Reconciling contact information between users

• US 9,774,674 B1
• Filed: 02/03/2016
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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:
  US15/014,692
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 455415
• 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 information contained in a first set of contacts on a first mobile device associated with a first user with a second set of contacts on a second mobile device associated with a second user in response to an event associated with the first mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of an occurrence of an update event associated with the first mobile device;

updating a remotely-stored copy of the first set of contacts based on the update event;

accessing a remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts;

determining that the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts needs to be updated based on the update event;

updating the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts based on the update event; and

synchronizing the second set of contacts on the second mobile device with the updated remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts such that the second set of contacts on the second mobile device is updated based on the update event.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein each contact in the second set of contacts includes contact information.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the indication indicates that the second user of the second mobile device has been added as a new contact to the first set of contacts on the first mobile device.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the indication indicates that the second user'"'"'s contact information has been removed from the first set of contacts on the first mobile device.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the indication indicates that a portion of contact information associated with the first mobile device is to be disassociated with the first mobile device.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the update event includes a phone call initiation from the first mobile device to the second mobile device.

7. The media of claim 1, further comprising providing a notification to the second mobile device to inform the second user that the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts has been updated.

8. The media of claim 7, wherein the notification includes a selectable option for allowing the synchronizing of the updated remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts with the second set of contacts on the second mobile device.

9. A computer-implemented method of reconciling information contained in a first set of contacts on a first mobile device with a second set of contacts on a second mobile device in response to an event associated with the first mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of an occurrence of an update event associated with the first mobile device;

updating a remotely-stored copy of the first set of contacts based on the update event;

accessing a remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts;

determining that the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts needs to be updated based on the update event;

updating the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts; and

synchronizing the second set of contacts on the second mobile device with the updated remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts such that the second set of contacts on the second mobile device is updated based on the update event.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein each contact in the second set of contacts includes contact information.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the indication indicates that a user of the second mobile device has been added as a new contact to the first set of contacts on the first mobile device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the indication indicates that a user of the second mobile device has been removed as a contact from the first set of contacts on the first mobile device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the indication indicates that a portion of contact information associated with the first mobile device is to be disassociated with the first mobile device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the update event includes a phone call initiation from the first mobile device to the second mobile device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising providing a notification to the second mobile device to inform a user of the second mobile device of the update event.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the notification includes a selectable option for allowing the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts to be updated.

17. A network system for establishing preferences for reconciling information contained in a first set of contacts on a first mobile device with a second set of contacts on a second mobile device in response to an event associated with the first mobile device, the network system comprising:

one or more processors that configure one or more servers to;

receive an indication of an occurrence of an update event associated with a first mobile device;

update a remotely-stored copy of a first set of contacts associated with the first mobile device based on the update event;

access a remotely-stored copy of a second set of contacts associated with a second mobile device;

determine that the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts needs to be updated based on the update event;

update the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts; and

synchronize the updated remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts with a second set of contacts stored on the second mobile device such that the second set of contacts stored on the second mobile device is updated based on the update event.

18. The network system of claim 17, wherein the update event includes a phone call initiation from the first mobile device to the second mobile device.

19. The network system of claim 18, wherein a notification is provided to the second mobile device to inform a user of the second mobile device of the update event.

20. The network system of claim 19, wherein the notification includes a selectable option for allowing the remotely-stored copy of the second set of contacts to be updated.