Unified Contact Interface for Mobile Telephony Applications
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile devices require users to exit the telephone application and launch a different application to communicate via methods like SMS or email, making it cumbersome to switch between communication methods.
Innovation Solution
A method and mobile device configuration that allows users to select multiple contact types (e.g., phone call, email, SMS, MMS) directly from within the telephone application by generating a list of contacts and displaying available contact types as a menu, enabling seamless transitions between communication methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users launch separate applications for different communication methods (telephone, SMS, email), then each application can be optimized for its specific function, but users must exit one application and launch another to switch communication methods, reducing ease of operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple communication applications (telephone, SMS, email, MMS) into a single integrated application. The contact list serves as a unified interface that provides access to all communication methods without requiring users to switch between separate applications, directly resolving the contradiction by improving ease of operation while consolidating device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal contact list interface that supports multiple communication functions (voice calls, text messaging, email, MMS) within a single application. This multi-functional approach allows users to access any communication method from the same interface, eliminating the need to launch separate applications and thereby improving ease of operation
2Productivity
If users must exit the telephone application to send an email or SMS, then dedicated applications can provide specialized features, but the user experience becomes cumbersome with repeated app launches
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares multiple communication options in advance by displaying them in a context menu within the telephone application. When a user selects a contact, the system proactively presents all available communication methods (call, SMS, email, MMS) before the user needs to act, eliminating the time spent launching applications and improving communication efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a context menu as an intermediary interface within the telephone application that provides access to multiple communication methods. This mediator allows users to switch between communication types without exiting the current application, reducing the time lost to app launches while maintaining access to specialized features
Data Source
AI summary
The described embodiments involve use of a mobile communication device in the context of facilitating contact from within a telephone application. The described embodiments are primarily concerned with enabling quick and efficient access to contact methods other than by telephone from within the telephone application. This is done by generating a contact list, which may have one or more contacts, using an integrated dialing field provided by the telephone application and then displaying all available contact types or methods available for contacting a particular contact selected from the list.