Method of displaying contact information

• US 8,150,422 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chartoleaux KG LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Tepa Datasolutions Co LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Eldering, Charles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US11/624,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20080176585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/566, 455/456.2, 455/456.5
• US Class Current: 455/457
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A method of displaying contact information on a mobile device includes storing a plurality of contact records on a mobile device. At least one record contains information corresponding to the geographic location of at least one of the contacts. The geographic location of the mobile device is determined and compared with the geographic location of the contacts stored on the mobile device. The contacts are arranged based on the geographic proximity of the contact to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method of displaying contact information on a mobile device, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of contact records on a mobile device, wherein each of the plurality of contact records is associated with a contact and includes a name associated with the contact and contact information associated with the contact, wherein the plurality of the contact records comprises a first subset of contact records, and the contact information of each contact record included in the first subset of contact records includes geographic location information associated with the contact;

determining a geographic location of the mobile device;

comparing the geographic location of the mobile device to the geographic location of each of the contacts associated with the first subset of contact records;

identifying a second subset of the contact records that are to be always displayed independent of the geographic location of the mobile device when contact records are displayed on the mobile device; and

ordering the contact records on a display, such that the second subset of the contact records is displayed followed by the first subset of the contact records, the first subset of the contact records being displayed based on relative proximity of the contacts associated with the first subset of contact records to the geographic location of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the geographic location of the mobile device includes receiving a representation of the geographic location of the mobile device as determined by a global positioning system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving representations of the geographic location of each of the contacts associated with the first subset of contact records as determined by a global positioning system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the geographic location of the mobile device includes receiving a representation of the geographic location of the mobile device as determined by cell phone tower triangulation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving representations of the geographic location of each of the contacts associated with the first subset of contact records as determined by cell phone tower triangulation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the geographic location of each of the contacts associated with the first subset of contact records based on a zip code contained in the corresponding one of the first subset of the contact records.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the geographic location of each of the contacts associated with the first subset of contact records based on an area code and exchange contained in the corresponding one of the first subset of the contact records.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the geographic location of the mobile device includes determining the geographic location of the mobile device by input from a user.

9. A computer-implemented method of displaying contact information on a mobile device, the method comprising:

maintaining a plurality of contact records on a mobile device, wherein each of the plurality of contact records is associated with a contact and includes a name associated with the contact and contact information associated with the contact;

automatically determining the geographic location of the mobile device;

automatically determining respective geographic locations corresponding to contact records within a first subset of the plurality of contact records;

comparing the geographic location of the mobile device to the respective geographic locations corresponding to the contact records within the first subset of the plurality of contact records;

identifying a second subset of the plurality of contact records that are to be always displayed independent of the geographic location of the mobile device when contact records are displayed on the mobile device; and

displaying the plurality of contact records on the mobile device, wherein the order of display is arranged so that the second subset of the plurality of contact records is followed by the first subset of the plurality of contact records ordered based on the relative proximity of the geographic location of the mobile device to the respective geographic locations corresponding to the contact records of the first subset of the plurality of contact records.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the geographic location of the mobile device includes receiving a representation of the geographic location of the mobile device as determined by a global positioning system.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining respective geographic locations corresponding to the contact records within the first subset of the plurality of contact records includes receiving representations of the respective geographic locations corresponding to the contact records within the first subset of the plurality of contact records as determined by a global positioning system.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the geographic location of the mobile device includes receiving a representation of the geographic location of the mobile device as determined by cell phone tower triangulation.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein, determining respective geographic locations corresponding to the contact records within the first subset of the plurality of contact records includes receiving representations of the respective geographic locations corresponding to the contact records within the first subset of the plurality of contact records as determined by cell phone tower triangulation.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein determining respective geographic locations corresponding to the contact records within the first subset of the plurality of contact records includes receiving a representation of the geographic location corresponding to each contact record within the first subset of the plurality of contact records based on a zip code contained in each contact record within the first subset of the plurality of contact records.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein determining respective geographic locations corresponding to the contact records within the first subset of the plurality of contact records includes determining the geographic location corresponding to each contact record of the first subset of the plurality of contact records based on an area code and exchange contained each contact record of the first subset of the plurality of contact records.

16. A contact information display system for displaying information on a mobile device, the system comprising:

a storage device capable of storing a plurality of contact records, wherein each of the plurality of contact records is associated with a contact and includes a name associated with the contact and contact information associated with the contact, wherein the plurality of contact records comprises a first subset of the contact records having corresponding geographic locations and second subset of the contact records that are to be always displayed independently of the geographic location of the mobile device when contact records are displayed on the mobile device;

an information management module configured to determine the relative proximity of the mobile device to the geographic locations corresponding to the first subset of the contact records; and

a display module, configured to display the contact records in an order such that the second subset of the contact records is followed by the first subset of the contact records, the first subset of the contact records being displayed based on relative proximity of the geographic locations corresponding to the first subset of the contact records to the geographic location of the mobile device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the information management module is configured to determine the geographic locations corresponding to the first subset of the contact records via a global positioning system.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the information management module is configured to determine the geographic locations corresponding to the first subset of the contact records via a cell phone tower triangulation.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the information management module is configured to determine the geographic locations corresponding to the first subset of the contact records via a zip code.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the information management module is configured to determine the geographic locations corresponding to the first subset of the contact records via an area code and exchange.