Method and system for centralized contact management
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- receiving, at a communication system, sender contact information and security policy information from a sending user, said security policy information defining a user relationship and a subset of said sender contact information;
sending an electronic message including a sender identification token from the communication system to a receiving user, wherein the sender identification token identifies said sending user;
in response to a reception of the electronic message, at the communication system, from said sending user, extracting, by the communication system, from the electronic message, the sender identification token;
receiving, at the communication system, a request from the receiving user for the sender contact information, the request including the sender identification token;
obtaining, in response to the request, the subset of the sender contact information from a contact database, based on the sender identification token;
in response to the request, determining said user relationship between the receiving user and the sending user; and
sending, from the communication system, the subset of the sender contact information, based on the security policy information and the user relationship, whereinthe subset of the sender contact information is a first subset including an e-mail address of the sending user, based on said user relationship indicating said receiving user accesses said communication system via a publicly accessible gateway,the subset of the sender contact information is a second subset including the first subset and a first phone number, based on said user relationship indicating said receiving user is in a same enterprise as said sending user, andthe subset of the sender contact information includes the second subset and a second phone number, based on said user relationship indicating said receiving user individually is defined by said sending user.
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Abstract
Disclosed is a method and system for managing contacts for a communication system by storing contact information in a centralized storage system and permitting receiving users to access the centralized contact information storage system using a token passed with communications from a sending user. The communications system may be a trusted network with trusted sending and receiving members. Each communications system member provides contact information the member may wish to make available to other parties. The member may also create a policy defining which contact information may be made available to different classes of users. A member of the communications system generates a message to send to a receiving user. A token that identifies the sending user to the communications system is embedded into the message to be sent to the receiving user. The receiving user, after identifying the message as a message containing a token, may request contact information for the sending user from the communications system using the token identifying the sending user to the communication system. The communication system delivers a subset of the sending user'"'"'s contact information to the receiving user based on the sending user'"'"'s contact information and policy definitions stored in the centralized contact information storage system of the communication systems. The system and method are especially adaptable to e-mail communications, but other forms of electronic communications may also be included in an embodiment, either solely or in combination.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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receiving, at a communication system, sender contact information and security policy information from a sending user, said security policy information defining a user relationship and a subset of said sender contact information; sending an electronic message including a sender identification token from the communication system to a receiving user, wherein the sender identification token identifies said sending user; in response to a reception of the electronic message, at the communication system, from said sending user, extracting, by the communication system, from the electronic message, the sender identification token; receiving, at the communication system, a request from the receiving user for the sender contact information, the request including the sender identification token; obtaining, in response to the request, the subset of the sender contact information from a contact database, based on the sender identification token; in response to the request, determining said user relationship between the receiving user and the sending user; and sending, from the communication system, the subset of the sender contact information, based on the security policy information and the user relationship, wherein the subset of the sender contact information is a first subset including an e-mail address of the sending user, based on said user relationship indicating said receiving user accesses said communication system via a publicly accessible gateway, the subset of the sender contact information is a second subset including the first subset and a first phone number, based on said user relationship indicating said receiving user is in a same enterprise as said sending user, and the subset of the sender contact information includes the second subset and a second phone number, based on said user relationship indicating said receiving user individually is defined by said sending user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system, comprising:
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a computer that receives sender contact information and security policy information from a sending user, said security policy information defining a user relationship and a subset of said sender contact information, wherein the computer sends an electronic message including a sender identification token to a receiving user, the sender identification token identifying said sending user, in response to a reception of the electronic message from said sending user, the computer extracts, from the electronic message, the sender identification token, and the computer receives a request including the sender identification token from the receiving user; and the computer is configured to obtain, in response to the request, the subset of the sender contact information from a contact database, based on the sender identification token, to determine, in response to the request, said user relationship between the receiving user and the sending user, and to send the subset of the sender contact information, based on the security policy information and the user relationship, the subset of the sender contact information is a first subset including an e-mail address of the sending user, based on said user relationship indicating said receiving user accesses said system via a publicly accessible gateway, the subset of the sender contact information is a second subset including the first subset and a first phone number, based on said user relationship indicating said receiving user is in a same enterprise as said sending user, and the subset of the sender contact information includes the second subset and a second phone number, based on said user relationship indicating said receiving user individually is defined by said sending user. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. A computer readable, non-transitory storage medium including instructions, that when executed, cause a computer to perform a method comprising:
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receiving sender contact information and security policy information from a sending user, said security policy information defining a user relationship and a subset of said sender contact information; sending an electronic message including a sender identification token from the computer to a receiving user, wherein the sender identification token identifies said sending user; extracting, from the electronic message, the sender identification token, in response to a reception of the electronic message, at the computer, from the sending user; receiving a request including the sender identification token from the receiving user; obtaining, in response to the request, the subset of said sender contact information from a contact database, based on the sender identification token; in response to the request, determining said user relationship between the receiving user and the sending user; and sending said subset of said sender contact information, based on the security policy information and the user relationship, wherein the subset of the sender contact information is a first subset including an e-mail address of the sending user, based on said user relationship indicating said receiving user accesses said computer via a publicly accessible gateway, the subset of the sender contact information is a second subset including the first subset and a first phone number, based on said user relationship indicating said receiving user is in a same enterprise as said sending user, and the subset of the sender contact information includes the second subset and a second phone number, based on said user relationship indicating said receiving user individually is defined by said sending user. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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Specification