Reconciling contact information between users

• US 9,301,111 B1
• Filed: 11/02/2012
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Gailloux, Michael A, Samson, Kenneth W
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming, William D
• Application Number:
  US13/667,470
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 340/994, 707/758, 707/769
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Methods, devices, and products utilize wireless-backup technologies to provide contact-reconciliation services with respect to sets of contacts stored on mobile devices. One embodiment of the inventions includes receiving an indication of an update event associated with a first set of contacts on a first mobile device, updating a remotely-stored copy of the first set of contacts, determining that a remotely-stored copy of a second set of contacts does not include a portion of contact information corresponding to the first mobile device, and updating the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts. In an embodiment, the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts is synchronized with the second set of contacts, thereby updating the second set of contacts.

Claims

1. Non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, facilitate a method of reconciling contact information between a first mobile device that is associated with a first user having a corresponding set of first contact information and a second mobile device that is associated with a second user having a corresponding set of second contact information, the method comprising:

determining that the first and second mobile devices are associated with an instant-connect service;

searching the first set of contacts for additional contacts corresponding to mobile devices associated with the instant-connect service;

identifying a third mobile device associated with the instant-connect service that corresponds to a contact in the first set of contacts, wherein the contact includes a portion of a third set of contact information, the third set of contact information corresponding to the third mobile device;

determining that the at least a portion of the second contact information does not include an instant-connect identifier corresponding to the third mobile device; and

adding an instant-connect identifier corresponding to the third mobile device to the second set of contacts.

2. The media of claim 1, further comprising providing a notification to the second mobile device to inform the second user of the update to second set of contacts.

3. The media of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication of an addition of a new user'"'"'s contact information to the second set of contacts.

4. A method of reconciling contact information between a first mobile device that is associated with a first user having a corresponding set of first contact information and a second mobile device that is associated with a second user having a corresponding set of second contact information, the method comprising:

determining that the first and second mobile devices are associated with an instant-connect service;

searching the first set of contacts for additional contacts corresponding to mobile devices associated with the instant-connect service;

identifying a third mobile device associated with the instant-connect service that corresponds to a contact in the first set of contacts, wherein the contact includes a portion of a third set of contact information, the third set of contact information corresponding to the third mobile device;

determining that the at least a portion of the second contact information does not include an instant-connect identifier corresponding to the third mobile device; and

adding an instant-connect identifier corresponding to the third mobile device to the second set of contacts.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing a notification to the second mobile device to inform the second user of the update to second set of contacts.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving an indication of an addition of a new user'"'"'s contact information to the second set of contacts.