Method and system for collecting, searching and determining the strength of contacts from a mobile contact list

• US 9,633,057 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2013
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Introhive Inc.
• Original Assignee: Introhive Inc.
• Inventors: Glidden, Jody
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo, Isaac M
• Application Number:
  US14/373,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20140358946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-899
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/215 Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

The method allows users of mobile devices or desktop/laptops in an organization to perform a search on a collated list of contacts for a particular contact and determine who, within the system/organization, may have that contact in their list. Contact lists from individual mobile devices are collated and stored and are searchable. A rating for the strength of each contact in a user'"'"'s mobile contact list is made by determining the type of contact that the user uses to communicate with the contact and by the frequency with which the user communicates with the contact. This can be done across the contacts for the entire organization. The organization can also determine the strength of the contact list of someone in the organization or the relative strength of each contact.

Claims

1. A method of collecting and searching, over a computer network, contact information from one or more of a plurality of mobile devices associated with an organization in order to provide overall values for the networks of contacts of one or more of a plurality of individuals within said organization, comprising:

i) providing a contact information database and a server accessible to said computer network;

ii) said server receiving from said one or more of a plurality of mobile devices first contact information comprising a first contact'"'"'s name, email address, telephone number, the identity of the individual whose mobile device contained said first contact information, information relevant to the rating of the strength of the first contact'"'"'s relationship with said individual, and an identification of the entity with which said first contact is associated, if any, and said first contact'"'"'s title or position within said entity with which said contact is associated, if any;

iii) said server adding said first contact information to said contact information database;

iv) said server calculating and storing a value representing the strength of said first contact'"'"'s relationship with said individual;

v) said server calculating and storing a first contact value for the individual'"'"'s relationship to said first contact determined by the first contact'"'"'s position, said entity'"'"'s size, and the strength of the contact'"'"'s relationship with said individual controlling said mobile device;

vi) said server repeating steps ii) through iv) for all said individual'"'"'s contacts; and

vii) said server calculating and summing said contact values for all said individual'"'"'s contacts in said database and storing said sum as the overall value for said individual'"'"'s network of contacts and storing said overall value in said contact information database.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising the further steps:

viii) said server calculating an overall value for a network of contacts for each of a plurality of individuals within said organization and storing said overall values in said contact information database;

ix) said server receiving and parsing a search request from a computing device to generate a search command;

x) said server searching said contact information database using said search command to generate a search result;

xi) said server delivering said search result to said computing device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said information relevant to the rating of the strength of the contact'"'"'s relationship with said individual is selected from the group consisting of i) the type of communication between the contact and said one or more of a plurality of mobile devices, ii) the frequency of communication between the contact and said one or more of a plurality of mobile devices.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said contact information database is updated periodically by synchronizing with said one or more of a plurality of mobile devices over said computer network.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said contact information database is updated by said server retrieving a contact list from data storage in said mobile device and storing said contact list in said contact information database.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more of said plurality of mobile devices do not have contact lists, further comprising the steps of said server receiving from said one or more of a plurality of mobile devices which do not have contact lists a record of email or telephone communications made to and from each said mobile device and determining the frequency of contact with each email address or phone number;

and said server creating contact information for the individual whose mobile device contained said record by selecting the most frequent contacts for said individual, obtaining from said contact information database said contact'"'"'s name, title and identification of the entity with which said contact is associated, and adding said contact information to said database in association with said individual.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code stored thereon, wherein the program code, when executed by a server accessible to a computer network and comprising a contact information database, performs the following tasks:

i) receiving from said one or more of a plurality of mobile devices first contact information comprising a first contact'"'"'s name, email address, telephone number, the identity of the individual whose mobile device contained said first contact information, information relevant to the rating of the strength of the first contact'"'"'s relationship with said individual, and an identification of the entity with which said first contact is associated, if any, and said first contact'"'"'s title or position within said entity with which said contact is associated, if any;

ii) adding said first contact information to said contact information database;

iii) calculating and storing a value representing the strength of said first contact'"'"'s relationship with said individual;

iv) calculating and storing a first contact value for the individual'"'"'s relationship to said first contact determined by the first contact'"'"'s position, said entity'"'"'s size, and the strength of the contact'"'"'s relationship with said individual controlling said mobile device;

v) repeating steps ii) through iv) for all said individual'"'"'s contacts; and

vi) calculating and summing said contact values for all said individual'"'"'s contacts in said database and storing said sum in said contact information database as the overall value for said individual'"'"'s network of contacts;

vii) calculating an overall value for a network of contacts for each of a plurality of individuals within said organization and storing said overall values in said contact information database;

viii) receiving and parsing a search request from a computing device to generate a search command;

ix) searching said contact information database using said search command to generate a search result; and

x) delivering said search result to said computing device.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein said program code further performs the task of periodically updating said contact information database by synchronizing with said one or more of a plurality of mobile devices over said computer network.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein said program code further performs the task of periodically updating said database by said server retrieving a contact list from data storage in said mobile device and storing said contact list to said contact information database.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein said information relevant to the rating of the strength of the contact'"'"'s relationship with said individual is selected from the group consisting of i) the type of communication between the contact and said one or more of a plurality of mobile devices, ii) the frequency of communication between the contact and said one or more of a plurality of mobile devices.