SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SENDING DATA INDIRECTLY TO A RECIPIENT USING ANOTHER DEVICE

• US 20110231494A1
• Filed: 03/17/2010
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Walker, David Ryan, Pasquero, Jerome
• Granted Patent: US 9,094,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

Contact information, such as an email address, may be known for some recipients, but may be unknown or out-of-date (or obsolete) for others. However, often a group of recipients are related to each other with potentially overlapping social networks. In such cases, data can be communicated directly to those recipients that are known or can otherwise be contacted directly, while relying on such “direct recipients” to act as one or more proxies for sending the data to the others in the group, e.g. using their local contact information. A server can also be used to provide updates to the originating device or provide access to the list as it evolves, to enable the originating device to see who has received the data even if they are unaware of how the data reached those other devices.

Claims

1. A method of providing data, the method comprising:

obtaining a direct recipient identifier;

obtaining an indirect recipient identifier; and

sending the data and the indirect recipient identifier to the direct recipient identifier.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing a list comprising at least the indirect recipient identifier, and obtaining an acknowledgement indicative of receipt of the data at the indirect recipient identifier.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising providing an update associated with the acknowledgement.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the direct recipient identifier, the indirect recipient identifier, and the data are received by a server device from an originating device, and wherein the providing the update associated with the acknowledgement comprises the server device sending the update to the originating device.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein a global list is stored by the server device and the update enables the originating device to update a local list.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the data is provided to more than one indirect recipient identifier, and wherein the method further comprises updating the list for each acknowledgement received until all indirect recipient identifiers have received the data.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the direct recipient identifier, the indirect recipient identifier, and the data are generated on an originating device, wherein the acknowledgement is received by the originating device, and wherein the providing the update associated with the acknowledgement comprises the originating device displaying information associated with the update.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising enabling the direct recipient identifier to be added to a communication comprising the data, enabling the indirect recipient identifier to be added to the communication comprising the data, and sending the data to the direct recipient identifier.

9. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for providing data, the computer readable medium comprising instructions for:

obtaining a direct recipient identifier;

obtaining an indirect recipient identifier; and

sending the data and the indirect recipient identifier to the direct recipient identifier.

10. The computer readable medium according to claim 9, further comprising instructions for storing a list comprising at least the indirect recipient identifier, and obtaining an acknowledgement indicative of receipt of the data by the indirect recipient identifier.

11. The computer readable medium according to claim 10, further comprising instructions for providing an update associated with the acknowledgement.

12. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the direct recipient identifier, the indirect recipient identifier, and the data are received by a server device from an originating device, and wherein the providing the update associated with the acknowledgement comprises the server device sending the update to the originating device.

13. The computer readable medium according to claim 12, wherein a global list is stored by the server device and the update enables the originating device to update a local list.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the data is provided to more than one indirect recipient identifier, and wherein the computer readable medium further comprises instructions for updating the list for each acknowledgement received until all indirect recipient identifiers have received the data.

15. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the direct recipient identifier, the indirect recipient identifier, and the data are generated on an originating device, wherein the acknowledgement is received by the originating device, and wherein the providing the update associated with the acknowledgement comprises the originating device displaying information associated with the update.

16. The computer readable medium according to claim 9, further comprising instructions for enabling the direct recipient identifier to be added to a communication comprising the data, enabling the indirect recipient identifier to be added to the communication comprising the data, and sending the data to the direct recipient identifier.

17. A method of providing data, the method comprising:

obtaining data at a first recipient device, the data comprising an indirect recipient identifier; and

if the first recipient device can communicate with the indirect recipient identifier, sending the data to the indirect recipient identifier.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising enabling an acknowledgement to be provided to a sender of the data, the acknowledgement being indicative of receipt of the data.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising using the indirect recipient identifier to determine if the first recipient device can communicate with a second recipient device.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising obtaining permission to obtain an address associated with the indirect recipient identifier for communicating the data to the second recipient device, and wherein providing the data comprises sending the data to the second recipient device using the address.

21. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for providing data, the computer readable medium comprising instructions for:

obtaining data at a first recipient device, the data comprising an indirect recipient identifier; and

if the first recipient device can communicate with the indirect recipient identifier, sending the data to the indirect recipient identifier.

22. The computer readable medium according to claim 21, further comprising instructions for enabling an acknowledgement to be provided to a sender of the data, the acknowledgement being indicative of receipt of the data.

23. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, further comprising instructions for using the indirect recipient identifier to determine if the first recipient device can communicate with a second recipient device.

24. The computer readable medium according to claim 23, further comprising instructions for obtaining permission to obtain an address associated with the second recipient device for communicating the data to the second recipient device, and wherein providing the data comprises sending the data to the second recipient device using the address.