Auto update utility for digital address books

• US 20020049610A1
• Filed: 10/01/2001
• Published: 04/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Robert L Gropper
• Inventors: Gropper, Robert L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,505,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An Internet-based system capable of automatically maintaining contact-related information in any computer software application or digital device which stores or manages contact-related information. More particularly, the system allows users to automatically enter and maintain contact-related information in a digital address book or similar application or device (such as a wireless phone or PDA) with minimal or no manual entry of the contact-related information by the user. The system also allows contacts of the user (i.e. people who'"'"'s contact information or partial contact information is present in the user'"'"'s address book application) to make corrections to their contact-related information contained in the user'"'"'s address book, request reciprocal contact information from the user, deny the user access to additional or corrected contact-related information and take other actions relative to managing the contact-related information which others (users) have about them.

Claims

1. A method for updating contact information in a network with client and server computers, comprising:

a. on a client computer, extracting contact information, including an address, for an addressee from an address book data structure for an address book,

b. sending the extracted contact information to a server,

c. from the server, sending to the address a contact information update request,

d. at the server, receiving updated contact information for the addressee and forwarding the updated contact information to the client computer, and

e. on the client computer, automatically updating the address book data structure for the addressee.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

f. before sending the extracted contact information to the server, presenting on a display on the client computer at least one item of extracted contact information for the addressee and sending the extracted contact information only if affirmative user input is received in response to the contact information having been presented on the display.

3. A method in a server on a network with client computers for presenting a user with a request for an update of contact information and an editable reply form, comprising:

a. receiving from a sender client computer existing contact information, including an address for an addressee,

b. sending to the address a contact information update request,

c. presenting to an addressee client computer an editable reply form containing the extracted contact information,

d. receiving, in the editable reply form, updated contact information for the addressee and forwarding the updated contact information to the sender client computer.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the contact information update request is sent via e-mail, the editable reply form is presented from a web page, and the updated contact information is received at the web page.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the contact information update request is sent via e-mail, the editable reply form is presented as a part of the e-mail, and the updated contact information is received via e-mail reply.

6. A method in a network with client and server computers for a user to block requests for updates of contact information, comprising:

a. on a client computer, receiving from a server a request for updated contact information directed to a client address;

b. presenting on a display on the client computer information about the request,

c. in response to user input received after the information about the request is presented on the display, sending to the server a command to block the request and future requests,

d. on the server, establishing a block tag such that no future requests for updated contact information will be sent to the client address from the server until the block tag is removed.

7. A method in a network with client and server computers for a user to deny requests from a sender for updates of contact information, comprising:

a. on a client computer, receiving from a server directed to a client address a request for updated contact information, the request including a sender identifier;

b. presenting on a display on the client computer information identifying a sender of the request,

c. in response to user input received after the information identifying a sender is presented on the display, sending to the server a command to deny the request and future requests having the sender identifier,

d. on the server, establishing a deny tag such that no future requests for updated contact information having that sender identifier will be sent to the client address from the server until the deny tag is removed.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

a. before the client computer sends the command to the server, the server provides to the client computer a copy of existing contact information from an address book data structure associated with the sender identifier.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:

b. the existing contact information is provided to the client computer in the form of a web page responding to a query from a web browser program on the client computer.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein:

c. the existing contact information is provided to the client computer in the form of an e-mail sent from the server to the client computer.

11. A method in a network with client and server computers for a user to respond to a request for an update of contact information with a counter-request for an update of contact information, comprising:

a. on a client computer, receiving from a server a request for updated contact information concerning an addressee, the request including a sender identifier;

b. presenting on a display on the client computer information identifying a sender of the request, which information is generated using the sender identifier; and

c. in response to user input received after the information identifying a sender is presented on the display, sending to the server a counter-request for updated contact information concerning the sender.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

d. on the server, sending to the sender a request for updated contact information.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein:

d. the request for updated contact information received from the server includes existing contact information associated with the addressee extracted from an address book data structure associated with the sender.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein:

e. the server provides the copy of the existing contact information by serving a web page to a browser program on the client computer.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein:

f. the server provides the copy of the existing contact information by sending an e-mail to the client computer.

18. The method of claim 17 where the communication responsive to the request is received from a web browser program on the responding client computer at a web page on the server.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein:

a. the request for updated contact information received from the sender client computer includes existing contact information associated with the address, and

b. in response to receipt of the communication responsive to the request, the server provides to the responding client computer a copy of the received existing contact information.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

a. on the sender client computer, automatically writing the updated contact information to a digital address book.

16. A method in a server in a computer network to aggregate contact information update requests, comprising:

a. receiving across the network from each of a plurality of client computers a contact information update request, each of the requests having a sender identifier and seeking updated contact information for a single addressee, and

b. automatically sending to the addressee a single update request that includes each of the sender identifiers.

17. A method in a server in a networked computer system for obtaining and providing updated contact information, comprising:

a. receiving from a sender client computer a request for updated contact information with an associated address,

b. sending to the address a request for updated contact information,

c. receiving from a responding client computer a communication responsive to the request,

d. determining whether the responding client computer is associated with the address, and

e. if the responding client computer is associated with the address, receiving updated contact information from the responding client computer and automatically transmitting the updated contact information to the sender client computer.