Method and apparatus for storing and retreiving business contact information in computer system

• US 6,374,259 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1998
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xenogenic Development Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: OnePIN Incorporated
• Inventors: Celik, Feyzi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/223,129
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/9, 707/10, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104, 707/500, 707/201, 705/1, 705/14, 705/27, 705/37, 705/79, 709/203, 709/219, 713/179
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for storing and retrieving business contact information in a computer system. More specifically, the present invention provides methods and apparatus for storing and retrieving business contact information, including dynamic business cards in an internet-accessible database of a computer system. In one general aspect, the invention features an information management method. The information management method includes steps of assigning a first user a unique user identification number, storing information related to the first user in a remote database operatively coupled to a remote computer, and enabling a second user to access the remote database over a network using a second computer to retrieve the information related to the first user by entering the unique user identification number.

Claims

1. An information management method comprising steps of:

assigning a first user a unique user identification number;

storing information related to the first user in a remote database operatively coupled to a remote computer;

enabling a second user to access the remote database over a network using a second computer to retrieve the information related to the first user by entering the unique user identification number;

storing the information related to the first user in a second database associated with the second computer;

enabling the first user to edit the information related to the first user; and

updating the information in the second database with the information in the first database so that the second database receives edits made by the user to the information related to the first user.

2. The information management method of claim 1, wherein the step of assigning includes a step of providing the first user with a bar code representation of the unique user identification number.

3. The information management method of claim 2, further comprising a step of printing characters representative of the unique user identification number on a document.

4. The information management method of claim 3, wherein the document is a business card.

5. The information management method of claim 3, wherein the step of printing includes a step of printing the bar code on the document.

6. The information management method of claims 5 wherein the second computer accesses the remote computer over the internet.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing includes a step of storing an authorized access list with the information for the first user, the authorized access list containing a list of users having authorized access to the information for the first user, and wherein the step of enabling access includes a step of checking whether the second user is on the authorized access list for the first user.

7. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of storing includes a step of storing an authorized access list with the information for the first user, the authorized access list containing a list of users having authorized access to the information for the first user, and wherein the step of enabling access includes a step of determining whether the second user is on the authorized access list for the first user.

9. An information management system comprising:

a remote computer;

a remote database operatively coupled to the remote computer, the remote database containing contact information for each of a plurality of users of the information management system, wherein each of the users is assigned a unique user identification number, and the information for each user is stored along with the unique user identification number of the user in the remote database;

wherein the remote computer includes;

a network interface module that interfaces with a network to allow users of the information management system to access the remote computer;

a database interface module that coordinates transfer of data between the remote database and the remote computer;

an application module containing instructions to enable a network user to access the remote database over the network using a second network computer to retrieve information in the remote database related to a first user by entering the unique user identification number, to enable the first user to access the remote computer over the network using a first network computer to edit the information related to the first user stored in the remote database; and

to provide updating of a second database in the second network computer with information in the remote database that has been edited.

11. An information management system comprising:

means for assigning a first user a unique user identification number;

means for storing information related to the first user in a remote database operatively coupled to a remote computer;

means for enabling a second user to access the first database over a network using a second network computer to retrieve the information related to the first user by entering the unique user identification number;

means for enabling the first user to edit the information related to the first user in the remote database; and

means for updating information in a second database of the second network with changed information in the remote database.

10. The information management system of claim 12, wherein the application module further includes instructions to provide the first user with a bar code representation of the unique user identification number.

12. The information management system of claim 11, further comprising means for providing the first user with a bar code representation of the unique user identification number.

13. The information management system of claim 11, wherein the means for storing includes means for storing an authorized access list with the information for the first user, the authorized access list containing a list of users having authorized access to the information for the first user, and wherein the means for enabling access includes means for checking whether the second user is on the authorized access list for the first user.