Real-time chat and conference contact information manager

• US 20030158864A1
• Filed: 02/21/2002
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Samn, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 7,051,049 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An extension or accessory to a real-time, online virtual collaboration session, meeting and messaging system, which scans a participant'"'"'s contact list for partially complete contact records, accesses an administered contact information store such as a corporate personnel contact database, and completes the partially complete records in the participant'"'"'s contact list. This enables each participant in such an online meeting or conversation to rely upon his or her contact list to contain a consistent level of information regarding each participant in previously conducted meetings and conversations, avoids the entry of inaccurate and deceptive participant information into the contact list, and allows for reliable communication to the members of a participant'"'"'s contact list.

Claims

1. A method of fulfilling a contact list, said contact list having one or more contact records, each contact record having one or more data items, said method comprising the steps of:

accessing a contact list to retrieve a contact record;

parsing said retrieved contact record to obtain a search key value from at least one data item;

using said search key value to retrieve from an administered contact information store at least one additional data item not already present in said contact record;

modifying said contact record to include said additional data item; and

repeating said steps of accessing, parsing, using, and modifying until a set of contact records have been processed.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of accessing a contact list comprises accessing a text file.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of accessing a contact list comprises accessing a database file.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of accessing a contact list comprises accessing an online address book file.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of parsing said retrieved contact record comprises extracting an email address from said retrieved contact record.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of using said search key value to retrieve from an administered contact information store comprises accessing a corporate personnel information database.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of using said search key value to retrieve from an administered contact information store comprises accessing an electronic telephone directory.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of using said search key value to retrieve from an administered contact information store comprises accessing an electronic members directory.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of modifying said contact record comprises adding a telephone number to said retrieved contact record.

10. A computer readable medium encoded with software for fulfilling a contact list, said contact list having one or more contact records, each contact record having one or more data items, said software causing a computing platform to perform the steps of:

accessing a contact list to retrieve a contact record;

parsing said retrieved contact record to obtain a search key value from at least one data item;

using said search key value to retrieve from an administered contact information store at least one additional data item not already present in said contact record;

modifying said contact record to include said additional data item; and

repeating said steps of accessing, parsing, using, and modifying until a set of contact records have been processed.

11. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 10 wherein said software for accessing a contact list comprises software for accessing a text file.

12. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 10 wherein said software for accessing a contact list comprises software for accessing a database file.

13. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 10 wherein said software for accessing a contact list comprises software for accessing an online address book file.

14. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 10 wherein said software for parsing said retrieved contact record comprises software for extracting an email address from said retrieved contact record.

15. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 10 wherein said software for using said search key value to retrieve from an administered contact information store comprises software for accessing a corporate personnel information database.

16. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 10 wherein said software for using said search key value to retrieve from an administered contact information store comprises software for accessing an electronic telephone directory.

17. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 10 wherein said software for using said search key value to retrieve from an administered contact information store comprises software for accessing an electronic members directory.

18. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 10 wherein said software for modifying said contact record comprises software for adding a telephone number to said retrieved contact record.

19. A system for automatically completing, verifying and expanding a electronic contact list in a computing platform, said contact list having one or more contact records, each contact record having one or more data items, and said computing platform being communicably interconnected to at least one administered contact information store, said system comprising:

a contact list accesser for accessing a contact list to retrieve a contact record;

a record parser for parsing said retrieved contact record to obtain a search key value from at least one data item;

an administered contact information store interface for using said search key value to retrieve at least one additional data item from an administered contact information store not already present in said retrieved contact record;

a contact record modifier to add said additional data item to said retrieved contact record; and

a means for operating said accesser, parser, interface, and modifier repetitively until a set of contact records have been processed.

20. The system as set forth in claim 19 wherein said accesser is adapted to access a text file.

21. The system as set forth in claim 19 wherein said accesser is adapted to access a database.

22. The system as set forth in claim 19 wherein said accesser is adapted to access an online address book file.

23. The system as set forth in claim 19 wherein said parser is adapted to extract an email address from said retrieved contact record.

24. The system as set forth in claim 19 wherein said administered contact information store interface is adapted to search a corporate personnel information database.

25. The system as set forth in claim 19 wherein said administered contact information store interface is adapted to search an electronic telephone directory.

26. The system as set forth in claim 19 wherein said administered contact information store interface is adapted to search an electronic members directory.

27. The system as set forth in claim 19 wherein said record modifier is adapted to add a telephone number to said retrieved contact record.