Method and system for maintaining contact information

摘要

Techniques for synchronizing personal contact information with or from different sources are disclosed. Through a website (i.e., a server or system), all fractional personal contact information is consolidated, synchronized, processed or updated. In return, any of the resources may be synchronized to get a copy of the latest version of the contact information. When contacts in a list by a registered user are also registered with the server, any of the contacts may update their respective contact information that can be timely reflected in the list. As a result, the registered user always has a latest version of the contact information for some or all of his/her contacts without even knowing some has already been changed or updated. Based on the contact information, other features including proof delivery of emails, recycling of deleted contacts, a “black” list, contact relationship levels and anonymous email, short messaging and calls are provided.

主权项

1. A method for managing contact information, the method comprising:
maintaining in a server a list of records for a registered user, each of the records including a profile of a contact of the registered user, the profile including a text field in addition to at least a last name, a first name, and an email address of the contact, wherein the text field allows the contact to edit a personal statement in free form to be shared with contacts of the contact; posting comments received from some of the contacts in responding to the personal statement by the contact; receiving data by the server from at least two sources, the data from each of the at least two sources including a fractional portion of one of records, wherein the server and each of the at least sources are coupled over a data network; merging the data for the one of records by operations including:
filling each of data fields created for the one of records with corresponding information from the data received respectively from the at least two sources;creating automatically or by the registered user a duplicated data field for one of the data fields to accommodate a different version of the information meant for the one of the data fields;allowing the profile to be annotated in a private text field by the registered user for reminding the registered user what the contact is about; and synchronizing the records between the server and one of the sources upon a request, wherein the one of the sources has a latest version of the records, each of the sources is one of an email application tool, a webmail tool, a cellular phone, a personal computer, and a mobile device.