System and method for automatically populating a dynamic resolution list

Abstract

The system and method of the present invention automatically provides dynamically generated completion information for facilitating user input of email addresses or contact information. This completion information is developed from a “data store” comprised of multiple data sources such as previously sent or received email, and other types of electronic files such as word processor or spreadsheet files. The present invention monitors and uses the information in the data store to automatically store, track, maintain, and organize data entries in a dynamic “resolution list”. As a user begins to input an email address or contact, the present invention can either automatically complete the entry using a most probable result from the resolution list, or can display a list of likely matches from which the user may select the desired email address or contact.

1 - 53 . (canceled)  
   
   
       54 . A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for providing an automatic electronic contact resolution list, said computer executable instructions comprising: 
 automatically extracting contact information from any of a plurality of file types included in a data store, said data store including at least one of word processor files, spreadsheet files, and presentation files;    wherein extracting the contact information includes automatically examining the complete contents of one or more of the files in the data store and extracting any contact information located within those contents;    maintaining a list of at least one contact entry derived from the contact information extracted from the data store;    automatically computing a weight for each entry in the list;    tracking contact information associated with the contact entry;    automatically resolving contact entries in real time by dynamically providing specific contact entries from the maintained list based on the weight of each entry in the list;    wherein new entries are added to the list as new information enters the data store;    wherein entries are removed from the list and replaced with new entries when the list is full; and    wherein entries are assigned relative weights, and wherein new entries having weights that are at least equal to the weights of existing entries in the list are added to the list to replace the existing entries.    
   
   
       55 . The computer readable medium of  claim 54  wherein the data store includes sent and received email.  
   
   
       56 . The computer readable medium of  claim 54  wherein the data store includes database files.  
   
   
       57 . The computer readable medium of  claim 54  wherein automatically resolving contact entries comprises providing a most probable match to an input.  
   
   
       58 . The computer readable medium of  claim 54  wherein automatically resolving contact entries comprises providing a most recently used match to an input.  
   
   
       59 . The computer readable medium of  claim 54  wherein automatically resolving contact entries comprises providing the entry having the greatest weight where one or more entries match an input.  
   
   
       60 . The computer readable medium of  claim 54  wherein the contact information of the entries includes a plurality of information elements including any one or more of: 
 an email address;    a friendly name;    a number of times that the entry has been used;    a date the email address was last sent to;    a date the email address was last received from; and    a weight.    
   
   
       61 . A method for providing an automatic electronic contact resolution list comprising steps for: 
 automatically extracting contact information from any of a plurality of file types included in a data store, said data store including at least one of word processor files, spreadsheet files, and presentation files;    wherein extracting the contact information includes automatically examining the complete contents of one or more of the files in the data store and extracting any contact information located within those contents;    maintaining a list of at least one contact entry derived from the contact information extracted from the data store;    automatically computing a weight for each entry in the list;    tracking contact information associated with the contact entry;    automatically resolving contact entries in real time by dynamically providing specific contact entries from the maintained list based on the weight of each entry in the list;    wherein new entries are added to the list as new information enters the data store;    wherein entries are removed from the list and replaced with new entries when the list is full; and    wherein entries are assigned relative weights, and wherein new entries having weights that are at least equal to the weights of existing entries in the list are added to the list to replace the existing entries.    
   
   
       62 . The method of  claim 61  further comprising steps for constraining the size of the list to improve a performance of automatically resolving contact entries.  
   
   
       63 . The method of  claim 61  further comprising steps for specifying the size of the list via a user interface.  
   
   
       64 . The method of  claim 61  further comprising steps for disabling the list via a user interface.  
   
   
       65 . The method of  claim 61  further comprising steps for randomly choosing an entry in the list having the lowest weight and replacing the randomly chosen entry with a new entry if the lowest weight of entries in the list is equal to the weight of the new entry and that weight is shared by at least two entries in the list.  
   
   
       66 . The method of  claim 61  further comprising steps for adding new entries to the list after those entries are first used.  
   
   
       67 . The method of  claim 61  further comprising steps for using an existing contact database with the maintained list for automatically resolving contact entries.  
   
   
       68 . A system for providing an automatic electronic contact resolution list comprising using a computing device to: 
 automatically extract contact information from any of a plurality of file types included in a data store, said data store including at least one of word processor files, spreadsheet files, and presentation files;    wherein extracting the contact information includes automatically examining the complete contents of one or more of the files in the data store and extracting any contact information located within those contents;    maintain a list of at least one contact entry derived from the contact information extracted from the data store;    automatically compute a weight for each entry in the list;    track contact information associated with the contact entry;    automatically resolve contact entries in real time by dynamically providing specific contact entries from the maintained list based on the weight of each entry in the list;    wherein new entries are added to the list as new information enters the data store;    wherein entries are removed from the list and replaced with new entries when the list is full; and    wherein entries are assigned relative weights, and wherein new entries having weights that are at least equal to the weights of existing entries in the list are added to the list to replace the existing entries.    
   
   
       69 . The system of  claim 68  wherein entries are removed from the list when matching entries are added to a contact database.  
   
   
       70 . The system of  claim 68  wherein the automatically resolved contact entry is selectable by a user via a user interface.  
   
   
       71 . The system of  claim 68  wherein items entering the data store are automatically scanned for contact information as the items enter the data store.  
   
   
       72 . The system of  claim 68  wherein entries in the list are automatically updated as new information matching the entries enter the data store.  
   
   
       73 . The system of  claim 68  wherein particular items within the data store are excluded from tracking.