Method and system for searching and processing contacts

• US 20070143500A1
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilhelm, Albert
• Granted Patent: US 8,843,582 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for searching and processing contacts. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a mobile communication device (MCD) (116) has a transceiver (202), and a controller (212) for controlling operations thereof. The controller is programmed to receive (302) from an end user of the MCD a request for a contact, and search (304) for the contact in a phonebook of the MCD. If the entry cannot be found in the MCD, the controller is, programmed to search (318) for the contact in a phonebook of a local communication device (LCD). If the contact cannot be found in the LCD, the controller is programmed to search (330) for the contact in a directory of an enterprise server. Additional embodiments are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium in a mobile communication device (MCD), comprising computer instructions for:

searching a contact in a phonebook of the MCD responsive to a request from an end user of the MCD;

if the entry cannot be found in the phonebook of the MCD,

scanning for one or more local communication devices (LCDs);

searching the contact in a phonebook of each of the detected LCDs;

if the contact is found, retrieving the contact from at least one of the detected LCDs;

if the contact cannot be found in one or more of the detected LCDs or one or more LCDs cannot be detected,

requesting service from a phone directory proxy server (PDPS); and

retrieving the contact from the PDPS.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

establishing a data channel with the PDPS;

transmitting on the data channel a request for access to the directory;

transmitting to the PDPS a request for the contact; and

receiving from the PDPS one or more successive portions of the directory corresponding to the contact requested.

3. The storage medium of claim 2, comprising computer instructions for:

transmitting to the PDPS on the data channel a mobile originated call corresponding to the contact to establish voice connectivity with a terminal device;

receiving a network originated call from the PDPS over a voice channel; and

accepting the network originated call.

4. The storage medium of claim 3, comprising computer instructions for suppressing an audible alert responsive to the network originated call.

5. The storage medium of claim 3, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving an acknowledgment from the PDPS corresponding to a voice channel connection with the terminal device; and

terminating the connection to the data channel.

6. The storage medium of claim 3, comprising computer instructions for:

displaying the one or more successive portions of the directory to an end user of the MCD;

receiving from the end user an identifier selected from the one or more successive portions of the directory;

transmitting in the mobile originated call an abbreviated third party identifier corresponding to the selected identifier for identifying the terminal device.

7. A mobile communication device (MCD), comprising:

a controller for managing operations of a transceiver, and programmed to;

receive from an end user of the MCD a request for a contact;

search for the contact in a phonebook of the MCD, if the entry cannot be found in the MCD, search for the contact in a phonebook of a local communication device (LCD) if one is detected; and

if the contact cannot be found in the LCD or the LCD cannot be detected, search for the contact in a directory of an enterprise server.

8. The MCD of claim 7, wherein the controller is programmed to:

search for one or more LCDs;

detect the LCD;

establish a data channel connection with the LCD;

detect the contact in the phonebook of the LCD; and

retrieve the contact from the LCD.

9. The MCD of claim 7, wherein the controller is programmed to, upon detecting the contact in a select one of the phonebook of the MCD, the phonebook of the LCD, and the directory of the enterprise, store a portion of the contact in the phonebook of the MCD in response to a selection supplied by the end user.

10. The MCD of claim 7, wherein the controller is programmed to:

search for the enterprise server;

detect the enterprise server;

establish a data channel connection with the enterprise server;

detect the contact in the directory of the enterprise server; and

retrieve the contact from the enterprise server.

11. The MCD of claim 7, wherein the enterprise server comprises a phone directory proxy server (PDPS), and wherein the controller is programmed to:

establish a data channel connection with the PDPS;

transmit on the data channel a request for access to the directory of PDPS;

transmit to the PDPS a request for the contact; and

receive from the PDPS one or more successive portions of the directory corresponding to the contact requested.

12. The MCD of claim 11, wherein the controller is programmed to:

transmit to the PDPS on the data channel a mobile originated call corresponding to the contact to establish voice connectivity with a terminal device;

receive a network originated call from the PDPS over a voice channel; and

accept the network originated call.

13. The MCD of claim 12, comprising an audio system, wherein the controller is programmed to suppress an audible alert responsive to the network originated call.

14. The MCD of claim 11, wherein the controller is programmed to transmit to the PDPS a registration request on the data channel.

15. The MCD of claim 12, wherein the controller is programmed to:

receive an acknowledgment from the PDPS corresponding to an accepted voice channel connection with the terminal device; and

terminate the connection to the data channel.

16. The MCD of claim 12, comprising a user interface, wherein the controller is programmed to:

present the one or more successive portions of the directory to an end user of the MCD;

receive from the end user an identifier selected from the one or more successive portions of the directory;

transmit in the mobile originated call an abbreviated third party identifier corresponding to the selected identifier for identifying the terminal device.

17. The MCD of claim 7, wherein the controller is programmed to transmit a mobile originated call to a fixed base station corresponding to the contact.

18. A method, comprising the steps of:

searching a contact in a phonebook of the MCD;

if the entry cannot be found in the phonebook of the MCD,

scanning for one or more local communication devices (LCDs);

searching for the contact in a phonebook of each of the detected LCDs;

if the contact is found, retrieving the contact from at least one of the detected LCDs;

if the contact cannot be found in one or more of the detected LCDs or one or more LCDs cannot be detected,

contacting a phone directory proxy server (PDPS);

searching the contact in a directory of the PDPS;

finding the contact in the directory;

retrieving the contact from the directory; and

transmitting a mobile originated call corresponding to the contact retrieved from one among the MCD, the detected LCDs and the PDPS.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising the steps of:

at the PDPS,

receiving from the MCD on a data channel the mobile originated call according to the retrieved contact for connecting to a terminal device;

transmitting a first network originated call to the terminal device over a first voice channel;

transmitting a second network originated call to the MCD over a second voice channel; and

causing a media gateway to link the first and second voice channels;

at the MCD,

suppressing an audible alert responsive to the second network originated call.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising the steps of:

at the MCD,

transmitting in the mobile originated call an abbreviated third party identifier corresponding to an identifier selected from the contact;

at the PDPS,

replacing a mobile communication device caller identification (ID) received from the MCD with a corresponding caller ID that emulates an enterprise ID; and

transmitting the first network originated call according to the abbreviated third party identifier and the caller ID.