Contact Merging Service for Linking Identifiers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in managing and linking multiple contact identifiers across different network services, leading to tedious and time-consuming tasks in coordinating information and interactions with the same individual across various platforms.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for linking multiple contact identifiers of an individual by receiving data on contacts from one service, determining candidate identifiers on another service, and presenting prompts for user approval, utilizing a contact merging service that facilitates access to multiple services through a communication network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users manually manage multiple contact identifiers across different network services, then each service can maintain its own identifier system, but the user experiences tedious and time-consuming tasks in coordinating information and interactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a contact merging service as an intermediary component that receives contact identifiers from multiple network services, determines associations between them, and presents prompts for user approval. This mediator automatically coordinates the mapping between different service identifiers, eliminating the need for users to manually manage multiple identifiers across services while maintaining service-specific identifier systems
2Ease of operation
If a contact merging service automatically determines associations between contact identifiers, then user convenience is enhanced, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact merging service performs self-service by automatically receiving contact identifiers from multiple services, determining associations between them using its own logic, and presenting approved mappings back to the services. The system manages its own complexity internally while presenting a simple interface to users, handling the sophisticated association determination processes within the service itself
3Measurement precision
If multiple contact identifiers are linked across services, then information coordination accuracy improves, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring associations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact merging service implements feedback mechanisms by presenting determined associations to users for approval, receiving user confirmation or correction, and using this feedback to refine and verify the accuracy of contact identifier mappings. This feedback loop enables the system to achieve high measurement precision in matching contacts across services while managing the complexity of association detection through iterative verification
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for linking multiple contact identifiers of an individual include receiving first data that indicates contacts of a first user at first services. Contact identifiers for a different second user at second services are determined based at least in part on the contacts. Second data that indicates an association among the second user and the candidate contact identifiers is sent to the first user. In some embodiments on a client, techniques include determining to send first data that indicates contacts of a first user at first services; and receiving second data. The second data indicates an association among a different second user and candidate contact identifiers for the second user at second services based at least in part on the contacts. A prompt is presented for the first user to approve an association between the second user and a candidate contact identifier.