Contact management

• US 8,463,246 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2010
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gueron, Ivan, Singh, Gurvinder, Hilao, Jamie, Lane, Jeffrey, Mijares, Anna, Subramaniam, Srinivasan
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US12/788,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20100304725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/414.1, 707/621, 707/802
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A contact management system including: a computer in communication with a central database and a mobile device configured to communicate with the central database, wherein the mobile device includes a contact management module that interfaces with a wireless network to allow a user of the mobile device to access contact information in the central database, the contact management module configured to provide synching of contact information within the mobile device with the contact information in the central database.

Claims

1. A contact management method comprising:

receiving contact information into a storage device of a computer in communication with a central database;

transferring the contact information in the storage device of the computer to the central database; and

enabling a user of a mobile device to access the contact information in the central database, synchronize the contact information in the central database with contact information in the mobile device, and make modifications to the contact information,

wherein the contact information on the mobile device and in the storage device of the computer is periodically synchronized with the contact information in the central database so that the modifications made on the mobile device are saved in the central database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling access to the contact information includes

providing a contact management module on the mobile device that is related to a contact management system integral to the computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user of the mobile device has less than full access to all contact information in the central database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

placing or receiving a phone call by the user of the mobile device,

wherein the phone call prompts a call log to appear, the call log including a phone number placed or received; and

adding information to the call log by the user of the mobile device.

5. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for accessing contact information on a central database, the program comprising executable instructions that cause a processor on a mobile device to:

access the contact information on the central database over a wireless network;

perform one or more modifications to contact information on the mobile device; and

transmit any modifications made to the contact information on the mobile device to the central database to synchronized the contact information on the central database with the modified contact information on the mobile device.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, further comprising executable instructions that cause a processor on a mobile device to:

create a call log in response to an incoming or outgoing call on the mobile device; and

add information to the call log.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, further comprising executable instructions that cause a processor on a mobile device to

transmit the call log and call log information to the central database.

8. An information management system comprising:

a mobile device configured to communicate with a central database storing contact and call log information, wherein the mobile device includes a contact management module that interfaces with a wireless network to allow a user of the mobile device to access and modify contact and call log information in the central database,

wherein the modification of the contact and call log information in the central database by the mobile device enables other devices in communication with the central database to update the contact and call log information of the other devices.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the contact management module provides synchronization of the contact and call log information of the mobile device with the contact and call log information in the central database.