Method and apparatus for storing and retrieving business contact information in a computer system

• US 20050149487A1
• Filed: 02/11/2005
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xenogenic Development Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: OnePIN Incorporated
• Inventors: Celik, Feyzi
• Granted Patent: US 7,349,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2755 by optical scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading

Abstract

The present invention provides an information management system comprising a remote device, a remote database operatively coupled to the remote device, the remote database containing contact information for each of a plurality of users of the information management system, wherein each of the users is assigned a unique user identifier, and the information for each user is stored along with the unique user identifier of the user in the remote database, wherein the remote device includes a wireless network interface module that interfaces with a wireless network to allow users of the information management system to access the remote device, a database interface module that coordinates transfer of data between the remote database and the remote device, and an application module to enable a wireless network user to access the remote database over the wireless network using a second network device to retrieve information in the remote database related to a first user having an assigned unique user identifier.

Claims

1. An information management method comprising steps of:

assigning a first user a unique user identifier;

storing information related to the first user in a remote database operatively coupled to a remote device; and

enabling a second user to access the remote database over a wireless network using a second device to retrieve the information related to the first user by retrieving the unique user identifier.

2. The information management method of claim 1, wherein enabling access to the remote database includes retrieving the unique user identifier electronically by receiving a communication from the first user.

3. The information management method of claim 2, further comprising automatically transferring the unique identifier to the second device during the communication from the first user.

4. The information management method of claim 3, wherein receiving a communication from the first user includes informing the second user'"'"'s device of the first user'"'"'s unique user identifier and the first user'"'"'s phone number.

5. The information management method of claim 2, further comprising automatically transferring a second user unique identifier and second user phone number to a first device during the communication from the first user.

6. The information management method of claim 1, wherein enabling access to the remote database to retrieve information related to the first user includes manually entering the unique user identifier or the phone number of the first user into the second device.

7. The information management method of claim 1, wherein the step of assigning includes subscribing to a wireless service provider and wherein the wireless service provider assigns the unique user identifier by accessing the remote database of the remote device.

8. The information management method of claim 1, further comprising printing characters representative of the unique user identifier on a document.

9. The information management method of claim 8, wherein the document is a business card.

10. The information management method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a second database of user information in the second device, and

updating information in the second database of the second device by accessing information in the remote database.

11. The information management method of claim 10, wherein the second device accesses the remote device over the internet.

12. The information management method of claim 11, further comprising enabling the first user to access the remote device over a network using a first wireless device to edit the information related to the first user stored in the remote database.

13. The information management method of claim 1, wherein the second device includes a second database, and the method further includes a step of synchronizing information in the second database with information contained in the remote database.

14. The information management method of claim 1, wherein storing includes a storing an authorized access list with the information for the first user, the authorized access list containing a list of users having authorized access to the information for the first user, and wherein enabling access includes a step of checking whether the second user is on the authorized access list for the first user.

15. An information management system comprising:

a remote device;

a remote database operatively coupled to the remote device, the remote database containing contact information for each of a plurality of users of the information management system, wherein each of the users is assigned a unique user identifier, and the information for each user is stored along with the unique user identifier of the user in the remote database;

wherein the remote device includes;

a wireless network interface module that interfaces with a wireless network to allow users of the information management system to access the remote device;

a database interface module that coordinates transfer of data between the remote database and the remote device; and

an application module to enable a wireless network user to access the remote database over the wireless network using a second network device to retrieve information in the remote database related to a first user having an assigned unique user identifier.

16. The information management system of claim 15, wherein the second network device includes a second database, and the application module includes instructions to provide updating of information in the second database with information in the remote database.

17. The information management system of claim 16, wherein the second device includes a synchronizer for synchronizing information between the second database of the second network device and the remote database.

18. The information management system of claim 15, wherein the application module includes instructions to enable the first user to access the remote database over the wireless network using a first network device to edit the information related to the first user stored in the remote database.

19. The information management system of claim 18, wherein the second network device transfers the unique user identifier of a second user to the first network device, and wherein the first network device transfers the unique user identifier of the first user to the second network device.

20. An information management system comprising:

means for assigning a first user a unique user identifier;

means for storing information related to the first user in a remote database operatively coupled to a remote computer;

means for enabling a second user to access the first database over a wireless network using a second network device to retrieve the information related to the first user by utilizing the unique user identifier assigned to the first user.