Systems for contact information management

• US 8,984,005 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gropper, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin, Jean B
• Application Number:
  US14/180,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20140164492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 707/707, 707/802, 707/803, 707/804, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 707/770
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4505 using standardised directories; using standardised directory access protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

An Internet-based system capable of automatically maintaining contact-related information in any computer software application or digital device which stores or manages contact-related information. More particularly, the system allows users to automatically enter and maintain contact-related information in a digital address book or similar application or device (such as a wireless phone or PDA) with minimal or no manual entry of the contact-related information by the user. The system also allows contacts of the user (i.e. people who'"'"'s contact information or partial contact information is present in the user'"'"'s address book application) to make corrections to their contact-related information contained in the user'"'"'s address book, request reciprocal contact information from the user, deny the user access to additional or corrected contact-related information and take other actions relative to managing the contact-related information which others (users) have about them.

Claims

1. A system for contact information management, comprising:

a computer server that is programmed to receive and process update requests for contact information;

a client computer in communication with the computer server, wherein the client computer is programmed to (i) extract, with the aid of a computer processor, stored contact information for an addressee from an address book data structure of an address book, which contact information includes an address, and (ii) transmit the extracted contact information to the computer server with an update request for the contact information, wherein the client computer is programmed to automatically update the contact information upon receipt of updated contact information from the computer server; and

an addressee computer in communication with the computer server and associated with the address, wherein the addressee computer is programmed to (i) receive the update request from the computer server, and (ii) in response to the update request, provide the computer server with an update to the contact information or deny the update request.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer server is programmed to automatically transmit the update to the contact information to the client computer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer server is programmed to determine whether the addressee computer is associated with the addressee.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the client computer is remotely located with respect to the computer server.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the client computer requests that the computer server transmits the update request to the addressee.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the addressee computer is programmed to enable the addressee to edit, enter or delete information from the contact information.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the addressee computer comprises a user interface that permits the addressee to edit, enter, or delete information from the contact information, or deny the update request.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer server is programmed to transmit the contact information to the addressee computer with the update request.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the client computer is a portable computer.

10. A system for contact information management, comprising:

a computer server that is programmed to receive and process update requests for contact information;

a client computer in communication with the computer server, wherein the client computer is programmed to (i) extract, with the aid of a computer processor, stored contact information for an addressee from an address book data structure of an address book, which contact information includes an address, and (ii) transmit the extracted contact information to the computer server with an update request for the contact information; and

an addressee computer in communication with the computer server and associated with the address, wherein the addressee computer is programmed to (i) receive the update request from the computer server, and (ii) in response to the update request, provide the computer server with an update to the contact information or deny the update request,

wherein the computer server is programmed to determine whether the addressee computer is associated with the address in response to updated contact information received from the addressee computer.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer server is programmed to automatically transmit the update to the contact information to the client computer.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer server is programmed to determine whether the addressee computer is associated with the addressee.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer server is programmed to transmit the contact information to the addressee computer with the update request.

14. A system for contact information management, comprising:

a computer server that is programmed to receive and process update requests for contact information;

a client computer in communication with the computer server, wherein the client computer is programmed to (i) extract, with the aid of a computer processor, stored contact information for an addressee from an address book data structure of an address book, which contact information includes an address, and (ii) transmit the extracted contact information to the computer server with an update request for the contact information; and

an addressee computer in communication with the computer server and associated with the address, wherein the addressee computer is programmed to (i) receive the update request from the computer server, and (ii) in response to the update request, provide the computer server with an update to the contact information or deny the update request,

wherein the client computer is programmed to automatically write the update to the contact information to the address book.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer server is programmed to automatically transmit the update to the contact information to the client computer.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer server is programmed to determine whether the addressee computer is associated with the addressee.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer server is programmed to transmit the contact information to the addressee computer with the update request.

18. A system for contact information management, comprising:

a computer server that is programmed to receive and process update requests for contact information;

a portable client computer in communication with the computer server, wherein the portable client computer is programmed to (i) retrieve, with the aid of a computer processor, stored contact information for an addressee from an address book, which contact information includes an address, and (ii) transmit the retrieved contact information to the computer server with a request that the computer server transmit an update request for the contact information to the addressee, wherein the portable client computer is programmed to automatically update the contact information upon receipt of updated contact information from the computer server; and

an addressee computer in communication with the computer server and associated with the address, wherein the addressee computer is programmed to (i) receive the update request from the computer server, and (ii) in response to the update request, provide the computer server with an update to the contact information or deny the update request.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer server is programmed to automatically transmit the update to the contact information to the portable client computer.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer server is programmed to determine whether the addressee computer is associated with the addressee.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the portable client computer is remotely located with respect to the computer server.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the addressee computer is programmed to enable the addressee to edit, enter or delete information from the contact information.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the addressee computer comprises a user interface that permits the addressee to edit, enter, or delete information from the contact information, or deny the update request.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer server is programmed to transmit the contact information to the addressee computer with the update request.

25. A system for contact information management, comprising:

a computer server that is programmed to receive and process update requests for contact information;

a portable client computer in communication with the computer server, wherein the portable client computer is programmed to (i) retrieve, with the aid of a computer processor, stored contact information for an addressee from an address book, which contact information includes an address, and (ii) transmit the retrieved contact information to the computer server with a request that the computer server transmit an update request for the contact information to the addressee; and

an addressee computer in communication with the computer server and associated with the address, wherein the addressee computer is programmed to (i) receive the update request from the computer server, and (ii) in response to the update request, provide the computer server with an update to the contact information or deny the update request,

wherein the computer server is programmed to determine whether the addressee computer is associated with the address in response to updated contact information received from the addressee computer.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the computer server is programmed to automatically transmit the update to the contact information to the portable client computer.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the computer server is programmed to determine whether the addressee computer is associated with the addressee.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the computer server is programmed to transmit the contact information to the addressee computer with the update request.

29. A system for contact information management, comprising:

a computer server that is programmed to receive and process update requests for contact information;

a portable client computer in communication with the computer server, wherein the portable client computer is programmed to (i) retrieve, with the aid of a computer processor, stored contact information for an addressee from an address book, which contact information includes an address, and (ii) transmit the retrieved contact information to the computer server with a request that the computer server transmit an update request for the contact information to the addressee; and

an addressee computer in communication with the computer server and associated with the address, wherein the addressee computer is programmed to (i) receive the update request from the computer server, and (ii) in response to the update request, provide the computer server with an update to the contact information or deny the update request,

wherein the portable client computer is programmed to automatically write the update to the contact information to the address book.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the computer server is programmed to automatically transmit the update to the contact information to the portable client computer.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the computer server is programmed to determine whether the addressee computer is associated with the addressee.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein the computer server is programmed to transmit the contact information to the addressee computer with the update request.

33. A system for contact information management, comprising:

a computer server that is programmed to receive and process update requests for contact information;

a client computer in communication with the computer server, wherein the client computer is programmed to (i) extract, with the aid of a computer processor, stored contact information for an addressee from an address book data structure of an address book, which contact information includes an address, and (ii) transmit the extracted contact information to the computer server with an update request for the contact information, and

an addressee computer in communication with the computer server and associated with the address, wherein the addressee computer is programmed to (i) receive the update request from the computer server, and (ii) in response to the update request, provide the computer server with an update to the contact information or deny the update request,

wherein the extracted contact information causes the computer server to generate and send to the addressee computer the update request.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the computer server is programmed to automatically transmit the update to the contact information to the client computer.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the computer server is programmed to determine whether the addressee computer is associated with the addressee.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the computer server is programmed to transmit the contact information to the addressee computer with the update request.

37. A system for contact information management,

a computer server that is programmed to receive and process update requests for contact information;

a portable client computer in communication with the computer server, wherein the portable client computer is programmed to (i) retrieve, with the aid of a computer processor, stored contact information for an addressee from an address book, which contact information includes an address, and (ii) transmit the retrieved contact information to the computer server with a request that the computer server transmit an update request for the contact information to the addressee; and

an addressee computer in communication with the computer server and associated with the address, wherein the addressee computer is programmed to (i) receive the update request from the computer server, and (ii) in response to the update request, provide the computer server with an update to the contact information or deny the update request,

wherein the retrieved contact information causes the computer server to generate and send to the addressee computer the update request.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the computer server is programmed to automatically transmit the update to the contact information to the portable client computer.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the computer server is programmed to determine whether the addressee computer is associated with the addressee.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein the computer server is programmed to transmit the contact information to the addressee computer with the update request.