Handheld electronic device providing assisted entry of contact information, and associated method

• US 8,010,610 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2005
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Bumiller, George Baldwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele; Krista M
• Assistant Examiner(s): GEORGANDELLIS, ANDREW C
• Application Number:
  US11/196,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20070029373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,218 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/206, 715/234, 715/810, 379/355.05, 345/168
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27457 Management thereof, e.g. manual editing of data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2753 providing data content

Abstract

A method of facilitating the entry of information for a contact to be stored by an address book application of a handheld electronic device, wherein the information is entered into a plurality of fields. The method includes receiving first information in a first one of the fields, and determining whether the first information can be used to determine second information for entry in one of the fields. If it is determined that the first information can be used to determine the second information, the method includes entering the second information in either the first one of the fields or another one of the fields. Also, a handheld electronic device having one or more routines that are adapted to implement the method described above.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating the entry of information for a contact to be stored by an address book application of a handheld electronic device, the method comprising:

providing on a display of said handheld electronic device, a contact data entry screen having a plurality of fields for receiving data to be stored by said address book application in association with said contact;

receiving at the handheld electronic device while it is in an alphanumeric entry mode first information in a first one of said fields of said contact data entry screen;

determining whether said first information includes a “

P” and

an “

O”

characters;

if it is determined that said first information includes a “

P” and

an “

O”

characters, then automatically;

entering a text string “

P.O. Box”

or a derivative of the text string “

P.O. Box”

, in said first one of said fields;

placing a cursor after the text string; and

shifting the handheld electronic device from the alphanumeric entry mode to a numeric entry mode for manual entry of a post office box number in said first one of said fields.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining whether an override feature has or has not been triggered, and performing said steps of determining whether said first information can be used to determine second information and of entering said second information only if it is determined that said override feature has not been triggered.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first information including the “

P” and

the “

O”

character is case-insensitive.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the first information includes the “

P” and

the “

O”

character, automatically expanding an abbreviation associated with the first information to a predetermined form.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising, providing a prompt on the display of said handheld electronic device requesting said second information.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the numeric entry mode comprises a mode in which said handheld electronic device determines that a number is entered when any key on said device that includes both a letter and a number is pressed.

3. A handheld electronic device having an address book application, comprising:

a display;

a processor; and

a memory in electronic communication with said processor, said memory storing one or more routines executable by said processor for facilitating the entry of information for a contact to be stored by said address book application, said one or more routines being adapted to;

provide a contact data entry screen on said display, said contact data entry screen having a plurality of fields for receiving data to be stored by said address book application in association with said contact;

receive first information in a first one of said fields of said contact data entry screen while said handheld electronic device is in an alphanumeric entry mode;

determine whether said first information includes a “

P” and

an “

O”

characters;

if it is determined that said first information includes a “

P” and

an “

O”

characters, then automatically;

enter a text string “

P.O. Box”

or a derivative of the text string “

P.O. Box”

, in said first one of said fields;

place a cursor after the text string; and

shift the handheld electronic device from the alphanumeric entry mode to a numeric entry mode for manual entry of a post office box number in said first one of said fields.

4. The handheld electronic device according to claim 3, wherein said routines are further adapted to determine whether an override feature has or has not been triggered, and wherein said routines determine whether said first information can be used to determine second information and enter said second information only if it is determined that said override feature has not been triggered.

9. The handheld electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the first information including the “

P” and

the “

O”

character is case-insensitive.

10. The handheld electronic device according to claim 3, wherein when the first information includes the “

P” and

the “

O”

character, automatically expanding an abbreviation associated with the first information to a predetermined form.

11. The handheld electronic device according to claim 3, wherein said routines are further adapted to provide a prompt on the display of said device requesting said second information.

12. The handheld electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the numeric entry mode comprises a mode in which said handheld electronic device determines that a number is entered when any key on said device that includes both a letter and a number is pressed.

13. A tangible computer program product comprising computer-readable medium having non-transitory computer-readable code embodied therein executable by a processor of a handheld electronic device having a memory and an address book application to cause the handheld electronic device to facilitate entry of information for a contact to be stored by the address book application, said computer-readable code being adapted to:

provide a contact data entry screen on said display, said contact data entry screen having a plurality of fields for receiving data to be stored by said address book application in association with said contact;

receive first information in a first one of said fields of said contact data entry screen while said handheld electronic device is in an alphanumeric entry mode;

determine whether said first information includes a “

P” and

an “

O”

characters;

if it is determined that said first information includes a “

P” and

an “

O”

characters, then automatically;

enter a text string “

P.O. Box”

or a derivative of the text string “

P.O. Box”

, in said first one of said fields;

place a cursor after the text string; and

shift the handheld electronic device from the alphanumeric entry mode to a numeric entry mode for manual entry of a post office box number in said first one of said fields.

14. The tangible computer program product according to claim 13, wherein said computer-readable code is further adapted to determine whether an override feature has or has not been triggered, and to determine whether said first information can be used to determine second information and enter said second information only if it is determined that said override feature has not been triggered.

15. The tangible computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the first information including the “

P” and

the “

O”

character is case-insensitive.

16. The tangible computer program product according to claim 13, wherein when the first information includes the “

P” and

the “

O”

character, said computer-readable code being further adapted to automatically expand an abbreviation associated with the first information to a predetermined form.

17. The tangible computer program product according to claim 13, wherein said computer-readable code is further adapted to provide a prompt on the display of said device requesting said second information.

18. The tangible handheld electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the numeric entry mode comprises a mode in which said handheld electronic device determines that a number is entered when any key on said device that includes both a letter and a number is pressed.