Systems and methods for correlating online aliases with real-world identities

• US 8,578,009 B1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gen Digital Inc.
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Newstadt, Keith, Cooley, Shaun
• Primary Examiner(s): WINDER, PATRICE L
• Application Number:
  US11/960,402
• Time in Patent Office: 2,148 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709206-207, 709/223, 709/236
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4594 Address books, i.e. directories containing contact information about correspondents telephone directories in user terminals H04M1/27453

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for correlating online aliases with real-world identities may comprise accessing a first user account associated with a first online communication mechanism, obtaining contact data associated with a first online alias from the first user account, identifying contact data associated with a second online alias, identifying, by comparing the contact data associated with the first online alias with the contact data associated with the second online alias, at least one common characteristic between the first online alias and the second online alias, and associating both the first online alias and the second online alias with a common contact. A graphical user interface may display a contact'"'"'s name, online aliases for by the contact, and the online communication mechanisms that may be used to communicate with the contact. The method may also facilitate communication with a contact using online communication mechanisms. Corresponding systems and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for correlating online aliases, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

identifying, for each acquaintance of a user, each known online alias of the acquaintance of the user by;

accessing a user account of the user, the user account associated with an online communication mechanism;

obtaining, from the user account, contact data associated with an online alias of the acquaintance of the user;

accessing at least one additional user account of the user, the additional user account associated with an additional online communication mechanism that is different from the online communication mechanism;

obtaining, from the additional user account, contact data associated with an additional online alias that is different from the online alias of the acquaintance of the user;

determining, by identifying at least one common characteristic between the contact data associated with the online alias and the contact data associated with the additional online alias, that the online alias and the additional online alias represent different online aliases for the same acquaintance of the user;

associating each known online alias of the acquaintance of the user with the acquaintance of the user by;

creating a global contact record for the acquaintance of the user that identifies each known online alias of the acquaintance of the user, the contact record comprising information that identifies at least the online alias of the acquaintance of the user, the additional online alias of the acquaintance of the user, and contact data for the acquaintance of the user;

storing the global contact record in a contact-management database;

wherein the user and the acquaintance of the user are distinct.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the account comprises:

identifying login information for the user account;

accessing the user account using the login information for the user account.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the login information for the user account comprises at least one of:

receiving the login information for the user account from the user;

retrieving the login information for the user account from a login-information database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the user account comprises accessing the user account using a mechanism-specific access module.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the contact data associated with the online alias from the user account comprises extracting non-computer-readable contact data associated with the online alias from the user account.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact data for the acquaintance of the user comprises at least one of:

a name of the acquaintance of the user;

an email address of the acquaintance of the user;

a phone number of the acquaintance of the user;

a fax number of the acquaintance of the user;

a mailing address of the acquaintance of the user;

a website address of the acquaintance of the user;

an instant-messaging address of the acquaintance of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying at least one common characteristic between the contact data associated with the online alias and the contact data associated with the additional online alias comprises determining, by comparing the contact data associated with the online alias with the contact data associated with the additional online alias, that the contact data associated with the online alias and the contact data associated with the additional online alias share at least one of the following in common:

a name;

an email address;

a phone number;

a fax number;

a mailing address;

a website address;

an instant-messaging address.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a graphical user interface that displays each known online alias of the acquaintance of the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the graphical user interface further displays at least one of:

a name of the acquaintance of the user;

the contact data for the acquaintance of the user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a graphical user interface that facilitates communication with the acquaintance of the user via both the online communication mechanism and the additional online communication mechanism.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a graphical user interface that facilitates communication with the acquaintance of the user via at least one of the online communication mechanism and the additional online communication mechanism.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the graphical user interface facilitates communication with the acquaintance of the user via a mechanism-specific communication module.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to identifying each known online alias of the acquaintance of the user, receiving a request from the user to identify each known online alias of the acquaintance of the user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-implemented method is performed automatically and periodically.

15. A system for correlating online aliases, the system comprising:

an access module programmed to identify, for each acquaintance of a user, each known online alias of the acquaintance of the user by;

accessing a user account of the user, the user account associated with an online communication mechanism;

obtaining, from the user account, contact data associated with an online alias of the acquaintance of the user;

accessing at least one additional user account of the user, the additional user account associated with an additional online communication mechanism that is different from the online communication mechanism;

obtaining, from the additional user account, contact data associated with an additional online alias that is different from the online alias of the acquaintance of the user;

a correlation module programmed to;

determine, by identifying at least one common characteristic between the contact data associated with the online alias and the contact data associated with the additional online alias, that the online alias and the additional online alias represent different online aliases for the same acquaintance of the user;

associate each known online alias of the acquaintance of the user with the acquaintance of the user by;

creating a global contact record for the acquaintance of the user that identifies each known online alias of the acquaintance of the user, the contact record comprising information that identifies at least the online alias of the acquaintance of the user, the additional online alias of the acquaintance of the user, and contact data for the acquaintance of the user;

storing the global contact record in a contact-management database;

wherein the user and the acquaintance of the user are distinct;

at least one processor configured to execute the access module and the correlation module.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a login module programmed to manage login information for the user'"'"'s user accounts;

a graphical-user-interface module programmed to provide a graphical user interface that displays each known online alias of the acquaintance of the user;

a communication module programmed to facilitate communication with the acquaintance of the user via both the online communication mechanism and the additional online communication mechanism.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a login-information database for storing login information for the user'"'"'s user accounts;

a contact-management database for storing the global contact record;

a mechanism-specific-module database for storing mechanism-specific access modules and mechanism-specific communication modules.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

identify, for each acquaintance of a user, each known online alias of the acquaintance of the user by;

accessing a user account of the user, the user account associated with an online communication mechanism;

obtaining, from the user account, contact data associated with an online alias of the acquaintance of the user;

accessing at least one additional user account of the user, the additional user account associated with an additional online communication mechanism that is different from the online communication mechanism;

obtaining, from the additional user account, contact data associated with an additional online alias that is different from the online alias of the acquaintance of the user;

determining, by identifying at least one common characteristic between the contact data associated with the online alias and the contact data associated with the additional online alias, that the online alias and the additional online alias represent different online aliases for the same acquaintance of the user;

associate each known online alias of the acquaintance of the user with the acquaintance of the user by;

creating a global contact record for the acquaintance of the user that identifies each known online alias of the acquaintance of the user, the contact record comprising information that identifies at least the online alias of the acquaintance of the user, the additional online alias of the acquaintance of the user, and contact data for the acquaintance of the user;

storing the global contact record in a contact-management database;

wherein the user and the acquaintance of the user are distinct.