System, apparatus and associated methodology for enriching contact of a remote client

• US 9,578,488 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Good Technology Corporation (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Hawkins, Siavash James Joorabchian, Collins, Tim, Wolovitz, Lionel
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Application Number:
  US14/567,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20150094043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• 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

A contact enrichment system is provided to determine whether contacts stored in a mobile device match profiles stored on a social network server. Profiles matching the contacts are used to enrich the contacts by appending information such as images and video to the contacts. The appended information in the contacts are also linked to the source profile so that the contact information may be periodically updated. Information may be drawn from multiple profiles on multiple social network servers to fully enrich the contacts stored on the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method of managing contact information at a mobile device, comprising:

comparing at least one data field included in each of a plurality of contact entries stored at the mobile device with at least one corresponding data field included in each of a first plurality of user profiles associated with a first social network account, the mobile device being associated with the first social network account on the basis of one or more user credentials of a user, and the contact entries being maintained by a software application on the mobile device;

comparing at least one data field included in each of the plurality of contact entries at the mobile device with at least one corresponding data field including in each of a second plurality of user profiles associated with a second social network account, the mobile device being associated with the second social network account on the basis of one or more user credentials of the user;

based on the comparisons, identifying a correspondence between a given contact entry of the plurality of contact entries and a first user profile of the first plurality of user profiles and identifying a correspondence between the given contact entry and a second user profile of the second plurality of user profiles; and

including data from a given data field of at least one of the first user profile and the second user profile in a corresponding given data field of the given contact entry.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data included in the corresponding given data field of the given contact entry comprises at least one of:

a name, a telephone number, an e-mail address and an image.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the correspondence between the given contact entry and the first user profile is identified if at least one data field in the given contact entry includes data identical to data included in a corresponding field of the first user profile, and wherein the correspondence between the given contact entry and the second user profile is identified if at least one data field in the given contact entry includes data identical to data included in a corresponding field of the second user profile.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the comparisons between the given contact entry and each of the first user profile and the second user profile are each performed on the basis of at least one of:

a name, a telephone number and an e-mail address.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a first link identifying the correspondence between the given contact entry and the first user profile;

storing a second link identifying the correspondence between the given contact entry and the second user profile;

detecting a change to data in the given data field of the at least one of the first user profile and the second user profile; and

responsive to detecting the change, identifying the given contact entry using at least one of the first link and the second link, and providing updated data from the given data field of the at least one of the first user profile and the second user profile to the software application to update the corresponding given data field of the given contact entry.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

mapping data fields in the given contact entry with data fields in each of the first user profile and the second user profile.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an event associated with at least one of the plurality user profiles and adding, to a calendar application, held at the mobile device, an entry corresponding to the detected event.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein changes made to data in the corresponding given data field of the given contact entry are not updated in the given data field of the at least one of the first user profile and the second user profile.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing data from a first data field of the first user profile with data from a second data field of the second user profile; and

based on the comparison of data from the first data field of the first user profile with data from the second data field of the second user profile, selecting the data from only one of the first data field or the second data field to be included in a corresponding data field of the given contact entry,

wherein including the data comprises including the selected data from only one of the first data field or the second data field in the corresponding given data field of the given contact entry.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the selecting is further based on comparing a first timestamp associated with the first user profile with a second timestamp associated with the second user profile.

11. A computing device for managing contact information, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program instructions,

wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer program instructions and cause the computing device to;

compare at least one data field included in each of a plurality of contact entries stored in a data store of the computing device with at least one corresponding data field included in each of a first plurality of user profiles associated with a first social network account, the computing device being associated with the first social network account on the basis of one or more user credentials of a user, and the contact entries being maintained by a software application on the computing device;

compare at least one data field included in each of the plurality of contact entries stored in the data store of the computing device with at least one corresponding data field included in each of a second plurality of user profiles associated with a second social network account, the computing device being associated with the second social network account on the basis of one or more user credentials of the user;

based on the comparisons, identify a correspondence between a given contact entry of the plurality of contact entries and a first user profile of the first plurality of user profiles and identify a correspondence between the given contact entry and a second user profile of the second plurality of user profiles; and

include data from a given data field of at least one of the first user profile and the second user profile in a corresponding data field of the given contact entry.

12. The computing device according to claim 11, wherein the computing device comprises a mobile device.

13. The computing device according to claim 11, wherein the data included in the corresponding given data field of the given contact entry comprises at least one of:

a name, a telephone number, an e-mail address and an image.

14. The computing device according to claim 11, wherein the correspondence between the given contact entry and the first user profile is identified if at least one data field in the given contact entry includes data identical to data included in a corresponding field of the first user profile, and wherein the correspondence between the given contact entry and the second user profile is identified if at least one data field in the given contact entry includes data identical to data included in a corresponding field of the second user profile.

15. The computing device according to claim 11, wherein the comparisons between the given contact entry and each of the first user profile and the second user profile are each performed on the basis of at least one of:

a name, a telephone number and an e-mail address.

16. The computing device according to claim 11, wherein changes made to data in the corresponding given data field of the given contact entry are not updated in the given data field of the at least one of the first user profile and the second user profile.

17. The computing device according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the computing device to:

map data fields in the given contact entry with data fields in each of the first user profile and the second user profile.

18. The computing device according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the computing device to:

detect an event associated with at least one of the plurality user profiles and add, to a calendar application held in the at least one memory an entry corresponding to the detected event.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor in a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method of managing contact information, the method comprising:

comparing at least one data field included in each of a plurality of contact entries stored at a mobile device with at least one corresponding data field included in each of a first plurality of user profiles associated with a first social network account, the mobile device being associated with the first social network account on the basis of one or more user credentials of a user, and the contact entries being maintained by a software application on the mobile device;

comparing at least one data field included in each of the plurality of contact entries at the mobile device with at least one corresponding data field including in each of a second plurality of user profiles associated with a second social network account, the mobile device being associated with the second social network account on the basis of one or more user credentials of the user;

based on the comparisons, identifying a correspondence between a given contact entry of the plurality of contact entries and a first user profile of the first plurality of user profiles and identifying correspondence between the given contact entry and a second user profile of the second plurality of user profiles; and

including data from a given data field of at least one of the first user profile and the second user profile in a corresponding given data field of the given contact entry.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the data included in the corresponding given data field of the given contact entry comprises at least one of:

a name, a telephone number, an e-mail address and an image.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the correspondence between the given contact entry and the first user profile is identified if at least one data field in the given contact entry includes data identical to data included in a corresponding field of the first user profile, and wherein the correspondence between the given contact entry and the second user profile is identified if at least one data field in the given contact entry includes data identical to data included in a corresponding field of the second user profile.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the comparisons between the given contact entry and each of the first user profile and the second user profile are each performed on the basis of at least one of:

a name, a telephone number and an e-mail address.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein changes made to data in the corresponding given data field of the given contact entry are not updated in the given data field of the at least one of the first user profile and the second user profile.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

mapping data fields in the given contact entry with data fields in each of the first user profile and the second user profile.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

detecting an event associated with at least one of the first plurality user profiles; and

adding, to a calendar application on the mobile device, an entry corresponding to the detected event.