VoIP Client Contact Integration via Social Network Channel

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing internet-based communication tools, such as VoIP and social networking sites, operate as independent systems, requiring users to maintain separate contact lists and perform multiple import operations to communicate across platforms, leading to inconvenience and limited user base integration.

Innovation Solution

A system that allows a VoIP client application to establish a contact-sharing channel with a social networking site, fetching and displaying contact information, and enabling voice or video calls directly from the VoIP client based on user selection, without requiring re-import operations, and allowing communication with contacts from the social networking site without mutual acceptance in both systems.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If users maintain separate contact lists for different communication services, then each service can operate independently with its own user base, but users must perform multiple import operations to communicate across platforms, increasing operational complexity and time consumption

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecross-platform communication capabilityVSAvoidcontact management operation

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges contact lists from different communication services into a unified contact store. The VoIP client retrieves contacts from the social networking site and stores them in the VoIP client's contact store, allowing users to access and communicate with contacts from both services through a single interface without repeated import operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary action by automatically retrieving and storing contact information from the social networking site when the user initially connects the two services. This preliminary contact synchronization eliminates the need for users to manually import contacts each time they wish to communicate across platforms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Quantity of substance

If users manually import contacts from social networking sites to VoIP clients, then contact information can be transferred, but the process requires user selection of which contacts to import and repeated operations for different contacts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontact information volumeVSAvoidcontact import time

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements self-service by automatically retrieving and storing contact information from the social networking site without requiring user selection. The VoIP client autonomously fetches contact data and maintains it in the contact store, eliminating manual user intervention and repeated import operations for different contacts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Loss of information

If contact information is imported from social networking sites, then users can communicate with contacts, but contextual information such as presence information is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontextual information retentionVSAvoidcontact integration process

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The contact store is designed with multi-functionality to handle different types of contact information from various sources. It stores not only basic contact details but also contextual information such as presence status, allowing the system to maintain and utilize multiple types of information about contacts from different services within a unified structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Adaptability or versatility

If separate VoIP and social networking services are used, then each service can serve its specific communication needs, but users must run separate applications and maintain separate contact lists

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication service integrationVSAvoidapplication configuration

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The contact store acts as an intermediary component that mediates between the VoIP client and the social networking site. It receives contact information from the social networking site, stores it, and makes it available to the VoIP client, thereby integrating the two services without requiring users to manually configure or manage separate contact lists.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9143533B2Integrating communications

Publication Date: 2015.09.22 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A method of accessing a first communication system of a first communication provider via a packet-based network, the first communication system maintaining a first list of contacts being users of the first communication system. The method comprises establishing a contact-sharing channel with a second communication system of a second, partner communication provider, wherein the second communication system is accessible via an independently executable web-browser and the packet-based network, and wherein the second communication system maintains second group of contacts being users of the second communication system. The contact-sharing channel is used to fetch contact information of one or more of the second contacts, so as to display at least part of the fetched contact information in the client application and establish a communication based on at least part of the fetched contact information.