Interactive personal information management system

• US 20080126428A1
• Filed: 09/01/2006
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Swanburg, Scott Allen
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

An interactive personal information management system is disclosed. The system permits a user to communicate updated information to other users of a personal information management system. The system notifies the other users of the change and automatically updates the other users'"'"' personal information management system to reflect the changed information.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a personal information management component capable of storing objects comprising information useful to an end user; and

an update component capable of receiving an updated object from a remote user and updating a corresponding object in the personal information management component, automatically, without the intervention of the receiving party.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein

the personal information management component is an interactive calendar;

and

the objects comprise event objects.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the update component is further capable of receiving the updated object directly from a remote device operated by the remote user.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the update component is further capable of receiving the updated object from the remote user by way of a remote server.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the update component is further capable of receiving an authentication code from the remote user and authenticating the remote user based on the authentication code.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a cellular telephone.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a personal digital assistant.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising a return receipt component for transmitting a confirmation to said remote user that said updated object has been received.

9. A device comprising:

a personal information management component capable of storing objects comprising information useful to a user of the device;

an update component capable of receiving a first updated object from a remote user and updating a corresponding object in the personal information management component; and

a transmission component capable of storing a set of remote users and transmitting a second updated object to a subset of the remote users.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the device is a cellular telephone.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the personal information management component is an interactive calendar and the objects are event objects.

12. The device of claim 9, further comprising:

an update notification component capable of determining that an updated object has been received by the updating component and notifying a user of the device.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the transmission component is further capable of transmitting the second updated object to the subset of remote users by way of a remote server.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the transmission component is further capable of transmitting an authentication code to the subset of remote users along with the second updated object.

15. The device of claim 9, wherein the update component is further capable of receiving an authentication code from the remote user and authenticating the remote user using the authentication code.

16. The device of claim 9, further comprising a return receipt component for transmitting a confirmation to said remote user that said updated object has been received.

17. A method for updating a personal information management program, comprising the steps of:

transmitting from a first device an updated object comprising information useful to a user;

receiving, by a second device, the updated object; and

updating, in the second device, an existing object corresponding to the updated object.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the personal information management program is an interactive calendar program and the existing object is an event object;

19. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first device and the second device is a cellular telephone.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting from the first device a new object comprising information about an event;

receiving, by the second device, the new object;

updating the personal information management program with the new object; and

notifying a user of the second device of the new object.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of notifying a user of the second device when the existing object is updated.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

registering an authentication code with the second device permitting the first device to transmit updated objects to the second device;

transmitting the authentication code from the first device along with the updated object;

receiving the authentication code by the second device along with the updated object;

authenticating the updated object using the authentication code; and

performing the updating step only if the updated object is successfully authenticated.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of transmitting a confirmation to said first device that the updated object has been received by said second device.