Telephony Server Address Book Sharing Across UPnP and WAN
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current UPnP telephony systems cannot access or share contact entries from network address books residing on Wide Area Network (WAN) servers or social networking platforms, limiting the integration and management of address book data across different networks.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for sharing contact entries in a UPnP home network environment, which includes a Telephony Server (TS) with a Network Address Book (NAB) management module that allows users to retrieve and share contact elements from both local and network address books, enabling access and management of contact entries across different networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the phone data model is used to manage address books in UPnP telephony, then local address book management is enabled, but access to network address books on WAN servers or social networking platforms is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The TS is enhanced to perform multiple functions: it continues to manage local address books through the phone data model while simultaneously providing access to network address books on WAN servers and social networking platforms. The TS acts as a universal access point that consolidates multiple address book sources into a single interface for the TCP.
Solution Approach 2:
The TS serves as an intermediary between the TCP and various address book sources (local storage, WAN servers, social networking platforms). It retrieves contact entries from these external sources and presents them to the TCP through the existing phone data model interface, thereby mediating access without requiring changes to the TCP or fundamental alterations to the UPnP architecture.
2Ease of operation
If the Configuration Management Service (CMS) is used for address book management, then basic CRUD operations are available, but sharing contact entries across different networks and platforms is not enabled
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines the existing CMS functionality with new network address book access capabilities in the TS. The TCP continues to use the familiar CMS interface for address book operations, while the TS merges this with additional functionality to retrieve and share contacts from network-based address books, thereby combining multiple capabilities into a unified system.
3Device complexity
If UPnP telephony systems use local address books only, then system simplicity is maintained, but integration with WAN servers and social networking platforms is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The TS is pre-configured with the capability to access network address books on WAN servers and social networking platforms. When a TCP requests address book functionality, the TS proactively retrieves contact entries from these external sources and makes them available through the existing phone data model, performing the network access action in advance of the TCP's needs.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a method and apparatus for sharing contacts entries at a Telephony Server (TS), the method including receiving a request from a Telephony Control Point coupled to the TS in a Universal Plug and Play home network to share at least one contact element associated with a contact entry with at least one recipient, retrieving the at least one contact element from a network address book in a Wide Area Network server connected to the TS or from a local address book in the TS, and sharing the at least one contact element with the at least one recipient.