Apparatus and method for recording incoming call information

• US 6,961,420 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2001
• Issued: 11/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Danger Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: DeSalvo, Christopher Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNIE, REXFORD N
• Application Number:
  US09/991,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20030091173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.01, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/355, 379/355.01, 379/355.06, 379/142.03, 379/142.06, 379/142.1, 379/142.11, 379/142.17, 379/142.14, 379/354, 379/355.02, 379/355.05, 379/373.01, 379/142.04, 455/415, 455/556, 455/557, 455/564, 455/566, 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/419, 455/565
• US Class Current: 379/355.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality

Abstract

A method for interrelating call information between programs of a data processing device. Call information including a caller'"'"'s name, phone number, the date of the call, start time of the call, finish time of the call, the call duration, and the type of call, may be organized and accessed by several different programs running on a data processing device. Information such as a caller'"'"'s name and phone number may be accessed by a caller identification device coupled to the data processing device. Information such as the start time and finish time may be accessed by a clock coupled to the data processing device. The call duration may be calculated from the start and finish times or may be accessed from a timer coupled to the data processing device.

Claims

1. A machine-readable medium having instructions to cause a machine to perform a method, the method comprising:

maintaining an address book data store on a device, the device capable of receiving and transmitting phone calls, the address book to include one or more pre-existing address book entries of one or more contacts, wherein each address book entry includes a first name field storing a pre-existing first name, a last name field storing a pre-existing last name, and a phone number field storing a pre-existing phone number;

identifying call information transmitted with a call, the call information including a new phone number;

associating the call information with one of the one or more pre-existing address book entries in the address book data store; and

updating the pre-existing address book entry with the new phone number upon determining the new phone number does not match the pre-existing phone number.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein each address book entry includes a pre-existing date of call field and a pre-existing duration of call field, and the method further comprising:

updating said associated pre-existing address book entry with a date of the call and a duration of the call automatically without user intervention.

3. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

querying a user of the device whether to update the associated pre-existing address book entry with the new phone number prior to updating the existing phone number in the associated pre-existing entry.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein updating comprises:

supplementing said pre-existing address book entry with a new telephone number.

5. The method as in claim 1 wherein updating comprises:

replacing said pre-existing address book entry with a new telephone number without human intervention.

6. The method as in claim 4 wherein supplementing comprises:

classifying said new telephone number as a most recently used telephone number of said contact.

7. The method as in claim 4 wherein supplementing comprises:

classifying said new telephone number as an unknown type of number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the call is an incoming call.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the call is an outgoing call.