High Priority Contact List Segmentation and Display

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional contact lists fail to contextually differentiate between high priority and regular contacts, lacking a method to effectively identify and display high priority contacts based on various criteria.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that retrieve high priority contact list configuration settings, determine which contacts meet specific criteria, and display them in a high priority contact list on a display device, using user-selectable and preset parameters such as calling patterns, caller behavior, geolocation, and calendar information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If conventional contact lists display all contacts without differentiation, then the complete contact information is available, but the user cannot quickly identify high priority contacts among numerous contacts

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of identifying high priority contactsVSAvoidcontextual information about contact priority
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The contact list is segmented into multiple categories including high priority contacts, regular contacts, and other contacts. This segmentation allows users to quickly identify and access high priority contacts without being overwhelmed by the entire contact list, while maintaining all contact information available through category navigation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different visual indicators and display characteristics are applied to different contact categories. High priority contacts receive distinctive visual treatment (such as special icons, coloring, or positioning) that differentiates them from regular contacts, allowing users to quickly identify priority contacts based on their local visual properties rather than examining each contact uniformly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If the system dynamically updates the hot list based on multiple criteria, then the contact prioritization becomes contextually relevant, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontextual differentiation of contactsVSAvoidsystem complexity for retrieving and evaluating criteria
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-retrieving contact information, calling patterns, geolocation data, and calendar information before the user needs to view the contact list. Configuration settings for priority criteria are pre-established, allowing the system to quickly evaluate and update the hot list based on existing data rather than gathering information in real-time when needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically evaluates contact information against stored criteria and updates the high priority contact list without requiring manual user intervention. The system self-manages the retrieval of contact data, evaluation against multiple criteria (calling patterns, geolocation, calendar events), and dynamic reordering of contacts based on current context.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS9070120B2Identifying and displaying a set of high priority contacts on a display device
Publication Date: 2015.06.30 VONAGE AMERICA LLC
  • US9070120B2 patent drawing
  • US9070120B2 patent drawing
  • US9070120B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method and apparatus for identifying and displaying a set of high priority contacts on a display device associated with an end user device. In some embodiments, the method includes retrieving high priority contact list configuration settings that include one or more criteria for identifying a set of high priority contacts from a contact list having a plurality of contacts, determining whether information associated with one or more of the plurality of contacts meets the one or more criteria retrieved, identifying the one or more of the plurality of contacts that meet the one or more criteria as a set of one or more high priority contacts, and displaying the set of one or more high priority contacts in a high priority contact list on the display device.