Method and apparatus for sharing information over a network

• US 20050182745A1
• Filed: 07/30/2004
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ZERO Degrees Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ZERO Degrees Incorporated
• Inventors: Dhillon, Jasjit S., Hutto, Peter Stewart, Jeffrey, Mark Damian, Conklin, Frederick Sidney, Kamin, Todd, Crair, Stanley Bruce
• Application Number:
  US10/902,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20050182745A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention include an information sharing system that provides an online business service from a provider that uses the Internet to enable individuals and organizations to link together contact databases that reside in multiple desktop applications and create a unified meta-database. This database can be searched by individual subscribers in order to locate a specific entity (such as an organization or a person, by name, title or organization, such as an executive in a target organization), identify if a path to the executive exists through a chain of contacts across the linked contact databases, and request a referral based introduction to the specific executive.

Claims

1. A method of generating a contact list comprising:

Initiating a request to generate a list of contacts;

Accessing a storage of electronic mail messages corresponding to a user; and

Collecting a plurality of contacts from said stored electronic mail messages.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said accessing step is performed on sent electronic mail messages corresponding to the user.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

providing a weight value for each contact based on the electronic mail messages sent to said contact.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said weight value is selected based on a number of electronic mail messages sent to said user.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said weight value is selected based on a frequency of electronic mail messages sent to said user.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said weight value is selected based on a currency of said electronic mail messages sent to said user.

7. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

Providing a list of said collected contacts at a computer display.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

Selecting ones of said displayed contacts with a cursor control device.

9. A method of processing a contact list comprising:

Generating a list of user contacts pertaining to a user;

Providing a list of member contacts to a network, each member having associated with it relationships to a number of contacts; and

Determining whether each of said user contacts is a member contact.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

If one of said contacts is not a member contact, transmitting a message to said user contact.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said message is an electronic mail message to invite said user contact to become a member of said network.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

If one said contact is a member contact, creating a relationship in said network between said user and contacts of said member contact.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

Providing a web-based contact management system accessible by said user.

14. A method of synchronizing a contact list comprising:

Providing a list of user contacts pertaining to a user;

Providing a list of member contacts to a network, each member having associated with it relationships to a number of contacts; and

At a predetermined time, comparing said list of user contacts to said list of member contacts.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising;

Updating said list of user contacts based on said comparing operation.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

Transmitting a message to invite a user contact to become a member of said network.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said updating step further includes updating data associated with one of said user contacts to indicate that said user contact has become a member of said network.

18. A method of searching a network of contacts wherein the network includes a number of relationships between contacts the method comprising:

Collecting data associated with each of the contacts in said network;

Creating a keyword index for said data;

Creating a relationship graph between each contact in the network;

Obtaining search criteria for a user;

Finding a match between said search criteria and said keyword index; and

Searching said relationship graph to determine a relationship between said user and a contact in the network corresponding to said match.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

Displaying said relationship between said user and said contact in the network corresponding to said match.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein each relationship has a trust level.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said displaying said relationship step includes displaying said trust level.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said relationship between said user and said contact in the network corresponding to said match includes an intervening contact having a low trust level, and at least part of the data associated with the contact in the network corresponding to said match is prevented from being displayed.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said relationship between said user and said contact in the network corresponding to said match includes an intervening contact having a high trust level, and all of the data associated with the contact in the network corresponding to said match is displayed.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein said relationship between said user and said contact in the network corresponding to said match includes an intervening contact, the method further comprising:

Sending a message to said intervening contact requesting an introduction between said user and said contact in the network corresponding to said match.

25. A method of managing a network of contacts wherein the network includes a number of relationships between contacts, the method comprising:

Selecting a member of the network of contacts by a user; and

Setting a trust level in a relationship between said user and said member.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

Sending a message to said member by said user; and

Increasing said trust level in the relationship between said user and said member based on a response to said message by said member.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

Providing access to a user to data associated with a contact list of said member based on said increased trust level.

28. A server system, comprising:

A server to store a network of contacts wherein the network includes a number of relationships between contacts, said server to receive a list of user contacts pertaining to a user and to determine whether each of said user contacts is represented in said network.

29. The server system of claim 28 wherein said server is to collect data associated with each of the contacts in the network, create a keyword index for said data, create a relationship graph between each contact in the network, receive search criteria for a user, find a match between said search criteria and said keyword index, and search said relationship graph to determine a relationship between said user and a contact in the network corresponding to said match.

30. The server system of claim 29 wherein said server is to select a member of the network of contacts by a user and set a trust level in a relationship between said user and said member.

31. A computer system, comprising:

A computer to access a storage of electronic mail messages corresponding to a user and collect a plurality of contacts from said stored electronic mail messages.