Contact schema

• US 20040122822A1
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Perlow, Jonathan D., Dunn, Melissa W., Thompson, J. Patrick, Cameron, Kim, Smith, Walter R., Subotic, Dejan
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A schema is provided that defines people, groups and organizations by their corresponding contact information and other related characteristics. The schema defines a person by personal data, name data, location data, and e-address data. A group is defined by group membership data and e-address data. An organization is defined by location data and by e-address data. The schema also defines role occupancies for interrelating the various contacts. The role occupancies are defined by role occupancy data that may include employee data, team member data, group membership data, family data, customer or business data, and other types of data that can link two or more contacts. By interrelating contacts based on role occupancies, the schema is able to provide rich querying of one or more databases for obtaining desired contact information.

Claims

1. In a computing system that is connected with one or more storage media configured to store contact information, a method for defining and relating a plurality of contacts with the contact information stored on the one or more storage media based upon a schema, the method comprising:

an act of providing a schema for defining and interrelating the plurality of contacts based on contact information stored in the one or more storage media, each contact comprising one of a person, a group, and an organization;

a step for using the schema to define each person, group and organization having contact information stored on the one or more storage media; and

an act of using the schema to determine role occupancies that interrelate at least one person with at least one contact other than a person, each role occupancy corresponding with role occupancy data that defines a relationship between the at least one person and at least one contact other than a person.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step for using the schema includes an act, for each person having contact information stored in the one or more storage media, of defining at least one of corresponding personal data, name data, location data, and e-address data.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the personal data includes birth date, gender designation, and an identity key.

4. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the e-address data includes at least one of an access point for an e-address, an e-address descriptor, a service type of the e-address, and a technology categorization of the e-address.

5. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the location data includes at least one of a domicile and a residence address.

6. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the name data includes at least one of a given name, a middle name, a surname, a title, a nickname, a yomi name, a display name, and a designation of name type.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step for using the schema includes an act, for each group having contact information stored in the one or more storage media, of defining corresponding group membership data and e-address data.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein e-address data includes at least one of an access point for an e-address, an e-address descriptor, a service type of the e-address, and a technology categorization of the e-address.

9. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the group membership data includes at least one of a membership type categorization and a capability categorization.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step for using the schema includes an act, for each organization having contact information stored in the one or more storage media, of defining corresponding location data and e-address data.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein e-address data includes at least one of an access point for an e-address, an e-address descriptor, a service type of the e-address, and a technology categorization of the e-address.

12. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the location data includes address information.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the relationship between the at least one person and at least one contact other than a person includes an employment relationship, and wherein the role occupancy data includes employee data corresponding with the at least one person.

14. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the relationship between the at least one person and at least one contact other than a person includes a group relationship, and wherein the role occupancy data includes group membership data corresponding with the at least one person.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the relationship between the at least one person and at least one contact other than a person includes a team relationship, and wherein the role occupancy data includes team position data corresponding with the at least one person.

16. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the relationship between the at least one person and at least one contact other than a person includes a family relationship, and wherein the role occupancy data includes family event data corresponding with the at least one person.

17. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the relationship between the at least one person and at least one contact other than a person includes a business relationship, and wherein the role occupancy data includes at least one of consumer and provider data corresponding with the at least one person and the at least one contact other than a person.

18. In a computing system that is connected with one or more storage media configured to store contact information, a method for defining and relating a plurality of contacts with the contact information stored on the one or more storage media based upon a schema, the method comprising:

an act of providing a schema for defining and interrelating the plurality of contacts based on contact information stored in the one or more storage media, each contact comprising one of a person, a group, and an organization;

an act of using the schema, for each person, to define personal data, name data, location data, and e-address data corresponding to the person;

an act of using the schema, for each group, to define group membership data and e-address data corresponding to the group;

an act of using the schema, for each organization, to define location data and e-address data corresponding to the organization; and

an act of using the schema to determine role occupancies that interrelate at least one person with at least one group or organization, each role occupancy corresponding with role occupancy data.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein the personal data includes birth date and gender information, wherein the e-address data includes at least one of an access point for an e-address, an e-address descriptor, a service type of the e-address, and a technology categorization of the e-address, wherein the location data includes an address, and wherein the name data includes at least one of a given name, a middle name, a surname, a title, a nickname, a yomi name, a display name, and a designation of name type.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the e-address is one, of an email address, a telephone number, and an instant messaging address.

21. A computer program product for defining and relating a plurality of contacts with contact information stored on one or more storage media, the contacts including at least one of a person, a group and an organization, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure, the data structure including;

one or more data fields containing data defining a first contact comprising a person;

one or more data fields containing data defining a second contact, the second contact comprising a group or an organization; and

one or more data fields containing role occupancy data that interrelates the first contact with the second contact.

22. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, wherein the one or more data fields containing data defining a first contact includes personal data comprising at least one of a gender designation, a birth date, and an identity key.

23. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, wherein the one or more data fields containing data defining a first contact includes name data comprising at least one of a given name, a middle name, a surname, a title, a nickname, a yomi name, a display name, and a designation of name type.

24. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, wherein the one or more data fields containing data defining a first contact includes e-address data comprising at least one of an access point for an e-address, an e-address descriptor, a service type of the e-address, and a technology categorization of the e-address.

25. A computer program product as recited in claim 24, wherein the e-address is one of an email address, a telephone number, and an instant messaging address.

26. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, wherein the one or more data fields containing data defining a first contact includes an address.

27. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, wherein the one or more data fields containing data defining the second contact includes e-address data comprising at least one of an access point for an e-address, an e-address descriptor, a service type of the e-address, and a technology categorization of the e-address.

28. A computer program product as recited in claim 27, wherein the second contact includes a group.

29. A computer program product as recited in claim 27, wherein the one or more data fields further include group membership data corresponding to the first contact.

30. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, wherein the second contact includes an organization, and wherein the one or more data fields containing data defining the second contact include location data comprising an address of the organization.

31. A computer program product for defining and relating a plurality of contacts with contact information stored on one or more storage media, the contacts including at least one of a person, a group and an organization, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure, the data structure including;

one or more data fields containing data defining a person;

one or more data fields containing data defining a group;

one or more data fields containing data defining an organization; and

one or more data fields containing role occupancy data interrelating the person with the group and the organization.

32. A computer program product as recited in claim 31, wherein the one or more data fields containing data defining the person include personal data comprising at least one of a gender designation and a birth date of the person.

33. A computer program product as recited in claim 31, wherein the one or more data fields containing data defining the person include name data comprising at least one of a given name, a middle name, a surname, a title, a nickname, a yomi name, a display name of the person.

34. A computer program product as recited in claim 31, wherein the one or more data fields containing data defining the person include e-address data comprising at least one of an access point for an e-address, a descriptor of the e-address, a service type of the e-address, and a technology categorization of the e-address.

35. A computer program product as recited in claim 34, wherein the e-address is one of an email address, a telephone number, and an instant messaging address.

36. A computer program product as recited in claim 31, wherein the one or more data fields containing data defining the person includes location data defining an address of the person.

37. A computer program product for defining and relating a plurality of contacts with contact information stored on one or more storage media, the contacts including at least one of a person, a group and an organization, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure, the data structure including;

one or more data fields containing personal data, name data, location data, and e-address data defining each person having contact information stored on the one or more storage media;

one or more data fields containing group membership data and e-address data defining each group having contact information stored on the one or more storage media;

one or more data fields containing location data and e-address data defining each organization having contact information stored on the one or more storage media; and

one or more data fields containing role occupancy data interrelating at least one person having contact information stored on the one or more storage media with at least one group or organization having contact information stored on the one or more storage media.

38. A computer program product as recited in claim 37, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include system memory.