Presenting favorite contacts information to a user of a computing device

• US 10,078,819 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2012
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Bonforte, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/528,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20120331418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,281 Days
• Field of Search: 715716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Systems and methods to present information to a user regarding favorite contacts of the user. In one embodiment, a method includes: storing a plurality of person profiles for persons referenced in communications received by a user of a computing device; selecting, using at least one processor, a set of contacts from the plurality of person profiles based on a relevancy ranking, wherein the set of contacts is selected for display to the user on the computing device; and organizing, using the at least one processor, the set of contacts into at least two time groups, each time group associated with a different time period, wherein contacts will be displayed to the user within each time group based on a relevancy ranking for each contact within the time group.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in response to receiving first communications from persons other than a user of a mobile device, extracting information from each communication of the first communications, wherein each of the first communications is addressed to the user;

storing a plurality of person profiles for the persons, wherein each profile of the person profiles includes information extracted from at least one of the first communications, and further includes data associated with prior activities of the user on the mobile device when interacting with a person corresponding to the profile;

searching, for each person profile, using the respective information extracted from the first communications as search criteria to provide a respective search result;

extracting, for each person profile, respective social information from at least one social network;

adding the respective search result and respective social information to each person profile;

determining a relevancy ranking for each of the persons using the plurality of person profiles, the relevancy ranking determined based on the extracted information and the data associated with the prior activities of the user;

selecting, using at least one processor, a first set of contacts from the plurality of person profiles for a first time group and a second set of contacts for a second time group, wherein the first time group is for a different time period than the second time group, each contact of the first set of contacts corresponds to a different one of the persons, and each contact of the second set of contacts corresponds to a different one of the persons;

organizing, using the at least one processor, each of the first and second sets of contacts in a respective ranked order for display to the user based on the relevancy ranking, the first and second sets simultaneously displayed on a same screen of a user interface, wherein a first ranked order of the first set of contacts as displayed to the user is different than a second ranked order of the second set of contacts as displayed to the user, wherein the first set of contacts is ranked based on first criteria comprising the respective social information for each person profile, wherein the second set of contacts is ranked based on second criteria comprising the respective search result for each person profile, and wherein the first criteria and second criteria are different; and

in response to a selection of a first contact from the first set of contacts, the selection made by the user in the same screen of the user interface, causing display of a list of persons that the user and the first contact have in common, wherein the list of persons is ranked in an order based on the relevancy ranking, and further causing display of multiple options for communicating with the first contact, each of the options ranked in order based on frequency of use in prior communications between the user and the first contact.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the first and second sets of contacts to the mobile device for display.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting, on the same screen using a display of the mobile device, the first and second sets of contacts to the user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the presenting comprises displaying each of the first and second sets of contacts in a respective horizontal row for viewing on the same screen by the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a touch screen interface displays the same screen, the method further comprising enabling the user to scroll contacts in the respective horizontal row in a left or right direction using the touch screen interface.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising de-duping the first and second sets of contacts prior to the display to the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first communications is a text message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein information extracted from the first communications comprises information extracted from a document received from a person other than the user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing an additional plurality of person profiles, the additional plurality associated with an additional user, wherein each profile of the additional plurality of person profiles includes information extracted from at least one of second communications addressed to the additional user, and further includes data associated with prior activities of the additional user on a different mobile device when interacting with a person corresponding to the profile.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions, which when executed, cause a computing apparatus to:

in response to receiving communications from persons other than a user of a mobile device, extract information from each communication of the communications, wherein each of the communications is addressed to the user;

store a plurality of person profiles, wherein each profile of the person profiles includes information extracted from at least one of the communications, and further includes data associated with prior activities of the user on the mobile device;

search, for each person profile, using the respective information extracted from the communications as search criteria to provide a respective search result;

extract, for each person profile, respective social information from at least one social network;

add the respective search result and respective social information to each person profile;

determine a relevancy ranking for each of the persons using the plurality of person profiles;

select, using at least one processor, a first set of contacts from the plurality of person profiles for a first time group and a second set of contacts for a second time group, wherein the first time group is for a different time period than the second time group, each contact of the first set of contacts corresponds to a different one of the persons, and each contact of the second set of contacts corresponds to a different one of the persons;

organize, using the at least one processor, the first and second sets of contacts in a respective ranked order for display to the user based on the relevancy ranking, the first and second sets simultaneously displayed on a same screen of a user interface, wherein a first ranked order of the first set of contacts as displayed to the user is different than a second ranked order of the second set of contacts as displayed to the user, wherein the first set of contacts is ranked based on first criteria comprising the respective social information for each person profile, wherein the second set of contacts is ranked based on second criteria comprising the respective search result for each person profile, and wherein the first criteria and second criteria are different; and

in response to a selection of a first contact from the first set of contacts, the selection made by the user in the same screen of the user interface, cause display of a list of persons that the user and the first contact have in common, wherein the list of persons is ranked in an order based on the relevancy ranking, and further cause display of multiple options for communicating with the first contact, each of the options ranked in order based on frequency of use in prior communications between the user and the first contact.

11. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the computing apparatus to send the first and second sets of contacts to the mobile device for display on the same screen.

12. A system, comprising:

a display;

at least one processor; and

memory storing instructions configured to instruct the at least one processor to;

in response to receiving communications from persons other than a user, extract information from each communication of the communications, wherein each of the communications is addressed to the user;

store a plurality of person profiles for the persons, wherein each profile of the person profiles includes information extracted from at least one of the communications, and further includes data associated with prior activities of the user when interacting with a person corresponding to the profile;

search, for each person profile, using the respective information extracted from the communications as search criteria to provide a respective search result;

extract, for each person profile, respective social information from at least one social network;

add the respective search result and respective social information to each person profile;

determine a relevancy ranking for each of the persons using the plurality of person profiles, the relevancy ranking determined based on the extracted information and the data associated with the prior activities of the user;

select a first set of contacts from the plurality of person profiles for a first time group and a second set of contacts for a second time group, wherein the first time group is for a different time period than the second time group, each contact of the first set of contacts corresponds to a different one of the persons;

organize each of the first and second sets of contacts in a respective ranked order for display to the user based on the relevancy ranking, the first and second sets simultaneously displayed on a same screen, wherein a first ranked order of the first set of contacts as displayed to the user is different than a second ranked order of the second set of contacts as displayed to the user, wherein the first set of contacts is ranked based on first criteria comprising the respective social information for each person profile, wherein the second set of contacts is ranked based on second criteria comprising the respective search result for each person profile, and wherein the first criteria and second criteria are different;

present, using the display, the first and second sets of contacts to the user; and

in response to receiving a predefined user interface action from the user to select a contact from the first set of contacts, the user interface action made in the same screen, present to the user on the display a list of contacts most closely-associated with the selected contact, wherein the list of contacts is selected from the plurality of person profiles, and the most closely-associated contacts are determined using the relevancy ranking, and further present to the user on the display multiple options for communicating with the selected contact, each of the options ranked in order based on frequency of use in prior communications between the user and the selected contact.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the presenting comprises displaying each of the first and second sets of contacts in a respective horizontal row for viewing on the same screen by the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein a touch screen interface displays the same screen, and the instructions are further configured to instruct the at least one processor to enable the user to scroll contacts in the respective horizontal row in a left or right direction using the touch screen interface.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising a database storing the plurality of person profiles.