Touch Terminal Contact Entry Merging and Deduplication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users face inconvenience when manually merging and deduplicating contact entries on intelligent terminals, as the devices lack the ability to automatically detect and remove redundant information, requiring complex manual operations across multiple windows.
Innovation Solution
A method and touch terminal that utilize a multi-point touch touchscreen to allow users to drag contact entries to merge them, removing duplicates and detecting conflicts by comparing attributes, with prompts for user confirmation on handling conflicts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual processing methods are used to merge and deduplicate contact entries, then users can control the merging process, but the operation complexity increases and user convenience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple contact entries into a single merged entry by detecting overlapping time ranges and merging their attributes (phone numbers, addresses, etc.). This automation reduces the manual operations users must perform while maintaining control over the merging process through configurable rules.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting duplicate contacts, comparing their attributes, and merging them without requiring users to manually compare each contact. The system autonomously identifies overlaps in time ranges and merges entries based on predefined criteria, reducing operational complexity.
2Productivity
If automated merging is implemented to reduce manual operations, then user convenience improves, but the risk of incorrect merging increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the system presents merging suggestions to users for confirmation before finalizing the merge. Users can review the detected duplicates and the proposed merged attributes, providing feedback to accept or reject the automated merging, thus ensuring accuracy while maintaining efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-processing contact entries to identify potential duplicates based on time range overlaps and attribute similarities before the actual merging occurs. This preliminary detection phase allows the system to prepare merging suggestions that users can then review, ensuring both efficiency and accuracy.
3Loss of substance
If multiple contact entries are merged to remove duplicates, then data redundancy is reduced, but information loss may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by merging multiple contact entries into a single comprehensive entry that preserves all unique attributes from the source entries. The merged contact entry can contain multiple phone numbers, addresses, and other attributes, making it a universal container that retains all valuable information while eliminating redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system discards duplicate information while recovering and preserving unique attributes from each contact entry. During the merging process, the system identifies redundant data to be discarded and simultaneously recovers unique phone numbers, addresses, and other attributes to be retained in the merged entry, thus reducing redundancy without losing information.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~5
AI summary
Disclosed are a processing method and a touch terminal for a combining operation and a duplicate removal operation on contact entries. The processing method comprises: A, opening an address book to display all contact entries; B, recording selected contact entries according to a contact entry selecting action, receiving a dragging action for combining contact entries, and combining the selected contact entries according to the dragging action; C, when the contact entries are combined, removing duplicate information in the selected contact entries, and detecting conflict information in the selected contact entries. In the present invention, redundant records in an address book can be deleted by merely dragging contact entries that need to be combined; moreover, while the contact entries are combined, duplicate information is removed, and conflict information is detected, which enhances intelligent effect of the touch terminal and improves user experience.