Shared Contact Records With Selective Sync and Privacy Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing smartphone contact management systems lack a unified and secure method for managing contact records across multiple platforms, leading to data accuracy issues, duplication, and outdated information, with no centralized control over access and sharing.
Innovation Solution
A system that manages contact records through a server accessible via cellular and data networks, allowing devices to cache records locally with owner permission, enabling secure sharing and updates, and ensuring unique phone numbers eliminate duplicates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If contact records are stored locally on each smartphone, then access speed and offline availability are improved, but data accuracy and consistency deteriorate due to manual entry errors and duplicate records
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges local storage capabilities with centralized cloud-based contact management. Each smartphone maintains a local cache for fast access, while a central server stores the master contact records. The system automatically synchronizes between local and central storage, eliminating duplicate entries and ensuring data accuracy across all devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a central server as an intermediary between smartphones and contact data. The server acts as the authoritative source for contact information, receiving updates from any device and redistributing them to all other devices. This intermediary ensures data consistency and accuracy while allowing fast local access through cached copies.
2Ease of operation
If contact information is shared freely between devices, then ease of sharing is improved, but privacy control and security deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements differentiated access rights where different portions of contact records can have different privacy settings. Users can specify which fields (e.g., phone number, email, address) are visible to different contacts or groups. The system enforces these granular permissions when syncing data, allowing selective sharing while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements permission verification feedback mechanisms. Before sharing contact information, the system checks the owner's privacy settings and notifies users of attempted accesses. The central server continuously monitors and enforces access permissions, providing feedback to both the data owner and the requester about what information can be shared.
3Adaptability or versatility
If contact records are updated manually on each device, then independence and offline capability are improved, but data consistency and timeliness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic synchronization that adapts to network availability. When devices are offline, they can update local contact records independently. Upon reconnecting to the network, the system dynamically determines which changes to sync to the central server and which to download from it, resolving conflicts through predefined rules or user input.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuous contact data consistency through background synchronization processes that run continuously when network connectivity is available. The system maintains an update queue that processes changes asynchronously, ensuring that contact information propagates across all devices without interrupting user operations or requiring manual intervention.
4Quantity of substance
If all contact information is provided to new contacts, then completeness of information is improved, but security control and selective sharing deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables different privacy levels for different fields within contact records. When sharing contact information with a new contact, the system automatically applies field-specific permission settings defined by the owner. For example, a user might share their name and business email publicly but keep their personal phone number and address restricted to approved contacts only.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments contact information into multiple categories with different access permissions. Contact records are divided into public information, semi-private information, and private information. The system segments the sharing process into stages, allowing contacts to progressively access more information as trust is established, rather than providing all information at once.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for providing management of contact records includes a contact record that is associated with an initiator and is indexed by a phone number of the originator. To initiate delivery of some part of the contact record of the originator, the originator enters a phone number of a recipient into an application and some part of the fields of the contact record are transmitted to a device of the recipient where they are stored in the recipient's contact list. In some embodiments, the part of the fields sent is determined by a relationship between the initiator and the recipient such as family, co-worker, acquaintance, friend, stranger, etc. When changes are made to the contact record, the recipient device will receive updated information. Features are provided for automatic deletion of the subset of fields from the recipient device upon request or after a specified time period.