Linking of personal information management data

• US 20070027917A1
• Filed: 09/16/2005
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Seven Networks Inc
• Inventors: Ariel, Ido, Gent, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,917,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A system and method for linking information of one user to other users via a data aggregation server is provided. Various security settings govern the linking of information. Various methodologies for initiating a link of PIM data are also provided including automatic linking, targeted linking and requested linking. Implementations utilizing group profiles are also provided.

Claims

1. A system for sharing Personal Information Management (PIM) data comprising:

a first computing device configured to provide PIM data;

a second computing device configured to receive PIM data;

an intermediate computing device coupling the first computing device to the second computing device, the intermediate computing device configured to host a user profile associated with a user of the first computing device and a user profile associated with the user of the second computing device, the intermediate computing device further configured to identify a relationship between the user profiles.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the intermediate computing device is a data aggregation server implemented by a network service provider.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the relationship comprises identification of the user of the first computing device in the user profile of the user of the second computing device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user profile of at least one computing device comprises e-mail PIM data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user profile of at least one computing device comprises name PIM data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the user profile of at least one computing device comprises phone PIM data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device pushes PIM data to the intermediate computing device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the PIM data from the first computing device is pushed to the second computing device by the intermediate computing device.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the PIM data from the first computing device is pulled from the intermediate computing device by the second computing device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the intermediate computing device pulls PIM data from the first computing device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the PIM data from the first computing device is pushed to the second computing device by the intermediate computing device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the PIM data from the first computing device is pulled from the intermediate computing device by the second computing device.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the user of the first computing device identifies the user of the second computing device and causes the first computing device to push the PIM data to the second computing device via the intermediate computing device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the user of the second computing device identifies the user of the first computing device and causes the second computing device to pull the PIM data from the first computing device via the intermediate computing device.

15. A method for updating Personal Information Management (PIM) data amongst a plurality of users, comprising:

providing a first set of PIM data, the first set of PIM data including up-to-date PIM data;

providing a second set of PIM data, the second set of PIM data including out-of-date PIM data;

establishing a link between a user of the first set of PIM data and a user of the second set of PIM data;

causing the second set of PIM data to correspond to the first set of PIM data such that the out-of-date PIM data is overwritten by the up-to-date PIM data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the link between the user of the first set of PIM data and the user of the second set of PIM data is established as a result of the user of the first set of PIM data identifying the user of the second set of PIM data.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the link between the user of the first set of PIM data and the user of the second set of PIM data is established as a result of a data aggregation server identifying a correlation between the user of the first set of PIM data and the user of the second set of PIM data.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the link between the user of the first set of PIM data and the user of the second set of PIM data is established as a result of the user of the second set of PIM data requesting the first set of PIM data from the user of the first set of PIM data.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein causing the second set of PIM data to correspond to the first set of PIM data is subject to security limitations imposed by the user of the second set of PIM data.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein causing the second set of PIM data to correspond to the first set of PIM data is subject to security limitations imposed by the user of the first set of PIM data.

21. A method for completing Personal Information Management (PIM) data entries amongst a plurality of users, comprising:

providing a first set of PIM data, the first set of PIM data including an incomplete user contact profile;

providing a second set of PIM data, the second set of PIM data including at least one PIM data entry not present in the user contact profile of the first set of PIM data;

identifying the presence of the second set of PIM data including the at least one PIM data entry not present in the user contact profile of the first set of PIM data;

establishing a link between a user of the first set of PIM data and a user of the second set of PIM data;

updating the first set of PIM data such that the user contact profile comprises at least the one PIM data entry of the second set of PIM data.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the link between the user of the first set of PIM data and the user of the second set of PIM data is established as a result of the user of the first set of PIM data requesting the at least one PIM data entry from the user of the second set of PIM data.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the link between the user of the first set of PIM data and the user of the second set of PIM data is established as a result of a data aggregation server identifying the at least one PIM data entry not present in the user contact profile of the first set of PIM data.