Recent contacts and items

• US 8,001,120 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Henry, Stepanich, Darron Jack, Ollis, Joseph Kirk, Flynt, David W., Todd, Marc W.
• Primary Examiner(s): BETIT, JACOB F
• Application Number:
  US10/777,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20050182798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,742 Days
• Field of Search: 707/736, 707/746, 707/752, 707/992
• US Class Current: 707/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/975 Portable database architecture

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system of displaying items that gives the user the ability to easily access recently accessed items. The recent items list includes both incoming and outgoing correspondences that are attempted to be matched to the corresponding contact stored in the device. The user can access the recent contact list and reply using any communication method available. For instance, the user could reply by phone, email, send an instant messenger message, send an SMS message, and the like. The recent items list may also include items such as communications, contacts, folder, files, messages, applications, and the like. A coalesced list of the recently used items is shown so that an item is only shown once in the recent list. Any matched item in the recent list may also be shown in the alphabetical list that appears below the recent list.

Claims

1. A method executing on a processor of a computing device for displaying recent items, comprising:

determining a recent item using the processor from recently accessed items;

wherein the recently accessed items include recent incoming phone calls;

recent outgoing phone calls;

recently received electronic messages;

recent outgoing electronic messages;

recent access of contacts;

recent incoming SMS messages;

recent outgoing SMS messages;

recent incoming IM messages;

recent outgoing IM messages;

recently accessed files and recently accessed applications;

replacing the recent item with a contact maintained in a contact list when recent item has an associated contact within a contact list;

placing the recent item in the recent items list that includes all recently accessed items;

generating the recent items list such that recent items associated with a contact are coalesced and shown as only one item; and

recent items related to a pinned contact are listed higher than items from a standard contact; and

displaying the recent items list on a display;

displaying non-recently accessed contacts after the displayed list of recent items; and

in response to selection of a recent item, displaying a context menu, wherein an option in the context menu depends on whether a selected recent item is replaced by a contact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the recent item further comprises determining a time associated with the communication.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the recent item further comprises determining a frequency associated with the recent item.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the communication connection to reply to the recent contact by using any available communication method.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the recent items list is limited to a predetermined number of recent items.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the recent item based on the communication further comprises determining when the communication is private and when the communication is private marking the communication as a non-recent item such that the recent item is not placed in the recent items list.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising instructing the display to display the time of the communication within a title bar of a contacts window when the recent contact is highlighted.

8. A computer-readable storage medium for displaying recent items having computer executable instructions which when executed on a processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

determining a recent item using the processor from recently accessed items;

wherein the recently accessed items include;

recent incoming phone calls;

recent outgoing phone calls;

recently received electronic messages;

recent outgoing electronic messages;

recent access of contacts;

recent incoming SMS messages;

recent outgoing SMS messages;

recent incoming IM messages;

recent outgoing IM messages;

recently accessed files and recently accessed applications;

replacing the recent item with a contact maintained in a contact list when recent item has an associated contact within a contact list;

placing the recent item in the recent items list that includes all recently accessed items;

generating the recent items list such that recent items associated with a contact are coalesced and shown as only one item; and

recent items related to a pinned contact are listed higher than items from a standard contact; and

displaying the recent items list on a display;

displaying non-recently accessed contacts after the displayed list of recent items; and

in response to selection of a recent item, displaying a context menu, wherein an option in the context menu depends on whether a selected recent item is replaced by a contact.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein determining the recent item further comprises determining a time associated with the communication.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein determining the recent item further comprises determining a frequency associated with the recent item.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising using the communication connection to reply to the recent contact by using any available communication method.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the recent items list is limited to a predetermined number of recent items.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein determining the recent item based on the communication further comprises determining when the communication is private and when the communication is private marking the communication as a non-recent item such that the recent item is not placed in the recent items list.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising instructing the display to display the time of the communication within a title bar of a contacts window when the recent contact is highlighted.

15. A system for displaying recent items, comprising:

a communications connection configured to receive a communication;

a display configured to display a recent items list; and

a recent items application configured to perform actions, including;

determining a recent item from recently accessed items;

wherein the recently accessed items include;

recent incoming phone calls;

recent outgoing phone calls;

recently received electronic messages;

recent outgoing electronic messages;

recent access of contacts;

recent incoming SMS messages;

recent outgoing SMS messages;

recent incoming IM messages;

recent outgoing IM messages;

recently accessed files and recently accessed applications;

replacing the recent item with a contact maintained in a contact list when recent item has an associated contact within a contact list;

placing the recent item in the recent items list that includes all recently accessed items;

generating the recent items list such that recent items associated with a contact are coalesced and shown as only one item; and

recent items related to a pinned contact are listed higher than items from a standard contact; and

displaying the recent items list on the display;

displaying non-recently accessed contacts after the displayed list of recent items; and

in response to selection of a recent item, displaying a context menu, wherein an option in the context menu depends on whether a selected recent item is replaced by a contact.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein determining the recent item further comprises determining a time associated with the communication.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein determining the recent item further comprises determining a frequency associated with the recent item.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising using the communication connection to reply to the recent contact by using any available communication method.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the recent items list is limited to a predetermined number of recent items.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein determining the recent item based on the communication further comprises determining when the communication is private and when the communication is private marking the communication as a non-recent item such that the recent item is not placed in the recent items list.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising instructing the display to display the time of the communication within a title bar of a contacts window when the recent contact is highlighted.