METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENABLING ACCESS TO CONTACT INFORMATION

• US 20090265794A1
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 1, LLC
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: APELQVIST, Johan Anders
• Granted Patent: US 8,201,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method, an apparatus and a processor readable medium for enabling access to contact information. The contact information for contacting a recipient may be accessed in accordance with a rights object.

Claims

1-36. -36. (canceled)

37. A method of controlling contact information, the method comprising:

providing a rights object associated with the contact information for a recipient; and

transmitting the rights object to a receiving device,

wherein the rights object is configured to grant access to the contact information to the receiving device to enable contact of the recipient.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the rights object comprises information about which portion of the contact information is to be disclosed to a user of the receiving device.

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

transmitting the contact information to the receiving device.

40. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

selecting a permission and/or a constraint for using the contact information.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

generating the rights object based on the selected permission and/or constraint.

42. The method of claim 37, wherein the contact information is encrypted and the rights object comprises information for decrypting the contact information.

43. The method of claim 37, wherein the rights object comprises at least one usage permission for using the contact information including at least one of a permission to contact, a permission to display, a permission to forward, a permission to copy, or a permission to print.

44. The method of claim 37, wherein the rights object comprises at least one constraint for using the contact information including at least one of a permitted number of contacting, a person authorized to use, a number of permitted forwarding of the contact information, a permitted type of contact, or a permitted time of contact.

45. The method of claim 37, wherein the contact information comprises different types of contact details, and the rights object comprises usage permissions and/or constraints individually assigned to the contact details.

46. The method of claim 37, wherein the contact information comprises at least one contact detail including a name, a telephone number, a cellular phone number, an email address, an internet protocol (IP) address, a voice over IP user identification, an internet-based user identification, company information, or address information.

47. The method of claim 37, wherein the contact information comprises a vCard.

48. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

receiving the rights object at the receiving device; and

at the receiving device, enabling the use of the contact information based on information contained in the rights object.

49. A method of controlling contact information, the method comprising:

receiving a rights object associated with the contact information for contacting a recipient;

accessing the contact information; and

enabling use of the contact information to contact the recipient based on information contained in the rights object.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

retrieving the contact information.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein the rights object comprises at least one permission and/or restriction for displaying a contact detail contained in the contact information.

52. The method of claim 51 further comprising:

displaying the contact information based on the at least one permission and/or restriction.

53. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

contacting the recipient using the contact information.

54. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

disabling use of the contact information to contact the recipient when a constraint defined in the rights object is exceeded.

55. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

providing the rights object in a transmitting device; and

at the transmitting device, transmitting the rights object so that it can be received at the recipient.

56. A device to control access to contact information, the device comprising:

a storage unit to store a rights object associated with the contact information for a recipient; and

a transmitting unit to transmit the rights object to a receiving device, the rights object including information to enable the receiving device to access the contact information to contact the recipient.

57. The device of claim 56, further comprising:

a rights management unit to manage the rights object, the rights management unit to be implemented as a digital rights management agent when executed on the device.

58. The device of claim 56, further comprising:

a rights management unit including a unit to create and/or modify the rights object.

59. The device of claim 56, further comprising:

an input unit to enter a permission and/or a constraint to be included in the rights object.

60. The device of claim 56, wherein the rights object comprises at least one restriction for displaying, at the receiving device, a contact detail contained in the contact information.

61. The device of claim 56, wherein the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the contact information to the receiving device.

62. The device of claim 56, further comprising:

a receiving unit to receive contact information for the recipient; and

a rights management unit to enable the transmitting unit to contact the recipient and to restrict the disclosure of at least a potion of the received contact information to a user of the device.

63. The device of claim 56, wherein the device is a device including at least one of a cellular phone, a personal data assistant, a wireless handheld device, a portable computer, a network connected computer, an internet server, a telephone, or a set-top box.

64. A device to control access to contact information, the device comprising:

a receiving unit to receive a rights object associated with contact information for a recipient;

a transmitting unit; and

a rights management unit to enable the transmitting unit to contact the recipient based on information contained in the rights object.

65. The device of claim 64, wherein the rights management unit is configured to restrict disclosure of the contact information to a user of the device based on information contained in the rights object.

66. The device of claim 64, wherein the rights object comprises constraints for use of the contact information, and the rights management unit is configured to enforce the constraints.

67. The device of claim 64, wherein the rights management unit is configured to disable use of the contact information to contact the recipient when a constraint contained in the rights object is satisfied, the constraint defining to a maximum number of times the device is permitted to contact the recipient using the contact information.

68. The method of claim 64, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to receive the contact information.

69. The device of claim 64, wherein the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a rights object associated with contact information for a recipient to a receiving device, and the rights management unit is configured to manage the rights object, the rights object comprising information enabling the receiving device having access to the contact information to contact the recipient.

70. The device of claim 64, wherein the device is a device including a cellular phone, a personal data assistant, a wireless handheld device, a portable computer, a network connected computer, an internet server, a telephone, or a set-top box.

71. A processor-readable storage device having processor-executable instructions stored thereon for controlling access to contact information when executed on a processor of a device, comprising:

instructions to access a rights object associated with the contact information for a recipient, the rights object including at least one permission and/or restriction for disclosure of a contact detail contained in the contact information; and

instructions to initiate transmission of the rights object to a receiving device, the rights object to grant access to the contact information to the receiving device to contact the recipient.

72. A processor-readable storage device to store processor-executable instructions to control access to the contact information, which when executed on a processor of a device perform:

receiving a rights object associated with the contact information for a recipient;

determining, based on the rights object, at least a portion of the contact information that is not to be disclosed to a user of the device; and

enabling use of the contact information to contact the recipient based on information contained in the rights object.