Autopopulation of address book entries

• US 7,187,932 B1
• Filed: 01/16/2003
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Barchi, Ron
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US10/346,497
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/415, 455/445, 455/466, 455/567, 455/425, 455/405, 379/201.01, 379/218.01, 379/355.04, 379/356.01, 379/355.02, 379/355.09
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1453 Methods or systems for payment or settlement of the charges for data transmission involving significant interaction with the data transmission network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/554 Data synchronization
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Personal address book data is revised and updated based on communication sources and destination. An address tabulator compares a number of communications directed to a selected destination and based on a subscriber profile, determines if address or contact information associated with the destination is to be added to a personal address book or other contact database. Contact information can be obtained using a reverse phone number lookup in a white pages or yellow pages directory, or using an Internet-based search engine or database. The tabulator can be configured to access the subscriber profile prior to initiating a communication, during a communication, or after completion of the communication. In one example, subscriber billing records are delivered to the tabulator for identification of destinations for which contact information is to be added to the personal address book. Additional or revised contact information can be stored in the personal address book automatically, or in response to a subscriber instruction delivered from a mobile station.

Claims

1. A method of populating a contact database, comprising:

receiving a contact identifier from billing records associated with a communication with a contact, wherein the contact identifier comprises a destination phone number;

analyzing the contact identifier and billing records;

selecting contact information based on the billing records and associated with the contact identifier for inclusion in the contact database based on the analysis, wherein the contact information comprises a name, and wherein the selecting comprises finding a name associated with the destination phone number; and

storing at least the name associated with the destination phone number in the contact database based on the selection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, recording a tally count associated with the contact identifier, and analyzing the contact identifier based on the recorded tally count.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

performing a contact data search associated with the contact identifier to obtain contact data records; and

populating the contact database using the contact data records.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a contact data search associated with the contact identifier to obtain contact data records; and

populating the contact database using the contact data records.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact analysis is based on a predetermined set of contact identifiers for which contact data is not to be added to the contact database.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if contact data associated with the contact identifier is included in the contact database.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising populating the contact database with the selected information if contact data associated with the contact identifier is not included in the contact database.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining an aging parameter associated with contact data previously included in the contact database, and updating the contact database with the selected information based on the aging parameter.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact identifier further comprises a mobile station ISDN number or an email address.

10. A method of selecting data for a contact database, comprising:

selecting a destination, wherein the destination comprises a phone number;

initiating a communication to the selected destination;

receiving billing records associated with the communication;

analyzing the billing records and at least one usage indicator associated with the destination;

based on the analysis, selecting contact data associated with the destination for inclusion in a contact database, wherein the contact data comprises a name; and

based on the selected contact data, storing at least the name associated with the phone number in the contact database.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising gathering contact data associated with the destination, and including the gathered data based on the analysis.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one usage indicator includes a tally count of a number of communications associated with the selected destination.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the usage indicator is associated with a number of communications directed to the selected destination.

14. A communication network, comprising:

a usage analyzer configured to receive usage indicators associated with communications initiated by a network subscriber and to select at least one destination based on the usage indicators, wherein the usage analyzer is configured to receive billing records and select destinations based on the billing records, and wherein each of the at least one destinations comprises a phone number;

a contact data acquisition unit in communication with the usage analyzer and configured to obtain contact data for at least one destination selected by the usage analyzer, wherein the contact data comprises a name; and

a storage unit in communication with the contact data acquisition unit configured to store the name associated with the at least one destination phone number.

15. The communications network of claim 14, further comprising a subscriber profile database configured to deliver subscriber profile parameters to the usage analyzer, wherein the usage analyzer selects at least one destination based on the subscriber profile parameters.

16. The communications network of claim 15, wherein the subscriber profile parameters include a tally count associated with a number of communications directed to a destination.

17. The communications network of claim 15, further comprising a memory configured to store personal address book data.

18. A communication network, comprising:

a usage analyzer configured to receive usage indicators associated with communications initiated by a network subscriber and to select at least one destination based on the usage indicators, wherein the usage analyzer is configured to receive billing records and select destinations based on the billing records;

a contact data acquisition unit in communication with the usage analyzer and configured to obtain contact data for at least one destination selected by the usage analyzer; and

a subscriber profile database configured to deliver subscriber profile parameters to the usage analyzer, wherein the usage analyzer selects at least one destination based on the subscriber profile parameters.

19. A mobile station, comprising:

a user profile input configured to select at least one subscriber profile parameter associated with an address book, wherein the user profile input comprises an address book control menu; and

a transceiver configured to communicate the at least one address book update parameter to a subscriber usage analyzer, and to synchronize a local copy of the address book with a network copy of the address book, wherein the subscriber usage analyzer is configured to receive billing records and select destinations based on the address book update parameter and the billing records.

20. The mobile station of claim 19, wherein the at least one address book update parameter is a destination tally parameter.

21. The mobile station of claim 19, further comprising a memory configured to store at least one address book update parameter.

22. The mobile station of claim 19, further comprising a memory, wherein the transceiver is configured to receive address book entries and store the address book entries in the memory.

23. The mobile station of claim 19, wherein the user profile input is configured to acknowledge population of an address book.