Method and system to provide contextual, intelligent address book listings

• US 7,822,754 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2006
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhogal, Kulvir S., Boss, Gregory J., Polozoff, Alexandre, Hamilton, Rick A. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURKE, JEFF A
• Application Number:
  US11/461,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20080033946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 707/7, 707/736, 707/748, 707/752, 715/739, 455/418, 455/466
• US Class Current: 707/752
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use

Abstract

A system and method of providing address book listings. The system and method includes determining a weight of each identifier in an address book and sorting each identifier in a descending order or ascending order according to the determined weight. The list is provided to a user based on the sorting of each identifier.

Claims

1. A method of providing address book listings on a user device utilizing hardware in combination with a computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having readable program code embodied in the storage medium, the method comprising:

determining a weight of each identifier in an address book;

sorting the each identifier in a descending order or ascending order according to the determined weight;

determining whether the user wishes to implement a most frequently accessed (MFA) scenario and, if so, providing an MFA list from a database to a user on the user device based on the sorting of each identifier;

tabulating a contextual access weight and determining a master weight based on frequency of context;

calculating another weight based on an association between a selected recipient and other recipients which were previously sent the same type of communication;

separately maintaining, from a listing of names previously accessed, the MFA list in the user device; and

modifying a weight of an identifier on the MFA list,

wherein the determining assigns the weights based on frequency of sending, and

wherein the sorting and the determining whether the user wishes to implement the MFA scenario includes, allowing the user to select a mode on the user device and, after the user selects the mode, sorting recipients for the selected mode using the MFA scenario.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the weight of each identifier is calculated based on a frequency of past requests for each identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the weight of each identifier over a predetermined period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the weight of each identifier is determined separately for one or a combination of modes, and changes dynamically over a period of time, regardless of a requested action.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the modes are at least sending of email, Short Message Servicing (SMS), telephone calls and transmission of attachments.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of claim 1 are provided by a service provider on at least one of a subscription, advertising and fee basis.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the service provider at least one of creates, maintains and supports a computer infrastructure that performs the steps of claim 6.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the weight of each identifier is based on frequency of previous accesses of the identifier and modified by associations with other associated identifiers via the calculating of the other weight.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the weight of each identifier is a moving weight.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sorting is tabulated.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising reordering the listings in the address book according to the weight of each identifier based on at least MFA listings during a predetermined time period.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the weight of each identifier based on separate predetermined criteria.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the weight of each identifier is calculated based on a combination of a frequency of previous requests and a requested action type.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the weight of each identifier is modified for a particular action type.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein an identifier or identifiers are automatically added to a send field based on a given weight.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the master weight is tabulated based on frequency of context, association and frequency of past requests.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the master weight is calculated using an additive process.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is a person'"'"'s identification.

19. A method of providing address book listings on a user device, the method comprising:

managing an address book by assigning weights to listings in the address book based on predetermined criteria;

providing a list of the listings in a sorted order based on the assigned weights, independent of an alphanumerical ordering;

calculating another weight based on an association between a selected individual and other individuals which were previously sent the same type of communication;

tabulating a contextual access weight; and

determining a master weight based on frequency of context,

wherein the weights are assigned based on frequency of sending,

wherein a computer infrastructure of a service provider performs the steps of managing, providing, calculating, tabulating and determining for a customer having the user device, and

further comprising allowing a user to select a mode on the user device and, after the user selects the mode, sorting recipients for the selected mode using a most frequently accessed (MFA) scenario.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the assigning is based on frequency of times the listings are accessed over a period of time.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the assigned weights are modified based on an action type.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the assigned weights are modified based on access by association via the calculating of the other weight.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising charging a fee for providing the steps of claim 19.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the steps of claim 19 are provided in software or hardware by a service provider on a subscription or fee basis.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the assigned weights are maintained separately for separate action types.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the assigned weights are moving weights over a predetermined period of time and change dynamically.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one assigned weight increases based on a number of times the listing was previously accessed.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein a most heavily weighted listing is automatically provided in a send field.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein further listings are provided to the user based on past associations of a selected listing.

30. The method of claim 19, further comprising at least one additional associated listing resulting from the calculating of the other weight when a user selects a listing from the address book.

31. A system of providing address book listings on a user device comprising hardware having a server having a database containing data associated with one or more address books, and at least one of a hardware and software component for assigning weights to listings in the address book based on at least one of:

frequency of past requests, access by association and action type, providing the weighted listings in a sorted order, independent of an alphanumerical sort order, and calculating another weight based on an association between a selected recipient and other recipients which were previously sent the same type of communication, wherein the weights are assigned based on frequency of sending, and wherein the system tabulates a contextual access weight and determines a master weight based on frequency of context, and wherein a computer infrastructure of a service provider performs the assigning, providing and calculating for a customer having the user device, and further comprising allowing a user to select a mode on the user device and, after the user selects the mode, sorting recipients for the selected mode using a most frequently accessed (MFA) scenario.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising at least one of a hardware and software component for modifying the assigned weights based on a scheme.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one of a hardware and software component resides on a server provided by a service provider.

34. The system of claim 31, further comprising at least one of a hardware and software component for automatically providing in a sending field a listing which is most heavily weighted.

35. The system of claim 31, further comprising at least one of a hardware and software component which automatically updates the assigned weights based on predetermined time periods, regardless of access.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the assigned weights are determined separately for one or a combination of action types, and changes dynamically over a period of time, regardless of a requested action.

37. The system of claim 31, wherein the hardware comprises a device having a keyboard or keypad.

38. A cell phone comprising hardware in combination with a computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer program product includes at least one component to:

assign a weight of each listed recipient in an address book;

sort the each listed recipient according to the assigned weight into a user format;

provide a sorted user format to a user,

tabulate a contextual access weight and determine a master weight based on frequency of context; and

calculate another weight based on an association between a selected recipient and other recipients which were previously sent the same type of communication,

wherein the weights are assigned based on frequency of sending,

wherein a computer infrastructure of a service provider performs the steps of assign, sort, provide, tabulate and calculate for a customer having the cell phone and receives payment for performing said steps from a sale of advertising content, and

wherein, after it is determined that the user desires to implement a most frequently accessed (MFA) scenario, the computer program product includes at least one component to allow the user to select a mode and, after the user selects the mode, sort recipients for the selected mode using the MFA scenario.

40. The product of claim 38 in combination with a device having a keyboard or keypad.

39. A process for integrating computing infrastructure, comprising integrating computer-readable code into a computer system, wherein the computer system comprises a computer usable storage medium, wherein the code in combination with the computer system is capable of performing a method on a user device comprising:

determining a weight of each identifier in an address book;

sorting the each identifier in a descending order or ascending order according to the determined weight, independent of an alphanumerical sorting;

providing a list to a user on a device having a keyboard or keypad based on the sorting of each identifier;

tabulating a contextual access weight and determining a master weight based on frequency of context;

calculating another weight based on an association between a selected recipient and other recipients which were previously sent the same type of communication; and

separately maintaining, from a listing of names previously accessed, a most frequently accessed (MFA) list in the user device for each of the following modes;

telephone calls;

emails; and

short message servicing (SMS) messages,

wherein the determining assigns the weights based on frequency of sending, and

wherein each separately maintained MFA list for the telephone calls, the emails and the SMS messages is automatically and dynamically changed, and further comprising;

determining whether the user wishes to implement an MFA scenario, and, after it is determined that the user desires to implement the MFA scenario, allowing the user to select the mode on the user device and, after the user selects the mode, sorting recipients for the selected mode using the MFA scenario.