Abstract: An interface for enabling different contact information for a plurality of different contacts to be aggregated from numerous data stores into a single contact management system includes a window frame for displaying the contact information in a variety of rich views that graphically illustrate patterns existent within the contact information. Some of the available views include hierarchical, organizational, chronological, social, geographical and operational views of the contact information. The interface also enables a user to search through the aggregate contact information by search term and by filter. The interface also includes another window frame for displaying exploded, detailed, or additional information about selected directories and contacts.

Abstract: A system and related techniques to collect and manage a set of incoming message notification objects, such as instant message notifications, email notifications, download notifications, transaction notifications and others and present those objects to the user with an icon, tile or other representation on a dynamically scaled timeline. According to embodiments, the dynamically scaled timeline may present the most recently received object farthest to the right on a notifications bar or facility and slide objects to the left to represent passage of time as those objects age. Instead of presenting those objects on a linear scale, according to the invention, the time intervals in which objects may be presented may be scaled to cause the oldest message objects to be presented on a relatively compressed dimension. The most recently received messages may be presented on wider intervals, to permit the user to perceive differences in arrival of items more clearly.

Abstract: The present example provides a method of displaying by a single click, a view arrangement that may include data displayed by a sorting by a name process, a grouping by a type process, and a stacking by a keywords process.

Abstract: An interface for enabling a user to quickly access contact information automatically displays a list of expected contacts that are most likely to be selected by the user when attention is directed to a type-in line requiring contact information. When a contact is selected, the corresponding and appropriate contact information is automatically entered into the type-in line. If a user does not select a listed contact, but instead begins manually typing in the contact information then the interface performs a search and displays a list of unexpected contacts having contact information matching the typed input from the user. The interface also provides a menu with additional search options for searching for desired contact information. The additional search options include directory searching and filtered searching. The application hosting the interface can specify the appropriate contact information that it requires.

Abstract: A computing system and a user interface display requested data corresponding with a contact at a display device. The requested data includes contact information, communication histories, and files associated with the contact. The requested data is obtained from one or more contact information directories located locally and/or remotely from the computing system. The user interface also displays contact-centric tasks that may be engaged in between the user and the contact based upon the capabilities of the corresponding computing systems or that can be performed on a contact. Some of the contact information can be edited with an edit mode of the user interface. The contact may be a person, group, organization, or household.

Abstract: Several enhancements to a real-time communications user interface are provided to add functionality and personality in such communications as instant messaging. These enhancements are geared at least in part to making the user interface more personalized between users in a real-time communication session, including personalized fonts, spacing, extensible emoticons, etc. Other enhancements are geared in part toward enhancing the use of the interface. For example, a dynamically changing input box may remove a need for scroll bars, and edit control of previous messages may remove the need to send corrective messages. A number of these enhancements may be accomplished through the use of markup languages in the user interface. One or more of the disclosed enhancements may improve the immediacy, readability, and functionality of instant message conversations.

Abstract: A method and system are provided in which static lists facilitate arbitrary grouping of items of data independent of their locations and in ways that are meaningful to the user. A static list is a set of items defined by a root item, a direction, and the entry relationships with that root item in that direction. The static list also defines the properties that each entry relationship in the list is required to have. Verbs are provided to manage a static list. A verb is an action that may be performed on the items in the static list, and includes, among others, move, copy, add, remove, and delete. A view is provided to specify characteristics for displaying data from a static list, including visibility, order, and formatting, among other characteristics.

Abstract: An instant messaging client application is provided that receives requests to initiate instant messaging conversations and, in response to the requests, displays a notification window. The notification window includes information that may allow a user to decide whether or not the user would like to participate in the instant messaging conversation. The notification window is displayed gradually and removed gradually. The notification window contains an indication that another instant messaging user would like to initiate an instant messaging conversation and may include an identification of the remote user. The notification window also contains a description of the topic for the requested instant messaging conversation. The instant messaging client application may also display a notification window each time an instant message is received from a remote user and the application window is in a non-visible or non-active window.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for making real-time communication user interfaces less intrusive by automatically adjusting the user interfaces based on the user's level of interaction. An initial representation of a user interface for real-time communication is displayed and automatically adapted to the user's activity level based on user input directed to the user interface. For example, the initial representation may be automatically adjusted, either reduced or enlarged, to an intermediate representation, a larger representation, or a smaller representation. When a representation is reduced, a message may be displayed to indicate the reduced representation's location. For smaller representations, subsequently received real-time messages may be displayed adjacent to the smaller representation, at least for a predetermined time. The initial representation may display in a desktop bar that displays other user interfaces, such as for a calendar, etc.

Abstract: A system for controlling the delivery of notifications. The system brokers and serializes the delivery of notifications from multiple sources. In addition, a shared notion of user context is provided for determining the appropriate handling for each of the notifications. In one embodiment, a user context consists of a condition that may be true or false, and an instruction that is to be followed if the condition is true. For example, if a user is listening to music, the instruction may be to show the notification on the screen but not play any sound for the notification. A user's contexts are declared by the operating system and arbitrary programs. The user's contexts may be presented to the user for modification in accordance with the user's preferences. The user may also define rules which dictate how notifications that contain specified elements should be handled, and may provide exceptions to the instructions of the user's contexts.

Abstract: An interface for enabling a user to quickly access contact information automatically displays a list of expected contacts that are most likely to be selected by the user when attention is directed to an appropriate object requiring contact information. When a contact is selected, the corresponding and appropriate contact information is automatically entered. If a user does not select a listed contact, but instead begins manually typing in the contact information then the interface performs a search and displays a list of unexpected contacts having contact information matching the typed input from the user. Various criteria can be used to identify which contacts will be presented to the user and how they will be presented.