Method of distributing contact and calendar records

• US 8,417,675 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chartoleaux KG LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Tepa Datasolutions Co LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Eldering, Charles A., Fuller, Benjamin E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shmatov, Alexey
• Application Number:
  US11/624,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20080177745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,272 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/999.01, 707/724, 707/694, 709/223
• US Class Current: 707/694
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor

Abstract

A method of distributing contact and calendar records in a multi-user environment includes maintaining a plurality of records with a plurality of fields and directives corresponding to a plurality of users. At least one user has at least one authorization. For each record, a designation is made, based on the directives, to determine which of a plurality of component devices the record is distributed to. The records and fields are distributed to the component devices.

Claims

1. A method of distributing contact or calendar information in a multi-user environment, the method comprising:

maintaining records corresponding to a plurality of users, wherein at least one of the users is associated with a remote component device and has at least one contact authorization or calendar authorization;

maintaining a plurality of contact or calendar records, wherein at least one of the contact or calendar records contains one or more fields and contains at least one directive, wherein the at least one directive includes information pertaining to the at least one contact authorization or calendar authorization, wherein the at least one contact authorization or calendar authorization authorizes the at least one of the users to edit the one or more fields of the at least one of the contact or calendar records of the plurality of contact or calendar records;

designating the remote component device to which the one or more fields of the at least one of the contact or calendar records is to be distributed, wherein the designation is based on the at least one directive corresponding to the at least one of the contact or calendar records;

automatically distributing the one or more fields to the designated remote component device; and

initiating a rearrangement of a display of contact or calendar records on the designated remote component device based at least in part on the at least one directive such that fields that the at least one of the users is authorized to edit are displayed more prominently than fields not associated with the at least one directive for each of the contact or calendar records displayed on the designated remote component device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one directive contains rules pertaining to group information used in the distributing.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the group information includes different categories of users.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the group information includes geographical information.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the group information includes time of day information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

buffering the one or more fields for pre-distribution processing prior to initiating distribution.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the pre-distribution processing includes virus scanning.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the pre-distribution processing includes message integrity checking.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one contact authorization or calendar authorization include permissions related to reading, creating, editing and deleting the contact or calendar records or the one or more fields.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the users have different permissions for one or more of the same contact records or contact fields.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the at least one of the users with the option to accept or reject local storage of the one or more fields at the designated remote component device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining records of distributed contact or calendar information including information pertaining to the at least one of the user'"'"'s acceptance or rejection of the distributed contact or calendar information; and

deleting records or fields from the designated remote component device if the records or fields are contained in the record of distributed contact or calendar information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the contact or calendar records contains contact data related to an individual.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more fields represents a single unit of data corresponding to an individual.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically distributing includes distributing the one or more fields via the Internet.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically distributing includes distributing the one or more fields via a wireless network.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one directive includes statistical information pertaining to past distribution of the at least one of the contact or calendar records.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining records of distributed contact or calendar information including information pertaining to the at least one of the users'"'"' acceptance or rejection of the distributed contact or calendar information; and

deleting records or fields from the designated mobile remote component device if the records or fields are contained in the record of distributed contact or calendar information.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the contact or calendar records contains contact data related to an individual.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each of the contact or calendar records displayed on the designated remote component device, any of the one or more the fields not associated with the at least one directive are not displayed on the designated remote component device.

21. A method of distributing contact or calendar information in a multi-user environment, the method comprising:

maintaining records corresponding to a plurality of users, wherein at least one of the users is associated with at least one mobile remote component device and has at least one contact authorization or calendar authorization;

maintaining a plurality of contact or calendar records at a server, wherein at least one of the contact or calendar records contains one or more fields and contains at least one directive, wherein the at least one directive includes information pertaining to the at least one contact authorization or calendar authorization, wherein the at least one contact authorization or calendar authorization authorizes the at least one of the users to edit the one or more fields of the at least one of the contact or calendar records of the plurality of contact or calendar records;

designating, by the server, the mobile remote component device to which the one or more fields of the at least one of the contact or calendar records is to be distributed, wherein the designation is based on the at least one directive corresponding to the at least one of the contact or calendar records; and

automatically distributing the one or more fields to the designated mobile remote component device such that the distribution initiates a rearrangement of a display of the contact or calendar records on the designated mobile remote component device to display fields that the at least one of the users is authorized to edit more prominently than fields not associated with the at least one directive for each of the contact or calendar records displayed on the designated mobile remote component device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

maintaining directives that include statistical information pertaining to the past distribution of the at least one of the contact or calendar records.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

maintaining directives that include rules pertaining to group information used in the distributing.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the group information includes geographical information.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

initiating distribution of the one or more of the fields to the designated mobile remote component device; and

buffering the one or more fields for pre-distribution processing prior to initiating distribution.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the pre-distribution processing includes virus scanning.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the pre-distribution processing includes message integrity checking.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein maintaining records includes maintaining contact authorizations or calendar authorizations that include permissions related to reading, creating, editing and deleting the contact or calendar records or the one or more fields.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

maintaining records corresponding to the plurality of users, wherein the users have different permissions for one or more of the same contact or calendar records or the one or more fields.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein, for each of the contact or calendar records displayed on the designated remote component device, any of the one or more fields not associated with the at least one directive are not displayed on the designated mobile remote component device.

31. A method of distributing contact or calendar information in a multi-user environment, the method comprising:

maintaining records corresponding to a plurality of users, wherein at least one of the users is associated with a remote component device and has at least one contact authorization or calendar authorization;

maintaining a plurality of contact or calendar records, wherein at least one of the contact or calendar records contains one or more fields and contains at least one directive, wherein the at least one directive includes information pertaining to the at least one contact authorization or calendar authorization, wherein the at least one contact authorization or calendar authorization authorizes the at least one of the users to edit the one or more fields of the at least one of the contact or calendar records of the plurality of contact or calendar records;

designating the remote component device to which one or more fields of the at least one of the contact or calendar records field is to be distributed, wherein the designation is based on the at least one directive corresponding to the at least one of the contact or calendar records;

automatically distributing the one or more fields to the designated remote component device;

determining an instant physical location of the designated remote component device via a global positioning system; and

initiating a rearrangement of a display of contact or calendar records on the designated remote component device based at least in part on the at least one directive and on the instant physical location of the designated remote component device, such that fields the at least one of the users is authorized to edit and that are related to the determined instant physical location are more prominently displayed than fields that are not related to the determined instant physical location and the at least one directive for each of the contact or calendar records displayed on the designated remote component device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the at least one directive contains rules pertaining to group information used in the distributing.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the group information includes different categories of users.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the group information includes geographical information.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the group information includes time of day information.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the at least one contact authorization or calendar authorization include permissions related to reading, creating, editing and deleting the contact or calendar records or the one or more fields.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein the users have different permissions for one or more of the same contact or calendar records or the one or more fields.

38. The method of claim 31 further comprising:

providing the at least one of the users with the option to accept or reject local storage of the one or more fields at the designated remote component device.

39. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

maintaining records of distributed contact or calendar information including information pertaining to the at least one of the users'"'"' acceptance or rejection of the distributed contact or calendar information; and

deleting records or fields from the designated remote component device if the records or fields are contained in the record of distributed contact or calendar information.

40. The method of claim 31, wherein, for each of the contact or calendar records displayed on the designated remote component device, any of the one or more fields not related to the determined instant physical location are not displayed on the designated remote component device.