Method and mobile device for facilitating contact from within a telephone application

• US 8,620,283 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2011
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lee, Matthew Richard, Scott, Sherryl Lee Lorraine, Marui, Keizo, Kuhl, Lawrence Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MONG-THUY THI
• Application Number:
  US13/198,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20110287814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 455/415, 455/564, 455/566, 345/156, 345/173, 345168-172
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2748 by matching character strings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

The described embodiments involve use of a mobile communication device in the context of facilitating contact from within a telephone application. The described embodiments are primarily concerned with enabling quick and efficient access to contact methods other than by telephone from within the telephone application. This is done by generating a contact list, which may have one or more contacts, using an integrated dialing field provided by the telephone application and then displaying all available contact types or methods available for contacting a particular contact selected from the list.

Claims

1. A method of initiating a communication with a contact on a mobile communication device, the method comprising:

receiving alphanumeric input in relation to an input field of an application where the alphanumeric input is one of ambiguous and unambiguous;

generating a list of contacts related to the alphanumeric input for display on a display of the mobile communication device;

determining a plurality of contact types available for a contact on the list of contacts based on stored contact information where more than one of the plurality of contact types is associated with a contact method other than telephone;

displaying the list of contacts including the contact with the plurality of contact types;

receiving a first selection input selecting the contact from the list of contacts;

displaying a plurality of contact type options corresponding to the plurality of contact types;

receiving a second selection input selecting a contact type option to initiate the communication; and

after receiving the second selection input;

determining whether the stored contact information comprises multiple entries for the contact type option identified by the second selection input;

if the stored contact information comprises multiple entries for the contact type option identified by the second selection input, displaying a selectable contact option associated with a same contact method other than telephone for each of the multiple entries; and

receiving a third selection input identifying one entry for the contact type option identified by the second selection input;

wherein the communication is initiated based on the third selection input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of contact type options corresponding to the plurality of contact types is displayed in a second window positioned atop a telephone application window on the display of the mobile communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of contact types comprises all of the contact types available for contacting the selected contact based on the stored contact information for the selected contact.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

launching a second application to initiate the communication in response to receiving the second selection input.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second application is launched while a telephone application window remains displayed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the display of the selectable contact option for the multiple entries is performed within a separate display window.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the display of the selectable contact option for each of the multiple entries is performed within a menu of selectable contact type options.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises retrieving the stored contact information from an address book.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the address book resides in a memory on the mobile communication device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating is performed in response to alphanumeric input received in relation to a dialing field of a telephone application.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating further comprises retrieving contact information from an address book.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of contact types is selected from the group consisting of:

an electronic mail contact type, a telephone contact type, a short messaging contact type and a multimedia messaging contact type.

13. A mobile communication device comprising a processor, a memory, and a display, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive alphanumeric input in relation to an input field of an application where the alphanumeric input is one of ambiguous and unambiguous;

generate a list of contacts related to the alphanumeric input for display on the display;

determine a plurality of contact types available for a contact on the list of contacts based on stored contact information where more than one of the plurality of contact types is associated with a contact method other than telephone;

display the list of contacts including the contact with the plurality of contact types;

receive a first selection input selecting the contact from the list of contacts;

display a plurality of contact type options corresponding to the plurality of contact types;

receive a second selection input selecting a contact type option to initiate a communication; and

after receiving the second selection input;

determine whether the stored contact information comprises multiple entries for the contact type option identified by the second selection input;

if the stored contact information comprises multiple entries for the contact type option identified by the second selection input, display a selectable contact option associated with a same contact method other than telephone for each of the multiple entries; and

receive third selection input identifying one entry for the contact type option identified by the second selection input;

wherein the communication is initiated based on the third selection input.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the plurality of contact type options corresponding to the plurality of contact types is displayed in a second window positioned atop a telephone application window on the display of the mobile communication device.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the plurality of contact types comprises all of the contact types available for contacting the selected contact based on the stored contact information for the selected contact.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

launch a second application to initiate the communication in response to receiving the second selection input.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the second application is launched while a telephone application window remains displayed.

18. The device of claim 13, wherein the display of the selectable contact option for the multiple entries is performed within a separate display window.

19. The device of claim 13, wherein the display of the selectable contact option for each of the multiple entries is performed within a menu of selectable contact type options.

20. The device of claim 13, wherein the stored contact information is retrieved from an address book when determining the plurality of contact types available.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the address book resides in the memory.

22. The device of claim 13, wherein the list of contacts is generated in response to alphanumeric input received in relation to a dialing field of a telephone application.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the processor is further configured to retrieve contact information from an address book when generating the list of contacts.

24. The device of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of contact types is selected from the group consisting of:

an electronic mail contact type, a telephone contact type, a short messaging contact type and a multimedia messaging contact type.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor of a mobile communication device, causes the processor to perform a method of initiating a communication with a contact on the mobile communication device, the method comprising:

receiving alphanumeric input in relation to an input field of an application where the alphanumeric input is one of ambiguous and unambiguous;

generating a list of contacts related to the alphanumeric input for display on a display of the mobile communication device;

determining a plurality of contact types available for a contact on the list of contacts based on stored contact information where more than one of the plurality of contact types is associated with a contact method other than telephone;

displaying the list of contacts including the contact with the plurality of contact types;

receiving a first selection input selecting the contact from the list of contacts;

displaying a plurality of contact type options corresponding to the plurality of contact types;

receiving a second selection input selecting a contact type option to initiate the communication; and

after receiving the second selection input;

determining whether the stored contact information comprises multiple entries for the contact type option identified by the second selection input;

if the stored contact information comprises multiple entries for the contact type option identified by the second selection input, displaying a selectable contact option associated with a same contact method other than telephone for each of the multiple entries; and

receiving a third selection input identifying one entry for the contact type option identified by the second selection input;

wherein the communication is initiated based on the third selection input.