Ice Contact Management via Separate Database Fields
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing method of designating an ICE contact in a mobile phone's contacts database is inefficient, leading to issues like duplicate entries, incorrect name display, and lack of alphabetical order, as well as user unawareness of the ICE concept, resulting in incomplete or incorrectly stored emergency contact information.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allow users to designate an ICE contact by setting an indication in a separate field within the contacts database, eliminating the need to store the 'ICE' abbreviation in the name field, and enabling priority ordering and automatic handling of ICE-related information, ensuring correct display and synchronization of ICE contacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the user stores the ICE contact by duplicating an existing contact, then the emergency contact information can be stored, but duplicate contacts with the same number are created resulting in incorrect name display and requiring double synchronization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the contacts database into two distinct fields: a name field for storing contact names and an ICE field for storing emergency contact designations. This segmentation allows the system to store ICE information without creating duplicate entries, as the ICE designation is stored separately in the ICE field rather than duplicating the entire contact record.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the ICE designation from the name field and stores it in a separate dedicated ICE field. This extraction prevents the ICE text from interfering with alphabetical ordering and name display, while still maintaining the emergency contact association.
2Ease of operation
If the user adds the ICE designation directly to the original phonebook entry, then the emergency contact can be designated, but the phonebook entries are no longer in alphabetical order according to the actual names
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the contact entry into separate name and ICE fields, the patent allows the name field to maintain alphabetical ordering while the ICE field stores the emergency designation. The sorting function can ignore the ICE field content when arranging contacts alphabetically.
Solution Approach 2:
The ICE designation is extracted from the name field and placed in a separate ICE field, removing it from the sorting criteria. This allows the name field to control alphabetical ordering while the ICE field preserves the emergency contact information.
3Quantity of substance
If the user manually manages ICE contacts without a dedicated field, then storage is possible, but the process requires more time and effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service functionality where the system automatically detects when a contact should be designated as an ICE contact and prompts the user accordingly. The system also automatically manages the ICE field updates when contact information changes, reducing manual intervention requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by automatically preparing ICE contact designations based on user patterns or system detection, and pre-configuring the ICE field structure in the contacts database to facilitate efficient ICE contact management.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes receiving input at a user equipment that designates a particular entity recorded in a user equipment contacts database as being an entity to be contacted in case of an emergency and setting an indication in a first field of a corresponding contacts database entry, where the first field is separate from a second field of the contacts database entry that stores a name of the entity.