Contact Selector for Granular Data Sharing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for transferring electronic contact data between applications on a computing device are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and pose security risks due to the use of centralized contact data stores that can be accessed by malicious applications.
Innovation Solution
An operating system API facilitates a 'contact selector' that allows users to granularly select and share electronic contact data across applications without creating a centralized repository, enabling users to choose which contact data to share and ensuring only selected data is accessed by the requesting application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a centralized contact data store is created to facilitate sharing of contact data across applications, then ease of operation is improved, but security is worsened due to potential access by malicious applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized contact data store into individual application-specific data stores. Each application has its own isolated storage location, and the contact selector selectively accesses only the specific application's data store when transferring contact data, preventing malicious applications from accessing other applications' contact data.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact selector acts as an intermediary component that mediates between applications and the contact data stores. It receives requests from requesting applications, identifies the source application, and selectively retrieves contact data only from the appropriate application's data store, thereby preventing unauthorized access while facilitating legitimate data transfer.
2Reliability
If manual copying and pasting of contact data is used to transfer data between applications, then security is improved, but productivity is worsened due to time-consuming manual processes
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automated contact data transfer through the contact selector, which automatically identifies the source and target applications, retrieves the necessary contact data, and transfers it without requiring manual copying and pasting by the user, thereby maintaining security while significantly improving efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact selector serves as an automated intermediary that handles the entire contact data transfer process programmatically, eliminating the need for manual user intervention while maintaining security controls through selective access to application-specific data stores.
3Productivity
If developers agree to allow en masse transfer of contact data between applications, then productivity is improved, but adaptability is worsened because it is limited to applications with developer agreements
Solution Approach 1:
The contact selector provides a universal mechanism that works across any application installed on the computing device, regardless of whether developer agreements exist. The system automatically identifies applications with contact data and enables selective transfer to any requesting application, making the solution universally applicable rather than limited to pre-approved application pairs.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact selector as an intermediary bypasses the need for developer-to-developer agreements by providing a standardized interface between the operating system and applications. Any application can request contact data through the contact selector, which handles the transfer according to user selections, thereby enabling broad adaptability across different applications.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are technologies pertaining to transmitting electronic contact data from a first application to a second application by way of an operating system without generating a centralized contact store or providing the second application with programmatic access to all electronic contact data retained by first application.