Managing linked contact records containing information from multiple source records

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9323416-B2
Application number	US-201213362139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2012
Priority date	Jan 31, 2012
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

The present disclosure provides for management of linked contact records containing information from multiple source records. User interfaces and methodologies for displaying and managing a linked contact record of a contact allow the linked contact record to be readily and selectively managed. A user can interact with a user interface in order to selectively add, remove, and re-store links to a linked contact record of a contact.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of managing a linked contact record representative of contact information from multiple source contacts comprising:
after receiving selection of a linked contact record of a contact associated with a user, that includes a plurality of linked source contact records of the contact, displaying in a user interface the linked contact record and a visual indicator indicating that the linked contact record has a linked status and indicating the number of linked source contact records of the linked contact record, the visual indicator comprising a non-textual image and a numeric value that overlays the non-textual image; and
after receiving an input to enter a manage mode, entering the manage mode in which the linked contact record of the contact can be selectively managed by adding or removing links to source contact records, and displaying in the user interface:
the linked contact record that has been selected with a set of contact information associated with the contact;
an add link icon to enable adding one or more links to source contact records;
representations of one or more source contacts records, the one or more source contact records being displayed contemporaneously with the set of contact information being displayed for the linked contact record; and
a link status icon for each source contact record of the one or more source contacts, the link status icon comprising a first icon when the source contact record is linked to the linked contact record and a second icon when the source contact is unlinked to the linked contact record, wherein an unlinked source contact that was previously linked to the linked contact record is maintained as a contact associated with the user and displayed in the user interface as one of the one or more source contacts,

wherein the plurality of linked source contact records of the contact comprises source contact records of the same contact,
wherein the input to enter a manage mode comprises selection of the visual indicator, and
wherein the indicated number of linked source contact records of the linked contact record is updated if the number of linked source contact records of the linked contact record is modified in the manage mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein selection of the linked contact record comprises selection of the linked contact record from a contact list displayed in the user interface.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising displaying the linked contact record and the visual indicator of the linked contact record in a contact detail panel of the user interface after receiving selection of the linked contact record.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the numeric value comprises a badge of the visual indicator of the linked contact record that indicates the number of linked source contact records of the linked contact record.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising in the manage mode displaying in the user interface a linked contact record representation of the linked contact record and a plurality of source contact record representations corresponding to a plurality of source contact records that comprise the plurality of linked source contact records of the linked contact record.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of source contact record representations corresponding to the plurality of source contact records are displayed as indented under the linked contact record representation.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising displaying the linked contact record representation and the plurality of source contact record representations in a linked profile panel of the user interface.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising in the manage mode displaying in the user interface an add link icon.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
after receiving an input to select the add link icon and to select a new source contact record of the contact adding a link to the new source contact record to create a new linked contact record of the contact, the plurality of linked source contact records of the new linked contact record comprising the selected new source contact record; and
displaying the new linked contact record of the contact in the user interface.

10. The method of claim 9 , the selection of the new source contact record of the contact further comprising:
in response to a received search term, performing a search for available source contact records of the contact; and
in response to selection of the new source contact record returned by the search, adding the link to the new source contact record to create the new linked contact record of the contact.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising updating a visual indicator of the new linked contact record to reflect the new source contact record in the plurality of linked source contact records for the new linked contact record of the contact.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising updating a badge of the visual indicator of the new linked contact record.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising in the manage mode removing a link of a linked source contact record of the plurality of linked source contact records to the linked contact record.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein removing the link of the linked source contact record to the linked contact record further comprises:
a linked profile panel of the user interface in which a linked contact record representation of the linked contact record and a plurality of linked source contact record representations corresponding to the plurality of linked source contact records of the linked contact record are displayed with each linked source contact record representation of the plurality of linked source contact record representations having a displayed corresponding source contact record representation link icon that indicates the linked status of each of the linked source contact records, in response to selection of a source contact record representation link icon of a linked source contact record representation corresponding to a linked source contact record of the linked contact record removing the link of the selected source contact record to the linked contact record.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
updating to unlinked the linked status of the source contact record representation link icon of the selected source contact record; and
displaying the updated source contact record representation link icon of the selected source contact record.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
in response to selection of the updated source contact record representation link icon of the previously unlinked source contact record, restoring the link to the linked contact record of the previously unlinked source contact record; and
updating to linked the linked status of the source contact record representation link icon of the restored source contact record.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
saving changes to the linked contact record of the contact made in the manage mode to create a changed linked contact record; and
displaying the changed linked contact record and a visual indicator of the changed linked contact record.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising displaying the changed linked contact record and the visual indicator of the changed linked contact record in a contact detail panel of the user interface; and
displaying a badge of the visual indicator of the changed linked contact record in the contact details panel of the user interface that indicat

Assignees

• Schwend Diana J
• Mccann Robert Emmett
• Turner Benjamin John
• Blackberry Ltd

Inventors

• Schwend Diana J
• Mccann Robert Emmett
• Turner Benjamin John

Classifications

• G06Q10/10

  Office automation; Time management · CPC title

• G06F3/0481 Primary

  based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance · CPC title