SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTACT MANAGEMENT IN A NETWORK

• US 20140289342A1
• Filed: 06/27/2013
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Talk.To Fzc
• Original Assignee: Talk.To Fzc
• Inventors: Turakhia, Bhavin
• Granted Patent: US 9,325,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

In various example embodiments, a system and method for managing contacts in a network are provided. In example embodiments, a value added by a user to a first contact in an address book of the user is detected. The first contact corresponds to an individual. A determination is made as to whether the value exists in a primary profile of the individual. Based on the value not existing in the primary profile, an assessment is made as to whether the individual previously deleted the value from the primary profile or the individual did not verify a previous notification for the same value. Based on the value not being previously deleted or not verified, a notification is provided to the individual that includes an option to verify the value.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a value added by a user to a first contact in an address book of the user, the first contact corresponding to an individual;

determining whether the value exists in a primary profile of the individual;

based on the value not existing in the primary profile, assessing, using a processor of a machine, whether the individual previously deleted the value from the primary profile or whether the individual previously did not verify the value; and

based on the value not being previously deleted or not being previously verified, providing a notification to the individual that includes an option to verify the value.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the primary profile of the individual to include the value in response to the individual verifying the value.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising automatically transmitting the value that updated the primary profile to address books of socially connected users to the individual.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the individual, an indication of which users are to be automatically provided the value, the indication comprising a permissions setting.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the permissions setting comprises a selection from the group consisting of anyone, no one, friends, a specific list of users, and a set of domain names.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising automatically transmitting the value to address books of users indicated by the individual in the permissions setting.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the first contact in the address book corresponds to the individual based on a second value in the first contact that is also contained in the primary profile of the individual and which uniquely identifies the individual.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second value is a selection from the group consisting of an e-mail address, a mobile number, a chat account, a handle, a telephone number, and a social network identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the value is added to the first contact by a merge of a second contact into the first contract in the address book of the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the notification to the individual is performed via at least one of a chat message, a text, or an e-mail.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining the value as unverified in the first contact of the user until the individual verifies the value.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising allowing other users in a network to communicate with the individual using the unverified value without providing the unverified value to the other users.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the allowing of other users to communicate with the individual using the unverified value occurs based on a minimum number of users having added the value for the individual to their respective contacts.

14. A tangible machine-readable storage medium in communication with at least one processor, the tangible machine-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

detecting a value added by a user to a first contact in an address book of the user, the first contact corresponding to an individual;

determining whether the value exists in a primary profile of the individual;

based on the value not existing in the primary profile, assessing whether the individual previously deleted the value from the primary profile or whether the individual previously did not verify the value; and

based on the value not being previously deleted or not being previously verified, providing a notification to the individual that includes an option to verify the value.

15. The tangible machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising updating the primary profile of the individual to include the value in response to the individual verifying the value.

16. The tangible machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising automatically transmitting the value that updated the primary profile to address books of socially connected users to the individual.

17. The tangible machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising receiving, from the individual, an indication of which users are to be automatically provided the value, the indication comprising a permissions setting.

18. The tangible machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising determining that the first contact in the address book corresponds to the individual based on a second value in the first contact that is also contained in the primary profile of the individual and which uniquely identifies the individual.

19. A system comprising:

a processor of a machine;

a communication module to detect a value added by a user to a first contact in an address book of the user, the first contact corresponding to an individual;

a profile access module to determine whether the value exists in a primary profile of the individual, and to assess whether the individual previously deleted the value from the primary profile or whether the individual previously did not verify the value based on the value not existing in the primary profile; and

a notification module to provide a notification to the individual that includes an option to verify the value based on the value not being previously deleted or not being previously verified.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a verification module to update the primary profile of the individual to include the value in response to the individual verifying the value.