Method and system for locating contact information collected from contact sources

• US 20060195474A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cadiz, Jonathan J., Shtiegman, Eran, Setty, Venkateshaiah, Chakravarty, Sumit
• Granted Patent: US 7,593,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method and system for aggregating contact information of contacts from multiple contact sources is provided. The aggregation system collects contact information for a user from various contact sources. The aggregation system stores the collected content information in a contact data store. The aggregation system may also store an indication of the contact source of the collected contact information. The aggregation system provides a user interface through which the user may search the contact information of the contact data store to find contact information of contacts that are collected from the different contact sources. The aggregation system allows a user to add a contact to a real-time contact list to enable real-time communications with that contact.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for locating contact information of contacts, the method comprising:

collecting from contact sources contact information of contacts;

for contacts for whom contact information was collected, storing contact information in a contact store;

searching the contact store for a contact that matches a user-specified search criterion; and

displaying contact information for a contact that matches the user-specified search.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the contact information of a contact includes an identification, a telephone number, and a presence information address of the contact.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the displaying includes displaying presence information of a contact that matches the search criterion.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the presence information for a contact is displayed when the contact information of the contact includes a presence information address.

5. The method of claim 1 including after requested by a user, adding a contact whose information is displayed to a contact list.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the adding of the contact includes subscribing to presence information of the added contact.

7. The method of claim 1 including wherein the search criterion is applied to one or more of a first name, a last name, a company name, or an electronic mail alias.

8. The method of claim 1 including wherein the contact information is in an order based on the contact sources of the contact information of the contacts.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein a contact identified from a personal contact source is ordered before a contact identified from a global contact source.

10. The method of claim 1 including collecting contact information from a contact list and subscribing to presence information of contacts in the contact list.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein contact information for a contact is displayed within the context of an application associated with the contact source from which contact information of the contact was collected.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein contact information for a contact is edited within the context of an application associated with the contact source from which contact information of the contact was collected.

13. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to locate contact information of contacts, by a method comprising:

collecting from contact sources contact information of contacts;

for contacts for whom contact information was collected, storing the contact information and an indication of the contact source from which the contact information was collected in a contact store; and

searching the contact store for contacts that match a user-specified search criterion.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the search criterion is applied to one or more of a first name, a last name, a company name, or an electronic mail alias.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 including displaying presence information of a contact that matches the search criterion.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the presence information for a contact is displayed when the contact information of the contact includes a presence information address.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 including displaying contact information of the contacts who match a search criterion in an order based on the contact sources of the contact information of the contacts.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein contact information for a contact is manipulated within the context of an application associated with the contact source from which contact information of the contact was collected.

19. A computer system for locating contact information of contacts, comprising:

means for collecting from contact sources contact information of contacts;

means for storing the collected contact information;

means for searching the collected contact information for a contact that matches a user-specified search criterion; and

means for displaying contact information for a contact that matches the user-specified search.

20. The computer system of claim 19 including the means for displaying presence information of a contact that matches the search criterion.