Context-Aware Contact List Generation via Segmented Ordering

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current user interfaces for multi-functional communication devices do not effectively utilize application-specific and format-specific contact information to predict and prioritize recipient lists, leading to inefficient selection of communication recipients.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that generate lists of prospective contacts based on application-specific and format-specific usage patterns, incorporating past communication data to prioritize contacts according to frequency, recency, and multimedia content preferences, allowing for context-dependent suggested recipient lists.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a single ordering scheme is applied to all communication applications, then the system complexity is reduced, but the relevance and usefulness of suggested recipient lists decreases for specific applications

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability of recipient list to different applicationsVSAvoidcomplexity of ordering system
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the address book into application-specific segments, creating separate ordered lists for each communication application (email, SMS, MMS, etc.). Each segment maintains its own ordering based on that application's usage patterns, allowing tailored suggestions without requiring a single complex global ordering system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements different ordering schemes and weighting functions for different applications within the same address book system. Each application receives customized ordering based on its specific usage characteristics, such as frequency of use for email versus recency for SMS, providing local optimization without affecting other applications.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Measurement precision

If comprehensive communication attributes are monitored and analyzed, then the accuracy of recipient predictions improves, but the processing time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprecision of recipient predictionVSAvoidtime for generating recipient lists
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent pre-calculates and stores ordering information for each application segment in the address book. When a user opens an application, the pre-computed ordered list is immediately available without requiring real-time analysis of all communication attributes, thus providing accurate predictions with minimal processing delay.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses weighted ordering functions that focus on the most significant communication attributes for each application type rather than analyzing all possible attributes equally. This partial action approach achieves sufficient prediction accuracy while reducing computational overhead and processing time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP2023582B1Method and system for generating ordered address lists
Publication Date: 2011.12.21 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP2023582B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2023582B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2023582B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method of generating a list of prospective contacts (600,610,620) for a communication comprising: receiving an indication of a user selected communication format selected from a plurality of different communications formats; generating a list of prospective contacts (600,610,620), the list of prospective contacts generated based on an analysis of said user's past communications; and providing said user with said list (600,610,620) containing at least one prospective contact.