Modification of dynamic contact lists

• US 8,437,779 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2009
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Phukan, Prasenjit
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hong, Dung
• Application Number:
  US12/581,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20110092227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 4554561-4566, 455/457
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems and program products for dynamically generating contact list. A computer system identifies a geographic location of a mobile computing device that is associated with a user. A local contact list is generated by selecting, for inclusion in the local contact list, one or more contacts that are from a contact list that is stored for the user and are within a first predetermined geographic location. The local contact list is generated by selecting, for inclusion in the local contact list, one or more contacts that are not in the contact list that is stored for the user and are within a second predetermined geographic location. The local contact list is provided for display on the mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for dynamically generating contact lists, the method comprising:

receiving user-input that identifies an organization for which an associated contact is to be included in a local contact list;

identifying, with a computer system, a geographic location of a mobile computing device that is associated with a user;

generating the local contact list by;

selecting, for inclusion in the local contact list, one or more contacts that are from a contact list that is stored for the user and are within a first predetermined geographic region, wherein the local contact list includes the associated contact that identifies the organization;

in response to a determination that a local office of the organization that is closest to the identified geographic location of the mobile computing device is beyond a threshold distance from the identified geographic location of the mobile computing device, causing the associated contact to include national contact information for the organization;

in response to a determination that the local office of the organization that is closest to the identified geographic location of the mobile computing device is not beyond the threshold distance from the identified geographic location of the mobile computing device, causing the associated contact to include contact information for the closest local office of the organization; and

providing the local contact list for display on the mobile computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the first geographic region as including the geographic location of the mobile computing device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the local contact list is generated automatically in response to a change in geographic location of the mobile computing device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the local contact list is generated in response to receiving user-input identifying a projected location of the mobile computing device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the local contact list that is generated in response to the received user-input identifying the projected location is provided for display on the mobile computing device in response to the geographic location of the mobile computing device being within the projected location.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing code that permits the user to alternatively select for show the local contact list and the contact list that is stored for the user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the geographic location of the mobile computing device is determined using a satellite positioning system.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the geographic location of the mobile computing device is determined using a position of wireless communication antennas transmitting information to the mobile computing device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the mobile computing device performs the identification of the geographic location;

the mobile computing device generates the local contact list.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising selecting, for inclusion in the local contact list, one or more contacts that are not in the contact list that is stored for the user and are within a second predetermined geographic region, wherein the selected one or more contacts that are not in the contact list are associated with a category of services selected by a user of the computing device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein selecting one or more contacts from within the first predetermined region comprises selecting contacts that include addresses within the first predetermined geographic region.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein selecting one or more contacts from within the first predetermined geographic region comprises selecting contacts that include telephone numbers identifying telephones within the first predetermined geographic region.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising selecting, for inclusion in the local contact list, one or more contacts that are not in the contact list that is stored for the user and are within a second predetermined geographic region, wherein selecting one or more contacts from within the second predetermined region comprises selecting contacts that include addresses within the first predetermined geographic region.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising selecting, for inclusion in the local contact list, one or more contacts that are not in the contact list that is stored for the user and are within a second predetermined geographic region, wherein selecting one or more contacts from within the second predetermined region comprises selecting contacts that include telephone numbers identifying telephones within the first predetermined geographic region.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising selecting, for inclusion in the local contact list, one or more contacts that are not in the contact list that is stored for the user and are within a second predetermined geographic region, wherein the first predetermined geographic region and the second predetermined geographic region are approximately equivalent.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined geographic region is selected by the user.

17. A system for dynamically generating contact lists, the system comprising:

a mobile device programmed to provide in a particular contact that is in a contact list of multiple contacts and that identifies an organization;

(i) national contact information of the organization as a consequence of determining that an identified local venue of the organization is beyond a threshold distance from a current geographic location of the mobile device, and

(ii) contact information of the identified local venue of the organization as a consequence of not determining that the identified local venue of the organization is beyond the threshold distance from the current geographic location of the mobile device;

a positioning unit in the mobile device to determine the current geographic location of the mobile device; and

a display device in the mobile device to display the contact list of multiple contacts.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the contact list of multiple contacts are selected from a contact list that is stored on the mobile device, the selection identifying contacts that are near to the current geographic location, and in distinction to contacts from the contact list that are not near to the current geographic location.

19. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving user-input that identifies an organization for which an associated contact is to be included in a contact list;

identifying, with a computer system, a geographic location for a mobile computing device that is associated with a user;

modifying the associated contact to include national contact information for the organization as a consequence of determining that a particular local office of the organization is beyond a threshold distance from the identified geographic location of the mobile computing device, and modifying the associated contact to include contact information for the particular local office of the organization as a consequence of determining that the particular local office of the organization is not beyond the threshold distance from the identified geographic location of the mobile computing device; and

providing the associated contact for display as part of a contact list on the mobile computing device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the organization is a company.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the particular office is a franchise of the organization.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving user selection of the associated contact as it is displayed as part of the contact list, and in response displaying the contact information for the particular local office, wherein the mobile computing device may not be configured to display, for the associated contact, contact information for multiple local offices at a time.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computer processors, cause performance of operations, comprising:

receiving user-input that identifies an organization for which an associated contact is to be included in a contact list;

identifying, with a computer system, a geographic location for a mobile computing device that is associated with a user;

modifying the associated contact to include national contact information for the organization as a consequence of determining that a particular local office of the organization is beyond a threshold distance from the identified geographic location of the mobile computing device, and modifying the associated contact to include contact information for the particular local office of the organization as a consequence of determining that the particular local office of the organization is not beyond the threshold distance from the identified geographic location of the mobile computing device; and

providing the associated contact for display as part of a contact list on the mobile computing device.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the organization is a company.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the particular office is a franchise of the organization.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the operations further comprise receiving user selection of the associated contact as it is displayed as part of the contact list, and in response displaying the contact information for the particular local office, wherein the mobile computing device may not be configured to display, for the associated contact, contact information for multiple local offices at a time.