Unified Contact Book for Selective Account Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in efficiently and selectively managing contact information across multiple service provider accounts, as updating or copying contact records is cumbersome, time-consuming, and often requires intervention from another user or administrator.
Innovation Solution
A method in a communication device's contacts application allows users to select and update contact records across multiple writable service provider accounts, enabling them to choose which accounts to update and copy contact information without external intervention, using an intuitive user interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If contact information is manually copied to each service provider account, then contact records can be updated across accounts, but the process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple service provider account contact books into a single unified contact book interface. This allows users to manage and update contact information across multiple accounts simultaneously through one centralized location, eliminating the need to manually copy contacts to each account separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified contact book serves multiple service provider accounts universally, allowing a single contact record to be associated with and updated across multiple accounts. This multi-functional approach enables one contact book to fulfill the role of multiple separate contact books simultaneously.
2Stability of the object's composition
If contact records are updated across all service provider accounts, then information consistency is improved, but user control and privacy management become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the account selection process by allowing users to individually select or deselect specific service provider accounts for contact record updates. Each account can be independently controlled, enabling users to choose exactly which accounts should receive updated contact information while maintaining consistency across selected accounts.
3Reliability
If external intervention is required to update contact records, then account security is maintained, but user autonomy and ease of use are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables users to independently manage and update their own contact records across multiple service provider accounts without requiring external intervention from administrators or other users. The unified contact book interface provides self-service functionality where users can add, edit, and synchronize contacts autonomously.
Data Source
AI summary
A user can manage personal contact information in a contacts application across multiple writable service provider accounts with only a minimum of user action required. An update function of the contacts application gives the user the ability to easily copy one or more contact records brought up in the contacts application to writable service provider accounts selectively chosen by the user.