METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING AN ADDRESS BOOK

• US 20100211634A1
• Filed: 04/29/2010
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: SONG, Xuefei, WANG, Hao
• Granted Patent: US 8,332,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading

Abstract

A method and a system for processing an address book are provided. The method includes the following steps. A network address book (NAB) parses a user address book, and generates an acquisition request according to settings of the user address book. The NAB acquires contact information to be updated according to the acquisition request, and updates the user address book. The NAB synchronizes or transmits updated information of the user address book to a piece of user equipment (UE). By using the method, plenty of contact information is acquired according to the user settings. Therefore, the method solves the problems that the address books in the conventional technology have single-purpose functions and closely related to services and thus cannot serve as an independent function for providing services for the user. In addition, address book information on a plurality of UEs of the user can be updated synchronously, so that when one UE initiates address book information update, the address books on other UEs are updated accordingly. Therefore, the consistency between the address book information on the UEs is guaranteed.

Claims

1. A method for processing an address book, comprising:

parsing, by a network address book, NAB, a user address book, and generating an acquisition request according to settings of the user address book;

acquiring, by the NAB, contact information to be updated according to the acquisition request, and updating the user address book; and

synchronizing or transmitting, by the NAB, updated information of the user address book to a user equipment, UE.

2. The method for processing an address book according to claim 1, wherein before the parsing, by the NAB, the user address book, the method further comprises:

receiving and storing, by the NAB, the user address book; and

acquiring and parsing, by the NAB, the stored user address book upon receiving a user address book update request.

3. The method for processing an address book according to claim 1, wherein before the parsing, by the NAB, the user address book, the method further comprises:

receiving and storing, by the NAB, the user address book; and

parsing, by the NAB, the received user address book.

4. The method for processing an address book according to claim 2, wherein the user address book update request is a request for updating the entire user address book.

5. The method for processing an address book according to claim 2, wherein the user address book update request is a request for updating a contact in the user address book.

6. The method for processing an address book according to claim 1, wherein the parsing, by the NAB, the user address book, and generating the acquisition request according to the settings of the user address book comprises:

determining, by the NAB, whether the contact information to be updated needs to be acquired from a service engine server according to the settings of the user address book;

if the contact information to be updated needs to be acquired from a service engine server, generating, by the NAB, the acquisition request according to the information to be updated.

7. The method for processing an address book according to claim 6, wherein after the parsing, by the NAB, the user address book, and generating the acquisition request according to the settings of the user address book, the method further comprises:

sending, by the NAB, the acquisition request to the service engine server.

8. The method for processing an address book according to claim 7, wherein the acquiring, by the NAB, the contact information to be updated according to the acquisition request, and updating the user address book comprises:

acquiring, by the NAB, the contact information to be updated from the service engine server according to the acquisition request, and combining the acquired contact information to be updated with other contact information in the user address book, so as to update the user address book.

9. The method for processing an address book according to claim 1, wherein the synchronizing, by the NAB, the updated information of the user address book to the UE is implemented through comprising at least one of timing synchronization, event-triggered synchronization, and synchronization each time the contact information in the address book is changed.

10. The method for processing an address book according to claim 1, wherein after the transmitting, by the NAB, the updated user address book to the UE, the method further comprises:

parsing, by the NAB, an information file of the UE, and synchronizing or transmitting the updated information of the user address book to other equipment of the user according to the information file of the UE.

11. The method for processing an address book according to claim 10, wherein the information file of the UE is stored in the NAB, and when the UE registers with an Internet Protocol, IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS network, the NAB acquires equipment information of the user through third-party registration, and adds the equipment information of the user to the information file of the UE.

13. The system for processing an address book according to claim 10, wherein the UE accesses and manages the NAB comprising at least one of through an Extensible Markup Language, XML, Configuration Access Protocol, XCAP, a Session Initiation Protocol, SIP, and a Data Synchronization, DS, Protocol.

12. A system for processing an address book, comprising a user equipment, UE, a network address book, NAB, and a service engine server, wherein

the UE is adapted to access and manage the NAB;

the NAB is adapted to store and manage a user address book, and acquire and combine contact information to be updated; and

the service engine server is adapted to provide contact information to the NAB.

14. The system for processing an address book according to claim 12, wherein the service engine server is a presence server and the NAB acquires presence information of a contact through a PRS-2 interface with an SIP/IP Core and a PRS-3 interface between the SIP/IP Core and the presence server.

15. The system for processing an address book according to claim 12, wherein the service engine server is a Shared XML Document Management Server, XDMS, and the NAB acquires basic information of a contact through an interface with the Shared XDMS by using comprising at least one of an Extensible Markup Language, XML, Configuration Access Protocol, XCAP, and a Session Initiation Protocol, SIP.

16. The system for processing an address book according to claim 12, wherein the service engine server is a location server and the NAB acquires location information of a contact through an interface with the location server by using a Mobile Location Protocol, MLP.

17. The system for processing an address book according to claim 12, wherein the NAB further comprises:

a storage unit, adapted to store the user address book and an information file of the UE;

a management unit, connected to the storage unit, and adapted to manage the user address book stored in the storage unit;

an acquisition unit, adapted to determine settings of the user address book, generate an acquisition request according to the contact information to be updated in the user address book and send the acquisition request to the service engine server, acquire the contact information to be updated from the service engine server, and combine the acquired contact information to be updated with the contact information in the user address book, so as to update the user address book; and

a transmission unit, adapted to transmit information in the user address book updated by the acquisition unit to the UE.

18. The system for processing an address book according to claim 17, wherein the NAB further comprises:

a parsing unit, adapted to acquire the information file of the UE from the storage unit through the management unit after receiving a command from the transmission unit, parse the information file of the UE, and return a parsing result to the transmission unit, wherein the transmission unit synchronizes the user address book acquired from the acquisition unit according to the parsing result, and synchronizes or transmits the user address book to all other UEs recorded in the information file of the UE.

19. The system for processing an address book according to claim 17, wherein the NAB further comprises:

an authentication unit, connected to the UE, and adapted to authenticate an access request of the user;

a charging unit, connected to the management unit, and adapted to generate charging information for an operation of managing the address book by the user, and report the charging information to a charging system; and

a configuration unit, connected to the management unit, and adapted to provide simple management of the NAB for a service provider, SP, or an operator.