Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
  • G06F16/20—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor of structured data, e.g. relational data
  • G06F16/27—Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
  • G06F16/275—Synchronous replication

Definitions

• the present invention is related to a system for automatic distribution of updated information from one or more centralized registers to a network of decentralized devices .
• U.S. patent 6,141,663 discloses a method and system for updating a number of databases with redundant data as the change occurs in a common central database .
• the changes are converted to the format of the respective databases .
• the object of this invention is to ensure that the content of the number of databases within the same network, organization or system corresponds to each other.
• U.S-A 6, 073, 141 indicates a system and a procedure for synchronizing decentralized versions of a centralized database. Information stored on decentralized terminals is updated on predefined times or due to certain happenings .
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a system requiring a minimum of effort from the users .
• a further object of the present invention is to provide a system keeping a number of registers belonging to one single user (on his/her cellular phone, PDA, PC. etc.) consistent .
• the system provides a solution wherein contact information, e.g. addresses and telephone numbers, automatically is distributed from one or more central registers to a network of decentralized devices containing local registries.
• contact information e.g. addresses and telephone numbers
• the system comprises one or several information databases, either external or integrated in the system, and a central storage device identifying the users of the system and the contacts of the users through uniquely identifiable profiles, and one or several personal storage devices (terminals) containing the contacts of the user and/or pointers to information about these contacts in one or several information databases .
• a means transfers information from the above mentioned information database (s) to the actual users actual personal storage device, by rewriting parts or all of the information on the device, and/or by presenting the information for the user on the device, in order to make it visual or to execute certain operations (calling up someone directly) .
• the system updates the pointer indications connected the users list of contacts, on the personal storage device, in other personal storage devices and on the central storage device (where the users main register at all times are stored) .
• the way of distributing information to the terminals may be user-dependent. For example, downloading may occur when the terminal is switched on, once a day, once a week or when information about a contact is requested. If the users list of contacts on the terminal is not similar to the users main register in the central ' storage device (the list of contacts have been changed on another terminal) , the system also updates the list of contacts on the terminal when downloading.
• the system is adjusted to update the registries of the user terminals immediately according to the distributed update information as it arrives the terminals.
• the information e.g., is distributed through short messages, and the terminals are cellular phones
• the short messages may be adjusted to change the information concerning a certain contact in the memory of the user ' s terminal according to the corresponding changes in the central information database.
• the system is preferably administrated by an administration means through an admin interface i .a . taking care of registering of new users, removing or adding contacts of the users, changes in the information database, updating rules, the generating of pointer indications etc.
• Fig. 1 illustrates the system architecture of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
• One preferred embodiment of the present invention is a system comprising an information database (1) stored in an external storage device including personal data concerning contacts (persons, companies etc.), a central storage device (2) , one or several local registries per user stored on platforms in user terminals (3) , communication networks (4) through which information between system and user is transferred, a portal (5) providing interface between the communication networks and the system, and an administration node (6) providing the flow of information, user registering, removing or adding contacts to the contact lists of the users, changes in the information database (s) etc.
• the external storage device is divided into a number of data areas, one per potential contact, and may include information concerning all addressable persons and companies (e.g. askatalogen.no) .
• the personal data of a user may also be changed by the system administrator of the external storage device (e.g. operational staff at nowkatalogen.no) . This could be the case when the user, e.g., changes mobile operator and therefore receives a new telephone number and the system administrator has for the external storage device an updating agreement with relevant mobile operators .
• the data area may include information such as addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, profession, work place and attachments.
• the attachments could, e.g., be some documents.
• the data area may also be a part of a general database or a database by itself.
• the external storage device could also be an integrated part of the system.
• the central storage device The central storage device
• the central storage device includes the users profiles.
• the user profile includes information about who is included in the different users lists of contacts. Note that a user may have different contact lists on each of his/her terminals.
• the profiles include further necessary information that the system requires for each user.
• the profile should at least include: • The user's terminals,
• Terminals are here referred to as devices in which the users have stored their contact registers, or in which they have access to their contact registries from.
• this may be cellular phones (including WAP/3G phones) PCs, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) , digital PSTN phones, Pocket PCs or SmartPhones .
• the platforms in which the local registries of the users are stored may vary from terminal to terminal .
• the registries are built up by information regarding the users contacts and pointer indicators to information about the same contacts in the external storage device .
• Examples of such platforms are Microsoft Outlook, the operative system in WAP/Cellular Phones or other PDA/PC/cellular phone systems or operative systems supporting storage of registers, i.e. supporting at least simple databases .
• Microsoft Outlook the operative system in WAP/Cellular Phones or other PDA/PC/cellular phone systems or operative systems supporting storage of registers, i.e. supporting at least simple databases .
• these will typically operate on the telephone memory, and in data terminals (both handheld and stationary/portable) this will typically be the contact register of Microsoft Outlook.
• the register In internet based registries the register will be the users data area on a server.
• a method for downloading parts of the register will typically be to only download information about one or several marked contacts .
• the platforms have therefore an interface towards the portal .
• the administration node has a user interface that may be a web interface.
• the users may register, change personal data in the external storage device, or change their profiles.
• the administration node identifies which platform that is requesting information and distributes the requested information from the external storage device via the portal and the communication networks to the actual platform.
• the administration node also identifies contacts in the external storage device, generates pointer indicators for these contacts and distributes these indicators to the actual registers on the actual platforms .
• the administration node generates the users main register in the user profile on the central storage device and maintenance this when changes in the users list of contacts occur in one of the local registries (on the platforms) .
• the administration node has to have access and interface to both the central and the external storage device.
• the portal is the interface between the system and the communication network (s) through which the information is to be distributed. It has to be able to both receive and transmit data adjusted to this (these) communication network (s), as well as being able to communicate with other nodes in the system.
• the user will be registered as a user of the system through the administration node by entering required information regarding the user profile in the user interface, and who upon response of that receives a user-id. Thereafter, the contact list of the user will be sent from the platform to the administration node.
• the administration node identifies all contacts in the contact list of the user in the external storage device, and returns the pointer indicators for storing in the central and the personal storage devices . If a contact is not present in the external storage device, the user can chose to keep or remove this contact from his or hers contact list .
• a user may edit the data stored on his/her data area in the external storage device through the administration node.
• the administration node accesses the external storage device, and implements the changes given by this user.
• the platform downloads all or parts of the users contact register, from the external storage device, via the communication networks, the portal and the administration node, based on the users predefined rules for downloading and the users main register in stored in the user profile . If the users main register has been changed via another platform since previous downloading, the users list of contacts on the actual platform will be updated in the same operation.
• the downloading rules are defined by the user and also stored in the platforms .
• the pointer indicators to respective contact information in the external storage device indicate for which contacts the need for information has occurred. Downloaded information replaces "old" information in the user register or is being presented through the platforms interface (a screen, a printer, etc) without storing locally.
• the requested information is distributed on a data carrier adjusted for updating the local registries directly.
• Example Updating of contact list in Microsoft Outlook on a PC: The user has chosen updating when the terminal is switched on and doxrmloaded information replaces "old" information regarding the same person, automatically and without notice.
• the change will automatically be registered by the platform.
• the platform communicates with the administration node and updates accordingly pointer indicators in the local register on the platform and in the main register in the user profile on the central storage device .
• the user can download and store or only visualize information from correct personal main register, or information regarding a specific or several specific contacts on all terminals at all times,
• the user may keep his/her existing type of personal address register when using the system assuming that the register is known and compatible to the system.
• a user of the system makes three potential acquaintances (A, B and C) and enters their names and telephone numbers in the memory of his cellular phone.
• the cellular phone then transmits the new extended register (or only the change that has been introduced) as a message to the portal.
• the administration node identifies the user on basis of the users phone number and the new contacts on basis of the entered telephone numbers and updates the contact lists of the user. By this, the new acquaintances A, B and C will automatically be included in all the contact lists of the user.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Databases & Information Systems (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Data Mining & Analysis (AREA)
• Computing Systems (AREA)
• Information Transfer Between Computers (AREA)
• Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
• Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)
• Exchange Systems With Centralized Control (AREA)
• Selective Calling Equipment (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=19912922

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (6)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 2001
  • 2001-10-16 NO NO20015040A patent/NO313307B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2002
  • 2002-10-14 WO PCT/NO2002/000371 patent/WO2003034280A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-10-14 EP EP02768188A patent/EP1466267A1/en not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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