Method and system for maintaining contact information

• US 8,972,505 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2008
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silicon Valley Patent Agency, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SUN MANAGEMENT, LLC
• Inventors: Zheng, Joe, Zhang, Lei, Yan, Yan, Zhu, Yuanxi, Ma, Lijun, Wang, Yong, Qu, Xiuna
• Primary Examiner(s): Chao, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEJIA, FELICIANO S
• Application Number:
  US12/246,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,338 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/203, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Techniques for synchronizing personal contact information with or from different sources are disclosed. Through a website (i.e., a server or system), all fractional personal contact information is consolidated, synchronized, processed or updated. In return, any of the resources may be synchronized to get a copy of the latest version of the contact information. When contacts in a list by a registered user are also registered with the server, any of the contacts may update their respective contact information that can be timely reflected in the list. As a result, the registered user always has a latest version of the contact information for some or all of his/her contacts without even knowing some has already been changed or updated. Based on the contact information, other features including proof delivery of emails, recycling of deleted contacts, a “black” list, contact relationship levels and anonymous email, short messaging and calls are provided.

Claims

1. A method for managing contact information, the method comprising:

maintaining in a server a list of records for a registered user, each of the records including a profile of a contact of the registered user, the profile including a text field in addition to at least a last name, a first name, and an email address of the contact, wherein the text field allows the contact to edit a personal statement in free form to be shared with contacts of the contact, wherein the server maintains a plurality of registered users;

posting comments received from some of the contacts in responding to the personal statement by the contact;

receiving data by the server from at least two sources, the data from each of the at least two sources including a fractional portion of one of records, wherein the server and each of the at least sources are coupled over a data network;

merging the data for the one of records by operations including;

filling each of data fields created for the one of records with corresponding information from the data received respectively from the at least two sources;

creating automatically or by the registered user a duplicated data field for one of the data fields to accommodate a different version of the information meant for the one of the data fields;

allowing the profile to be annotated in a private text field by the registered user for reminding the registered user what the contact is about;

synchronizing the records between the server and one of the sources upon a request, wherein the one of the sources has a latest version of the records, each of the sources is one of an email application tool, a webmail tool, a cellular phone, a personal computer, and a mobile device;

matching an offer from a first one of the registered users in response to a request from a second one of the registered users;

sending a first link to a profile of the first one of the registered users to the second one of the registered users and a second link to a profile of the second one of the registered users to the first user; and

making the first one of the registered users to be a contact of the second one of the registered users and the second user to be a contact of the first one of the registered users when the first one and second one of the registered users agree to go with the offer and the request.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a status update of the registered user, wherein the status update is provided by the registered user to keep contacts in the records posted of what the registered user is up to;

posting the status update to some of the contacts of the registered users in the record when the some of the contacts synchronize their respective records with the server; and

allowing the some of the contacts of the registered users to respond individually to the status update from the registered user.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising forwarding a response to the status update to the registered user.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the server is further configured to determine whether the status update was sent from a mobile device or a stationary device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving a short message from the registered user in a limited number of words from a portable device, wherein the short message is posted on a webpage allowing one or more users to respond with comments to the short message.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving a short message from a device associated with the registered user, wherein the short message is posted privately so that no other contacts see the short message.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the records in the server has a predefined number of fields that does not match exactly a number of fields in each of the records in one of the sources, and the method further comprising:

mapping the data from the one of the sources to the records on the server with reference to a corresponding map; and

hiding some of the data that is not used in the records on the server.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein said receiving data from one or more sources is initiated from the server or one of the sources, the data includes a difference between the records in the one of the sources and the records on the server.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the registered user determines how much of the profile thereof is shown to a contact in the list in accordance with a relationship level pre-determined with the contact.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising inserting a default item in the list of records, wherein the default item provides a mechanism for a user to send in a message from a cell phone to be published on a website.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the request is related to the second one of the registered users looking for someone in a carpool.

12. A system for managing contact information, the system comprising:

at least a server computing device configured to manage a list of records for a registered user, each of the records including a profile of a contact of the registered user, the profile including at least a last name, a first name, and an email address, the server computing device also including a specifically marked store to keep some of the records that the registered user has deleted from the list of records, wherein the server computing device is configured to receive fractional data for a record in the list respectively from at least two sources each capable of capturing partial information for the record, the record is created in the server computing device by merging the fractional data from the at least two sources with operations including;

filling each of data fields created for the record with corresponding information from the fractional data received from the at least two sources;

creating automatically a duplicated data field for one of the data fields to accommodate a different version of the information meant for the one of the data fields; and

allowing the profile in the record to be annotated in a private text field by the registered user for reminding what the contact is about;

wherein, when the server computing device and one of the at least two sources are caused to be synchronized, the one of the at least two sources is configured to cache a copy of a latest version of the records, the one of the at least two sources is one of an email application tool, a webmail tool, a cellular phone, a personal computer, and a mobile device, and

wherein the updated records further includes a default record that provides a mechanism to allow the registered user to send in a short message.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the server computing device is configured to maintain a predefined store to keep deleted records that are recoverable when the registered user decides to re-establish contact with one or more of the deleted records, wherein the deleted records are not listed in the list of records.

14. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the server computing device is configured to receive an electronic invitation from one of the at least two resources and forward the electronic invitation to some of contacts in the list of records by determining a relationship level of the registered user with the some of the contacts.

15. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the server computing device is configured to provide a mechanism to allow a registered user to send a short message from the server computing device to mimic short messaging from a cell phone.

16. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the server computing device is configured to:

display a status update of the registered user, wherein the status update is provided by the registered user from a mobile device to keep contacts in the records posted of what the registered user is up to;

post the status update to some of the contacts in the list when the some of the contacts log into the server; and

allow the some of the contacts to respond individually to the status update from the registered user.

17. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the one of the at least two sources is executing a client module that is configured to perform operations of:

detecting whether an email, an SM or a call is from a contact listed in a black list;

intercepting the email, the SM or the call when the contact is indeed in the black list by either blocking the email, the SM or the call or removing the email or the SM after the email or the SM has arrived in the one of the at least two sources.

18. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the one of the at least two sources is executing a client module that is configured to perform operations of:

detecting whether an email, an SM or a call from a contact that is determined to be anonymous;

intercepting the email, the SM or the call when the contact is indeed anonymous by changing an identity of the contact to a fake identity;

displaying the email, the SM or the call only with the fake identity, wherein the identity of the contact is not revealed should the source be accidentally accessed by someone else.