automatically displays a list of expected contacts that are most likely to be selected by the user when attention is directed to an appropriate object requiring contact information. When a contact is selected, the corresponding and appropriate contact information is automatically entered. If a user does not select a listed contact, but instead begins manually typing in the contact information then the interface performs a search and displays a list of unexpected contacts having contact information matching the typed input from the user. 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 an API providing contact information obtained from at least one contact information directory to an application, the method comprising:

a contact picker API receiving an API function call request from an associated application for a contact picker interface to be generated, wherein the request is generated by the associated application in response to the associated application detecting focus input directed at a type-in line of an application interface that is displayed at a display device, the type-in line of the application interface being configured to receive desired contact information for enabling a desired function to be performed by the associated application with the desired contact information;

in response to the request, the contact picker API generating the contact picker interface;

during the generation of the contact picker interface, the contact picker API querying one or more contact information directories for expected contacts and displaying a list of the expected contacts at the contact picker interface based at least in part on a likelihood of selection criteria, each of the listed expected contacts being obtained from at least one contact information directory;

the contact picker API receiving user input selecting one of the expected contacts displayed by the contact picker interface within the list of expected contacts;

the contact picker API receiving from the associated application, a specification of desired contact information that corresponds with the selected one of the expected contacts and that is required by the application; and

the contact picker API handing off the desired contact information to the associated application, wherein the desired contact information is used to populate one or more fields of the associated application and which is usable by the associated application to perform the desired function.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the desired function is sending an email and wherein the desired contact information is an email address.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the desired function is initiating a telephone call and wherein the desired contact information is a telephone number.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the focus input comprises a mouse prompt hovering over the type-in line.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the focus input comprises input tabbing a mouse prompt into the type-in line.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the method further includes displaying information within the type-in line that is different than the desired contact information that is used by the associated application to perform the desired function.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the desired contact information links to additional contact information used by the associated application to perform the desired function.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the desired contact information is obtained by searching a plurality of databases.

9. The method recited in claim 8, wherein one of the plurality of databases is a database associated with the associated application.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the method further includes providing the contact picker interface with security mechanisms that are configured to prevent the associated application from obtaining contact information that is not required by the application.

11. A computer program product comprising one or more computer program storage media storing computer-executable instructions configured to implement a method for an API providing contact information obtained from at least one contact information directory to an application, the method comprising:

a contact picker API receiving an API function call request from an associated application for a contact picker interface to be generated, wherein the request is generated by the associated application in response to the associated application detecting focus input directed at a type-in line of an application interface that is displayed at a display device, the type-in line of the application interface being configured to receive desired contact information for enabling a desired function to be performed by the associated application with the desired contact information;

in response to the request, the contact picker API generating the contact picker interface;

during the generation of the contact picker interface, the contact picker API querying one or more contact information directories for expected contacts and displaying a list of the expected contacts at the contact picker interface based at least in part on a likelihood of selection criteria, each of the listed expected contacts being obtained from at least one contact information directory;

the contact picker API receiving user input selecting one of the expected contacts displayed by the contact picker interface within the list of expected contacts;

the contact picker API receiving from the associated application, a specification of desired contact information that corresponds with the selected one of the expected contacts and that is required by the application; and

the contact picker API handing off the desired contact information to the associated application, wherein the desired contact information is used to populate one or more fields of the associated application and which is usable by the associated application to perform the desired function.

12. A computer program product comprising one or more computer program storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, are configured to implement a method for obtaining and displaying contact information, wherein the method includes:

detecting focus input directed at a type-in line that is displayed at a display device of a computing system, the type-in line being configured to receive desired contact information for enabling a desired function to be performed with the contact information, wherein the focus input comprises at least one of tabbing a prompt into the type-in line or hovering a pointer over the type-in line;

automatically in response to detecting the tabbing of the prompt into the type-in line or the hovering of the pointer over the type-in line, and prior to receiving any input typed into the type-in line, obtaining and displaying a list of expected contacts based on a likelihood of selection criteria, each of the listed expected contacts being obtained from the at least one contact information directory; and

wherein the listed contacts are displayed with two visually distinct groupings of contacts, including a first grouping of contacts and a second grouping of contacts, and wherein the grouping of contacts determined to contain contacts that are the most likely to be selected contacts is displayed above the second grouping of contacts.

13. A computer program product comprising one or more computer program storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, are configured to implement a method for obtaining and displaying contact information, wherein the method includes:

detecting focus input directed at a type-in line that is displayed at a display device of a computing system, the type-in line being configured to receive desired contact information for enabling a desired function to be performed with the contact information, wherein the focus input comprises at least one of tabbing a prompt into the type-in line or hovering a pointer over the type-in line;

automatically in response to detecting the tabbing of the prompt into the type-in line or the hovering of the pointer over the type-in line, and prior to receiving any input typed into the type-in line, obtaining and displaying a list of expected contacts based on a likelihood of selection criteria, each of the listed expected contacts being obtained from the at least one contact information directory; and

wherein the list of expected contacts comprises a first list of expected contacts and wherein the method further comprises an act of automatically displaying a second list in response to receiving input selecting a first selected contact from the first list of expected contacts and wherein the second list comprises a plurality of contact information associated with the first selected contact and that is displayed with the first list.

14. The computer program product recited in claim 13, wherein the plurality of contact information associated with the first selected contact includes a plurality of contact information values that are displayed in a sorted order based on likelihood of selection.

15. A computing system having a processor and one or more storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, are configured to implement a method for an API providing contact information obtained from at least one contact information directory to an application, the method comprising:

a contact picker API receiving an API function call request from an associated application for a contact picker interface to be generated, wherein the request is generated by the associated application in response to the associated application detecting focus input directed at a type-in line of an application interface that is displayed at a display device, the type-in line of the application interface being configured to receive desired contact information for enabling a desired function to be performed by the associated application with the desired contact information;

in response to the request, the contact picker API generating the contact picker interface;

during the generation of the contact picker interface, the contact picker API querying one or more contact information directories for expected contacts and displaying a list of the expected contacts at the contact picker interface based at least in part on a likelihood of selection criteria, each of the listed expected contacts being obtained from at least one contact information directory;

the contact picker API receiving user input selecting one of the expected contacts displayed by the contact picker interface within the list of expected contacts;

the contact picker API receiving from the associated application, a specification of desired contact information that corresponds with the selected one of the expected contacts and that is required by the application; and

the contact picker API handing off the desired contact information to the associated application, wherein the desired contact information is used to populate one or more fields of the associated application and which is usable by the associated application to perform the desired function.

16. A computing system having a processor and one or more storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, are configured to implement a method for obtaining and displaying contact information, wherein the method includes:

detecting focus input directed at a type-in line that is displayed at a display device of a computing system, the type-in line being configured to receive desired contact information for enabling a desired function to be performed with the contact information, wherein the focus input comprises at least one of tabbing a prompt into the type-in line or hovering a pointer over the type-in line;

automatically in response to detecting the tabbing of the prompt into the type-in line or the hovering of the pointer over the type-in line, and prior to receiving any input typed into the type-in line, obtaining and displaying a list of expected contacts based on a likelihood of selection criteria, each of the listed expected contacts being obtained from the at least one contact information directory; and

wherein the listed contacts are displayed with two visually distinct groupings of contacts, including a first grouping of contacts and a second grouping of contacts, and wherein the grouping of contacts determined to contain contacts that are the most likely to be selected contacts is displayed above the second grouping of contacts.

17. A computing system having a processor and one or more storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, are configured to implement a method for obtaining and displaying contact information, wherein the method includes:

detecting focus input directed at a type-in line that is displayed at a display device of a computing system, the type-in line being configured to receive desired contact information for enabling a desired function to be performed with the contact information, wherein the focus input comprises at least one of tabbing a prompt into the type-in line or hovering a pointer over the type-in line;

automatically in response to detecting the tabbing of the prompt into the type-in line or the hovering of the pointer over the type-in line, and prior to receiving any input typed into the type-in line, obtaining and displaying a list of expected contacts based on a likelihood of selection criteria, each of the listed expected contacts being obtained from the at least one contact information directory; and

wherein the list of expected contacts comprises a first list of expected contacts and wherein the method further comprises an act of automatically displaying a second list in response to receiving input selecting a first selected contact from the first list of expected contacts and wherein the second list comprises a plurality of contact information associated with the first selected contact and that is displayed with the first list.