Method and system for processing an address book

• US 8,332,468 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2010
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Song, Xuefei, Wang, Hao
• Primary Examiner(s): Dennison, Jerry
• Application Number:
  US12/770,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20100211634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.16, 709/203, 707/621
• 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. In a network address book (NAB) server capable of providing multi-functional, autonomous services and configured to communicate with one or more user equipment (UE) that includes a single user address book client with multi-service functionality, a method of processing and updating a user address book with service information for one or more contacts, the method comprising:

receiving an update request for updating at least a portion of a user address book that includes a contact list with contact information for one or more contacts;

based on the received update request, parsing the user address book for determining if updated contact information is needed from a different service engine server;

based on one or more settings in the user address book, determining that updated contact information is needed for the one or more contacts from a different service engine server and generating an acquisition request according to settings of the user address book and the needed updated contact information;

acquiring from the different service engine server contact information to be updated according to the acquisition request;

based on the received contact information, updating the user address book;

synchronizing a user address book client by transmitting at least updated information of the user address book to a user equipment (UE); and

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

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

receiving and storing, the user address book; and

acquiring and parsing 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 the user address book, the method further comprises:

receiving and storing the user address book; and

parsing 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 after the parsing of the user address book, and generating the acquisition request according to the settings of the user address book and the needed updated contact information, the method further comprises:

sending the acquisition request to the different service engine server.

7. The method for processing an address book according to claim 6, wherein the acquiring the contact information to be updated according to the acquisition request, and updating the user address book comprises:

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.

8. The method for processing an address book according to claim 1, wherein the synchronizing the updated information of the user address book to the UE is implemented through at least one of:

timing synchronization;

event-triggered synchronization;

or synchronization each time the contact information in the address book is changed.

9. The method for processing an address book according to claim 1, 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.

10. A computer program product, comprising one or more non-transitory computer readable storage medium that store one or more computer executable instructions thereon that when executed cause the computer program product to:

receive an update request for updating at least a portion of a user address book that includes a contact list with contact information for one or more contacts;

based on the received update request, parse the user address book for determining if updated contact information is needed from a different service engine server;

based on one or more settings in the user address book, determine that updated contact information is needed for the one or more contacts from a different service engine server and generating an acquisition request according to settings of the user address book and the needed updated contact information;

acquire from the different service engine server contact information to be updated according to the acquisition request;

based on the received contact information, update the user address book;

synchronize a user address book client by transmitting at least updated information of the user address book to a user equipment (UE); and

parse an information file of the UE, and synchronizing by 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 computer program product of claim 10, wherein the UE accesses and manages the NAB via at least one of:

an Extensible Markup Language (XML) Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP);

a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP);

or a Data Synchronization (DS) Protocol.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, 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.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, 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.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, 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.