NO313307B1 - Automatic distribution of updated contact information - Google Patents

Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a system for automatic distribution of updated information from one or more central registers to a network of decentralized units.

The background of the invention

Information about addresses, telephone numbers, workplaces, e-mail addresses and other addressable identities is increasing in volume and complexity. Changes in such information seem to occur more frequently now than in the past. Examples of this are the constant replacement of people's mobile phones, the fact that people change places of work and residence more often, and that many stay and work in several different places. Some changes are handed over verbally. Others via email or post. Some contacts are made with business cards which, after a short time, may contain directly incorrect information as a result of changes.

Electronic storage of such information is becoming more and more common as both the contact area (number of contacts) and the need for correct information about contacts at all times increases.

Many have registers in more than one place; in the mobile phone, on the home PC, on the work PC, etc., and for the sake of simplicity only updates what is closest after receiving a change. These can also be paper-based registers. Even if a person is careful to inform their contacts about their own changes, there is no guarantee that the recipient updates their databases/address lists correctly or at all.

Database registers and address lists quickly become worthless if they are not updated at regular intervals, while it has become cumbersome and time-consuming to have updated contact information at all times.

There are a number of services for centralized storage and updating of contact information, where the user can access the information about their contacts through e.g. a Web interface. The problem with all of these is that no one offers an update or "washing" of the contact registers and address lists the user may have locally on their personal terminals. Furthermore, whether information about a contact is actually found in the system depends on whether this contact has registered and is a user of the service. The fact that the service is based on the information database being an integrated part of the system means that the information will be incomplete (ie not all desired contacts are necessarily users of the system) for most users.

U.S. patent 6,141,663 includes a method and a system for updating several databases with redundant data when the change occurs in a common centralized database. The changes are converted to whatever format the respective databases may have. The basis for this invention is to secure the same content in several databases within the same network, organization or system.

U.S-A 6,073,141 discloses a system and method for synchronizing local versions of a database. A number of terminals that have stored a subset of the database have their content updated at specific times or events.

However, the above publications do not solve the problem of keeping distributed terminals' address lists up to date. The former solution relies on manual, centralized maintenance of the information in the central database. In the latter, the updates take place periodically, which leads to a lot of unnecessary updating. Common to both is that they are intended for file content and not contact registers, and that they are adapted to predefined local networks, and not public communication networks.

Brief summary of the invention

A main purpose of the present invention is to provide a solution which overcomes the problems described above.

Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a system which can keep the contents of a user's local contact register up to date at all times.

Another purpose is to provide such a system that requires minimal effort on the part of the user.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide a system with the possibility of keeping several registers belonging to one and the same user (registers on a mobile phone, PDA, PC, etc.) uniform, i.e. containing the same contact surface.

This is achieved with a system according to the subsequent patent claims.

More specifically, the system provides a solution where contact information, e.g. address and

telephone number information, is automatically distributed from one or more central registers to a network of decentralized units containing local registers.

The system comprises one or more information databases, either external or integrated into the system, a central storage unit that identifies the users of the system and the users' contact surfaces through uniquely identifiable profiles, and one or more personal storage units that contain the users' contact surfaces and/or pointers to information about these contacts in one or more information databases. Furthermore, based on user-defined download rules specified in the relevant user's profile, a means is provided to transfer information from the information database(s) to the relevant user's contact register platform, either so that all or part of the user's personal storage device for contact information is overwritten, or so that the information is not stored on the personal storage unit, but is only presented via the contact register platform's interface in question.

When a user changes their contact surface locally on one of their terminals, or on a web-based contact register platform, the system ensures that the pointers of the same contact surface are updated, on the terminal/platform and in the central storage unit (where the user's main register is stored at all times).

According to a preferred embodiment, the manner in which this distribution of information to the individual terminal/platform takes place may be user-dependent in relation to the user's own wishes. For example, downloading can occur when the terminal is switched on, once a day, once a week or when information about a contact is requested. If the register on the relevant terminal/platform does not match the current user's main register (the contact surface has been changed via another platform), the contact surface in the relevant register is also updated when downloading.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the system is adapted to update the registers in the users' terminals directly according to the distributed information. For example, if the information is distributed through SMS messages, and the terminals are mobile phones, the SMS messages can be adapted to change the information about the said specific contact in a user's mobile phone memory.

The system is administered through a user interface by an administration tool which provides, among other things, the registration of new users, changes to the information database and the creation of pointers.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 shows the system architecture of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Description of preferred designs

In the following, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. The examples are for illustrative purposes only, and must not be considered limiting in any way. All other designs that lie within the area defined by claim 1 can be used.

One preferred embodiment of the invention describes a system comprising an information database (1) stored on an external storage unit with personal information about contacts (persons, companies and the like), a central storage unit (2), one or more local registers per user stored on platforms on user terminal is (3), communication network (4) through which information between system and user is transferred, a portal (5) which forms the interface between communication network and system, and an administration unit (6) which ensures information flow, user registration, changes in information database(s) etc.

External storage device

The external storage unit is made up of data areas, one area per user, and can contain information about almost all addressable persons (example: Telefonkatalogen.no). Via a user ID, the user can change their own information in their own data area at any time. Information in a user's data area can also be changed by those responsible for the system for the external storage unit (e.g. operating personnel at Telefonkatalogen.no). This is applicable when, for example, the user changes mobile phone company and gets a new mobile phone number, and the system managers for the external storage device have an update agreement with the relevant mobile phone company.

The data area may contain information about e.g. addresses, telephone numbers, email, profession, place of work and attachments. The attachment can, for example, be documents. The data area can also be part of a general database, or a separate database in itself.

The external storage device can also be an integral part of the system.

Central storage unit

The central storage unit contains the users' profiles. This is information about which people are included in the various users' contact surfaces. Furthermore, the profiles contain additional necessary information that the system must have about each user. The profile should at least include information on:

• Users' terminals,

• which platforms are used at the various terminals,

• the user's main contact surface as pointer indication,

• how much information is to be stored per contact. Note that this may vary from terminal to terminal for the same user. For example, you may only want to store names and mobile phone numbers in a mobile phone, while on a PC or in a web-based contact register you want to store all available information.

Terminals

By terminals is meant the devices on which the users have their contact registers stored, or the devices through which the users have access to their contact registers. In the preferred embodiment, these can be mobile phones (incl. WAP/3G phones), PCs, PDAs (personal digital assistants), digital landlines, pocket PCs or SmartPhones.

Platforms

The users' own local registers are stored in the platforms. The registers are made up of information about the users' contacts and associated pointers to information about the same contacts in the external storage unit.

Examples of platforms are Microsoft Outlook, the WAP/mobile phone operating system, web-based contact information systems or various other PDA/PC/mobile phone systems, or operating systems that support the storage of records, i.e. support simple databases. In the operating system of a simple mobile phone, such a register will typically be the telephone memory, and in data terminals (both hand-held and stationary/portable) this register will typically be the contact register in Microsoft Outlook. In web-based systems, the register will be the user's data area on a server.

Existing platforms are adapted to the system with a plug-in that communicates (via the portal) with the administration unit, for organizing and updating the user's contact register with pointers, and for downloading information according to specified user-defined download rules. Examples of such download rules are: Downloading and overwriting all or part of

the register when the terminal is switched on,

downloading and overwriting all or part of

register daily, weekly or monthly.

downloading and only presenting requested information via the platform's interface.

A method for downloading parts of the register will typically be to only download information about a contact or several marked contacts.

Specially adapted platforms have this functionality built in.

The platforms thus have an interface with the portal.

The administration unit

The administration unit has a user interface which, according to the preferred embodiment, is web-based. Through this, the user can register or change the data about themselves in the external storage device.

The administration unit ensures the identification of which platform requests information, and the distribution of requested information from an external storage unit, via the portal and the communication network, to the relevant platform.

The administration unit also ensures the identification of contacts in the external storage unit, creates pointer statements for these contacts, and distributes these statements to the relevant registry on the relevant platform.

The administration unit creates the user's main register in the user's profile, on the central storage unit, and maintains this when changes to the contact surface occur in one of the local registers.

The administration unit must therefore have access to, and an interface to, the portal and both the central and the external storage unit.

Portal

The portal is the interface between the system and the communication networks through which the information is to be distributed. It must be able to both receive and send data adapted to these communication networks, while at the same time it must be able to communicate with the other units in the system.

User registration

The user registers as a user of the system through the administration unit by entering the necessary information, and receives a unique user ID. After completing the entry, the user's contact surface is sent from the platform to the administration unit. The management unit identifies all contacts in the user's contact surface in the external storage device, and returns the pointers.

If a contact is not found in the external storage device, the user can choose to remove or keep this contact in their register.

Change in external storage device

According to the preferred embodiment, a user himself, through the administration unit, can change the data stored in a separate data area in the external storage unit. In the event of such a change, the administration unit accesses the external storage unit and performs the changes specified by the user.

Downloading information

The platform downloads all or part of the user's contact register, from the external storage unit, via the communication network, the portal and the administration unit, based on the user's predefined download rules and the user's main register stored in the user's profile. If the user's main register (main contact surface) has been changed via another terminal since the previous download, the user's current register (contact surface) is updated on the relevant terminal in the same operation.

The download rules are defined by the user and stored in the platforms. The contact information's pointers to the external storage unit indicate about which contacts the need for information has arisen. Downloaded information overwrites the user's registry or is presented through the platform's interface. In the case of pure presentation of the information, the information is not stored locally.

The change is distributed on a data carrier so that the platform is able to update the local registries directly.

Example: Updating a mobile phone: The change is sent as an SMS message or similar to the mobile phone, in such a way that it replaces previous information about the same person.

Example: Updating Microsoft Outlook on PC: User has selected update when the terminal is switched on and the information replaces previous information about the same person automatically and without warning.

Change in a user's interface

If a user removes or adds contacts to one of their local registers, on one of their platforms, the change is automatically recorded by the platform.

The platform then communicates with

the administration unit and updates the corresponding pointer entries in the local register and the main register (main contact surface) in the user's profile.

From the user's point of view

Listed below are some points that illustrate how the user will experience the system: • The user can, via a few keystrokes, have their entire address register verified and updated on a PC/PDA and/or WAP phone, • the user can have the correct personal master register downloaded and/or presented , or correct information about a contact or a group of contacts, on all their terminals when the user himself wants it.

The following is an example from the user's point of view:

A user meets three new exciting acquaintances (A, B and C) in the course of an evening and enters their name and telephone number into his mobile phone. Via a simple operation, the phone sends the new, extended register as a message to the portal. The administration unit identifies the user on the basis of the user's telephone number, and updates the user's contact surface. Acquaintances A, B and C are thus automatically included in the user's other contact surfaces.

Two days later, the user finds out that he wants to send a letter to acquaintance A. He needs the address. When registering as a user, he chose to download the register when logging in to the internet on his own PC. He switches on his PC and logs on to the Internet before starting Microsoft Outlook. Acquaintances A, B and C are already in the folder for new acquaintances as completed registration cards. He sorts them into appropriate folders, A into private, B into business relations and C he wants nothing to do with anyway. He deletes C, fully aware that the next time he logs in with the mobile phone, he will also delete C from his contact surface on the mobile phone. He pastes A's address into the document and sends it.

Suddenly, for unknown reasons, the user has to change his mobile phone number, and registers the change in his own data area in the information database via the administration unit. A few hours later, he is called by B on the new number.

Claims (26)

1. System with a number of users each with their personal storage unit(s) linked to one or more communication networks, said personal storage unit(s) containing contact registers with information about the relevant user's contacts and/or pointers to information about the same contacts in one or more general information database(s), said information database(s) are either integrated into the system or externally connected to the system, characterized by a first means adapted to identify, a need for the distribution of information about a user's contact(s), on the basis of said pointer indication in the user's personal storage device and a uniquely identifiable profile belonging to the user, a second means, adapted to distribute information about a contact from said information database(s), through said one or more communication networks, to the personal storage device where the need for information has arisen. 2. System according to claim 1, characterized by the central storage unit containing the unique identifiable profile for each of said users, as well as an indication of each user's said contacts. 3. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said personal storage unit(s) is located on the users' terminals and/or in a personal data area on a server, and that said personal storage unit is managed by a contact register platform. 4. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first means can communicate with said personal storage device, said information database(s) and said second means. 5. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second means can communicate with said personal storage unit, said information database(s), said first means and said central storage unit. 6. System according to one of the preceding requirements, characterized as an administration unit which ensures registration of the users, registration of the users' profiles, and changes in a user's own information in the information database (e), through a user interface. 7. System according to one of the preceding requirements, characterized in that the users' mentioned profiles, in addition to the necessary user information, at least contain information about the users' personal storage devices, type of contact register platforms and pointers to the users' main registers. 8. System according to one of the preceding requirements, characterized in that said contact register platform(s) ensures registration of the user's download rules. 9. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by third means for identifying a contact in said information database(s) and generating a pointer to information about said contact in said information database(s). 10. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by fourth means for updating said pointer entries of a user's contacts in said personal storage unit and in the user's said main register, when this user adds and/or subtracts one or more contacts in his/her contact register/contact registers. 11. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said administration unit can communicate with said first, second, third and fourth means, said personal storage unit(s), said information database(s) and said central storage unit. 12. System according to one of the preceding requirements, characterized in that said personal storage device is integrated into the information database. 13. System according to one of the preceding requirements, characterized in that one or more of said communication networks are mobile phone networks and/or the internet. 14. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least some of said user terminals are mobile phones. 15. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least some of said user terminals are PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). 16. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least some of said user terminals are PCs. 17. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the aforementioned contact register platform is Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes or another terminal-specific menu system. 18. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said contact register platform is a web-based contact register. 19. System according to claims 5-18, characterized in that said administration unit is accessible via the Internet, and that said interface is a web-based interface. 20. System according to claims 5-18, characterized in that said administration unit is accessible via a wap portal or a portal for 3G mobile phones, and that said interface is a wap-based interface or an interface for 3G mobile phones. 21. System according to claims 5-18, characterized in that said administration unit is accessible via a user interface installed locally on the user's terminal(s). 22. Method where a number of users each with their personal storage device(s) are connected to one or more communication networks, said personal storage device(s) contain contact registers with information about the relevant user's contacts and/or pointers to information about the same the contacts in one or more information databases, characterized by to identify a need for information from one or more information databases regarding one or more of a particular user's specified contacts, to distribute information about said contact(s) through said one or more communication networks to said particular user's personal storage device(s). 23. Method according to claim 22, characterized by updating said particular user's contact record(s) based on said distributed information. to present said distributed information via the interface for said relevant contact register platform. 24. Method according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that information about the individual user's contacts is stored on the respective users' personal storage devices. 25. Method according to claim 22, 23 or 24, characterized in that information about the individual user's contacts is only stored in one or more information databases. 26. Method according to claim 22, 23, 24 or 25, characterized by to update said pointer entries of a user's contacts in the user's personal storage device(s) when this user adds and/or subtracts one or more contacts in a contact register on one or more of the user's personal storage devices.