Method and apparatus for storing and retrieving business contact information in a computer system

• US 7,349,907 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2005
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• 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:
  US11/056,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2755 by optical scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading

Abstract

The present invention provides an information management system comprising a remote device, a remote database operatively coupled to the remote device, 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 identifier, and the information for each user is stored along with the unique user identifier of the user in the remote database, wherein the remote device includes a wireless network interface module that interfaces with a wireless network to allow users of the information management system to access the remote device, a database interface module that coordinates transfer of data between the remote database and the remote device, and an application module to enable a wireless network user to access the remote database over the wireless network using a second network device to retrieve information in the remote database related to a first user having an assigned unique user identifier.

Claims

1. An information management method comprising steps of:

assigning a first user a unique user identifier;

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

enabling a second user to access the remote database over a wireless network using a second device to retrieve the information related to the first user by retrieving the unique user identifier,

wherein the second device includes at least one of a Subscriber Identity Module, a UMTS Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), a smart card or an embedded chip through which the information is passed to the second device.

2. The information management method of claim 1 wherein the unique user identifier includes a phone number.

3. The information management method of claim 1, wherein enabling access to the remote database to retrieve information related to the first user includes electronically reading the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) of the first device into the second device.

4. The information management method of claim 1, wherein enabling a second user to access the remote database over a wireless network using a second device to retrieve the information related to the first user by retrieving the first user'"'"'s first device RFID.

5. The information management method of claim 1, wherein enabling access to the remote database includes retrieving the unique user identifier electronically by receiving a communication from the first user.

6. The information management method of claim 5, further comprising automatically transferring the unique identifier to the second device during the communication from the first user.

7. The information management method of claim 6, wherein receiving a communication from the first user includes informing the second user'"'"'s device of the first user'"'"'s unique user identifier and the first user'"'"'s phone number.

8. The information management method of claim 7, further comprising automatically transferring a second user unique identifier and second user phone number to a first device during the communication from the first user.

9. The information management method of claim 1, wherein enabling access to the remote database includes retrieving a phone number associated with the first user.

10. The information management method of claim 1, wherein enabling access to the remote database to retrieve information related to the first user includes manually entering the unique user identifier or the phone number of the first user into the second device.

11. The information management method of claim 1, wherein the step of assigning includes subscribing to a wireless service provider and wherein the wireless service provider assigns the unique user identifier by accessing the remote database of the remote device.

12. The information management method of claim 1, further comprising automatically transferring data stored in the second device to the remote database and forming an association of the data associated with the second device with the second user.

13. The information management method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a database of user information in the remote database, and

updating information in the remote database of the remote device by accessing information in a second database of the second device.

14. An information management system comprising:

a remote device;

a remote database operatively coupled to the remote device, 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 identifier, and the information for each user is stored along with the unique user identifier of the user in the remote database;

wherein the remote device includes;

at least one of a Subscriber Identity Module, a UMTS Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), a smart card or an embedded chip that interfaces with a wireless network to allow users of the information management system to access the remote device;

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

an application module to enable a wireless network user to access the remote database over the wireless network using a second network device to retrieve information in the remote database related to a first user having an assigned unique user identifier.

15. The information management system of claim 14, wherein the second network device includes a second database, and the application module includes instructions to provide updating of information in the second database with information in the remote database.

16. The information management system of claim 15, wherein the second device includes a synchronizer for synchronizing information between the second database of the second network device and the remote database.

17. The information management system of claim 16, wherein the second network device transfers the unique user identifier of a second user to the first network device, and wherein the first network device transfers the unique user identifier of the first user to the second network device.