Patent ID: 7313760

Claim:
In a computing system that is connected with a display device and that includes a user interface that is configured to display contact information at the display device, a method for intuitively displaying contact information at the display device from a plurality of contact information directories, the method comprising: an act of receiving focus input directed at a type-in line that is displayed at the display device, the type-in line being configured to receive desired contact information for enabling a desired function to be performed with the contact information; upon receiving the focus input, an act of automatically displaying a list of expected contacts proximate the type-in line, the expected contacts aggregated from a plurality of different contact information directories accessible to the computer system; upon receiving a selection input that selects one of the expected contacts, an act of populating the type-in line with the desired contact information, the desired contact information corresponding to the selected one of the expected contacts; and upon receiving an alternative input other than a selection of an expected contact and that comprises at least part of the desired contact information, automatically performing acts of: performing a search in the plurality of different contact information directories for one or more unexpected contacts having the desired contact information; receiving first contact information results from a first contact information directory, the received first contact information results for one or more unexpected contacts having the desired contact information stored in the first contact information directory, the first contact information being in a first format, the first contact information directory being separate and distinct from other contact information directories in the plurality of contact directories; receiving second contact information results from the second contact information directory, the received second contact information results for one or more unexpected contacts having the desired contact information stored in the second contact information directory, the second contact information in a second data format different than the first data format, the second contact information directory being separate and distinct from the first contact information directory; aggregating the first and second contact information results into a displayable contact information list organized according to a single unifying schema such that the first contact information in the first format and the second contact information in the second different format can be displayed within the same displayable contact list; and displaying the aggregated contact information list at the display device.