Connected Address Book Synchronization via Network Intermediary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing local address book systems are prone to obsolescence when contact information changes, require time-consuming and costly synchronization across multiple devices, and face challenges during device upgrades, leading to inconvenient and inefficient management of contact data.
Innovation Solution
A connected address book system that maintains and synchronizes contact data across multiple devices via a network, allowing users to access and manage their contact lists remotely, identifying common listings between local and network address books, and providing a hybrid address book that combines local and network data, enabling seamless data management and updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If local address book data is manually maintained and synchronized across multiple devices, then contact information can be accessed locally, but the data becomes obsolete when contact information changes and synchronization is time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network server as an intermediary that stores and manages address book data centrally. Multiple devices access this centralized data through the network, eliminating the need for manual synchronization between devices. When contact information changes, the update is automatically propagated to all devices through the network server, ensuring data accuracy without time-consuming device-to-device synchronization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a network copy of the address book data that is accessible by multiple devices. Instead of maintaining separate local copies that need synchronization, each device accesses the authoritative network copy, ensuring all users see the most current contact information without manual intervention.
2Ease of operation
If local address book data is stored on each device, then data is readily accessible, but transfer of address book data to a new device is time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The network server acts as an intermediary storage location for address book data. When a user obtains a new device, the data is already available on the network server and can be quickly accessed or downloaded to the new device without time-consuming device-to-device transfers. The network server mediates data access between any device and the centralized address book.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual updates are performed for each device, then data can be maintained locally, but the process is inconvenient and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic self-service data synchronization through the network. When contact information is updated on one device, the change is automatically propagated to the network server and then to other devices without requiring manual intervention. This eliminates the inconvenience of manually updating each device while maintaining data management flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The network server serves as an automatic mediator that handles data synchronization between devices. It receives updates from any device, processes the changes, and automatically distributes updated contact information to all connected devices, making the data management process convenient and automated.
Data Source
AI summary
In an exemplary method, contacts data for a network address book is maintained, data representative of at least a portion of a local address book maintained on an access device is received over a network, and the received local address book data is used to perform at least one connected address book operation. In one example in which the contacts data includes data representative of a network address book listing associated with a user, data representative of a persona associated with the user is maintained, a request to access the network address book listing is received, and at least a subset of the data representative of the network address book listing is identified and provided in response to the request and based at least in part on the persona.