People lists

• US 20040199581A1
• Filed: 11/18/2003
• Published: 10/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Panzer, John, Buonomo, Michael Anthony, Traylor, Michael, Mazzeo, Jack, Kucharewski, Valerie
• Application Number:
  US10/715,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20040199581A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27457 Management thereof, e.g. manual editing of data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/556 Statistical analysis and interpretation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems

Abstract

Enabling management of contacts includes creating a single list of contacts that is stored in a central repository. A member is enabled to define a group of contacts from the single list of contacts and represent the group of contacts by a unique identifier. The member is enabled to address communications sent from multiple applications to the group of contacts represented by the unique identifier.

Claims

1. A method for enabling management of contacts, the method comprising:

creating a single list of contacts that is stored in a central repository;

enabling a member to define a group of contacts from the single list of contacts and represent the group of contacts by a unique identifier; and

enabling the member to address communications sent from multiple applications to the group of contacts represented by the unique identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the member to send a copy of the group of contacts to a recipient.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

receiving a request from the member or the recipient to modify the group; and

updating copies of the group held by the member and the recipient to reflect the requested change.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising notifying the member and the recipient of the requested change to the group.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple applications include communications applications.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the communications applications include an e-mail application and at least one application other than an e-mail application.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the communications applications include an instant messaging application and at least one application other than an instant messaging application.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the communications applications include a digital image sharing application and at least one application other than a digital image sharing application.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the communications applications include an alerting application that sends alerts and reminders to users and at least one application other than an alerting application that sends alerts and reminders to users.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein the communications applications include an application for sharing and exchanging contact information and at least one application other than an application for sharing and exchanging contact information.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple applications include other sharing applications.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the other sharing applications include an electronic journal application and at least one application other than an electronic journal application.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the other sharing applications include an e-mail filtering application and at least one application other than an e-mail filtering application.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the other sharing applications include an application that enables the specification of parental controls over a child account and at least one application other than an application that enables the specification of parental controls over a child account.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the contacts is listed in the single list of contacts and in the group of contacts by a single identifier.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the single identifier is an e-mail address.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the single identifier is a screen name.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the single identifier is a cellular phone number.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein enabling the member to address communications sent from multiple applications to the group of contacts represented by the unique identifier comprises:

recognizing a contact that is identified within the group of contacts by a single identifier that may not be used to address a message to be sent from a chosen application of the multiple applications;

prompting the member for a different single identifier for the contact that may be used to address the message to be sent from the chosen application; and

replacing the single identifier with the different single identifier in the group of contacts.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein enabling the member to address communications sent from multiple applications to the group of contacts represented by the unique identifier comprises:

recognizing a contact from the group of contacts with a single identifier that cannot be used to address a message to be sent from a chosen application of the multiple applications; and

omitting the contact from the group for the purposes of sending communications from the chosen application.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein enabling a member to define a group of contacts from the single list of contacts comprises:

enabling the member to use a graphical user interface to specify contacts from the single list of contacts to be included in the group of contacts; and

enabling the member to name the group of contacts.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein enabling a member to define a group contacts from the single list of contacts comprises:

recognizing a set of contacts from the single list as repeated recipients of communications sent by a member; and

enabling the member to define a group containing the set of contacts without actively specifying the set of contacts.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein recognizing a set of contacts from the single list as repeated recipients of communications sent by a member comprises:

storing communications sent by the member during a period of time;

examining the communications sent by the member during the period of time; and

identifying a set of contacts that was sent at least a minimum number of communications by the member during the period of time.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein communications from multiple applications are stored and examined.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein recognizing a set of contacts from the single list as repeated recipients of communications sent by a member comprises:

storing a predetermined number of communications sent by the member;

examining the predetermined number of communications sent by the member; and

identifying a set of contacts that was sent at least a minimum number of communications out of the predetermined number of communications by the member.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein communications from multiple applications are stored and examined.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein enabling the member to define a group containing the set of contacts comprises enabling the member to name the recognized set of contacts.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein permissions and preferences of all contacts in the group are the same.

29. An apparatus comprising a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a machine result in at least the following:

creating a single list of contacts that is stored in a central repository;

enabling a member to define a group of contacts from the single list of contacts and represent the group of contacts by a unique identifier; and

enabling the member to address communications sent from multiple applications to the group of contacts represented by the unique identifier.

30. A system for enabling management of contacts comprising:

means for creating a single list of contacts that is stored in a central repository;

means for enabling a member to define a group of contacts from the single list of contacts and represent the group of contacts by a unique identifier; and

means for enabling the member to address communications sent from multiple applications to the group of contacts represented by the unique identifier.