METHODS AND DEVICES FOR STANDALONE SOCIAL NETWORKING AND INTERNET PROTOCOL COMMUNICATION SETUP

• US 20080056269A1
• Filed: 09/05/2006
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: MADHANI, SUNIL H., GUTIERREZ, ALBERTO
• Granted Patent: US 8,769,005 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking messaging within social networks H04L51/52

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and devices for a social networking device 102. The methods include calculating a value for a social networking index 460 for contacts in a contact list 103, and prioritizing a subset of contacts 462. IP addresses of contacts retrieved 468 from the Internet according to the social networking index can be preloaded 470 for the initiation of an IP based communication 474. The social networking index is generated from values of predetermined statistics 130 associated with contacts of the contact list. The statistics associated with contacts of a contact list include 464 a number of communications with a contact, a statistical value calculated from lengths of communications with a contact, a time since a last communication with a contact and a statistical value calculated from times between at least two consecutive communications with a contact. Calculating a social networking index 460 can include applying weights 466 with which to combine the values of the predetermined statistics.

Claims

1. A method in a mobile communication device 102 having a contact list 103 including a plurality of contacts, the method comprising:

calculating a value for a social networking index 460 for at least two contacts of the plurality of contacts to generate calculated values; and

determining a prioritized subset 462 of the at least two contacts of the plurality of contacts according to the calculated values.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving from an address resolver associated IP addresses 468 for the contacts of the prioritized subset; and

preloading the associated IP addresses 470 of the contacts in the prioritized subset.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

processing instructions to initiate an IP based communication 474 over a communication network to a contact in the prioritized subset using the preloaded associated IP address of the contact.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein processing instructions to initiate an IP based communication comprises:

processing instructions to initiate a VoIP communication 132 over the communication network.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein processing instructions to initiate an IP based communication comprises:

processing instructions to initiate an instant messaging communication 133 over the communication network.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein processing instructions to initiate an IP based communication comprises:

processing instructions to initiate an IP presence state communication 134 over the communication network.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile communication device 102 is configured to access a circuit based communication network.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the mobile communication device is synchronized 127 with a desktop based communication device; and

the social networking index combines predetermined statistical values 464 based on at least one of voice calls, email messages and text messages.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the value of the social networking index 584 for the at least two contacts of the plurality of contacts; and

updating 135 correspondingly the prioritized subset.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a prompt 472 to initiate a communication to a contact of the contact list based on a value for a social networking index for the contact.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating a social networking index comprises:

calculating a plurality of predetermined statistics values 464, the values calculated from data in a log of past communications.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein calculating a social networking index further comprises applying predetermined weights 131 with which to combine the plurality of predetermined statistics values.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein calculating a social networking index further comprises applying self adjusting weights 131 with which to combine the plurality of predetermined statistics values.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined statistics values 464 comprise:

a number of communications with a contact.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined statistics values 464 comprise:

a statistical value calculated from lengths of communications with a contact.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined statistics values 464 comprise:

a time since a last communication with a contact.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined statistics values 464 comprise:

a statistical value calculated from times between at least two consecutive communications with a contact.

18. A method in a mobile communication device 102, the method comprising:

generating, from a set of call logs 105, values of a plurality of statistics 464 associated with contacts of a contact list 103 of the mobile communication device;

generating, from the values of the plurality of statistics, a social net index 460 for at least two contacts of the contact list; and

sorting the at least two contacts of the contact list according to social net index 462, to produce a prioritized list of contacts.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

preloading an IP address 468 for the contacts of the prioritized list of contacts.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

processing instructions to initiate a VoIP communication 132 over a communication network to a contact of the prioritized list of contacts using the preloaded IP address of the contact.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

processing instructions to initiate an instant messaging communication 133 over a communication network to a contact of the prioritized list of contacts using the preloaded IP address of the contact.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

processing instructions to initiate an IP presence state communication 134 over a communication network to a contact of the prioritized list of contacts using the preloaded IP address of the contact.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the mobile communication device 102 is configured to access a circuit based communication network.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein:

the mobile communication device is synchronized 127 with a desktop based communication device; and

the social net index combines predetermined statistical values 464 based on at least one of voice calls, email messages and text messages.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

generating a prompt as to whether to initiate a communication 472 to a contact of the contact list based on the social net index; and

processing instructions to initiate a VoIP communication 474 to the contact when a positive response to the prompt is received.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein generating a social net index comprises:

calculating, using a plurality of predetermined weights, a weighted combination 131 of values of the plurality of statistics to generate the social net index.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein generating a social net index comprises:

calculating, using a plurality of self-adjusting weights, a weighted combination 131 of values of the plurality of statistics to generate the social net index.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein calculating a weighted combination of values of the plurality of statistics comprises calculating a weighted combination 131 of at least two of:

a number of communications with a contact;

a statistical value calculated from lengths of communications with a contact;

a time since a last communication with a contact; and

a statistical value calculated from times between at least two consecutive communications with a contact.

29. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

updating the social net index 135 for each contact of the contact list.

30. An electronic device 102, comprising:

a controller 114 configured to process instructions of instruction modules;

memory 116 coupled to the controller and configured to store data including a contact list 103 and a log of past communications 105, and configured to store instructions of instruction modules 118;

a social networking module 128 configured to calculate a social networking index for a contact of the contact list; and

a determining module 129 configured to sort contacts of the contact list according to social networking index to produce a prioritized list of contacts.

31. The device of claim 30, further comprising:

an IP address retrieval module 137 configured to retrieve an IP address of a contact in the prioritized list of contacts from an address resolver.

32. The device of claim 31, further comprising:

a VoIP initiation module 132 configured to initiate a VoIP communication.

33. The device of claim 31, further comprising:

an instant messaging communication module 133 configured to initiate an instant messaging communication.

34. The device of claim 31, further comprising:

an IP presence state communication module 134 configured to initiate an IP presence state communication.

35. The device of claim 30 wherein the electronic device 102 is configured to access a circuit based communication network.

36. The device of claim 30, further comprising:

a statistics generating module configured 130 to generate statistics from data in the log of past communications.

37. The device of claim 36, further comprising:

a weighting module 131 configured to apply predetermined weights to statistics generated by the statistics generating module.

38. The device of claim 36, further comprising:

a weighting module 131 configured to apply self-adjusting weights to statistics generated by the statistics generating module.

39. The device of claim 36, wherein statistics generated by the statistics generating module 130 comprise at least two of:

a number of communications with a contact;

a statistical value calculated from lengths of communications with a contact;

a time since a last communication with a contact; and

a statistical value calculated from times between at least two consecutive communications with a contact.

40. The device of claim 30, further comprising:

an updating module 135 configured to update the social networking index for each contact of the contact list, and configured to correspondingly update the prioritized list of contacts.

41. The device of claim 30, further comprising:

a prompting module 139 configured to generate a prompt as to whether to initiate a communication to a contact of the contact list, and configured to initiate a VoIP communication to the contact upon receipt of a positive response to the prompt.