Presenting suggestions for user input based on client device characteristics

• US 9,842,144 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2011
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo Holdings, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Cort, Frank J., Jacobson, Joshua Robert Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): Tan, Alvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Heffington, John M
• Application Number:
  US13/289,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20120054681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,230 Days
• Field of Search: 715816, 715745, 715789, 715811, 715733, 707E17014, 707999003, 707769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A computer implemented method includes: receiving an incomplete input from a user; presenting a plurality of suggestions to the user for completion of the input, wherein the suggestions are presented in a ranked order based on a characteristic associated with the user terminal; receiving a selection by the user of a suggestion from the suggestions; and completing the input with the suggestion.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing, on a user terminal, first profile data, the first profile data including a profile for each of a plurality of persons, the first profile data related to persons used in messages to or from the user terminal, and the first profile data comprising information extracted from bodies of the messages;

querying, over a network, a social network server using information extracted from a body of a first message of the messages to obtain first information;

querying, over a network, a first computing device using the information extracted from the body of the first message to obtain second information;

storing the first information and the second information as part of the first profile data;

after storing the first information and the second information, querying, over a network, a second computing device using the first information and the second information as search criteria to obtain third information;

updating the first profile data using the third information;

receiving an incomplete input from a user;

presenting, via a user interface of the user terminal, a plurality of suggestions including a first suggestion to the user for completion of the input, wherein the plurality of suggestions is presented in a ranked order based on a characteristic associated with the user terminal and further based on the updated first profile data, and wherein the user interface is an interface to compose a new message;

receiving, over a network, second profile data from an LDAP server storing the second profile data;

presenting, via the user interface concurrently with the plurality of suggestions, a second suggestion from the second profile data for completion of the input;

receiving, via the user terminal, a selection by the user of the first or second suggestion; and

completing the input with the first or second suggestion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated first profile data is stored in a local database of the user terminal, and the second suggestion is provided from the LDAP server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user terminal comprises a message composer configured to present the user interface to receive the incomplete input from the user, and the receiving the selection comprises receiving the selection via the user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic associated with the user terminal is a geographic location of the user terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic associated with the user terminal is a particular client device currently being used for presenting the plurality of suggestions to the user, the particular client device being one of a plurality of client devices of the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the particular client device is a first device;

the plurality of client devices comprises a second device;

the ranked order is different for the first and second devices; and

the ranked order is further based on the geographic location of the particular client device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic associated with the user terminal is a plurality of values stored locally on the user terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the user terminal, parameters corresponding to the first profile data; and

wherein the ranked order is further based on an evaluation of ranks of persons in the first profile data by a formula that uses the parameters.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the parameters include at least one of a time parameter, a parameter indicating whether a message has been read, or a parameter indicating the level of contact in a social network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user terminal is configured to store messages received at the user terminal and to store messages sent from the user terminal, and wherein the characteristic associated with the user terminal is a time period in which a message is sent or received.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to the presenting of the plurality of suggestions, identifying the plurality of suggestions by matching the incomplete input with data in the updated first profile data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting the plurality of suggestions comprises presenting addresses for selection in a suggestion window, the method further comprising updating the suggestion window after selection of a person in the suggestion window to show a list of addresses for the selected person in the suggestion window.

13. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium embodying instructions, the instructions to cause a client device to:

obtain first profile data including a profile for each of a plurality of persons, the first profile data related to persons or addresses used in messages to or from a user of the client device, and the obtaining the first profile data comprising extracting information from bodies of the messages;

perform, over a network, a search using information extracted from a body of a first message of the messages to obtain first information;

store the first information as part of the first profile data on the client device;

after storing the first information, perform a search using the first information as search criteria to obtain second information;

update the first profile data using the second information;

receive an incomplete address input from the user;

present, via a user interface of the client device, a plurality of address suggestions including a first address suggestion to the user for completion of the input, wherein the plurality of address suggestions is presented in a ranked order based on the updated first profile data, and wherein the user interface is an interface to compose a new message;

receive, over a network, second profile data from an LDAP server storing the second profile data;

present, via the user interface, a second address suggestion from the second profile data for completion of the input;

receive, via the client device, a selection by the user of the first or second address suggestion; and

complete the input with the first or second address suggestion.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the ranked order is further based on a plurality of values stored locally on the client device.

15. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first suggestion is provided by a local database of the client device, and the second suggestion is provided from the LDAP server.

16. A client device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory to store first profile data for persons referenced in messages sent or received by the client device, the first profile data comprising a profile with one or more addresses for each of a plurality of persons, and the memory storing instructions configured to instruct the at least one processor to;

obtain the first profile data, the obtaining comprising extracting information from bodies of the messages;

query a first computing device using information extracted from a body of a first message of the messages to obtain first information;

query a second computing device using the information extracted from the body of the first message to obtain second information;

store the first information and the second information as part of the first profile data;

after storing the first information and the second information, query a third computing device using the first information and the second information as search criteria to obtain third information;

update the first profile data using the third information;

receive, via the client device, an incomplete input from a user;

present, via a user interface of the client device, a plurality of suggestions including a first suggestion to the user for completion of the input, wherein the plurality of suggestions is presented in a ranked order based on the updated first profile data, the user interface is an interface to compose a new message, and the incomplete input is entered into a field corresponding to the new message;

present, via the user interface, a second suggestion for completion of the input;

receive, over a network, second profile data from an LDAP server storing the second profile data;

receive a selection by the user of the first or second suggestion; and

complete the input with the first or second suggestion.

17. The client device of claim 16, wherein the ranked order is further based on a geographic location of the client device.

18. The client device of claim 16, wherein the ranked order is further based on a particular device currently being used for presenting the plurality of suggestions to the user, the particular device being one of a plurality of client devices of the user.

19. The client device of claim 16, wherein the ranked order is further based on a plurality of values stored locally on the client device.