System and Method for Private Contract Sharing

• US 20170243162A1
• Filed: 02/20/2017
• Published: 08/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covve Visual Network Limited
• Original Assignee: Covve Visual Network Limited
• Inventors: Gavrielides, Yiannis, Protogerellis, Alexandros
• Granted Patent: US 10,628,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/288 Entity relationship models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/337 Profile generation, learning or modification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

Disclosed is a system having a plurality of user devices, a plurality of databases, and servers in communication over a network. Each of the devices synchronizes one or more address books comprising contact information. The contact information is enhanced and then cleansed. The enhanced contact information is then hashed so that the personally identifiable information is made unavailable. The system then identifies common contacts representing the same real person and creates a single composite view of the person. Thereafter, the system shares the single composite view between users while obfuscating information that personally identifies such contacts.

Claims

1. A system for sharing contact information, comprising:

a processor and a memory unit for storing instructions thereon, wherein said instructions, when executed by said processor, causes said system to;

i) access one or more address books via at least one user device in connection with a network, wherein said at least one user device comprises a first user device operated by a first user and a second user device operated by a second user, and further wherein said one or more address books comprise a contacts list;

ii) enhance contact information for contacts within said contacts list by populating metadata related to each of said contacts via a metadata population service;

iii) process said contact information through a blacklist to determine whether said contacts is unsharable or sharable;

iv) hash said contact information to hide personally identifiable information related to said contacts;

v) identify said contacts representing a same real person;

vi) create a more complete profile of said real person by supplying missing contact information with said metadata;

vii) receive a request to share at least one of said contact information having specific criteria; and

viii) match and share at least one of said contact information meeting said criteria.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more address books are fully visible to owners and limited in visibility to non-owners.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said first user is the owner of said one or more address books accessible via said first user device, and said second user is the owner of said one or more address books accessible via said second user device, such that said first user can view only said one or more address books accessible via said first user device and said second user can view only said one or more address books accessible via said second user device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said metadata population service comprises data mining tools and web crawling tools.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said contact information is processed through said blacklist via a blacklist and whitelist service, further wherein said blacklist comprises blacklist terms, further wherein said contact is unsharable if said contact comprises any of said blacklist terms.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said contact information is further processed through a whitelist via a blacklist and whitelist service, further wherein said whitelist comprises whitelist terms, further wherein said contact is shareable if said contact comprises only said whitelist terms.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said contact is processed through a further review if said contact is neither unsharable nor shareable.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said personally identifiable information comprises job titles associated with said contacts.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said personally identifiable information comprises contact names associated with said contacts.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said system is further configured to:

viv) synchronize said one or more address books.

11. A method of sharing contact information, comprising the steps of:

i) accessing one or more address books accessible via at least one user device in connection with a network, wherein said at least one user device comprises a first user device operated by a first user and a second user device operated by a second user and further wherein said one or more address books comprise a contacts list;

ii) enhancing contact information for contacts within said contacts list by populating metadata related to each of said contacts via a metadata population service;

iii) processing said contact information through a blacklist to determine whether said contacts is unsharable or sharable;

iv) hashing said contact information to hide personally identifiable information related to said contacts;

v) identifying said contacts representing a same real person;

vi) creating a more complete profile of said real person by supplying missing contact information with said metadata;

vii) receiving a request to share at least one of said contact information having specific criteria; and

viii) matching and share at least one of said contact information meeting said criteria.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said one or more address books are fully visible to owners and limited in visibility to non-owners.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said first user is the owner of said one or more address books accessible via said first user device, and said second user is the owner of said one or more address books accessible via said second user device, such that said first user can view only said one or more address books accessible via said first user device and said second user can view only said one or more address books accessible via said second user device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said metadata population service comprises data mining tools and web crawling tools.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said contact information is processed through said blacklist via a blacklist and whitelist service, further wherein said blacklist comprises blacklist terms, further wherein said contact is unsharable if said contact comprises any of said blacklist terms.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said contact information is further processed through a whitelist via a blacklist and whitelist service, further wherein said whitelist comprises whitelist terms, further wherein said contact is shareable if said contact comprises only said whitelist terms.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein said contact is processed through a further review if said contact is neither unsharable nor shareable.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein said personally identifiable information comprises job titles associated with said contacts.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein said personally identifiable information comprises contact names associated with said contacts.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

viv) synchronizing said one or more address books.