Method and device for searching for contact object, and storage medium

• US 9,996,586 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2014
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Shenzhen Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Shenzhen Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Chen, Xiaobo, Li, Bin
• Primary Examiner(s): Gebresenbet, Dinku
• Application Number:
  US14/440,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20150293975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24528 Standardisation; Simplification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/332 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90344 by using string matching techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90348 by searching ordered data, e.g. alpha-numerically ordered data

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the searching technology field, and discloses a method and a device for searching a contact object, and a storage medium. The method comprises: normalizing a content of a contact field; receiving an input string for contact object searching, wherein the input string comprises any character or a combination of characters; normalizing the input string; searching in the normalized content of the contact field according to the normalized input string to obtain a matching field; and acquiring information of a contact object containing the matching field as a contact searching result. The device comprises a preprocessing module, a receiving module, an input processing module, a searching module and an acquiring module.

Claims

1. A method for searching for a contact object, comprising:

normalizing, by a terminal comprising at least a processor and a memory, contents of contact fields contained in contact objects stored in the memory of the terminal;

receiving an input string for contact object searching from a user interface displayed by the terminal;

normalizing the input string;

searching in the normalized contents of the contact fields according to the normalized input string, to obtain a matching field;

acquiring information of a contact object containing the matching field as a contact searching result; and

displaying, by the processor, the input string and the contact searching result on the user interface;

wherein normalizing contents of contact fields further comprises;

for a first contact field,

obtaining a first string corresponding to a content of the first contact field, the first string being formed by characters contained in a full keyboard, wherein the first string includes multiple alphabet characters;

obtaining a second string corresponding to the same content of the first contact field by mapping alphabet characters in the first string to digits according to a designated mapping relation, wherein the designated mapping relation assigns each alphabet character with a single corresponding digit the second string includes multiple digits corresponding to the multiple alphabet characters; and

when the first string further includes a non-alphabet character, the non-alphabet character is unchanged in the second string; and

incorporating both the first string and the second string into the normalized contents of the contact fields as corresponding strings for the first contact field,

wherein searching in the normalized contents of the contact fields according to the normalized input string further comprises;

respectively matching the first string and the second string with the normalized input string; and

when either one of the first string or the second string matches with the normalized input string, determining the first content field as the matching field, such that the first content field can be matched regardless of whether a user input is a digit combination or an alphabet combination.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the searching in the normalized contents of the contact fields according to the normalized input string to obtain a matching field comprises:

searching throughout the normalized contents of the contact fields by using the normalized input string as an index, to find a matching field that conforms to a preset match rule;

wherein, the preset match rule includes at least one of a continuous match rule and a non-continuous match rule, and the non-continuous match rule includes a rule for matching the normalized input string with leading-alphabets of character sets in the first string, the character sets being separated by one or more spaces.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, after acquiring information of a contact object containing the matching field as a contact searching result, the method further comprises:

calculating a matching degree between each contact object in the contact searching result and the input string according to related information of the matching field, if the contact searching result includes a plurality of contact objects; and

sorting the contact objects in the contact searching result according to the calculated matching degrees, and displaying the information of the sorted contact objects.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein calculating a matching degree between each contact object in the contact searching result and the input string according to the related information of the matching field comprises:

acquiring the matching field of each contact object in the contact searching result, and acquiring parameters including at least one of a matching location, a matching length and a match rule of the matching field;

determining a corresponding weighting factor for each parameter acquired; and

calculating a matching degree between the contact object and the input string according to the parameter acquired and the corresponding weighting factor.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, normalizing the input string comprises:

when the input string contains a first non-English character, converting the first non-English character into a corresponding first character set, the first character set being formed by one or more characters contained in the full keyboard;

when the first non-English character has a first adjacent character, inserting a first space between the first character set and the first adjacent character; and

obtaining the normalized input string after converting the first non-English character and inserting the first space.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining the first string further comprises:

when the contact field contains a second non-English character, converting the second non-English character into a corresponding second character set, the second character set being formed by one or more characters contained in the full keyboard;

when the second non-English character has a second adjacent character, inserting a second space between the second character set and the second adjacent character; and

obtaining the first string after converting the second non-English character and inserting the second space for the content of the contact field.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying content of the matching field on the user interface,

when the matching field is obtained due to the normalized input string containing one or more matched character same as the first string of the matching field and when the first string includes a character set converted from a non-English character, displaying the first string associated with the matched field on the user interface, the one or more matched character in the first string being displayed in a highlighted format.

8. A device for searching for a contact object, comprising:

a processor, a memory storing program modules to be executed by the processor, the program modules comprising;

a preprocessing module, configured to normalize contents of contact fields contained in contact objects stored in the memory;

a receiving module, configured to receive an input string for contact object searching from a user interface displayed by the device;

an input processing module, configured to normalize the input string;

a searching module, configured to search in the normalized contents of the contact fields according to the normalized input string, to obtain a matching field; and

an acquiring module, configured to acquire information of a contact object containing the matching field as a contact searching result, and display the input string and the contact searching result on the user interface;

wherein normalizing contents of contact fields further comprises;

for a first contact field,

obtaining a first string corresponding to a content of the first contact field, the first string being formed by characters contained in a full keyboard, wherein the first string includes multiple alphabet characters;

obtaining a second string corresponding to the same content of the first contact field by mapping alphabet characters in the first string to digits according to a designated mapping relation, wherein the designated mapping relation assigns each alphabet character with a single corresponding digit;

the second string includes multiple digits corresponding to the multiple alphabet characters; and

when the first string further includes a non-alphabet character, the non-alphabet character is unchanged in the second string; and

incorporating both the first string and the second string into the normalized contents of the contact fields as corresponding strings for the first contact field,

wherein searching in the normalized contents of the contact fields according to the normalized input string further comprises;

respectively matching the first string and the second string with the normalized input string; and

when either one of the first string or the second string matches with the normalized input string, determining the first content field as the matching field, such that the first content field can be matched regardless of whether a user input is a digit combination or an alphabet combination.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein, the searching module is configured to:

search throughout the normalized contents of the contact fields by using the normalized input string as an index, to find a matching field that conforms to a preset match rule;

wherein, the preset match rule includes at least one of a continuous match rule and a non-continuous match rule, and the non-continuous match rule includes a rule for matching the normalized input string with leading-alphabets of character sets in the first string, the character sets being separated by one or more spaces.

10. The device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a sorting module, configured to calculate a matching degree between each contact object in the contact searching result and the input string according to the related information of the matching field, and sort the contact objects in the contact searching result according to the calculated matching degrees, if the contact searching result includes a plurality of contact objects, after the acquiring module acquires the contact searching result; and

a displaying module, configured to display the information of the contact objects sorted by the sorting module.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein, the sorting module is configured to:

acquire the matching field of each contact object in the contact searching result, and acquire parameters including at least one of a matching location, a matching length and a match rule of the matching field;

determine a corresponding weighting factor for each parameter acquired; and

calculate a matching degree between the contact object and the input string according to the parameter acquired and the corresponding weighting factor.

12. The device according to claim 8, wherein, the input processing module is configured to:

when the input string contains a first non-English character, convert the first non-English character into a corresponding first character set, the first character set being formed by one or more characters contained in the full keyboard;

when the first non-English character has a first adjacent character, insert a first space between the first character set and the first adjacent character; and

obtain the normalized input string after converting the first non-English character and inserting the first space.

13. A non-transitory storage medium containing computer-executable instructions adapted to perform a method for searching for a contact object, wherein the method comprises:

normalizing, by a terminal comprising at least a processor and a memory, contents of contact fields contained in contact objects stored in the memory of the terminal;

receiving an input string for contact object searching from a user interface displayed by the terminal;

normalizing the input string;

searching in the normalized contents of the contact fields according to the normalized input string, to obtain a matching field;

acquiring information of a contact object containing the matching field as a contact searching result; and

displaying, by the processor, the input string and the contact searching result on the user interface;

wherein normalizing contents of contact fields further comprises;

for a first contact field,

obtaining a first string corresponding to a content of the first contact field, the first string being formed by characters contained in a full keyboard wherein the first string includes multiple alphabet characters;

obtaining a second string corresponding to the same content of the first contact field by mapping alphabet characters in the first string to digits according to a designated mapping relation, wherein the designated mapping relation assigns each alphabet character with a single corresponding digit;

the second string includes multiple digits corresponding to the multiple alphabet characters; and

when the first string further includes a non-alphabet character, the non-alphabet character is unchanged in the second string; and

incorporating both the first string and the second string into the normalized contents of the contact fields as corresponding strings for the first contact field,

wherein searching in the normalized contents of the contact fields according to the normalized input string further comprises;

respectively matching the first string and the second string with the normalized input string; and

when either one of the first string or the second string matches with the normalized input string, determining the first content field as the matching field, such that the first content field can be matched regardless of whether a user input is a digit combination or an alphabet combination.

14. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13, wherein, the searching in the normalized contents of the contact fields according to the normalized input string to obtain a matching field comprises:

searching throughout the normalized contents of the contact fields by using the normalized input string as an index, to find a matching field that conforms to a preset match rule;

wherein, the preset match rule includes at least one of a continuous match rule and a non-continuous match rule, and the non-continuous match rule includes a rule for matching the normalized input string with leading-alphabets of character sets in the first string, the character sets being separated by one or more spaces.

15. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13, wherein, after acquiring information of a contact object containing the matching field as a contact searching result, the method further comprises:

calculating a matching degree between each contact object in the contact searching result and the input string according to related information of the matching field, if the contact searching result includes a plurality of contact objects; and

sorting the contact objects in the contact searching result according to the calculated matching degrees, and displaying the information of the sorted contact objects.

16. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 15, wherein calculating a matching degree between each contact object in the contact searching result and the input string according to the related information of the matching field comprises:

acquiring the matching field of each contact object in the contact searching result, and acquiring parameters including at least one of a matching location, a matching length and a match rule of the matching field;

determining a corresponding weighting factor for each parameter acquired; and

calculating a matching degree between the contact object and the input string according to the parameter acquired and the corresponding weighting factor.

17. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13, wherein, normalizing the input string comprises:

when the input string contains a first non-English character, converting the first non-English character into a corresponding first character set, the first character set being formed by one or more characters contained in the full keyboard;

when the first non-English character has a first adjacent character, inserting a first space between the first character set and the first adjacent character; and

obtaining the normalized input string after converting the first non-English character and inserting the first space.