Temporally limited mobile device contact information

• US 8,311,580 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2008
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Koberg, Anu, Koberg, Courtney
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US12/328,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20100144331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455/557, 455/418, 348/14.9, 710/313, 707/748, 707/661, 707/667, 707/668
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use

Abstract

Archiving mobile device contact information as a function of occurrence of one or more temporal conditions is provided herein. By way of example, contact information stored in an active contact list of a mobile device can be associated with a temporal condition, such as frequency of use, or location of the mobile device, or the like. If the temporal condition is met, the contact information is archived at remote data store and/or passive portion of mobile device memory. Once the temporal condition is no longer met, the contact information can be re-downloaded into active memory and incorporated into the active contact list. As a result, aspects of the claimed subject matter provide for organizing a mobile device contact list according to temporal condition(s) to provide added efficiency and to manage such information according to a determinable situational context.

Claims

1. A method of temporally limiting contact information stored within a mobile communication device, comprising:

receiving contact information of an entity at the mobile communicaton device;

storing the contact information in a contact list at the mobile communication device;

receiving or generating a temporal condition for maintaining the contact information in the contact list; and

removing the contact information from the contact list based at least in part upon occurrence of the temporal condition.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising archiving the contact information upon removal from the contact list by storing the contact information in passive memory or remote memory, or in the passive memory and in the remote memory.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

conditioning the archiving and the removing on receiving user approval;

prompting for the user approval upon occurrence of the temporal condition; and

archiving the contact information and/or removing the contact information from the contact list if approval is received.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a request to archive the contact information and remove the contact information from the contact list; and

overriding the temporal condition to archive the contact information prior to occurrence of the temporal condition.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising at least one of:

receiving a recall request for the contact information;

receiving the contact information from the passive memory or the remote memory;

or

providing archived contact information to a user of the mobile communication device.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising at least one of:

employing a remote server or a personal computer (PC) as the remote memory; and

employing compressed mobile device memory as the passive memory.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising retrieving the contact information from the passive memory or remote memory when the mobile device enters a predetermined geographical region associated with the contact information.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising re-storing the contact information in the contact list when access to the contact information rises above a threshold access frequency or when the contact information is accessed within a threshold period of time, or when the contact information rises above the threshold access frequency and the contact information is accessed within the threshold period of time.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

employing a geographical region as the temporal condition, wherein occurrence of the temporal condition results when the mobile communication device travels outside of the geographical region;

employing a threshold inactive period as the temporal condition, wherein occurrence of the temporal condition results when the contact information is not accessed by a user of the mobile communication device for the threshold inactive period;

or

employing a threshold access frequency as the temporal condition, wherein occurrence of the temporal condition results when access to the contact information drops below the threshold access frequency.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing a default temporal condition as the generated temporal condition, wherein the default temporal condition includes a predetermined access frequency, or a proximity to a predetermined geographical region, or a predetermined non-access time, or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting the contact information from mobile communication device memory upon occurrence of the temporal condition.

12. An apparatus that provides temporary storage of contact information for a mobile device, comprising:

an interface that receives contact information at a mobile device;

memory that stores the contact information and at least a contact management module that is configured to receive or generate a temporal condition for retaining the contact information within the memory and an archive module that is configured to remove the contact information from the memory based at least in part upon occurrence of the temporal condition; and

a processor that executes at least the contact management module to associate the temporal condition with the contact information, or determine occurrence of the temporal condition, or remove the contact information from the memory, or a combination thereof.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the archive module writes the contact information to a passive memory, or a remote memory, or to the passive memory and the remote memory, upon removal from the memory.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein:

the archive module is further configured to condition removal of the contact information on receiving user approval;

the interface prompts for the user approval upon the occurrence of the temporal condition; and

the archive module writes the contact information to the passive memory or the remote memory, or to the passive memory and the remote memory, if the user approval is received.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein:

the interface receives a request to archive the contact information and remove the contact information from the contact list; and

the archive module is configured to override the temporal condition and remove the contact information prior to the occurrence of the temporal condition.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least one of:

the interface receives a recall request for the contact information;

the archive module retrieves the contact information from the passive memory or the remote memory;

or

the interface provides archived contact information to a user of the mobile device.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least one of:

the remote memory is associated with a remote server or a personal computer (PC), or the remote server and the PC;

or

the passive memory is a compressed memory at the mobile device.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the archive module is configured to retrieve the contact information from the passive memory or the remote memory when the mobile device enters a predetermined geographical region.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the archive module is configured to re-store the contact information in the memory when access to the contact information rises above a threshold access frequency or when the contact information is accessed within a threshold period of time, or when the contact information rises above the threshold access frequency and the contact information is accessed within the threshold period of time.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one of:

the temporal condition is a geographical region such that the occurrence of the temporal condition results when the mobile device travels outside of the geographical region;

the temporal condition is a threshold inactive period such that the occurrence of the temporal condition results when the contact information is not accessed by a user of the mobile device for the threshold inactive period;

or

the temporal condition is a threshold access frequency such that the occurrence of the temporal condition results when access to the contact information drops below the threshold access frequency.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the generated temporal condition is a default temporal condition that includes a predetermined access frequency, or a proximity to a predetermined geographical region, or a predetermined non-access time, or a combination thereof.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the archive module deletes the contact information from the memory upon occurrence of the temporal condition.

23. At least one processor configured to provide temporally limited contact information for a mobile device, comprising:

a first module for receiving contact information of an entity at a mobile device;

a second module for storing the contact information in a contact list at the mobile device;

a third module for receiving or generating a temporal condition for maintaining the contact information in the contact list; and

a fourth module for removing the contact information from the contact list based at least in part upon occurrence of the temporal condition.

24. An apparatus that provides temporally limited contact information for a mobile device, comprising:

means for receiving contact information of an entity at a mobile device;

means for storing the contact information in a contact list at the mobile device;

means for receiving or generating a temporal condition for maintaining the contact information in the contact list; and

means for removing the contact information from the contact list based at least in part upon occurrence of the temporal condition.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions for providing temporally limited contact information for a mobile device, comprising:

at least one instruction for receiving contact information of an entity at the mobile device;

at least one instruction for storing the contact information in a contact list at the mobile device;

at least one instruction for receiving or generating a temporal condition for maintaining the contact information in the contact list; and

at least one instruction for removing the contact information from the contact list based at least in part upon occurrence of the temporal condition.