Abstracting information from a device

• US 8,615,509 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2009
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Owen, Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): Shmatov, Alexey
• Application Number:
  US12/635,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 707/722, 707/999.007, 707/769, 707/694
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

Requesting from a device to a source. In a device comprising a datastore, the datastore comprising a plurality of records, each record comprising a plurality of fields, retrieving a common set of fields from each of the plurality of records. The technology abstracts at least one of the retrieved fields across the plurality of records, resulting in abstracted information. The technology sends, to the source, the abstracted information from the device in place of the retrieved fields.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for requesting from a mobile device to a source, the method comprising:

in a mobile device comprising a datastore, the datastore comprising a plurality of personal records;

periodically retrieving information responsive to a query directed to the plurality of personal records;

abstracting at least a subset of the retrieved information, resulting in abstracted information, wherein abstracting includes identifying a frequency of occurrence of at least one region value in the plurality of personal records based on a name, a street address, a city, an area code and a phone number, wherein at least one region value is cross-referenced for missing region value information with information in a lookup table of the mobile device, wherein the abstracted information is non-personal and includes the identified frequency of occurrence; and

periodically sending, to the source, the abstracted non-personal information from the mobile device in place of the retrieved information,

wherein the datastore is an address book, and

the frequency of occurrence is that of at least one region value identified in the address book and is a percentage of occurrence of the at least one region value in relation to the other region values in the address book.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

sending comprises sending at the time of a request.

3. A computer-implemented method for forming a request from a mobile device, the method comprising:

in a mobile device comprising a datastore, the datastore comprising a plurality of personal records;

periodically retrieving information responsive to a query directed to the plurality of personal records;

deriving information from a subset of fields across a subset of the personal records;

abstracting at least a subset of the retrieved information and subset of the derived information, resulting in abstracted information, wherein the abstracted information is non-personal and includes is a value corresponding to a frequency of occurrence of the retrieved information based on a name, a street address, a city, an area code and a phone number, wherein at least one region value is cross-referenced for missing region value information with information in a lookup table of the mobile device; and

sending, to the source, the abstracted non-personal information from the mobile device in place of the retrieved information,

wherein the datastore is an address book, and

the frequency of occurrence is that of at least one region value identified in the address book and is a percentage of occurrence of the at least one region value in relation to the other region values in the address book.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

sending comprises sending at the time of a request.

5. A computer program product for requesting from a mobile device to a source, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable media on the device;

the device comprising a datastore, the datastore comprising a plurality of personal records;

a client programming module;

stored on the media, and

operative to;

retrieve information responsive to a query directed to the plurality of personal records;

abstract at least a subset of the retrieved information, resulting in abstracted non-personal information, wherein the abstracted non-personal information is a value corresponding to a frequency of occurrence of the retrieved information based on a name, a street address, a city, an area code and a phone number, wherein at least one region value is cross-referenced for missing region value information with information in a lookup table of the mobile device; and

send, to the source, the abstracted non-personal information from the mobile device in place of the retrieved information,

wherein the datastore is an address book, and

the frequency of occurrence is that of at least one region value identified in the address book and is a percentage of occurrence of the at least one region value in relation to the other region values in the address book.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein:

sending comprises sending at the time of a request.

7. A computer program product for requesting from a mobile device to a source, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable media on the mobile device;

the device comprising a datastore, the datastore comprising a plurality of personal records, each record comprising a plurality of fields;

a client programming module;

stored on the media, and

operative to;

periodically retrieve information responsive to a query directed to the plurality of personal records;

derive information from a subset of the fields across a subset of the personal records;

abstract at least a subset of the retrieved information and subset of the derived information, resulting in abstracted non-personal information, wherein the abstracted non-personal information is a value corresponding to a frequency of occurrence of the retrieved information based on a name, a street address, a city, an area code and a phone number, wherein at least one region value is cross-referenced for missing region value information with information in a lookup table of the mobile device; and

send, to the source, the abstracted non-personal information from the mobile device in place of the retrieved information,

wherein the datastore is an address book, and

the frequency of occurrence is that of at least one region value identified in the address book and is a percentage of occurrence of the at least one region value in relation to the other region values in the address book.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein:

sending comprises sending at the time of a request.

9. A system for requesting from a mobile device to a source, the system comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable media on the mobile device;

the device comprising a datastore, the datastore comprising a plurality of personal records;

a client programming module;

stored on the media, and

operative to;

periodically retrieve information responsive to a query directed to the plurality of personal records;

abstract at least a subset of the retrieved information, resulting in abstracted non-personal information, wherein the abstracted non-personal information is a value corresponding to a frequency of occurrence of the retrieved information based on a name, a street address, a city, an area code and a phone number, wherein at least one region value is cross-referenced for missing region value information with information in a lookup table of the mobile device; and

send, to the source, the abstracted non-personal information from the device in place of the retrieved information,

wherein the datastore is an address book, and

the frequency of occurrence is that of at least one region value identified in the address book and is a percentage of occurrence of the at least one region value in relation to the other region values in the address book.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

sending comprises sending at the time of a request.

11. A system for requesting from a mobile device to a source, the system comprising:

a mobile device;

a non-transitory computer readable media on the mobile device;

the mobile device comprising a datastore, the datastore comprising a plurality of personal records;

a client programming module;

stored on the media, and

operative to;

periodically retrieve information responsive to a query directed to the plurality of personal records;

derive information from a subset of the fields across a subset of the personal records;

abstract at least a subset of the retrieved information and subset of the derived information, resulting in abstracted non-personal information, wherein the abstracted non-personal information is a value corresponding to a frequency of occurrence of the retrieved information based on a name, a street address, a city, an area code and a phone number, wherein at least one region value is cross-referenced for missing region value information with information in a lookup table of the mobile device; and

periodically send, to the source, the abstracted non-personal information from the mobile device in place of the retrieved information,

wherein the datastore is an address book, and

the frequency of occurrence is that of at least one region value identified in the address book and is a percentage of occurrence of the at least one region value in relation to the other region values in the address book.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

sending comprises sending at the time of a request.