Populating and managing (PAM) contact information in the network address book (NAB)

• US 9,098,833 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2009
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telcordia Legacy Inc.
• Original Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson), Toshiba Corporation
• Inventors: Yaqub, Raziq
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, SHEW FEN
• Application Number:
  US12/365,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,372 Days
• Field of Search: 707/758, 707/783, 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

This paper proposes a new method and architecture for populating, updating and managing the NAB. It also proposes user'"'"'s Contact Information Discovery (CID). In context of populating the NAB; since the NAB of each individual subscriber will be stored in the network in future, the paper proposes CI to flow from one NAB to another NAB within the core network, instead of CI flowing from Device to Network. Thus with the user authorization, his CI would shoot from one NAB to another NAB within the core network instead of from LAB to NAB through air interface. It would reduce huge amount of data traffic on the air that otherwise would be generated in updating and populating the NAB by all the NAB users. In context of CID, the paper proposes a query-response mechanism and introduces a NAB Manager. The new architecture will provide several benefits for example it will eliminate the need of “Number Portability,” “United States National Do Not Call Registry” and “411 Directory Assistance.”

Claims

1. A system for the management of network address books, comprising:

a network address book (NAB) manager including a processor, a transceiver and data storage within a core network,

said NAB manager being configured to manage network storage of content information of a plurality of users, wherein content information corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of users is stored in separate NABs in data storage;

said NAB manager being configured to populate said data storage within said separate NABs with content information received from user devices;

said NAB manager being configured to transmit at least some of said content information obtained from a first NAB in data storage that is associated with a first user, based on authorization of the first user, to another NAB in a second data storage that is located within said core network or within another network and that is associated with a second user; and

said NAB manager being configured to receive a query from the second user for information related to the first user and to obtain said information from said first NAB without burdening wireless traffic by requiring wireless communications from individual wireless user devices;

wherein said NAB manager is configured to receive user Contact Information Discovery queries from individuals via wireless user devices and to transmit said information based on user authorization, and wherein said NAB manager is configured such that in response to such queries from wireless user devices Contact Information is transmitted from one NAB to another NAB based on said user authorization via a wireline connection;

further including said NAB manager being configured to provide a plurality of levels of settings governing how much information is transmitted from said one NAB to said another NAB based on the user selecting certain of said settings so as to designate how much information the user wants to share with other users, said levels of settings governing how much information is transmitted from said one NAB to said another NAB including personal information and business information settings;

further including said NAB manager being configured to provide selective synchronization between a Network Address Book of a user stored in the core network and a Local Address Book (LAB) in a user device of the user such that the NAB Manager will transmit only certain fields or portions of content information data contained within the user'"'"'s NAB to the LAB in the user device for which a user selection has been received in order to accommodate limited storage capacity of the LAB; and

where said NAB manager is configured to store information within a user'"'"'s NAB related to the location of the user and wherein said NAB manager is configured to enforce user policies based on the location of the user, including denying contact from a specified user based on a location policy.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said core network is a cellular telephone network.

3. The system of claim 1, further including an Intra-NAB manager responsible for the management of NABs within one operator'"'"'s network.

4. The system of claim 1, further including an Inter-NAB manager configured to communicate with NAB managers across different operator'"'"'s network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said NAB manager is adapted to accommodate policies for verification of service access privileges.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said NAB manager is adapted to accommodate policies for verification of end-user preference.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said NAB manager is adapted to accommodate policies for verification of personalization.

8. The method of claim 1, further including said NAB manager accommodating policies for verification of personalization.

9. The system of claim 1, where said NAB manager is configured to store information within a user'"'"'s NAB related to the interfaces available to the user.

10. The system of claim 1, where said NAB manager is configured to store information within a user'"'"'s NAB related to the interfaces to which the user is connected.

11. The system of claim 10, where said NAB manager is configured to store information within a user'"'"'s NAB related to the location of the user and wherein said NAB manager is configured to enforce user policies based on the location of the user, including denying contact from a specified user based on a location policy.

12. A method for the management of network address books, comprising:

a network address book (NAB) manager managing network storage of content information in a plurality of network address books of a plurality of users;

each said NAB having data storage with populated content information from at least one user device;

said NAB manager managing the receipt of information from a user related to sharing of at least some of said information with at least one other user;

said NAB manager providing at least some of said information for said at least one other user;

said NAB manager transmitting said at least some of said information obtained from a first data storage of a first of said NABs associated with a first user, based on authorization of the first user, via said core network or across networks to a second data storage of a second of said NABs associated with a second user;

said NAB manager receiving a query from the second user for information related to the first user, and said NAB manager obtaining said information from said first NAB without burdening wireless traffic by requiring wireless communications from individual wireless user devices, wherein said NAB manager transmits said information to said second NAB via a wireline connection;

said NAB manager receiving user Contact Information Discovery queries from individuals via wireless user devices and to transmit said information based on user authorization, and wherein in response to such queries from wireless user devices said NAB manager causes Contact Information to be transmitted from one NAB to another NAB based on said user authorization via a wireline connection;

further including said NAB manager providing a plurality of levels of settings governing how much information is transmitted from said one NAB to said another NAB based on the user selecting certain of said settings so as to designate how much information the user wants to share with other users, said levels of settings governing how much information is transmitted from said one NAB to said another NAB including personal information and business information settings;

further including said NAB manager providing selective synchronization between a Network Address Book of a user stored in the core network and a Local Address Book (LAB) in a user device of the user such that the NAB Manager will transmit only certain fields or portions of content information data contained within the user'"'"'s NAB to the LAB in the user device for which a user selection has been received in order to accommodate limited storage capacity of the LAB; and

where said NAB manager is configured to store information within a user'"'"'s NAB related to the location of the user and wherein said NAB manager is configured to enforce user policies based on the location of the user, including denying contact from a specified user based on a location policy.

13. The method of claim 12, further including said core network being a cellular telephone network.

14. The method of claim 12, further including an Intra-NAB manager responsible for the management of NAB within one operator'"'"'s network.

15. The method of claim 12, further including an Inter-NAB manager communicating with NAB managers across different operator'"'"'s network.

16. The method of claim 12, further including said NAB manager accommodating policies for verification of service access privileges.

17. The method of claim 12, further including said NAB manager accommodating policies for verification of end-user preference.

18. The method of claim 12, where said NAB manager communicates with another NAB manager using wireline communications.

19. The method of claim 12, further including said NAB manager transmits at least some of said information for said first user automatically based on prior authorization of the first user to said second NAB located within said core network or within another network and that is associated with said second user.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein said NAB manager is configured to communicate with a plurality of other NAB managers to find information in response to said query.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein each of said NAB managers is a fixed network node located within a network and wherein said user and said another user include wireless devices connectable to said networks.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein said NAB Manager is configured to enable users to enter policies related to providing of their content information to telemarketers, including limitations related to categories, times or locations.

23. The method of claim 22, further including providing users financial incentives for selecting policies allowing providing of their content information to telemarketers.

24. A method for the management of a network address book, comprising:

a network address book (NAB) manager managing network storage of content information in a plurality of network address books of a plurality of users;

each said NAB having populated content information from at least one user device;

said NAB manager managing the receipt of information from a user related to sharing of at least some of said information with at least one other user;

said NAB manager providing at least some of said information for said at least one other user;

said NAB manager transmitting said at least some of said information for said at least one other user, based on authorization of the user, via said core network or across networks to another NAB manager associated with said other user;

said NAB manager receiving a query from a user for information related to at least one other user, and said NAB manager communicating with said another NAB manager and obtaining said information from said another NAB manager without burdening wireless traffic by requiring wireless communications from individual wireless user devices, wherein said NAB manager transmits said information to said another NAB manager via a wireline connection;

said NAB manager receiving user Contact Information Discovery queries from individuals via wireless user devices and to transmit said information based on user authorization, and wherein in response to such queries from wireless user devices said NAB manager causes Contact Information to be transmitted from one NAB to another NAB based on said user authorization via a wireline connection;

further including said NAB manager being configured to provide a plurality of levels of settings governing how much information is transmitted from said NAB manager to said another NAB manager based on the user selecting certain of said settings so as to designate how much information the user wants to share with other users, said levels of settings governing how much information is transmitted from said one NAB to said another NAB including personal information and business information settings;

further including said NAB manager providing selective synchronization between a Network Address Book of a user stored in the core network and a Local Address Book (LAB) in a user device of the user such that the NAB Manager will transmit only certain fields or portions of content information data contained within the user'"'"'s NAB to the LAB in the user device for which a user selection has been received in order to accommodate limited storage capacity of the LAB; and

where said NAB manager is configured to store information within a user'"'"'s NAB related to the location of the user and wherein said NAB manager is configured to enforce user policies based on the location of the user, including denying contact from a specified user based on a location policy.