Tracking contacts across multiple communications services

• US 9,338,241 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2013
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Prager, Scott H., Wanderski, Anuphinh Phimmasorn, Wilcox, Eric M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea, Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Wuji
• Application Number:
  US13/788,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20140258502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A method for tracking at least recent contacts and favorite contacts across multiple communications services may include collecting, by a processor, information associated with a plurality of contact interactions of a user from each of a set of different communications services utilized by the user. The method may also include storing, by a storage device, the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions. The method may additionally include analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions. The method may further include determining at least one of a list of most recent contacts and a list of favorite contacts from analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions.

Claims

1. A system for tracking at least recent contacts and favorite contacts across multiple communications services, the system comprising:

a processor;

a module operating on the processor, the module being configured to cause the processor to perform a set of functions comprising;

collecting information associated with a plurality of contact interactions of a user from each of a set of different communications services utilized by the user, the plurality of content interactions comprising a plurality of communications between the user and a multiplicity of other users over the set of different communications services;

storing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions on a storage device;

analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions;

determining at least one of a list of most recent contacts and a list of favorite contacts from analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions; and

displaying a graphical user interface showing a network of the user based on at least one of the list of most recent contacts and the list of favorite contacts, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a symbol identifying each of the multiplicity of other users, the symbol of a particular user of the multiplicity of other users being automatically set by the system to a first symbol comprising a first shape in response to the particular user being on the list of most recent contacts based on analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions, and the symbol of the particular user being automatically set by the system to a second symbol comprising a second shape different from the first shape in response to the particular user being on the list of favorite contacts based on analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interaction, wherein the network of the user comprises a hub and spoke configuration, each other user of the multiplicity of users being identified by the symbol at an end of the spoke opposite the hub based on the other user being on the list of most recent contacts, the list of favorite contacts, or the other user being on both the list of most recent contacts and the list of favorite contacts.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein collecting information associated with the plurality of contact interactions comprises collecting the information in response to one of each contact interaction, after a predetermined number of contact interactions, and after a preset time period.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising wherein the information associated with each contact interaction comprises at least information associated with the user and at least one contact associated with the contact interaction.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions is collected based on a predetermined criteria, the predetermined criteria being determined by one of a source of the information associated with the contact interactions or a system that analyzes the information associated with the contact interactions.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein collecting the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions comprises collecting the information in response to a message associated with the contact interaction being directly addressed to the user or directly addressed by the user to at least one other user, the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions comprising at least one of a username and identification of the user and the at least one other user.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions further comprises a time of the contact interaction, an initiator of the contact interaction, a type of contact interaction and identification of other participants in the contact interaction.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein collecting the information associated with the plurality of contact interactions comprises transmitting the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions to a second system that at least one of stores and analyzes the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions each time one of the plurality of contact interactions occurs.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein collecting the information associated with the plurality of contact interactions comprises transmitting the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions to a second system that at least one of stores and analyzes the information after each of a preset number of the plurality of contact interactions occurs.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein collecting the information associated with the plurality of contact interactions comprises transmitting the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions to a second system that at least one of stores and analyzes the information after expiration of a prescheduled time period.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein collecting the information associated with the plurality of contact interactions comprises transmitting the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions to a second system that at least one of stores and analyzes the information in response to a preset number of the plurality of contact interactions occurring before expiration of each prescheduled time period.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein collecting the information associated with the plurality of contact interactions comprises transmitting the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions to a second system that at least one of stores and analyzes the information in response to the second system requesting the information.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the list of favorite contacts comprises determining a number of contact interactions over a preset time period, a favorite contact exceeding a threshold number of contact interactions during the preset time period.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of functions further comprises re-determining the list of most recent contacts after expiration of a preset time period.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of functions further comprises displaying a possible contact from a partial query while the user is entering a contact using at least one of the list of most recent contacts and the list of favorite contacts.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of functions further comprises allowing filtering of the list of most recent contacts and the list of favorite contacts based on the communications service.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein allowing the filtering further comprises allowing a weighting to be assigned to each communications service.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein a numeral that corresponds to a number of contact interactions between the user and each of the multiplicity of other users is displayed in association with the symbol corresponding to each of the particular other users.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the symbol for the particular user is automatically set by the system to a third symbol comprising a third shape different from the first shape and the second shape in response to the particular user being on both the list of most recent contacts and the list of favorite contacts.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the symbol for each other user of the multiplicity of other users is sized based on the number of contact interactions between the user and each other user that corresponds to the symbol.

4. A computer program product for tracking at least recent contacts and favorite contacts across multiple communications services, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code being executable by a device to cause the device to perform a method comprising;

collecting information associated with a plurality of contact interactions of a user from each of a set of different communications services utilized by the user, the plurality of content interactions comprising a plurality of communications between the user and a multiplicity of other users over the set of different communications services;

storing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions;

analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions;

determining at least one of a list of most recent contacts and a list of favorite contacts from analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions; and

displaying a graphical user interface showing a network of the user based on at least one of the list of most recent contacts and the list of favorite contacts, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a symbol corresponding to each of the multiplicity of other users, the symbol of a particular user of the multiplicity of other users being automatically set by the system to a first symbol comprising a first shape in response to the particular user being on the list of most recent contacts based on analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions, and the symbol of the particular user being automatically set by the system to a second symbol comprising a second shape different from the first shape in response to the particular user being on the list of favorite contacts based on analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions, wherein the network of the user comprises a hub and spoke configuration, each other user of the multiplicity of users being identified by the symbol at an end of the spoke opposite the hub based on the other user being on the list of most recent contacts, the list of favorite contacts, or the other user being on both the list of most recent contacts and the list of favorite contacts.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises collecting the information in response to one of each contact interaction, after a predetermined number of contact interactions, and after a preset time period.

21. A system for tracking at least recent contacts and favorite contacts across multiple communications services, the system comprising:

a processor;

a module operating on the processor, the module being configured to perform a set of functions comprising;

collecting information associated with a plurality of contact interactions of a user from each of a set of different communications services utilized by the user, the plurality of content interactions comprising a plurality of communications between the user and a multiplicity of other users over the set of different communications services;

storing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions on a storage device;

analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions;

determining at least one of a list of most recent contacts and a list of favorite contacts from analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions; and

displaying a graphical user interface showing a network of the user based on at least one of the list of most recent contacts and the list of favorite contacts, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a symbol identifying each of the multiplicity of other users, the symbol of a particular user of the multiplicity of other users being automatically set by the system to a first symbol comprising a first shape in response to the particular user being on the list of most recent contacts based on analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions, the symbol of the particular user being automatically set by the system to a second symbol comprising a second shape different from the first shape in response to the particular user being on the list of favorite contacts based on analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interaction, and the symbol for the particular user being automatically set by the system to a third symbol comprising a third shape different from the first shape and the second shape in response to the particular user being on both the list of most recent contacts and the list of favorite contacts, wherein the network of the user comprises a hub and spoke configuration, each other user of the multiplicity of other users being identified within one of the first symbol, the second symbol and the third symbol at an end of the spoke opposite the hub based on the other user being on the list of most recent contacts, the list of favorite contacts or the other user being on both the list of most recent contacts and the list of favorite contacts, the symbol being automatically set in response to which list the other user is on.