Web service API for unified contact store

• US 9,501,335 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gheorghe, Bogdan, Gopez, Alfred Kenneth S., Fields, Brendan C., Kashiramka, Komal, Kuzior, Matthew C., Xiao, Jucheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): SEYE, ABDOU K
• Application Number:
  US14/203,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20140196060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

An Application Programming Interface (API) provides functions for interacting with contact lists and contacts that are stored in a unified contact store by a primary contact service. For example, a client of a unified communications service may use the API to access contact information that is stored with a primary contact service (e.g. a messaging application/service). The contact information is maintained by the primary contact service. The API includes functions such as, but not limited to: adding a new IM contact to a group, adding a new IM group, removing an IM contact from a group, adding a distribution group to an IM list, getting an IM item list, and tagging an IM contact. The contacts may be obtained from the primary contact service and temporarily stored by the client (e.g. within a cache) of a different service.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining when to migrate contacts to a primary contact service from a different service;

in response to migrating contacts to the primary contact service, removing the contacts from the different service;

receiving a call at the primary contact service from the different service through an Application Programming Interface (API) that includes functions for interacting with the contacts at the primary contact service, wherein the different service comprises a plurality of tenants subscribing to the different service;

in response to the call, determining a request parameter and a context parameter that is associated with the call that specifies authentication information that is used to authenticate a user and associate the user with the primary contact service;

performing an operation at the primary contact service as determined by the call that affects at least one contact that is stored with the primary service and used by the different service; and

providing results of the operation performed at the primary contact service to the different service in response to the call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise at least two of a function to add a new Instant Message (IM) contact to a group, a function to add a new IM group, a function to remove an IM contact from a group, a function to add a distribution group to an IM list, a function to get an IM item list, and a function to tag an IM contact.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising parsing the call to determine the context parameter.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a cached copy of a contact list at the different service.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding a new Instant Message (IM) contact to a group using the call that includes the context parameter and the request parameter that specifies an IM contact to add to a group that is stored with the primary contact service.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing an Instant Message (IM) contact from a group using the call that includes the context parameter and the request parameter that specifies an IM contact to remove from a group that is stored with the primary contact service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding a distribution group to an Instant Message (IM) list using the call that includes the context parameter and the request parameter that specifies a distribution group to add to an IM list that is stored with the primary contact service.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising getting an Instant Message (IM) item list using the call that includes the context parameter and the request parameter that specifies an item list to get from an IM item list that is stored with the primary contact service.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising tagging an Instant Message (IM) contact using the call that includes the context parameter and the request parameter that specifies an IM contact to tag that is stored with the primary contact service.

10. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor operably coupled to the memory and configured to;

determine when to migrate contacts to a primary contact service from a different service;

in response to migrating contacts to the primary contact service, remove the contacts from the different service;

receive a call at the primary contact service from the different service through an API that includes functions for interacting with contacts at the primary contact service, wherein the different service comprises a plurality of tenants subscribing to the different service;

in response to the call, determine a request parameter and a context parameter that is associated with the call that specifies authentication information that is used to authenticate a user and associate the user with the primary contact service;

perform an operation at the primary contact service as determined by the call that affects at least one contact that is stored with the primary service and used by the different service; and

provide results of the operation performed at the primary contact service to the different service in response to the call.

11. The system of claim 10, further configured to use the functions comprising at least two of a function to add a new Instant Message (IM) contact to a group, a function to add a new IM group, a function to remove an IM contact from a group, a function to add a distribution group to an IM list, a function to get an IM item list, and a function to tag an IM contact.

12. The system of claim 10, further configured to add a new Instant Message (IM) contact to a group using the call that specifies an IM contact to add to a group that is stored with the primary contact service.

13. The system of claim 10, further configured to remove an Instant Message (IM) contact from a group using the call that specifies an IM contact to remove from a group that is stored with the primary contact service.

14. The system of claim 10, further configured to add a distribution group to an Instant Message (IM) list using the call that specifies a distribution group to add to an IM list that is stored with the primary contact service.

15. The system of claim 10, further configured to get an Instant Message (IM) item list using the call that specifies an item list to get from an IM item list that is stored with the primary contact service.

16. The system of claim 10, further configured to tag an Instant Message (IM) contact using the call that specifies an IM contact to tag that stored with the primary contact service.

17. A method comprising:

determining when to migrate contacts to a primary contact service from a different service;

in response to migrating contacts to the primary contact service, removing the contacts from the different service;

sending a call to the primary contact service from the different service via an API that includes functions for interacting with the contacts at the primary contact service, wherein the different service comprises a plurality of tenants subscribing to the different service;

in response to the call, providing a request parameter and a context parameter that is associated with the call that specifies authentication information that is used to authenticate and associate a user with the primary contact service;

using the call to perform an operation that affects at least one contact that is stored with the primary service and used by the different service; and

receiving results of the operation performed at the primary contact service from the primary contact service for the different service in response to the call.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising using the functions that include a plurality of:

a function to add a new Instant Message (IM) contact to a group, a function to add a new IM group, a function to remove an IM contact from a group, a function to add a distribution group to an IM list, a function to get an IM item list, and a function to tag an IM contact.