Multi-modal address book

• US 6,956,942 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2002
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: S Aqua Semiconductor LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vishik, Claire S., McKinzie, Christopher W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harold, Jefferey F.
• Application Number:
  US10/245,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20040052356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 379/350, 379/355.04, 379/93.01, 379/93.25, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/355.01, 379/355.02, 455/557, 455/556, 455/564, 455/565
• US Class Current: 379/355.04
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A multi-modal address book for a customer associated with at least one account in an electronic communications environment is provided. The multi-modal address book is associated with a customized profile of the customer and has multiple entries. Each entry of the multi-modal address book is associated with a communications partner and includes at least one address. Information of a centrally stored copy of the address book is automatically synchronized with a copy of the address book provided at a remote communications device when information of an entry is altered at either the centrally stored address book or the copy of the address book. An indicator can be stored in association with at least one of the entries of the address book. The indicator indicates that an address book of a communications partner corresponding to an entry is to be automatically updated when the profile of the customer is altered. The updating occurs without regard to the modality used to communicate with the stored address.

Claims

1. A method of providing a multi-modal address book for a customer associated with at least one account in an electronic communications environment, the multi-modal address book being associated with a customized profile of the customer and having a plurality of entries, each entry of the multi-modal address book being associated with a communications partner and including at least one address, the method comprising:

synchronizing information of a centrally stored copy of the address book with a copy of the address book provided at a remote communications device when information of an entry is altered at one of the centrally stored address book and the copy of the address book, and

storing an indicator in association with at least one of the entries of the address book, the indicator indicating that an address book of a communications partner corresponding to the at least one entry is to be automatically updated when the profile of the customer is altered, the updating occurring without regard to a modality used to communicate with the stored address.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stored indicator further indicates that the corresponding communications partner is to be notified when the profile of the customer is altered.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized profile includes information of at least one communications device corresponding to the customer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indicator further indicates that a communications partner is to automatically receive updates when the information corresponding to the at least one communications device of the customer is altered.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the customer wants to update the address book when a communication is received from a new communications partner;

associating the new communications partner with a unique ID and an address, and

creating a new entry for the new communications partner using at least one of a predefined process and a predefined template.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing communications from a communications partner corresponding to the indicator according to the updated profile of the customer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing communications from a communications partner corresponding to the indicator according to the updated address book of the communications partner.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the communications from the communications partner are routed to the updated address when the communications partner meets a criteria specified by the customer.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the communications from the communications partner are routed to the updated address when the address corresponding to a communications device used by the communications partner meets a criteria specified by the customer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the communications from the communications partner are routed to the updated address when the modality of the communications device used by the communications partner meets a criteria specified by the customer.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the communications from the communications partner are routed to the updated address when the date and time of the communications meet a criteria specified by the customer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of communications partners associated with the indicator are stored in association with the profile of the customer.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the address book of the customer when a profile corresponding to an entry of the address book of the customer is updated.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the address book of the customer is updated only when the entry of the address book corresponding to the updated profile of the communications partner is stored in association with the indicator.

15. A computer readable medium for storing a computer program that provides a multi-modal address book associated with a customized profile of a customer and that has a plurality of entries, each of the plurality of entries being associated with a communications partner and including at least one address, the computer readable medium comprising:

an information synchronizing source code segment that synchronizes information of a centrally stored copy of the address book with a copy of the address book provided at a remote communications device when information of an entry is altered at one of the centrally stored address book and the copy of the address book;

an indication storing source code segment that stores an indicator in association with at least one of the entries of the address book, the indicator indicating that an address book of a communications partner corresponding to the at least one entry is to be automatically updated when the profile of the customer is altered, the updating occurring without regard to a modality used to communicate with the stored address.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

an intention determining source code segment that determines whether the customer wants to update the address book when a communication is received from a new communications partner;

an information associating source code segment that associates the new communications partner with at least a unique ID and an address,

and an entry creating source code segment that creates a new entry for the new communications partner using at least one of a predefined process and a predefined template.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

a communications routing source code segment that routes communications from a communications partner corresponding to the indicator according to the updated profile of the customer.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

a communications routing source code segment that routes communications from a communications partner corresponding to the indicator according to the updated address book of the communications partner.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

an address book updating source code segment that updates the address book of the customer when a profile corresponding to an entry of the address book of the customer is updated.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the communications from the communications partner are routed to an updated address when the communications partner meets a criteria specified by the customer.