System and method for controlled access to up-to-date contact information

• US 8,095,655 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2008
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: VIZIO, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Paqits, L.L.C. (Brian Yates)
• Inventors: Shrinivasan, Sridhar, Nangamangalam, Subhasree K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le
• Application Number:
  US12/253,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/219, 709/201, 709/206, 370/352
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4555 Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security

Abstract

A method and system for controlling a recipient'"'"'s access to a user'"'"'s information. The method includes receiving a plurality of contact information, registration information and access information from the user. Only person'"'"'s knowing the user'"'"'s registration information can update the contact and access information of the user. The contact information entered by a user is about that user. The access information defines accessible sets of contact information to be made accessible to recipients. A telephone exchange is associated with each recipient; and a local server is associated with each telephone exchange. The accessible set of information is stored in the local server for access by the recipient. The system handles updates to information on the local servers when a user updates their contact information. The system can automatically place calls for a recipient to a user that has granted the recipient access to a number for communicating with the user.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining up-to-date contact information about a user and making the contact information available to a recipient over a communications network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the up-to-date contact information from the user over the communications network, the up-to-date contact information being contact information about the user;

receiving access information from the user over the communications network, the access information defining the recipient'"'"'s access rights to the up-to-date contact information about the user;

associating a recipient device on the communications network with the recipient;

associating a recipient server computing device with the recipient;

allocating storage space on a memory device of the recipient server computing device for access by the recipient;

storing an accessible subset of contact information in the memory device of the recipient server computing device, the accessible subset of contact information being a subset of the up-to-date contact information about the user, the accessible subset of contact information being defined by the access information received from the user; and

allowing the recipient to access the accessible subset of contact information stored on the recipient server computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications network is a telephone network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the recipient device is a telephone.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating a user server computing device on the communications network with the user; and

storing the up-to-date contact information and the access information from the user on the user server computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing an accessible subset of information in the memory device of the server computing device comprises:

determining the accessible subset of contact information using the access information from the user; and

storing the accessible subset of contact information on the memory device of the recipient server computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

associating a user server computing device on the communications network with the user;

storing the up-to-date contact information and the access information from the user on the user server computing device; and

performing the determining the accessible subset of contact information step on the user server computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the up-to-date contact information and the access information by the user;

determining any revisions to the accessible subset of contact information using the updated contact and access information from the user; and

if any revisions to the accessible subset of contact information, storing the revised accessible subset of contact information on the memory device of the recipient server computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the up-to-date contact information from the user over the communications network, the up-to-date contact information being contact information about the user;

receiving a profile from the user over the communications network, the profile defining a profile subset of contact information, the profile subset of contact information being a subset of the up-to-date contact information about the user; and

receiving assignment information from the user over the communications network, the assignment information indicating members of the profile, wherein each of the members of the profile is provided access to the profile subset of contact information.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

updating the up-to-date contact information, profile and assignment information by the user;

determining revisions to the profile subset of contact information based on the updates to the up-to-date contact information and profile;

determining whether the recipient is one of the members of the profile based on the assignment information; and

if any revisions to the profile subset of contact information and the recipient is one of the members of the profile, storing the revised profile subset of contact information on the memory device of the recipient server computing device as the accessible subset of contact information.

10. A method of maintaining up-to-date contact information about a user and making the contact information available to a plurality of recipients over a communications network, the method comprising:

receiving the up-to-date contact information from the user over the communications network, the up-to-date contact information being contact information about the user;

presenting the user with a profile definition page on a user computing device, the profile definition page including a selection mechanism for the user to select any of the up-to-date contact information to create a user-defined profile;

receiving a plurality of user-defined profiles from the user through the user computing device over the communications network, each of the plurality of user-defined profiles defining a profile subset of the up-to-date contact information about the user selected by the user using the profile definition page; and

receiving assignment information from the user through the user computing device over the communications network, the assignment information assigning each of the plurality of recipients to one of the plurality of user-defined profiles;

wherein, when an assigned recipient of the plurality of recipients is assigned to an assigned profile of the plurality of user-defined profiles, the assigned recipient is given access to the profile subset of the up-to-date contact information defined by the assigned profile.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of user-defined profiles includes a first profile and a second profile, the first profile defining a first profile subset of contact information and the second profile defining a second profile subset of contact information, the first profile subset of contact information containing at least one item of contact information also contained in the second profile subset of contact information, and the first profile subset of contact information containing at least one item of contact information not contained in the second profile subset of contact information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second profile subset of contact information contains at least one item of contact information not contained in the first profile subset of contact information.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

associating a recipient device on the communications network with an individual recipient;

associating a recipient server computing device with the individual recipient;

allocating storage space on a memory device of the recipient server computing device for access by the individual recipient;

determining an assigned profile of the plurality of user-defined profiles to which the individual recipient is assigned using the assignment information;

storing the profile subset of the up-to-date contact information defined by the assigned profile in the memory device of the recipient server computing device; and

allowing the individual recipient to access the profile subset of the up-to-date contact information defined by the assigned profile stored on the recipient server computing device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

updating a contact item of the up-to-date contact information by the user;

determining one or more affected profiles of the plurality of user-defined profiles affected by updating the contact item, the one or more affected profiles having a profile subset of the up-to-date contact information that includes the contact item;

determining affected recipients of the plurality of recipients using the assignment information, the affected recipients being assigned to the one or more affected profiles; and

for each affected recipient, updating the profile subset of the up-to-date contact information stored on the recipient server computing device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

updating an updated profile of the plurality of user-defined profiles by the user by reselecting the profile subset of the up-to-date contact information for the updated profile using the profile definition page;

determining the affected recipients of the plurality of recipients using the assignment information;

the affected recipients being assigned to the updated profile; and

for each affected recipient, updating the profile subset of the up-to-date contact information stored on the recipient server computing device according to the updated profile.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

updating the assignment information by the user;

determining affected recipients of the plurality of recipients, the affected recipients being one of assigned to a new profile of the plurality of user-defined profiles and unassigned from a former profile of the plurality of user-defined profiles;

for each affected recipient assigned to a new profile, storing the profile subset of the up-to-date contact information defined by the new profile on the memory device of the recipient server computing device; and

for each affected recipient unassigned from a former profile, deleting the profile subset of the up-to-date contact information defined by the former profile on the memory device of the recipient server computing device.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the communications network is a telephone network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the recipient devices is a telephone.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

associating a user server computing device on the communications network with the user; and

storing the up-to-date contact information, the plurality of user-defined profiles and the assignment information from the user on the user server computing device.