CONTACT INFORMATION DISTRIBUTOR

• US 20170272393A1
• Filed: 03/16/2016
• Published: 09/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nimushakavi, Venkata Sai Karthik
• Granted Patent: US 10,326,808 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• 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 computer receives contact information associated with one or more users and stores said contact information in a database. The computer detects a conference call and determines which users are present at the conference call. The computer determines whether the users already share contact information with one another and, if not, the computer determines whether contact information of a user should be distributed based on recorded usage patterns. Based on determining that contact information of the user should not be distributed based on usage patterns, the computer is further capable of determining whether the user wishes to share contact information with other participating users via user input. Based on determining that the first user would like to share their contact information with other participating users, the computer provides the other participating users access to the contact information of the first user and records usage patterns detailing the conference call.

Claims

1. A method for distributing user contact information within a conference call, the method comprising:

detecting a first request to join a conference call from a first device;

identifying a first characteristic associated with the first request;

determining that the first characteristic is associated with a first user by comparing the first characteristic to one or more characteristics corresponding to one or more users within a database;

based on determining that the first characteristic is associated with the first user, identifying contact information associated with the first user;

determining whether to distribute the contact information associated with the first user to a second user based on at least one of one or more usage patterns associated with the first user and a user input; and

based on determining to distribute the contact information associated with the first user to the second user, providing the second user the contact information associated with the first user,

wherein one or more steps of the above method are performed using one or more computers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether to distribute the contact information associated with the first user to the second user based on at least one of one or more usage patterns associated with the first user and a user input further comprises:

detecting a second request to join the conference call from a second device;

identifying a second characteristic associated with the second request;

determining that the second characteristic is associated with the second user by comparing the second characteristic to the one or more characteristics corresponding to the one or more users within the database; and

based on determining that the second characteristic is associated with the second user, determining whether the second user already has access to the contact information associated with the first user by referencing the one or more usage patterns associated with the first user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

based on determining that the second user does not already have access to the contact information associated with the first user, determining one or more similarities between the conference call and one or more previous conference calls by referencing the one or more usage patterns associated with the first user;

determining a similarity factor associated with at least one of the one or more similarities;

determining whether the similarity factor associated with the at least one of the one or more similarities is greater than a threshold value; and

based on determining that the similarity factor associated with the at least one of the one or more similarities is greater than the threshold value, providing the second user access to the contact information associated with the first user.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

based on determining that the similarity factor associated with the at least one of the one or more similarities is less than the threshold value, determining a type of device corresponding to the first user; and

based on the determined type of device corresponding to the first user, receiving from the first user the user input detailing one or more permissions associated with the second user.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

based on determining that the type of device corresponding to the first user includes an electronic display, displaying to the first user one or more visual options corresponding to the one or more permissions; and

based on determining that the type of device corresponding to the first user does not include the electronic display, playing to the first user an audio recording of one or more audio options corresponding to the one or more permissions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying contact information associated with the first user further comprises:

identifying at least one form of the contact information associated with the first user;

determining a privacy tier associated with the at least one form of the contact information associated with the first user by referencing a second database; and

based on the determined privacy tier associated with the at least one form of the contact information associated with the first user, storing the at least one form of contact information in association with at least one of a first privacy tier, a second privacy tier, or a third privacy tier.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording the one or more usage patterns corresponding to the first user; and

storing the one or more usage patterns in association with the first user.

13. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the program instructions to identify contact information associated with the first user further comprises:

program instructions to identify at least one form of the contact information associated with the first user;

program instructions to determine a privacy tier associated with the at least one form of the contact information associated with the first user by referencing a second database; and

based on the determined privacy tier associated with the at least one form of the contact information associated with the first user, program instructions to store the at least one form of contact information in association with at least one of a first privacy tier, a second privacy tier, or a third privacy tier.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

program instructions to record the one or more usage patterns corresponding to the first user; and

program instructions to store the one or more usage patterns in association with the first user.

8. A computer program product for distributing user contact information within a conference call, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to detect a first request to join a conference call from a first device;

program instructions to identify a first characteristic associated with the first request;

program instructions to determine that the first characteristic is associated with a first user by comparing the first characteristic to one or more characteristics corresponding to one or more users within a database;

based on determining that the first characteristic is associated with the first user, program instructions to identify contact information associated with the first user;

program instructions to determine whether to distribute the contact information associated with the first user to a second user based on at least one of one or more usage patterns associated with the first user and a user input; and

based on determining to distribute the contact information associated with the first user to the second user, program instructions to provide the second user the contact information associated with the first user.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the program instructions to determine whether to distribute the contact information associated with the first user to the second user based on at least one of one or more usage patterns associated with the first user and a user input further comprises:

program instructions to detect a second request to join the conference call from a second device;

program instructions to identify a second characteristic associated with the second request;

program instructions to determine that the second characteristic is associated with the second user by comparing the second characteristic to the one or more characteristics corresponding to the one or more users within the database; and

based on determining that the second characteristic is associated with the second user, program instructions to determine whether the second user already has access to the contact information associated with the first user by referencing the one or more usage patterns associated with the first user.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

based on determining that the second user does not already have access to the contact information associated with the first user, program instructions to determine one or more similarities between the conference call and one or more previous conference calls by referencing the one or more usage patterns associated with the first user;

program instructions to determine a similarity factor associated with at least one of the one or more similarities;

program instructions to determine whether the similarity factor associated with the at least one of the one or more similarities is greater than a threshold value; and

based on determining that the similarity factor associated with the at least one of the one or more similarities is greater than the threshold value, program instructions to provide the second user access to the contact information associated with the first user.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

based on determining that the similarity factor associated with the at least one of the one or more similarities is less than the threshold value, program instructions to determine a type of device corresponding to the first user; and

based on the determined type of device corresponding to the first user, program instructions to receive from the first user the user input detailing one or more permissions associated with the second user.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

based on determining that the type of device corresponding to the first user includes an electronic display, program instructions to display to the first user one or more visual options corresponding to the one or more permissions; and

based on determining that the type of device corresponding to the first user does not include the electronic display, program instructions to play to the first user an audio recording of one or more audio options corresponding to the one or more permissions.

15. A computer system for distributing user contact information within a conference call, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors, one or more computer-readable storage media, and program instructions stored on one or more of the computer-readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to detect a first request to join a conference call from a first device;

program instructions to identify a first characteristic associated with the first request;

program instructions to determine that the first characteristic is associated with a first user by comparing the first characteristic to one or more characteristics corresponding to one or more users within a database;

based on determining that the first characteristic is associated with the first user, program instructions to identify contact information associated with the first user;

program instructions to determine whether to distribute the contact information associated with the first user to a second user based on at least one of one or more usage patterns associated with the first user and a user input; and

based on determining to distribute the contact information associated with the first user to the second user, program instructions to provide the second user the contact information associated with the first user.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the program instructions to determine whether to distribute the contact information associated with the first user to the second user based on at least one of one or more usage patterns associated with the first user and a user input further comprises:

program instructions to detect a second request to join the conference call from a second device;

program instructions to identify a second characteristic associated with the second request;

program instructions to determine that the second characteristic is associated with the second user by comparing the second characteristic to the one or more characteristics corresponding to the one or more users within the database; and

based on determining that the second characteristic is associated with the second user, program instructions to determine whether the second user already has access to the contact information associated with the first user by referencing the one or more usage patterns associated with the first user.

17. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising:

based on determining that the second user does not already have access to the contact information associated with the first user, program instructions to determine one or more similarities between the conference call and one or more previous conference calls by referencing the one or more usage patterns associated with the first user;

program instructions to determine a similarity factor associated with at least one of the one or more similarities;

program instructions to determine whether the similarity factor associated with the at least one of the one or more similarities is greater than a threshold value; and

based on determining that the similarity factor associated with the at least one of the one or more similarities is greater than the threshold value, program instructions to provide the second user access to the contact information associated with the first user.

18. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising:

based on determining that the similarity factor associated with the at least one of the one or more similarities is less than the threshold value, program instructions to determine a type of device corresponding to the first user; and

based on the determined type of device corresponding to the first user, program instructions to receive from the first user the user input detailing one or more permissions associated with the second user.

19. The computer system of claim 18, further comprising:

based on determining that the type of device corresponding to the first user includes an electronic display, program instructions to display to the first user one or more visual options corresponding to the one or more permissions; and

based on determining that the type of device corresponding to the first user does not include the electronic display, program instructions to play to the first user an audio recording of one or more audio options corresponding to the one or more permissions.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the program instructions to identify contact information associated with the first user further comprises:

program instructions to identify at least one form of the contact information associated with the first user;

program instructions to determine a privacy tier associated with the at least one form of the contact information associated with the first user by referencing a second database; and

based on the determined privacy tier associated with the at least one form of the contact information associated with the first user, program instructions to store the at least one form of contact information in association with at least one of a first privacy tier, a second privacy tier, or a third privacy tier.