Automatic propagation of user profile modifications

• US 20080133677A1
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Pattabhiraman, Balaji, Krishnan, Kalyanaraman B.
• Application Number:
  US11/607,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20080133677A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A source client generates an update event for a user profile. In response to the generated update event, contact information for one or more contacts is retrieved from a user contact list. The source client distributes the update event to one or more target clients independently of a central profile server and in accordance with the retrieved contact information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating an update event for a user profile at a source client;

retrieving contact information for one or more contacts from a user contact list in response to receiving the update event; and

distributing the update event from the source client directly to one or more target clients in accordance with the retrieved contact information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein distributing the update event comprises distributing an email that includes the update event from the source client to the one or more target clients.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein distributing the email that includes the update event comprises:

incorporating the update event into an electronic business card;

including the electronic business card as plain text in the body of an email; and

sending the email to the one or more contacts.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising attaching a digital signature to the email to indicate an authorized modification source.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact information from the user contact list is maintained according to a first format and contact information stored on at least one target client is maintained according to a second format.

6. A profile distributor for de-centralized propagation of user profile modifications, comprising:

a user profile agent to receive a profile modification of a user at a source client;

a contact retrieval agent at the source client to retrieve contact information for one or more contacts from a user contact list in response to receiving the profile modification; and

a notification agent at the source client to automatically distribute a notification including the profile modification to the one or more contacts at one or more remote target clients.

7. The profile distributor of claim 6, wherein the notification comprises an email and the profile modification is included as plain text in the body of the email.

8. The profile distributor of claim 7, wherein the email includes a digital signature to authenticate the notification.

9. The profile distributor of claim 7, wherein the profile modification is incorporated into at least one of an electronic business card or a vCard.

10. The profile distributor of claim 7, wherein the contact information is retrieved from at least one of an address book or an Instant Messaging (IM) local to the source client.

11. The profile distributor of claim 6, wherein the contact information in the user contact list is maintained according to a first format and contact information in a contact list of a contact that receives the distributed notification is maintained according to a second format.

12. An article of manufacture comprising a machine-accessible medium having content to provide instructions to result in an electronic device performing operations including:

receiving an update event for a user profile on a source client;

retrieving contact information for one or more contacts from a user contact list in response to receiving the update event; and

distributing the update event from the source client to one or more target clients in accordance with the retrieved contact information.

13. An article of manufacture according to claim 12, wherein distributing the update event comprises sending an email that includes the update event from the source client to the one or more target clients.

14. An article of manufacture according to claim 12, wherein sending an email that includes the update event comprises:

incorporating the update event into an electronic business card;

including the electronic business card as plain text in an email; and

sending the email from the source client to the one or more target clients.

15. An article of manufacture according to claim 12, the machine-accessible medium having content to provide instructions to result in an electronic device performing further operations including attaching a digital signature to the email.

16. A profile acceptor, comprising:

a notification unit to receive a notification from a source client at a target client, the notification including contact information for a user of the source client;

a contacts updater to receive the contact information and incorporate the contact information into a contact list local to the target client; and

an acceptance agent to cause the notification unit to accept the received notification and pass the contact information to the contacts updater at the target client.

17. The profile acceptor of claim 16, wherein the notification comprises a vCard incorporating the contact information.

18. The profile acceptor of claim 16, wherein the auto-accept agent verifies authenticity of a digital signature in the notification.

19. The profile acceptor of claim 16, wherein contact information in a contact list associated with the user of the source client is maintained according to a first format and contact information in the contact list associated with the user of the target client is maintained according to a second format.