Method and system for locating contact information collected from contact sources

• US 7,593,925 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cadiz, Jonathan J., Shtiegman, Eran, Setty, Venkateshaiah, Chakravarty, Sumit
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jami; Hares
• Application Number:
  US11/067,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,670 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/10, 707/100, 707/104.1, 709/20, 709/206
• 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 having a memory and a processor for locating contact information of contacts of a user, the method comprising:

for a plurality of sources of contact information that contain contact information of the user, retrieving contact information of contacts of the user from the contact sources and assigning priorities to the contact sources so that each contact source has an assigned priority;

for each contact of the user,

aggregating, by a processor executing instructions stored in the memory, into aggregated contact information of the contact, the contact information retrieved from different contact sources, wherein the aggregated contact information associates contact information of the contact collected from different contact sources that describe the same contact and wherein conflicts between the contact information collected from different contact sources are resolved based at least in part on priorities assigned to the different contact sources;

storing the aggregated contact information of the contact in a contact store; and

when the aggregated contact information of the contact includes a real-time identifier of the contact, subscribing to receive presence information of the contact identified by the real-time identifier;

receiving presence information of contacts in response to subscribing to the presence information of the contacts; and

after storing the aggregated contact information in the contact store,

receiving from the user a search request for contact information of a contact;

searching, by a processor executing instructions stored in the memory, the contact store for one or more contacts whose aggregated contact information satisfies the search request;

displaying, by a processor executing instructions stored in the memory, aggregated contact information and presence information of the one or more contacts whose aggregated contact information satisfies the search request, the displayed aggregated contact information of the contacts being ordered based on the contact source from which the contact information of the contacts is collected, wherein contact information collected from a personal contact source is ordered before contact information of a global contact source; and

after receiving from the user a request to add to a real-time contact list a contact whose aggregate contact information is displayed,

adding the contact to the real-time contact list, the real-time contact list being a list of contacts with whom the user can initiate a real-time conversation, the contact being added without the user having to manually add contact information of the contact to the real-time contact list; and

after the contact has been added to the real-time contact list and after receiving from the user a selection of the contact from the real-time contact list, initiating a real-time conversation between the user and the contact

wherein the contact store is searched for aggregated contact information of a contact when a search request is received rather than searching each of the different contact sources when a search request is received.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the contact information of each contact includes an identification, a telephone number, and a real-time identifier of the contact.

3. 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.

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

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

6. A computing device with a central processing unit and memory for locating contact information of contacts of a user, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing computer-executable instructions comprising;

a component that, for a plurality of sources of contact information that contain contact information of the user, retrieves contact information of contacts of the user from the contact sources and assigns priorities to the contact sources so that each contact source has an assigned priority,

a component that, for each contact of the user,

aggregates, by a processor executing instructions stored in the memory, into aggregated contact information of the contact, the contact information retrieved from different contact sources, wherein the aggregated contact information associates contact information of the contact collected from different contact sources that describe the same contact and wherein conflicts between the contact information collected from different contact sources are resolved based at least in part on priorities assigned to the different contact sources,

stores the aggregated contact information of the contact in a contact store, and

when the aggregated contact information of the contact includes a real-time identifier of the contact, subscribes to receive presence information of the contact identified by the real-time identifier,

a component that receives presence information of contacts in response to subscribing to the presence information of the contacts, and

a component that, after storing the aggregated contact information in the contact store,

receives from the user a search request for contact information of a contact,

searches, by a processor executing instructions stored in the memory, the contact store for one or more contacts whose aggregated contact information satisfies the search request,

displays, by a processor executing instructions stored in the memory, aggregated contact information and presence information of the one or more contacts whose aggregated contact information satisfies the search request, the displayed aggregated contact information of the contacts being ordered based on the contact source from which the contact information of the contacts is collected, wherein contact information collected from a personal contact source is ordered before contact information of a global contact source, and

after receiving from the user a request to add to a real-time contact list a contact whose aggregate contact information is displayed,

adds the contact to the real-time contact list, the real-time contact list being a list of contacts with whom the user can initiate a real-time conversation, the contact being added without the user having to manually add contact information of the contact to the real-time contact list, and

after the contact has been added to the real-time contact list and after receiving from the user a selection of the contact from the real-time contact list, initiates a real-time conversation between the user and the contact

wherein the contact store is searched for aggregated contact information of a contact when a search request is received rather than searching each of the different contact sources when a search request is received.

7. The computing device of claim 6 wherein contact information for the contact is edited within the context of an application associated with the contact source from which contact information of the contact was collected.