Method and system for updating electronic business cards

• US 9,578,490 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Liu, Chunying
• Primary Examiner(s): Ajibade Akonai, Olumide T
• Application Number:
  US14/608,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20150140976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4594 Address books, i.e. directories containing contact information about correspondents telephone directories in user terminals H04M1/27453
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/103 using SIMs (USIMs) or calling cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A method for updating electronic business cards (VCards). A receiving terminal which is to synchronize a VCard with a sending terminal is determined. It is determined whether there is an update of a VCard in the sending terminal. If there is an update, the sending terminal sends an updated VCard to the receiving terminal or instructs a third party device to send the updated VCard to the receiving terminal. The receiving terminal receives the updated VCard, and updates a VCard stored in the receiving terminal using the updated VCard.

Claims

1. A method for updating electronic business cards, comprising:

storing a list of at least one first contact of a user, the at least one first contact is to synchronize an electronic business card (VCard) of a second contact of the user with a sending terminal of the user;

judging, by the sending terminal of the user, whether there is an update of the VCard of the second contact stored in the sending terminal;

sending, by the sending terminal, an updated VCard of the second contact to a receiving terminal of a first contact in the list if there is an update of the VCard of the second contact, or instructing, by the sending terminal, a third party device to send the updated VCard of the second contact to the receiving terminal if there is an update of the VCard of the second contact; and

receiving, by the receiving terminal, the updated VCard, and updating a VCard of the second contact stored in the receiving terminal using the updated VCard.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the list is stored in the sending terminal or in the third party device in advance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the list of at least one first contact of the user comprises:

finding out a receiving terminal of a contact which previously received the VCard of the second contact;

adding the contact to the list as a first contact which is to synchronize the VCard of the second contact with the sending terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the list of at least one first contact of the user comprises:

selecting a contact group from plural contact groups in the sending terminal as a group of first contacts which are to synchronize the VCard of the second contact with the sending terminal; and

/or

identifying a contact whose frequency of communication with the sending terminal exceeds a pre-defined threshold based on history communication information, and adding the contact to the list as a first contact which is to synchronize the VCard of the second contact with the sending terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein sending by the sending terminal the updated VCard to the receiving terminal comprises:

sending, by the sending terminal, the updated VCard of the second contact to the receiving terminal via a data message channel or a radio message channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein sending by the sending terminal the updated VCard to the receiving terminal comprises:

obtaining, by the sending terminal, processing capability information of the receiving terminal;

selecting, by the sending terminal, a communication channel based on the processing capability information of the receiving terminal; and

sending, by the sending terminal, the updated VCard via the selected communication channel to the receiving terminal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the selecting a communication channel based on the processing capability information of the receiving terminal comprises:

selecting, by the sending terminal, a communication channel based on an online/offline status of the receiving terminal;

or

selecting, by the sending terminal, a communication channel based on network conditions of the receiving terminal;

or

selecting, by the sending terminal, a communication channel based on a condition decided by data processing capabilities of the receiving terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating a VCard stored in the receiving terminal using the updated VCard comprises:

parsing the updated VCard to obtain an identity of a user;

searching for an old VCard having the identity of the user, and replacing the old VCard using the updated VCard.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

judging whether all information in the updated VCard has been changed,

calculating a similarity between the updated VCard and an old VCard in response to a determination that all information in the updated VCard has been changed, and identifying an old VCard that has the highest similarity;

replacing the old VCard having the highest similarity with the updated VCard;

or judging whether the similarity between the old VCard and the updated VCard exceeds a pre-defined threshold, and replacing the old VCard with the updated VCard in response to a determination that the similarity exceeds the pre-defined threshold;

parsing the updated VCard to obtain a user identity in response to a determination that not all information in the updated VCard has been updated, searching for an old VCard that includes the user identity, and replacing an old VCard found with the updated VCard.

6. A method for updating electronic business cards, comprising:

determining a receiving terminal which is to synchronize a electronic business card (VCard) with a sending terminal;

judging whether there is an update of a VCard stored in the sending terminal, sending, by the sending terminal, an updated VCard to the receiving terminal, or instructing, by the sending terminal, a third party device to send the updated VCard to the receiving terminal if there is an update; and

receiving, by the receiving terminal, the updated VCard, and updating a VCard stored in the receiving terminal using the updated VCard;

wherein instructing, by the sending terminal, the third party device to send the updated VCard to the receiving terminal comprises;

sending, by the sending terminal, a VCard update request to the third party device, the VCard update request comprising an identity of the receiving terminal and the updated VCard; and

parsing, by the third party device, the VCard update request to obtain the updated VCard and the identity of the receiving terminal, and sending the updated VCard to the receiving terminal identified by the identity of the receiving terminal.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

sending, by the sending terminal, the VCard update request to the third party device;

making, by the third party device, a VCard stored in the third party device synchronized with the VCard stored in the sending terminal.

12. A system for updating electronic business cards, including a sending terminal and a receiving terminal;

wherein the sending terminal is configured for determining a list of at least one first contact of a user of a sending terminal, the at least one first contact is to synchronize an electronic business card (VCard) of a second contact of the user with the sending terminal;

judging whether there is an update of the VCard of the second contact stored in the sending terminal;

sending an updated VCard of the second contact to a receiving terminal of a first contact in the list or instructing a third party device to send the updated VCard to the receiving terminal in response to a determination that there is an update of the VCard of the second contact; and

the receiving terminal is configured for receiving the updated VCard, and updating a VCard stored in the receiving terminal using the updated VCard.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein

the sending terminal is configured for searching for a contact that previously received the VCard of the second contact, and adding the contact found into the list as a first contact which is to synchronize the VCard of the second contact with the sending terminal.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein

the sending terminal is configured for selecting a contact group from plural contact groups in the sending terminal as a group of first contacts which are to synchronize the VCard of the second contact with the sending terminal;

and/or

identifying a contact whose frequency of communication with the sending terminal exceeds a pre-defined threshold based on history communication information, and adding the contact into the list as a first contact which is to synchronize the VCard of the second contact with the sending terminal.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein

the sending terminal is configured for obtaining the updated VCard of the second contact by receiving information of the second contact inputted by a user or by receiving the updated VCard of the second contact from a fourth party device, and sending the updated VCard to the receiving terminal via a data message channel or a radio message channel.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein

the sending terminal is configured for sending a VCard update request to the third party device, the VCard update request comprising an identity of the receiving terminal and the updated VCard;

and

the third party device is configured for parsing the VCard update request to obtain the updated VCard and the identity of the receiving terminal, and sending the updated VCard to the receiving terminal identified by the identity of the receiving terminal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein

the sending terminal is configured for sending a VCard update request to the third party device;

the third party device is configured for making a VCard of the second contact stored in the third party device consistent with the VCard of the second contact stored in the sending terminal.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein

the sending terminal is configured for obtaining the updated VCard of the second contact by receiving information of the second contact inputted by a user or receiving the updated VCard of the second contact from a fourth party device, obtaining processing capability information of the receiving terminal, selecting a communication channel based on the processing capability information of the terminal device, and sending the updated VCard of the second contact to the receiving terminal via the selected communication channel.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein

the sending terminal is configured for selecting a the communication channel based on an online/offline status of the receiving terminal or based on the network conditions of the receiving terminal or based on a condition decided by data processing capabilities of the receiving terminal.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein

the sending terminal is configured for

judging whether all information in the updated VCard has been modified,

calculating a similarity between the updated VCard and an old VCard in response to a determination that all information in the updated VCard has been modified, replacing the old VCard with the updated VCard in response to a determination that the similarity exceeds a pre-defined threshold, or replacing an old VCard that has the highest similarity with the updated VCard;

parsing the updated VCard to obtain a user identity in response to a determination that not all information in the updated VCard has been modified, searching for an old VCard that includes the user identity, and replacing the old VCard with the updated VCard.