Method and system for obtaining a user's personal address information

• US 7,092,945 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2001
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Williams, Christopher H., Hall, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHECHTMAN, CHERYL MARIA
• Application Number:
  US10/056,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20030084050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,755 Days
• Field of Search: 707/9, 707/10, 709/203, 358/403
• US Class Current: 707/770
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A method and system is provided for facilitating the retrieval of data from a database using a communications device where the database is stored remotely from the communications device. A communications device using the method or system may obtain remote data, such as e-mail addresses, facsimile numbers, phone numbers, or uniform resource locators, from a user'"'"'s remotely stored personal database.

Claims

1. A method for sending data using a communications device, comprising:

creating a data file for sending using said communications device;

receiving, by the communications device, a user identifier of a user;

communicating, by the communications device, with a first server that contains user information including associations between users and locations of personal databases;

retrieving, from the first server, a location of a personal database associated to the user identifier where the location identifies a second server;

establishing communication between the communications device and the second server and verifying that the user is authorized to login to the second server based on the user identifier,

if the login is verified, allowing the user to search addresses from the personal database and to select at least one destination address;

retrieving, from the second server, the at least one destination address from the personal database associated to the user identifier for sending said data file to said at least one address; and

sending said data file to said at least one destination address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing communication between the communications device and the second server comprises:

accessing the personal database of said user;

logging onto the second server hosting a storage media for storing said personal database of said user associated to the user identifier;

retrieving data from said personal database of said user; and

displaying said retrieved data to said user trough said communications device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said logging onto the second server comprises connecting to said second server using the Internet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first server includes a directory service and the method further comprises:

prompting said user to enter the user identifier which includes a secure identification string into said communications device;

connecting to said directory service; and

determining said location of the second server from data associated with said secure identification string accessible to said directory service.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining a username from data associated with said secure identification string accessible to said directory service.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said directory service comprises a lightweight directory access protocol interface.

7. The method of claim 1, further including allowing the user to select the at least one destination address from a group consisting of e-mail addresses, facsimile numbers, phone numbers, and uniform resource locators.

8. A system for sending data from a communications device to a location defined by data in a user'"'"'s personal database, comprising:

a communications device for sending data to at least one specified address;

an interface for receiving a user identifier of a user to access the communications device;

means for communicating with a first server, the first server including user information comprising associations between user identifiers and locations of personal address databases;

means for retrieving, from the first server, a location of a personal address databases associated to the user identifier received from the interface, where the location identifies a second server that has access to the personal address database associated wit the user identifier;

the means for communicating being further configured for establishing communication between the system and the second server to allow access to the personal address database; and

means for accessing the personal address database associated to the user identifier stored remotely from said communications device to retrieve the at least one specified address selected by the user from the personal address database.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a server for storing said personal address database.

10. The system of claim 9, where the means for communicating further comprising means for connecting to an Internet connection for facilitating communications between said communications device and said first server and said second server.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said personal address database stored remotely from said communications device for storing addresses for receiving data is stored on a server in communication with said communications device.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the first sewer further comprising a lightweight directory access protocol interface for storing information.

13. The system of claim 8 where the communications device is a printer or a multifunctional product comprising a facsimile.

14. A multifunctional device comprising:

a facsimile for transmitting facsimile communications to one or more destinations and for receiving facsimile communications;

means for receiving a user identifier of a user;

means for communicating with a first server, the first server including user information comprising associations between user identifiers and locations of personal address book databases;

means for retrieving, from the first server, a location of a personal address book database associated to the user identifier received from the means for receiving, where the location identifies a second sewer;

the means for communicating being further configured for establishing communication between the multifunctional device and the second server; and

means for accessing the personal address book database via the second server maintained on a remote device from the multifunctional device and for retrieving address information from the personal address book database to be used as the one or more destinations by the facsimile when transmitting facsimile communications.

15. The multifunction device of claim 14 further including a printer operably connected to the facsimile and the means for accessing.