Methods and apparatus to provide contact management with directory assistance

• US 8,483,381 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pearson, Larry B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pope, Kharye
• Application Number:
  US11/553,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20080101581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,447 Days
• Field of Search: 379/218.01, 379/201.02, 379/220.01, 379/265.01, 379/114, 379/121.04, 379/126, 379/265, 379/266, 379/218, 379/121, 379/122, 379/123, 379/124, 379/125, 379/218.02, 704/260, 455/428, 455/422.1, 455/412.1, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/357
• US Class Current: 379/218.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4933 with operator assistance

Abstract

Methods and an apparatus for providing contact management with directory assistance. An example method obtains a directory assistance service record associated with a user, wherein the directory assistance service record includes at least a first data object associated with a directory listing and a second data object associated with the user; queries a first directory with the first data object to obtain listing information associated with the directory listing; and stores the obtained listing information in a second directory as one or more contact records associated with the second data object.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, via a processor, a billing record generated to track usage of a directory assistance service by a caller, wherein the billing record comprises a first data object conveyed to the caller in association with the usage of the directory assistance service and a second data object associated with the caller;

querying, via a processor, a first directory with the first data object of the billing record to obtain listing information associated with the first data object; and

storing the obtained listing information in a second directory as a contact record associated with the second data object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying the second directory with the second data object to identify user records associated with the second data object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein storing the obtained listing information in the second directory comprises relating each the contact record with the identified user records.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein querying the first directory with the first data object comprises querying the first directory with a telephone number provided to the caller during the usage of the directory assistance service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage of the directory assistance service is via a telephone call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the listing information comprises a telephone number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data object comprises a telephone number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second directory comprises a networked computing platform communicatively coupled with a computer.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring contact record to a user device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user device comprises a cellular telephone.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein transferring the contact record comprises transferring the contact record to the user device prior to a user request.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data object corresponds to a telephone number requested by the caller during the usage of the directory assistance service, and wherein querying the first directory with the first data object comprises performing a reverse lookup function using the telephone number to obtain the listing information associated with the first data object.

12. A tangible machine readable storage device comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

obtaining a billing record generated to track usage of a directory assistance service by a caller, wherein the billing record comprises a first data object conveyed to the caller in association with the usage of the directory assistance service and a second data object associated with the caller;

querying a first directory with the information of the first data object of the billing record to obtain listing information associated with the first data object; and

storing the obtained listing information in a second directory as a contact record associated with the second data object.

13. The storage device as defined in claim 12, wherein the method further comprises querying the second directory with the second data object and identifying a user record associated with the second data object.

14. The storage device as defined in claim 13, wherein storing the obtained listing information in the second directory comprises relating the contact record with the identified user record.

15. The storage device as defined in claim 12, wherein querying the first directory with the first data object comprises querying the first directory with a telephone number provided to the caller during the usage of the directory assistance service.

16. The storage device as defined in claim 12, wherein the listing information comprises a telephone number.

17. The storage device as defined in claim 12, wherein the first data object comprises a telephone number.

18. The storage device as defined in claim 12, wherein the second directory comprises a networked computing platform communicatively coupled with a computer.

19. The storage device as defined in claim 12, wherein the method further comprises transferring the contact record to a user device.

20. The storage device as defined in claim 19, wherein the user device comprises an electronic mail server.

21. The storage device as defined in claim 19, wherein transferring the contact record comprises transferring the contact record to the user device prior to a user request.

30. The storage device as defined in claim 12, wherein the first data object corresponds to a telephone number requested by the caller during the usage of the directory assistance service, and wherein querying the first directory with the first data object comprises performing a reverse lookup function using the telephone number to obtain the listing information associated with the first data object.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a memory having machine readable instructions stored thereon;

a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising;

obtaining a billing record generated to track usage of a directory assistance service by a caller, wherein the billing record comprises a first data object conveyed to the caller in connection with the usage of the directory assistance service and a second data object associated with the caller;

querying a first directory based on the first data object of the billing record;

obtaining listing information associated with the first data object; and

storing the obtained listing information as a contact record in a contact directory in association with the second data object.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the operations further comprise querying the contact directory with the second data object and identifying a user record associated with the second data object.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the listing information comprises a mailing address.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first data object comprises an instant messaging address.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the contact directory is communicatively coupled with a voice over Internet Protocol telephone.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the contact directory is to transfer the contact record to the voice over Internet Protocol telephone.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the contact directory is to transfer the contact record prior to a user request.

31. The apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the first data object corresponds to a telephone number requested by the caller during the usage of the directory assistance service, and wherein querying the first directory with the first data object comprises performing a reverse lookup function using the telephone number to obtain the listing information associated with the first data object.