TRACKING CONTACTS ACROSS MULTIPLE COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES

• US 20140258508A1
• Filed: 10/30/2013
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Prager, Scott H., Wanderski, Anuphinh Phimmasorn, Wilcox, Eric M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,338,243 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A method for tracking at least recent contacts and favorite contacts across multiple communications services may include collecting, by a processor, information associated with a plurality of contact interactions of a user from each of a set of different communications services utilized by the user. The method may also include storing, by a storage device, the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions. The method may additionally include analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions. The method may further include determining at least one of a list of most recent contacts and a list of favorite contacts from analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions.

Claims

1. A method for tracking at least recent contacts and favorite contacts across multiple communications services, the method comprising:

collecting, by a processor, information associated with a plurality of contact interactions of a user from each of a set of different communications services utilized by the user;

storing, by a storage device, the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions;

analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions; and

determining at least one of a list of most recent contacts and a list of favorite contacts from analyzing the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions is based on a predetermined criteria, and wherein the predetermined criteria is determined by one of a source of the information associated with the contact interactions or a system that analyzes the information associated with the contact interactions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions comprises collecting the information in response to a message associated with the contact interaction being directly addressed to the user or directly addressed by the user to at least one other user, the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions comprising at least one of a username and identification of the user and the at least one other user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions further comprises a time of the contact interaction, an initiator of the contact interaction, a type of contact interaction and identification of other participants in the contact interaction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the information associated with the plurality of contact interactions comprises transmitting the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions to a system that at least one of stores and analyzes the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions each time one of the plurality of contact interactions occurs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the information associated with the plurality of contact interactions comprises transmitting the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions to a system that at least one of stores and analyzes the information after each of a preset number of the plurality of contact interactions occurs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the information associated with the plurality of contact interactions comprises transmitting the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions to a system that at least one of stores and analyzes the information after expiration of a prescheduled time period.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein collecting the information associated with the plurality of contact interactions comprises transmitting the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions to a system that at least one of stores and analyzes the information in response to a preset number of the plurality of contact interactions occurring before expiration of each prescheduled time period.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the information associated with the plurality of contact interactions comprises transmitting the information associated with each of the plurality of contact interactions to a system that at least one of stores and analyzes the information in response to the system requesting the information.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising correlating different user names and different identifications utilized by a user on the set of different communications services.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the list of favorite contacts comprises determining a number of contact interactions over a preset time period, a favorite contact exceeding a threshold number of contact interactions during the preset time period.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising re-determining the list of most recent contacts after expiration of a preset time period.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a possible contact from a partial query while the user is entering a contact using at least one of the list of most recent contacts and the list of favorite contacts.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing filtering of the list of most recent contacts and the list of favorite contacts based on the communications service.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein allowing the filtering comprising allowing a weighting to be assigned to each communications service.

16-20. -20. (canceled)