Address Book Management with Toggle-Based Bulk Selection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile phones face limitations in data management due to their small form factor, which restricts memory size, battery life, and input/output capabilities, making common tasks like data entry and management cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A method for managing address book information on mobile communication devices that includes displaying a list of contact entries with toggle values, allowing users to select or deselect entries for bulk execution of functions, such as deletion or assignment of ring tones, using a temporary table in memory to store toggle values and updating the display accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If mobile phones use small form factor design, then portability and storage convenience are improved, but data management capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data management process into two distinct modes: selection mode for choosing multiple contacts and execution mode for performing operations. This segmentation allows the limited physical interface to be used more efficiently by dedicating it to specific tasks at different times, thereby improving data management capability without increasing form factor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic mode switching between selection and execution states. The system dynamically adapts its functionality based on the current operational phase, allowing the same hardware interface to support complex data management operations through temporal differentiation rather than spatial expansion.
2Quantity of substance
If mobile phones have limited memory size, then device size is reduced, but bulk operation capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-selecting multiple contact entries before executing operations on them. The selection phase allows users to identify and mark all desired contacts in advance, storing their identifiers in a temporary table. This preliminary selection enables subsequent bulk operations to process multiple contacts efficiently without requiring additional memory for operation-specific data structures.
3Device complexity
If mobile phones have reduced input/output capabilities, then device complexity is reduced, but data entry efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the selection of multiple contacts into a unified process. Instead of requiring separate operations for each contact, the system combines multiple selections into a single operational phase, allowing users to efficiently manage multiple contacts using the same limited input/output interface without requiring additional physical keys or controls.
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary mobile communication device comprises a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, a display coupled to the processor, a transceiver coupled to the processor, an antenna coupled to the transceiver, a user interface coupled to the processor for receiving inputs from a user, and software executed by the processor for performing a method for managing a plurality of contact entries of an address book stored on the memory. The method comprises displaying a list of contact entries on the display, displaying a toggle value corresponding to each contact entry displayed on the display, receiving an input for selecting or deselecting a particular toggle value for a particular contact entry, receiving a command input for the execution of a function on the address book, and executing the function associated with the command input for each contact entry that has a selected toggle value.