Providing caller identification to mobile devices

摘要

A caller information server provides caller identification (ID) information to a mobile device. The server receives caller ID information from local address books stored on multiple mobile devices. The caller information server aggregates the received caller ID information to generate a pooled address book. The caller information server may determine whether names within the caller ID information are legitimate and store or filter the information accordingly. When a mobile device receives a call from a telephone number for which it lacks caller ID information in its local address book, the mobile device sends a request for the caller ID information for the telephone number, to the caller information server. The server identifies caller ID information associated with the telephone number in the pooled address book, and sends this information to the mobile device.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method of generating a pooled address book of caller identification (ID) information, comprising:
receiving caller ID information from local address books of a plurality of mobile devices used by a plurality of different users, the caller ID information including a plurality of telephone numbers and associated information; detecting conflicting information associated with a telephone number in the received caller ID information, wherein the conflicting information results from the received caller ID information indicating different information associated with the telephone number; analyzing the received caller ID information to select resolved information that resolves the conflicting information; generating a pooled address book that aggregates the caller ID information received from the plurality of mobile devices, the pooled address book associating the resolved information with the telephone number; receiving a request from a mobile device for caller ID information associated with the telephone number, the caller ID information associated with the telephone number not present in a local address book of the mobile device; identifying caller ID information in the pooled address book associated with the telephone number; and sending the identified caller ID information associated with the telephone number to the mobile device.