Offline global address list

• US 8,478,837 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2004
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ollis, Joseph Kirk, Flynt, David W., Xu, Jon, Todd, Marc W.
• Primary Examiner(s): DAILEY, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US10/767,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20050164651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,443 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/221
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for providing a mobile device with a selected subset of global address list (GAL) contacts. The offline GAL contacts stored on the device are in sync with the master corporate GAL. The GAL contacts are automatically selected based on the user'"'"'s emails or meetings and are not duplicates of the contacts within the user'"'"'s personal contact list. The GAL contacts are browsed and searched seamlessly with the user'"'"'s other contacts.

Claims

1. A method for populating a list of GAL contacts on a device, comprising:

automatically selecting and creating global address list (GAL) contacts on a server for a user to include on the device in addition to a user'"'"'s personal contacts that are already stored on the device, wherein automatically selecting GAL contacts comprises automatically obtaining the GAL contacts from;

the user'"'"'s meeting requests;

the user'"'"'s phone calls;

the user'"'"'s SMS messages; and

the user'"'"'s IM messages;

on the server, removing any duplicates from the GAL contacts to ensure that the GAL contacts are unique from the user'"'"'s personal contacts;

preparing the GAL contacts to provide to the device including limiting a number of GAL contacts to be provided to the device; and

providing from the server the GAL contacts to the device;

wherein the GAL contacts are automatically incorporated with the user'"'"'s personal contacts and wherein a display of the GAL contacts are visually distinguishable from the user'"'"'s personal contacts when displayed together within a contact view on the device and visually distinguishable from the user'"'"'s personal contacts when a summary card for one of the GAL contacts is opened;

wherein the user'"'"'s personal contacts are treated differently from the provided GAL contacts such that the user'"'"'s personal contacts are maintained during a synchronization that updates the provided GAL contacts;

wherein upon selection of a provided GAL contact to edit, the provided GAL contact is added to the user'"'"'s personal contacts such that the provided GAL contact that was edited becomes one of the user'"'"'s personal contacts during a next synchronization and is synchronized as a personal contact rather than a GAL contact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically selecting the global GAL contacts, further comprises obtaining the GAL contacts from a user'"'"'s emails, including obtaining a primary addressee from each of a predetermined number of sent emails from the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically selecting the global GAL contacts, further comprises obtaining the GAL contacts from meeting requests.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining when one of the GAL contacts on the device is removed by the user;

and when one of the GAL contacts on the device is removed by the user preventing the removed GAL contact from being provided to the device during a subsequent synchronization after being automatically selected.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising limiting the number of GAL contacts provided to the device.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising maintaining a user snapshot list outside of the device that is related to the GAL contacts for the user;

wherein the user snapshot excludes the user'"'"'s personal contacts.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the GAL contacts are obtained from a GAL store on a server.

8. A system for populating a list of GAL contacts on a device, comprising:

a device including a communications connection, a data store, a display, and a processor that performs the following actions, including;

connecting to a network using the communications connection to perform a synchronization;

receiving an update list from the network containing information to update global address list (GAL) contacts that are unique from a user'"'"'s personal contacts and are in addition to the user'"'"'s personal contacts;

wherein the GAL contacts are synchronized differently from the user'"'"'s personal contacts; and

wherein the GAL contacts are visually distinguishable within a contact view from the user'"'"'s personal contacts when a summary card for a contact is opened;

updating the GAL contacts;

storing the updated GAL contacts in the data store;

displaying the GAL contacts on the display; and

upon selection of one of the GAL contacts to edit adding the edited GAL contact as a personal contact to the user'"'"'s personal contacts on the device such that the edited GAL contact is one of the user'"'"'s personal contacts during a next synchronization;

a server including a communications connection, a data store, and a processor that is performs the following actions, including;

obtaining the global address list (GAL) contacts for the user;

wherein obtaining the GAL contacts comprises obtaining the GAL contacts from at least one of;

the user'"'"'s meeting requests;

the user'"'"'s phone calls;

the user'"'"'s SMS messages; and

the user'"'"'s IM messages;

preparing an update list based on the GAL contacts in the data store on the device and the obtained GAL contacts; and

providing the GAL contacts to a device over the network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein obtaining the global address list (GAL) contacts for the user, further comprises obtaining the GAL contacts from a user'"'"'s emails.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein obtaining the GAL contacts from the user'"'"'s emails, further comprises obtaining a primary addressee from each of a predetermined number of sent emails from the user.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising obtaining the GAL contacts from meeting requests.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein obtaining the GAL contacts from the user'"'"'s emails further comprises accessing a mail server and retrieving a predetermined number of emails from a user'"'"'s sent emails.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising displaying the GAL contacts along with the user'"'"'s personal contacts on the display.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, that is not a signal, including computer-executable instructions for populating a list of GAL contacts, comprising:

beginning a synchronization session;

automatically selecting global address list (GAL) contacts for a user that are in addition to a user'"'"'s personal contacts on the device and that are unique from the user'"'"'s personal contacts from the user'"'"'s emails, wherein automatically selecting GAL contacts comprises obtaining the GAL contacts from at least two of;

meeting requests;

phone calls;

SMS messages; and

IM messages;

wherein the GAL contacts on the device are synchronized differently from the user'"'"'s personal contacts on the device such that when a GAL contact is deleted on the device, a record is maintained indicating to remove the GAL contact from the automatically selected GAL contacts before providing the GAL contacts to the device during a subsequent synchronization; and

wherein the GAL contacts are visually distinguishable within a contact view on the device from the user'"'"'s personal contacts;

wherein upon selection of a GAL contact on the device to edit, the GAL contact is added to the user'"'"'s personal contacts such that the GAL contact becomes one of the user'"'"'s personal contacts during a next synchronization and is synchronized as a personal contact rather than a GAL contact; and

providing the GAL contacts to the device.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein obtaining the GAL contacts from the user'"'"'s emails, further comprises obtaining a primary addressee from each of a predetermined number of sent emails from the user.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein automatically selecting the global GAL contacts, further comprises obtaining the GAL contacts from meeting requests.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein providing the GAL contacts to the device, further comprises providing updates to the device in order to update a GAL contact store on the device.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising maintaining a user snapshot list outside of the device that is related to the GAL contacts for the user.