Application Contact List Segmentation for Mobile Client Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in managing large contact lists on client devices with limited display capabilities, leading to cumbersome searches for contact information, and require frequent updates due to changes in communication patterns.
Innovation Solution
A method for establishing application contact lists by filtering and designating contact entries associated with specific applications, allowing users to generate a shortened list for quick selection, which includes marking contacts based on application usage and maintaining associations through a designation table.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users scroll through master contact lists to find contacts, then they can locate any contact information, but the process becomes burdensome when the list is large or the device has limited display capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the master contact list into multiple application-specific contact lists (e.g., email contacts, messaging contacts, phone contacts). Each application contact list contains only the contacts relevant to that specific application, reducing the number of contacts users need to scroll through when using that application. This directly addresses the contradiction by dividing the large master list into smaller, manageable segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating contact lists with different compositions tailored to specific applications. Each application contact list has a different quality characteristic - email contacts may include email addresses and office locations, while messaging contacts may include instant messaging handles. This allows users to access only the relevant contacts for each application, improving ease of operation without losing access to the full master list when needed.
2Reliability
If users manually update contact lists to reflect changes in communication patterns, then contact information remains current, but the process requires frequent manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically generates and updates application contact lists based on user actions and communication patterns. When users interact with contacts through specific applications, the system automatically adds those contacts to the corresponding application contact lists. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual updates while maintaining accurate, up-to-date contact information, resolving the contradiction between reliability and time investment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops that monitor user communication patterns and automatically adjust contact list compositions accordingly. When users frequently communicate with certain contacts through specific applications, the system detects this pattern and ensures those contacts appear in the relevant application contact lists. This feedback mechanism maintains contact information accuracy without requiring manual intervention.
3Productivity
If users enter contact information directly to execute applications, then they can quickly initiate communication, but they cannot utilize stored contact information
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-organizing contact information into application-specific contact lists before users need to execute applications. When users launch an application, the relevant contact list is already prepared and displayed, allowing users to quickly select from pre-organized contacts rather than entering information manually or searching through the entire master list. This resolves the contradiction by making stored contact information immediately accessible in a format optimized for quick application execution.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for establishing an application contact list is provided. A user will establish a master contact list on a client station. In response to execution of an application using a contact entry from the master contact list, the client station will then designate the contact entry as a member that is associated with the executed application. In this manner, the client station will mark contacts based on the applications that used the contacts. In addition, the client station generates application contact lists by filtering the master contact list to identify contact entries that are associated with an initiated or executed application. The client station then generates an application contact list including the contact entries that are associated with the application. The user may then select a contact entry from the application contact list for use in execution of the application.