METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CENTRALIZED CONTACT MANAGEMENT

• US 20100030858A1
• Filed: 08/04/2008
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Inventors: Chasin, C. Scott
• Granted Patent: US 10,354,229 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and system for managing contacts for a communication system by storing contact information in a centralized storage system and permitting receiving users to access the centralized contact information storage system using a token passed with communications from a sending user. The communications system may be a trusted network with trusted sending and receiving members. Each communications system member provides contact information the member may wish to make available to other parties. The member may also create a policy defining which contact information may be made available to different classes of users. A member of the communications system generates a message to send to a receiving user. A token that identifies the sending user to the communications system is embedded into the message to be sent to the receiving user. The receiving user, after identifying the message as a message containing a token, may request contact information for the sending user from the communications system using the token identifying the sending user to the communication system. The communication system delivers a subset of the sending user'"'"'s contact information to the receiving user based on the sending user'"'"'s contact information and policy definitions stored in the centralized contact information storage system of the communication systems. The system and method are especially adaptable to e-mail communications, but other forms of electronic communications may also be included in an embodiment, either solely or in combination.

Claims

1. A method for managing contacts comprising:

providing a communication system having a centralized computer system that has communication access to and from users of said communication system, said centralized computer system having computer readable storage media;

storing a centralized contact database containing contact information for said users of said communication system on said computer readable storage media of said centralized communication system;

creating an electronic message to send through said communication system from a sending user to a receiving user;

embedding a sender identification token that identifies said sending user to said communication system into said electronic message;

sending said electronic message from said sending user to said receiving user through said communication system;

receiving said electronic message by said receiving user;

extracting said sender identification token from said electronic message after said electronic message is received;

requesting sender contact information of said sending user by said receiving user;

sending said sender identification token with said request from said receiving user for said sender contact information of said sending user to said centralized contact database;

locating said sender contact information in said centralized contact database based on said sender identification token;

delivering said sender contact information to said receiving user; and

adding said sender contact information to a list of contacts for said receiving user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said communication system is a trusted communication system such that said users of said trusted communication system are trusted users, said sending user is a trusted sending user, and said receiving user is a trusted receiving user

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

determining a user relationship for said trusted receiving user in relation to said trusted sending user;

assigning information policies to said sender contact information by said trusted sending user, said information policies defining a restricted subset of said sender contact information based on said user relationship; and

restricting said sender contact information made available to said trusted receiving user to said restricted subset of said sender contact information.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said user relationship includes at least one of the group comprising:

said trusted receiving user individually defined by said trusted sending user, said trusted receiving user in same enterprise as said trusted sending user, said trusted receiving user globally part of said trusted communication system, said trusted receiving user accesses said trusted communication system via a publically accessible gateway, and said trusted receiving user having a friend-of-a-friend in common with said trusted sending user.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said information policies may restrict and permit each individual piece of said sender contact information as desired by said trusted sending user for each of a plurality of possible user relationships.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising integrating said trusted list of contacts for said trusted receiving user into a commercially available contact management system.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said electronic message is an e-mail message and said commercially available contact management system is a mail user agent (MUA).

8. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

providing a public communications gateway for a non-user of said trusted communication system to access said centralized contact database when said non-user receives said electronic message from said trusted sending user; and

representing said non-user as said trusted receiving user when said non-user requests said sender contact information.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

indicating to said centralized database that said non-user represented as said trusted receiving user is accessing said trusted database via said public communications gateway; and

restricting said sender contact information available to said non-user represented as said trusted receiving user to a subset of said sender contact information based on an information policy defined by said trusted sending user.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising locating cross-reference information for said sender contact information in a centralized audit/token database prior to locating said sender contact information in said centralized contact database such that said cross-reference information locates said sender contact information in said centralized contact database based on said sender identification token sent to said centralized audit/token database.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating contents of said sender identification token using available encoding and tracking techniques and technology.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said available encoding and tracking techniques and technology comprise utilizing at least one hash algorithm.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said process of embedding said sender identification token that identifies said sending user to said communication system into said electronic message embeds said sender identification token into a sub-portion of said electronic message.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said sub-portion of said electronic message includes at least one of the group comprising:

a header portion of said electronic message, a body portion of said electronic message, and an attachment portion of said electronic message.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating said sender contact information in said list of contacts for said receiving user when said sender contact information is changed at said centralized contact database.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said electronic message is one of a type of electronic messages that includes at least one of the group comprising:

e-mail, text message, instant message, telephone call, voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) call, voicemail, facsimile, file transfer, and document archiving.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said sender contact information includes at least one of the group comprising:

name, nick name, postal address, e-mail address, instant message address, text message address, phone number, facsimile number, enterprise/company name, job title, photograph, image, avatar, birthday, notes, and contact information defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) vcard standard.

18. A communication system with centralized contact management comprising:

a centralized computer system that has communication access to and from users of said communication system, said centralized computer system having computer readable storage media;

a centralized contact database containing contact information for said users of said communication system stored on said computer readable storage media of said centralized communication system;

an electronic message creation subsystem that creates an electronic message to send through said communication system from a sending user to a receiving user and embeds a sender identification token that identifies said sending user to said communication system in said electronic message;

an electronic message sending subsystem that sends said electronic message from said sending user to said receiving user through said communication system;

an electronic message receiving subsystem that receives said electronic message by said receiving user;

a request sender contact information subsystem that extracts said sender identification token from said electronic message, requests sender contact information of said sending user by said receiving user, and sends said sender identification token with said request from said receiving user for said sender contact information of said sending user to said centralized contact database;

a contact information request handler subsystem that locates said sender contact information in said centralized contact database based on said sender identification token and delivers said sender contact information to said receiving user; and

a contact management list subsystem that adds said sender contact information to a list of contacts for said receiving user.

19. The communication system of claim 18 wherein said communication system is a trusted communication system such that said users of said trusted communication system are trusted users, said sending user is a trusted sending user, and said receiving user is a trusted receiving user

20. The communication system of claim 19 further comprising:

a contact information restriction subsystem that determines a user relationship for said trusted receiving user in relation to said trusted sending user, assigns information policies to said sender contact information by said trusted sending user such that said information policies define a restricted subset of said sender contact information based on said user relationship, and restricts said sender contact information made available to said trusted receiving user to said restricted subset of said sender contact information.

21. The communication system of claim 20 wherein said user relationship includes at least one of the group comprising:

said trusted receiving user individually defined by said trusted sending user, said trusted receiving user in same enterprise as said trusted sending user, said trusted receiving user globally part of said trusted communication system, said trusted receiving user accesses said trusted communication system via a publically accessible gateway, and said trusted receiving user having a friend-of-a-friend in common with said trusted sending user.

22. The communication system of claim 20 wherein said information policies may restrict and permit each individual piece of said sender contact information as desired by said trusted sending user for each of a plurality of possible user relationships.

23. The communication system of claim 19 further comprising:

a third party integration subsystem that integrates said trusted list of contacts for said trusted receiving user into a commercially available contact management system.

24. The communication system of claim 23 wherein said electronic message is an e-mail message and said commercially available contact management system is a mail user agent (MUA).

25. The communication system of claim 19 further comprising:

a public communications gateway for a non-user of said trusted communication system to access said centralized contact database when said non-user receives said electronic message from said trusted sending user that represents said non-user as said trusted receiving user when said non-user requests said sender contact information.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said public communications gateway further indicates to said centralized database that said non-user represented as said trusted receiving user is accessing said trusted database via said public communications gateway and restricts said sender contact information available to said non-user represented as said trusted receiving user to a subset of said sender contact information based on an information policy defined by said trusted sending user.

27. The communication system of claim 18 further comprising:

a cross-reference subsystem that locates cross-reference information for said sender contact information in a centralized audit/token database prior to locating said sender contact information in said centralized contact database such that said cross-reference information locates said sender contact information in said centralized contact database based on said sender identification token sent to said centralized audit/token database.

28. The communication system of claim 18 further comprising:

a sender identification token creation subsystem that creates contents of said sender identification token using available encoding and tracking techniques and technology.

29. The communication system of claim 28 wherein said available encoding and tracking techniques and technology comprise utilizing at least one hash algorithm.

30. The communication system of claim 18 wherein said electronic message creation subsystem embeds said sender identification token into a sub-portion of said electronic message.

31. The communication system of claim 30 wherein said sub-portion of said electronic message includes at least one of the group comprising:

a header portion of said electronic message, a body portion of said electronic message, and an attachment portion of said electronic message.

32. The communication system of claim 18 further comprising:

an update contact information subsystem that updates said sender contact information in said list of contacts for said receiving user when said sender contact information is changed at said centralized contact database.

33. The communication system of claim 18 wherein said electronic message is one of a type of electronic messages that includes at least one of the group comprising:

e-mail, text message, instant message, telephone call, voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) call, voicemail, facsimile, file transfer, and document archiving.

34. The communication system of claim 18 wherein said sender contact information includes at least one of the group comprising:

name, nick name, postal address, e-mail address, instant message address, text message address, phone number, facsimile number, enterprise/company name, job title, photograph, image, avatar, birthday, notes, and contact information defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) vcard standard.

35. A communication system with centralized contact management comprising:

means for providing a communication system having a centralized computer system that has communication access to and from users of said communication system;

means for storing a centralized contact database containing contact information for said users of said communication system on said centralized communication system;

means for creating an electronic message to send through said communication system from a sending user to a receiving user;

means for embedding a sender identification token that identifies said sending user to said communication system into said electronic message;

means for sending said electronic message from said sending user to said receiving user through said communication system;

means for receiving said electronic message by said receiving user;

means for extracting said sender identification token from said electronic message;

means for requesting sender contact information of said sending user by said receiving user;

means for sending said sender identification token with said request from said receiving user for said sender contact information of said sending user to said centralized contact database;

means for locating said sender contact information in said centralized contact database based on said sender identification token;

means for delivering said sender contact information to said receiving user;

means for adding said sender contact information to a list of contacts for said receiving user.

36. A method for managing contacts for a user sending an electronic message comprising:

providing a trusted communication system having a centralized computer system that has communication access to and from trusted users of said trusted communication system, said centralized computer system having computer readable storage media;

storing a centralized contact database containing contact information for said trusted users of said trusted communication system on said computer readable storage media of said centralized trusted communication system;

creating said electronic message to send through said trusted communication system from a sending trusted user to a receiving trusted user;

embedding a sender identification token that identifies said sending trusted user to said trusted communication system into said electronic message;

sending said electronic message from said sending trusted user to said receiving trusted user through said trusted communication system;

requesting recipient contact information of said receiving trusted user by said sending trusted user from said centralized contact database;

extracting said sender identification token from said electronic message;

validating that said sending trusted user is a valid member of said trusted communication system using said sender identification token;

locating said recipient contact information in said centralized contact database;

delivering said recipient contact information to said sending trusted user; and

adding said recipient contact information to a list of contacts for said sending trusted user.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising:

providing an input for said receiving trusted user to select whether to permit a sending trusted user to obtain said recipient contact information from said centralized contact database; and

restricting access by said sending trusted user to said recipient contact information if said receiving trusted user selected to not permit said sending trusted user to obtain said recipient contact information.

38. The method of claim 36 further comprising:

determining a user relationship for said receiving trusted user in relation to said sending trusted user;

assigning information policies to said recipient contact information by said receiving trusted user, said information policies defining a restricted subset of said recipient contact information based on said user relationship; and

restricting said recipient contact information made available to said sending trusted user to said restricted subset of said recipient contact information.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein said user relationship includes at least one of the group comprising:

said sending trusted user individually defined by said receiving trusted user, said sending trusted user in same enterprise as said receiving trusted user, said sending trusted user globally part of said trusted communication system, said sending trusted user accesses said trusted communication system via a publically accessible gateway, and said sending trusted user having a friend-of-a-friend in common with said receiving trusted user.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein said information policies may restrict and permit each individual piece of said recipient contact information as desired by said receiving trusted user for each of a plurality of possible user relationships.

41. The method of claim 36 further comprising updating said recipient contact information in said list of contacts for said sending trusted user when said recipient contact information is changed at said centralized contact database.

42. The method of claim 36 wherein said electronic message is one of a type of electronic messages that includes at least one of the group comprising:

e-mail, text message, instant message, telephone call, voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) call, voicemail, facsimile, file transfer, and document archiving.

43. The method of claim 36 wherein said recipient contact information includes at least one of the group comprising:

name, nick name, postal address, e-mail address, instant message address, text message address, phone number, facsimile number, enterprise/company name, job title, photograph, image, avatar, birthday, notes, and contact information defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) vcard standard.

44. A trusted communication system with centralized contact management that assists a user sending an electronic message comprising:

a centralized computer system that has communication access to and from users of said trusted communication system, said centralized computer system having computer readable storage media;

a centralized contact database containing contact information for said users of said trusted communication system stored on said computer readable storage media of said centralized trusted communication system;

an electronic message creation subsystem that creates said electronic message to send through said trusted communication system from a sending trusted user to a receiving trusted user and embeds a sender identification token that identifies said sending trusted user to said trusted communication system in said electronic message;

an electronic message sending subsystem that sends said electronic message from said sending trusted user to said receiving trusted user through said trusted communication system;

a request recipient contact information subsystem that requests recipient contact information of said receiving trusted user by said sending trusted user, extracts said sender identification token from said electronic message, and validates that said sending trusted user is a valid member of said trusted communication system using said sender identification token;

a contact information request handler subsystem that locates said recipient contact information in said centralized contact database and delivers said recipient contact information to said sending trusted user; and

a contact management list subsystem that adds said recipient contact information to a list of contacts for said sending trusted user.

45. The trusted communication system of claim 44 further comprising:

an input for said receiving trusted user to select whether to permit a sending trusted user to obtain said recipient contact information from said centralized contact database; and

an access restriction subsystem that restricts access by said sending trusted user to said recipient contact information if said receiving trusted user selected to not permit said sending trusted user to obtain said recipient contact information.

46. The trusted communication system of claim 44 further comprising:

a contact information restriction subsystem that determines a user relationship for said receiving trusted user in relation to said sending trusted user, assigns information policies to said recipient contact information by said receiving trusted user such that said information policies defining a restricted subset of said recipient contact information based on said user relationship, and restricts said recipient contact information made available to said sending trusted user to said restricted subset of said recipient contact information.

47. The trusted communication system of claim 46 wherein said user relationship includes at least one of the group comprising:

said trusted receiving user individually defined by said trusted sending user, said trusted receiving user in same enterprise as said trusted sending user, said trusted receiving user globally part of said trusted communication system, said trusted receiving user accesses said trusted communication system via a publically accessible gateway, and said trusted receiving user having a friend-of-a-friend in common with said trusted sending user.

48. The trusted communication system of claim 47 wherein said information policies may restrict and permit each individual piece of said recipient contact information as desired by said receiving trusted user for each of a plurality of possible user relationships.

49. The trusted communication system of claim 44 further comprising:

an update contact information subsystem that updates said recipient contact information in said list of contacts for said sending trusted user when said recipient contact information is changed at said centralized contact database.

50. The trusted communication system of claim 44 wherein said electronic message is one of a type of electronic messages that includes at least one of the group comprising:

e-mail, text message, instant message, telephone call, voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) call, voicemail, facsimile, file transfer, and document archiving.

51. The trusted communication system of claim 44 wherein said recipient contact information includes at least one of the group comprising:

name, nick name, postal address, e-mail address, instant message address, text message address, phone number, facsimile number, enterprise/company name, job title, photograph, image, avatar, birthday, notes, and contact information defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) vcard standard.

52. A trusted communication system with centralized contact management that assists a user sending an electronic message comprising:

means for providing a trusted communication system having a centralized computer system that has communication access to and from trusted users of said trusted communication system;

means for storing a centralized contact database containing contact information for said trusted users of said trusted communication system on said centralized trusted communication system;

means for creating said electronic message to send through said trusted communication system from a sending trusted user to a receiving trusted user;

means for embedding a sender identification token that identifies said sending trusted user to said trusted communication system into said electronic message;

means for sending said electronic message from said sending trusted user to said receiving trusted user through said trusted communication system;

means for requesting recipient contact information of said receiving trusted user by said sending trusted user from said centralized contact database;

means for extracting said sender identification token from said electronic message;

means for validating that said sending trusted user is a valid member of said trusted communication system using said sender identification token;

means for locating said recipient contact information in said centralized contact database;

means for delivering said recipient contact information to said sending trusted user; and

means for adding said recipient contact information to a list of contacts for said sending trusted user.