Automatic wireless device data maintenance

• US 9,558,254 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2014
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Wilkerson, Brian Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Jessica N
• Application Number:
  US14/156,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20140136622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 707/638
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes downloading data elements from a wireless device. The method includes determining whether a user account exists in storage and determining whether the user account currently has stored data elements of the same type as the downloaded data elements associated therewith. The method further includes comparing the downloaded data elements to the stored data elements. This method also includes storing any downloaded data elements not currently existing in the data elements associated with the user account and not in conflict with data elements associated with the user account. The method further includes resolving conflicts between downloaded data elements and currently existing data elements, to establish which of the conflicting elements is representative of a proper version of the element. Finally, the method includes storing the proper version of the element resulting from each conflict resolution.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for replacing an invalid data element, comprising:

determining, via a vehicle computing system (VCS), that a phone number is invalid in response to receiving an invalid phone number response from an attempt to dial the phone number from the VCS;

accessing one or more social networking sites, through the VCS, associated with a user account corresponding to a wireless device containing the invalid phone number;

for each social networking site accessed through the VCS, determining whether or not a data type corresponding to the invalid phone number is available for a party corresponding to the invalid phone number;

comparing a phone number stored on the social networking site under the data type with the invalid phone number in response to the data type being available; and

replacing the invalid phone number stored on at least one of a local storage or the wireless device with the phone number stored on the social networking site in response to the phone number stored on the social networking site differing from the invalid phone number.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising ceasing the accessing after it is determined that the phone number stored on the social networking site differs from the invalid phone number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that a phone number is invalid includes querying a user as to the validity of the phone number and receiving a response that the phone number is invalid.

4. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, via a vehicle computing system (VCS), that a stored contact number is not usable to reach a corresponding contact;

determining that the stored contact number has an email address associated therewith;

sending an email, including a contact number update request, to the email address;

receiving a response, including a valid new contact number, to the email;

accessing one or more social networking sites, through the VCS, associated with a user account corresponding to a wireless device containing the stored contact number in response to the email request indicating that the email request was undeliverable;

for each social networking site accessed through the VCS, determining whether or not an online contact number is available for a party corresponding to the stored contact number;

comparing the online contact number with the stored contact number in response to the online contact number being available;

replacing the stored contact number with the online contact number in response to the contact number stored on the social networking site differing from the stored contact number; and

replacing the stored contact number with the new contact number.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the stored contact number is stored on a wireless device in communication with the VCS, and wherein the replacing includes uploading the new contact number to the wireless device to replace the stored contact number.

6. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine, via a vehicle computing system (VCS) that a phone number is invalid in response to receiving an invalid phone number response from an attempt to dial the phone number from the VCS;

access one or more social networking sites, through the VCS, associated with a user account corresponding to a wireless device containing the invalid phone number;

for each social networking site accessed through the VCS, determine whether or not a data type corresponding to the invalid phone number is available for a party corresponding to the invalid phone number;

compare a phone number stored on the social networking site under the data type with the invalid phone number in response to the data type being available; and

replace the invalid phone number stored on at least one of a local storage or the wireless device with the phone number stored on the social networking site in response to the phone number stored on the social networking site differing from the invalid phone number.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to cease the accessing after it is determined that the phone number stored on the social networking site differs from the invalid phone number.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to query a user as to the validity of a phone number and receiving a response that the phone number is invalid.