Global contact synchronization

• US 8,798,596 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Buzd, LLC
• Original Assignee: Buzd, LLC
• Inventors: Shuster, Gary Stephen, Goldsmith, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hong, Dung
• Application Number:
  US14/142,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20140187213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 221 Days
• Field of Search: 4554141-4143, 455/457, 4554561-4564, 379/201.01, 379/218.01
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A situational and global context aware calendar, communications, and/or relationship management method and system is disclosed. The system is configured to receive non-calendaring related context information, and, based on that context information, to automatically determine one or more parameters of a meeting request.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory storing instructions that, in response to execution by the one or more processors, causes the computing system to;

receive a request, from a user of the computing system, for location information for each of a plurality of contacts;

determine location information for the respective contacts;

determine a confidence score for a local time for each of the respective contacts, wherein the confidence score is based on two or more of the following indicators;

a first indicator of a current time zone and/or time associated with a geolocation of one or more devices of the respective contact;

a second indicator of a current time zone and/or time associated with a registered device location associated with one or more devices of the respective contact; and

/or

a third indicator of a current time zone and/or time associated with a geolocation of the respective contact based on data obtained from one or more social media data sources; and

provide visual indications of the determined confidence scores for the respective contacts to the user, the computing system configured to display the determined confidence scores in association with the respective contacts.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein said instructions are further configured to cause the computing system to

transmit a request for geolocation information to one or more mobile devices of the respective contact;

or

access one or more social media data sources associated with respective contact.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the computing system to:

determine, for each respective contact, holiday context information based on the location information of each respective contact.

4. The computing system of claim 3, wherein the holiday context information is included in the user interface in a pop-up that is activated in response to the user selecting a particular contact.

5. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory storing instructions that, in response to execution by the one or more processors, causes the computing system to;

receive, from a user of a computing device in communication with the computing system, a request for time and/or time zone information for each of a plurality of contacts stored in a contact data structure on the computing device;

determine, for respective contacts of the plurality of contacts, a current time for the respective contact and a confidence score for the current time, wherein the current time for respective contacts is based on two or more of the following indicators associated with the contact;

a first indicator of a current time and/or time zone associated with a geolocation of one or more devices of the respective contact;

a second indicator of a current time and/or time zone associated with a registered device location associated with one or more devices of the respective contact; and

/or

a third indicator of a current time and/or time zone associated with a geolocation of the respective contact based on data obtained from one or more social media data sources; and

generate user interface data configured for execution by the computing device in order to display on the computing device;

a current time at the location of the computing device,

a list of at least some of the plurality of contacts, and,

for each of the displayed contacts;

the respective determined current time, and

a visual indicator of the respective confidence score for the determined current time.

6. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the computing system to:

determine respective locations for the at least one or more contacts based on the respective confidence score;

determine one or more events associated with the respective locations of the at least one or more contacts; and

provide indications of the determined one or more events in the user interface in association with respective corresponding contacts.

7. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the computing system to:

for each contact in the plurality of contacts, determine an acceptable call time period and an unacceptable call time period; and

in response to the user requesting to call, on the computing device, a particular contact wherein the current time of the contact is within the unacceptable call time period for the particular contact, provide a visual and/or audible alert.

8. The computing system of claim 7, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the computing system to:

restrict the call to the particular contact.

9. The computing system of claim 7, wherein the acceptable call time period for respective contacts is determined based on respective preferences selected by each contact.

10. The computing system of claim 7, wherein the acceptable call time period for respective contacts is determined based on respective locations of contacts.

11. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the contacts displayed on the computing device are associated with respective indicators regarding whether contacts are within corresponding acceptable call time periods.

12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein a text color, shading, font size, and/or other visual indicator of contacts within an acceptable call time period is different from the text color, shading, font size, and/or other visual indicators of contacts within an unacceptable call time period.

13. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the user interface data is further configured to display on the computing device a first visual characteristic associated with a first subset of contacts wherein first indicators are provided and a second visual characteristic associated with a second subset of contacts wherein second indicators are provided.

14. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the computing system to:

user interface data is further configured to display, on the computing device,

a first visual characteristic for each of a first set of the plurality of contacts within an acceptable call time period and a second visual characteristic for each of a second set of the plurality of contacts within an unacceptable call time period.

15. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the computing device comprises a mobile device and the user interface data is configured to display as part of a contact information application or is displayed as part of a contact resource management software application.

16. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the computing system to:

receive, for respective contacts, local information including indicators of one or more current events, weather, or social customers, at the location of the contact.

17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein user interface data is configured to display, on the computing device, the local information in a pop-up that is activated in response to the user selecting a particular contact.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage storing software instructions configured for execution on a computing device having one or more hardware processors in order to cause the computing device to:

receive, from a user of the computing device, a request for time and/or time zone information for each of a plurality of contacts stored in a contact data structure on the computing device;

determine, for respective contacts of the plurality of contacts, a current time for the respective contact and a confidence score for the current time, wherein the current time for respective contacts is based on two or more of the following indicators associated with the contact;

a first indicator of a current time and/or time zone associated with a geolocation of one or more devices of the respective contact;

a second indicator of a current time and/or time zone associated with a registered device location associated with one or more devices of the respective contact; and

/or

a third indicator of a current time and/or time zone associated with a geolocation of the respective contact based on data obtained from one or more social media data sources; and

generate a user interface configured for display by the computing device, the user interface indicating;

a current time at the location of the computing device,

a list of at least some of the plurality of contacts, and,

for each of the displayed contacts;

the respective determined current time, and

a visual indicator of the respective confidence score for the determined current time.