User association of a computing application with a contact in a contact list

• US 8,463,831 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Checkfree Services Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Checkfree Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Harris, Mark T., Dreyer, Hans D., Hobday, Donald Kenneth Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): BURKE, JEFF A
• Application Number:
  US12/164,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20080263069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705, 707/899, 707/944, 707950-951, 705 39- 40
• US Class Current: 707/899
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Methods and systems may be provided for user association of a computing application with a contact in a contact list. A view of one or more contacts of the user may be transmitted to a user, the view including a first contact. A request may be received from the user to associate an application with the first contact. A revised view may be transmitted to the user responsive to the received request, the revised view including a user-selectable mechanism for invoking the application on the first contact. The user may be redirected to a user interface of the application subsequent to the user selecting the user-selectable mechanism associated with the contact in the revised view, and the redirection may include transmission of information associated with the user and information associated with the first contact.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a contact management system comprising one or more computers via a network for presentation to a user, a representation of one or more contacts associated with the user, wherein the one or more contacts comprise a first contact;

receiving, by the contact management system on behalf of the user via the network, a request to associate an application with the first contact, wherein the application is not associated with the first contact prior to receipt of the request; and

transmitting, by the contact management system via the network for presentation to the user and responsive to receiving the request, a revised representation of the one or more contacts, wherein the revised representation comprises a user-selectable mechanism for invoking the application in association with the first contact,

wherein a content presentation application presenting the revised representation is redirected, responsive to selection of the user-selectable mechanism, from the contact management system to a user interface associated with the application, wherein the user interface is hosted by a second system that is different from the contact management system, and wherein the redirection includes transmission of information associated with the user and information associated with the first contact from the contact management system to the second system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the representation or the revised representation comprises a respective at least one of:

(i) a name, (ii) a company, (iii) primary contact information, or (iv) a category, associated with each of the one or more contacts.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein an entity different from the contact management system stores information associated with the one or more contacts.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is selected from a closed list of available applications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is an electronic billing and payment (EBP) application that supports at least one of:

(i) electronic payment functionality, (ii) electronic bill presentment functionality, (iii) electronic bill issuance functionality, or (iv) functionality for presenting financial transaction information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the application determines that the information associated with the user and the information associated with the first contact are insufficient to fulfill a transaction associated with one or more types of desired functionality, and

wherein the application obtains further information from one of:

(i) the user or (ii) another source.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the application determines that the information associated with the user and the information associated with the first contact are insufficient after determining that the first contact has not yet been activated by the user for the one or more types of desired functionality.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-selectable mechanism comprises one of:

(i) an icon, (ii) a link, or (iii) an item included in a displayed set of selectable options.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more contacts is a plurality of contacts that further comprises a second contact, the application is a first application, and the revised representation comprises a second user-selectable mechanism for invoking a second application in association with the second contact, and

wherein the content presentation application presenting the revised representation is redirected, responsive to selection of the second user-selectable mechanism, from the contact management system to a user interface associated with the second application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is a first application, and wherein selection of the user-selectable mechanism associated with the first contact invokes a second application that invokes the first application based at least in part on at least a portion of the information associated with the first contact.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface associated with the application comprises one or more fields populated with at least one of:

i) at least a portion of the information associated with the user or ii) at least a portion of the information associated with the first contact.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the first contact comprises at least one of:

(i) a contact identifier, (ii) a contact name, (iii) an address, (iv) an email identifier, (v) an account number, or (vi) a phone number.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is a first request, further comprising:

receiving, by the contact management system on behalf of the user, a second request to invoke the application based at least in part on selection of the user-selectable mechanism associated with the first contact,

wherein the content presentation application presenting the revised representation is redirected to the user interface associated with the application responsive to receiving the second request.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the contact management system and based at least in part on transmission from the application, one or more updated or new values associated with the first contact; and

directing, by the contact management system, storage of the one or more updated or new values in association with the first contact.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more updated or new values comprise one or more hidden values that are not presented to the user.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein selection of the user-selectable mechanism is a first selection,

wherein the redirection is a first redirection,

wherein a second selection of the user-selectable mechanism facilitates a second redirection of the user application presenting the revised representation to the user interface associated with the application, the second selection occurring subsequent to receiving the one or more updated or new values, and

wherein the second redirection includes transmission of at least a portion of the one or more updated or new values associated with the first contact.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the application obtains further information associated with the first contact from an entity storing information associated with the one or more contacts based at least in part on at least one of:

i) at least a portion of the information associated with the user or ii) at least a portion of the information associated with the first contact.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the content presentation application comprises a Web browser.

19. A system, comprising:

one or more communications interfaces operable to;

(i) to transmit, via a network for presentation to a user, a representation of one or more contacts associated with the user, wherein the one or more contacts comprise a first contact,

(ii) to receive, on behalf of the user via the network, a request to associate an application with the first contact, wherein the application is not associated with the first contact prior to receipt of the request, and

(iii) to transmit, via the network for presentation to the user and responsive to the received request, a revised representation comprising a user-selectable mechanism for invoking the application in association with the first contact,

wherein a content presentation application presenting the revised representation is redirected, responsive to selection of the user-selectable mechanism, to a user interface associated with the application, wherein the user interface is hosted by a second system that is different from the system, and wherein the redirection includes transmission of information associated with the user and information associated with the first contact to the second system; and

one or more processors operable to;

(i) direct the communications interface to transmit the representation of the one or more contacts, and

(ii) direct the communications interface to transmit the revised representation responsive to the received request.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of the representation or the revised representation comprises a respective at least one of:

(i) a name, (ii) a company, (iii) primary contact information, or (iv) a category, associated with each of the one or more contacts.

21. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

at least one memory operable to store information associated with the one or more contacts and information associated with one or more applications associated with the one or more contacts.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more communications interfaces and the one or more processors are associated with a first entity and the at least one memory is associated with a second entity.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the application is selected from a closed list of available applications.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the application is an electronic billing and payment (EBP) application that supports at least one of:

(i) electronic payment functionality, (ii) electronic bill presentment functionality, (iii) electronic bill issuance functionality, and (iv) functionality for presenting financial transaction information.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the application determines that the information associated with the user and the information associated with the first contact are insufficient to fulfill a transaction associated with one or more types of desired functionality, and wherein the application obtains further information from one of:

(i) the user or (ii) another source.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the application determines that the information associated with the user and the information associated with the first contact are insufficient based at least in part on determining that the first contact has not yet been activated by the user for the one of the one or more types of desired functionality.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the user-selectable mechanism comprises one of:

(i) an icon, (ii) a link, or (iii) an item included in a displayed set of selectable options.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more contacts is a plurality of contacts that further comprises a second contact, the application is a first application, and the revised representation comprises a second user-selectable mechanism for invoking a second application in association with the second contact, and

wherein the content presentation application presenting the revised representation is redirected, responsive to selection of the second user-selectable mechanism, to a user interface associated with the second application.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein the application is a first application, and

wherein selection of the user-selectable mechanism associated with the first contact invokes a second application that invokes the first application based at least in part on at least a portion of the information associated with the first contact.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface associated with the application comprises one or more fields populated with at least one of:

i) at least a portion of the information associated with the user or ii) at least a portion of the information associated with the first contact.

31. The system of claim 19, wherein the information associated with the first contact comprises at least one of:

(i) a contact identifier, (ii) a contact name, (iii) an address, (iv) an email identifier, (v) an account number, or (vi) a phone number.

32. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the request is a first request,

the one or more communications interfaces are further operable to receive, on behalf of the user, a second request to invoke the application based at least in part on selection of the user-selectable mechanism associated with the first contact, and

wherein the one or more processors are further operable to redirect the content presentation application presenting the revised representation to the user interface associated with the application responsive to receipt of the second request.

33. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the one or more communications interfaces are further operable to receive, based at least in part on transmission from the application, one or more updated or new values associated with the first contact, and

the one or more processors are further operable to direct storage of the one or more updated or new values in at least one memory in association with the first contact.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the one or more updated or new values comprise one or more hidden values that are not presented to the user.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein:

the selection of the user-selectable mechanism is a first selection,

the redirection is a first redirection,

a second selection of the user-selectable mechanism facilitates a second redirection of the user application presenting the revised representation to the user interface associated with the application, the second selection occurring subsequent to receipt of the one or more updated or new values, and

the second redirection includes transmission of at least a portion of the one or more updated or new values associated with the first contact.

36. The system of claim 19, wherein the application obtains further information associated with the first contact from an entity storing information associated with the one or more contacts based at least in part on at least one of:

i) at least a portion of the information associated with the user or ii) at least a portion of the information associated with the first contact.

37. The system of claim 19, wherein the content presentation application comprises a Web browser.

38. A system, comprising:

means for transmitting, via a network for presentation to a user, a representation of one or more contacts associated with the user, wherein the one or more contacts comprise a first contact;

means for receiving, on behalf of the user via the network, a request to associate an application with the first contact, wherein the application is not associated with the first contact prior to receipt of the request; and

means for transmitting, via the network for presentation to the user and responsive to receipt of the request, a revised representation of the one or more contacts, wherein the revised representation comprises a user-selectable mechanism for invoking the application in association with the first contact,

wherein a content presentation application presenting the revised representation is redirected, responsive to selection of the user-selectable mechanism, to a user interface associated with the application, wherein the user interface is hosted by an external system, and wherein the redirection includes transmission of information associated with the user and information associated with the first contact to the external system.