Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02788920 2012-09-07
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR UPDATING A CONTACT LIST
FIELD
[0001] Example embodiments relate to systems and methods for updating a
contact list,
and in particular to systems and methods for updating a contact list of a
mobile device.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Mobile devices such as cellular phones, personal data assistant
devices, portable
computers, etc. are becoming ubiquitous recently. These mobile devices are
used to
communicate with other mobile devices, personal computers, and servers through
wireless
network. Particularly, mobile devices are being used to talk; receive and send
text messages
and emails; make reservations to hotels, rental cars, or tickets; create and
record appointments;
play video games; or watch TV or movies. The adoption of these mobile devices
in everyday
life gives great convenience to users.
[0003] Recently, mobile devices are increasingly being used to participate in
audio or
video conference calls.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying
drawings
which show example embodiments of the present disclosure, and in which:
[0005] Figure 1 shows, in block diagram form, an example system according to
an
example embodiment;
[0006] Figure 2 shows a block diagram illustrating a mobile device according
to an
example embodiment;
[0007] Figure 3 is a block diagram depicting an example conference call
management
system;
[0008] Figure 4A illustrates an example display screen displaying an example
conference call menu items;
[0009] Figure 4B illustrates an example display screen displaying an example
conference call roster;
[0010] Figure 4C illustrates an example display screen displaying an example
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application retrieving contact information;
[0011] Figure 5A illustrates an example display screen displaying a new
contact
information record;
[0012] Figure 5B illustrates an example display screen displaying saving
options.
[0013] Figure 6 shows a flowchart representing an example method for updating
a
contact list according to some embodiments;
[0014] Figure 7 shows a flowchart representing an example method for approving
a
request for retrieving contact information in a server; and
[0015] Figure 8 illustrates an example display screen displaying an example
denial
message.
DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
[0016] The example embodiments below describe systems and methods where a user
using a mobile device participates in a conference call.
[0017] After receiving a conference call attendee list, a mobile device
determines,
while in the conference call, whether contact information of the attendees is
stored in the
mobile device. If contact information of one of the attendees is not stored
locally, the mobile
device provides an option for a user of the mobile device to retrieve the
contact information. In
some embodiments, the mobile device provides an option for a user of the
mobile device to
retrieve updated contact information even if the contact information of the
attendee is stored
locally in a memory of the mobile device. In some embodiments, a conference
call moderating
device is configured to approve a request from the mobile device for
retrieving the contact
information. If the request is approved, the mobile device receives, while
participating on the
conference call, contact information for the conference call attendees from a
remote contact
information database that includes a plurality of contact information records
including the
contact information of the conference call attendee. The mobile device can
then create a
contact information record corresponding to the received contact information,
and populate the
contact information record in the mobile device. In some embodiments, the
mobile device
provides an option to the user to save the contact information record to a
memory coupled with
the mobile device.
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[0018] Reference is now made to Figure 1, which shows, in block diagram form,
an
example system 100 in which a plurality of devices are used to participate in
a conference call.
System 100 includes an enterprise network 105, which in some embodiments
includes a local
area network (LAN). In some embodiments, enterprise network 105 can be an
enterprise or
business system. In some embodiments, enterprise network 105 includes more
than one
network and is located in multiple geographic areas. While Figure 1
illustrates system 100
using an enterprise network 105, any type of network can be used so long as it
can
accommodate conference call management system described herein.
[0019] Enterprise network 105 is coupled, often through a firewall 110, to a
wide area
network (WAN) 115, such as the Internet. Enterprise network 105 can also be
coupled to a
public switched telephone network (PSTN) 128 via direct inward dialing (DID)
trunks or
primary rate interface (PRI) trunks.
[0020] Enterprise network 105 can also communicate with a public land mobile
network (PLMN) 120, which is also referred to as a wireless wide area network
(WWAN) or,
in some cases, a cellular network. The connection with PLMN 120 is via a relay
125.
[0021] In some embodiments, enterprise network 105 provides a wireless local
area
network (WLAN), not shown, featuring wireless access points, such as wireless
access point
125a. In some embodiments, other WLANs can exist outside enterprise network
105. For
example, a WLAN coupled to WAN 115 can be accessed via wireless access point
125b.
WAN 115 is coupled to one or more mobile devices, for example mobile device
140.
Additionally, WAN 115 can be coupled to one or more desktop or laptop
computers 142 (one
shown).
[0022] System 100 can include a number of mobile devices, for example, mobile
devices 130, 135, 136, and 140. Mobile devices 130, 135, 136, and 140 can
include devices
equipped for cellular communication through PLMN 120, mobile devices equipped
for Wi-Fi
communications over one of the WLANs via wireless access points 125a or 125b,
or
dual-mode devices capable of both cellular and WLAN communications. Wireless
access
points 125a or 125b can be configured to WLANs that operate in accordance with
one of the
IEEE 802.11 specifications. In some embodiments, the memory stores user-
profile
information, including unique device identifiers, for example a device
personal identification
number (PIN), user identifier, place of employment, location data, work phone
number, home
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address, etc. Additionally, the memory can store information relating to
various people, for
example, name of a user, a user's identifier (user name, email address, or any
other identifier),
place of employment, location data, work phone number, home address, device
PIN, or the like.
[0023] Mobile devices 130, 135, 136, and 140 can be, for example, cellular
phones,
smartphones, tablets, netbooks, and a PDA (personal digital assistant) enabled
for wireless
communication. Moreover, mobile devices 130, 135, 136, and 140 can communicate
with
other components using voice communications or data communications (such as
accessing
content from a website). Mobile devices 130, 135, 136, and 140 are described
in detail below
in Figure 2.
[0024] Mobile devices 130, 135, 136, and 140 also include one or more radio
transceivers and associated processing hardware and software to enable
wireless
communications with PLMN 120, and/or one of the WLANs via wireless access
points 125a or
125b. In various embodiments, PLMN 120 and mobile devices 130, 135, 136, and
140 are
configured to operate in compliance with any one or more of a number of
wireless protocols,
including GSM, GPRS, CDMA, EDGE, UMTS, EvDO, HSPA, 3GPP, or a variety of
others.
It will be appreciated that mobile devices 130, 135, 136, and 140 can roam
within PLMN 120
and across PLMNs, in known manner, as their user moves. In some instances,
dual-mode
mobile devices 130, 135, 136, and 140 and/or enterprise network 105 are
configured to
facilitate roaming between PLMN 120 and a wireless access points 125a or 125b,
and are thus
capable of seamlessly transferring sessions (such as voice calls) from a
connection with the
cellular interface of dual-mode device (i.e., 130, 135, 136, and 140) to a
WLAN interface of the
dual-mode device, and vice versa.
[00251 Enterprise network 105 typically couples to a number of servers,
computers, and
other devices. For example, in some embodiments, enterprise network 105
operatively
connects one or more desktop or laptop computers 142 (one shown), 143 (one
shown). The
operative connection can be wired or wireless in some embodiments. In some
embodiments,
computers 142 and 143 are servers.
[0026] Computers 142 and 143 can include one or more processors (not shown), a
memory (not shown), a data interface (not shown), and storages 142a, 143a. The
processor(s)
can be a single or multiple microprocessors, field programmable gate arrays
(FPGAs), or
digital signal processors (DSPs) capable of executing particular sets of
instructions.
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Computer-readable instructions can be stored on a tangible nontransitory
computer-readable
medium, such as a flexible disk, a hard disk, a CD-ROM (compact disk-read only
memory),
and MO (magneto-optical), a DVD-ROM (digital versatile disk-read only memory),
a DVD
RAM (digital versatile disk-random access memory), or a semiconductor memory.
[0027] In some embodiments, enterprise network 105 includes one or more mail
servers, such as mail server 145, for coordinating the transmission, storage,
and receipt of
electronic messages, including conference call invitations, for client devices
operating within
enterprise network 105. Typical mail servers include the Microsoft Exchange
Server TM and the
IBM Lotus DominoTM server. Each user within the enterprise typically has at
least one user
account within the enterprise network 105. Associated with each user account
is message
address information, such as an e-mail address, user name, or the like.
Messages addressed to
a user message address are stored on the enterprise network 105 in mail server
145. The
messages can be retrieved by the user using a messaging application, such as
an email client
application. In some embodiments, the messaging application operates on mobile
devices 130,
135, and 136 coupled to enterprise network 105 within the enterprise. Using
the messaging
application, the user composes and sends messages addressed to others, within
or outside
enterprise network 105. The messaging application causes mail server 145 to
send a composed
message to the addressee, often via WAN 115.
[0028] Relay 125 serves to route messages received over PLMN 120 from mobile
device 130 to the corresponding enterprise network 105. Relay 125 also pushes
messages from
enterprise network 105 to mobile device 130 via PLMN 120.
[0029] Enterprise network 105 can also include an enterprise server 150.
Together with
relay 125, enterprise server 150 functions to redirect or relay incoming e-
mail messages
addressed to a user's e-mail address through enterprise network 105 to mobile
device 130 and
to relay incoming e-mail messages composed and sent via mobile device 130 out
to the
intended recipients within WAN 115 or elsewhere. Enterprise server 150 and
relay 125
together facilitate a "push" e-mail service for mobile device 130, enabling
the user to send and
receive e-mail messages using mobile device 130 as though the user were
coupled to an e-mail
client within enterprise network 105 using the user's enterprise-related e-
mail address, for
example on computer 143.
[0030] Enterprise network 105 can include a Private Branch eXchange ("PBX";
although in various embodiments the PBX can be a standard PBX or an IP-PBX for
simplicity
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the description below uses the term PBX to refer to both) 127 having an
operative connection
with PSTN 128 for routing incoming and outgoing voice calls for the
enterprise. PBX 127 is
coupled to PSTN 128 via DID trunks or PRI trunks, for example. PBX 127 can use
ISDN
signaling protocols for setting up and tearing down circuit-switched
connections through PSTN
128 and related signaling and communications. In some embodiments, PBX 127 can
be
coupled to one or more conventional analog telephones 129. PBX 127 is also
coupled to
enterprise server 150 and, through it, to telephone terminal devices, such as
digital telephone
sets (not shown), softphones operating on computers 143, etc. Within an
enterprise, each
individual can have an associated extension number, sometimes referred to as a
PNP (private
numbering plan), or direct dial phone number. Calls outgoing from PBX 127 to
PSTN 128 or
incoming from PSTN 128 to PBX 127 are typically circuit-switched calls. Within
the
enterprise, for example, between PBX 127 and terminal devices, voice calls are
often
packet-switched calls, for example Voice-over-IP (VoIP) calls.
[0031] System 100 includes one or more conference bridge 132. Conference
bridge
132 can be part of enterprise network 105. Additionally, in some embodiments,
conference
bridge 132 can be accessed via WAN 115 or PTSN 128. Conference bridge 132 is
implemented on one or more servers having suitable communications interfaces
for operatively
connecting to and communicating with enterprise server 150. Conference Bridge
132 can
include one or more processors (not shown), a memory (not shown), and a data
interface (not
shown). The processor(s) can be a single or multiple microprocessors, field
programmable gate
arrays (FPGAs), or digital signal processors (DSPs) capable of executing
particular sets of
instructions. Computer-readable instructions can be stored on a tangible
nontransitory
computer-readable medium, such as a flexible disk, a hard disk, a CD-ROM
(compact
disk-read only memory), and MO (magneto-optical), a DVD-ROM (digital versatile
disk-read
only memory), a DVD RAM (digital versatile disk-random access memory), or a
semiconductor memory. In some embodiments, the memory stores user-profile
information,
including unique device identifiers, for example a device personal
identification number (PIN).
Additionally, the memory can store information relating to various conference
call attendees,
for example, name of an attendee, an attendee's identifier (user name, email
address, or any
other identifier), location data, place of employment, work phone number, home
address,
device PIN, etc.
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[0032] Mobile device 130 has a conference call management system 300 and is in
communication with enterprise network 105. In some example embodiments,
conference call
management system 300 also operates on mobile devices 135, 136, and 140, or
computers 142
and 143. In some embodiments, conference call management system 300 is in
communication
with and operates as part of a larger conference call program installed on
mobile devices 130,
135, 136, and 140, and other servers on the enterprise network 105, for
example, conference
bridge 132.
[0033] Reference is now made to Figure 2 illustrating in detail mobile device
130 in
which example embodiments can be applied. Note that while Figure 2 is
described in
reference to mobile device 130, it can also apply to mobile devices 135, 136,
and 140. Mobile
device 130 is a two-way communication device having data and voice
communication
capabilities, and the capability to communicate with other computer systems,
for example, via
the Internet. Depending on the functionality provided by mobile device 130, in
various
embodiments mobile device 130 can be a handheld device, a multiple-mode
communication
device configured for both data and voice communication, a smartphone, a
mobile telephone,
a tablet, a netbook, a gaming console, or a PDA (personal digital assistant)
enabled for wireless
communication.
[0034] Mobile device 130 includes a rigid case (not shown) housing the
components of
mobile device 130. The internal components of mobile device 130 can, for
example, be
constructed on a printed circuit board (PCB). The description of mobile device
130 herein
mentions a number of specific components and subsystems. Although these
components and
subsystems can be realized as discrete elements, the functions of the
components and
subsystems can also be realized by integrating, combining, or packaging one or
more elements
in any suitable fashion.
[0035] Mobile device 130 includes a controller comprising at least one
processor 240
(such as a microprocessor), which controls the overall operation of mobile
device 130.
Processor 240 interacts with device subsystems such as a communications
subsystem 211 for
exchanging radio frequency signals with the wireless network (for example WAN
115 and/or
PLMN 120) to perform communication functions. Processor 240 interacts with
additional
device subsystems including a display 204 such as a liquid crystal display
(LCD) screen or any
other appropriate display, input devices 206 such as a keyboard and control
buttons, persistent
memory 244, random access memory (RAM) 246, read only memory (ROM) 248,
auxiliary
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input/output (I/O) subsystems 250, data port 252 such as a conventional serial
data port or a
Universal Serial Bus (USB) data port, speaker 256, microphone 258, one or more
cameras 260
(one shown), short-range wireless communications subsystem 262 (which can
employ any
appropriate wireless such as RF, optical, or other short range communications
technology), and
other device subsystems generally designated as 264. Some of the subsystems
shown in Figure
2 perform communication-related functions, whereas other subsystems can
provide "resident"
or on-device functions.
[0036] Display 204 can be realized as a touch-screen display in some
embodiments.
The touch-screen display can be constructed using a touch-sensitive input
surface coupled to an
electronic controller and which overlays the visible element of display 204.
The
touch-sensitive overlay and the electronic controller provide a touch-
sensitive input device, and
processor 240 interacts with the touch-sensitive overlay via the electronic
controller.
[0037] Communications subsystem 211 includes one or more communication systems
for communicating with wireless WAN 115 and wireless access points 125a and
125b within
the wireless network. The particular design of wireless communications
subsystem depends on
the wireless network in which mobile device 130 is intended to operate. Mobile
device 130 can
send and receive communication signals over the wireless network after the
required network
registration or activation procedures have been completed.
[0038] Processor 240 operates under stored program control and executes
software
modules 221 stored in memory such as persistent memory 244 or ROM 248.
Processor 240 can
execute code means or instructions. ROM 248 can contain data, program
instructions or both.
Persistent memory 244 can contain data, program instructions or both, in some
embodiments
is rewritable under control of processor 240, and can be realized using any
appropriate
persistent memory technology, including EEPROM, EAROM, FLASH, and the like. As
illustrated in Figure 2, software modules 221 can include operating system
software 223.
Additionally, software modules 221 can include software applications 225.
[0039] In some embodiments, persistent memory 244 stores user-profile
information,
including a device PIN. Persistent memory 244 also can store information
relating to various
people, for example, name of a user, a user's identifier (user name, email
address, or any other
identifier, device PIN), place of employment, work phone number, home address,
etc.
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Persistent memory 244 can additionally store contact information related to
conference call
attendees and any related grouping information.
[00401 Software modules 221, for example, conference call management system
300,
or parts thereof can be temporarily loaded into volatile memory such as RAM
246. RAM 246
is used for storing runtime data variables and other types of data or
information. In some
embodiments, different assignment of functions to the types of memory could
also be used.
[00411 Software applications 225 can further include a range of applications,
including,
for example, an application related to a conference call application, e-mail
messaging
application, address book, calendar application, notepad application, internet
browser
application, voice communication (i.e., telephony) application, mapping
application, or a
media player application, or any combination thereof. Each of software
applications 225 can
include layout information defining the placement of particular fields and
graphic elements (for
example, text fields, input fields, icons, or the like) in the user interface
(for example, display
204) according to the disclosure.
[00421 In some embodiments, auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystems 250
comprise an
external communication link or interface, for example, an Ethernet connection.
In some
embodiments, auxiliary I/O subsystems 250 can further comprise one or more
input devices,
including a pointing or navigational tool such as a clickable trackball or
scroll wheel or
thumbwheel, or one or more output devices, including a mechanical transducer
such as a
vibrator for providing vibratory notifications in response to various events
on mobile device
130 (for example, receipt of an electronic message or incoming phone call), or
for other
purposes such as haptic feedback (touch feedback).
[00431 In some embodiments, mobile device 130 also includes one or more
removable
memory modules 230 (typically comprising FLASH memory) and one or more memory
module interfaces 232. Among possible functions of removable memory module 230
is to
store information used to identify or authenticate a user or the user's
account to wireless
network (for example WAN 115 and/or PLMN 120). For example, in conjunction
with certain
types of wireless networks, including GSM and successor networks, removable
memory
module 230 is referred to as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM). Memory module
230 is
inserted in or coupled to memory module interface 232 of mobile device 130 in
order to operate
in conjunction with the wireless network.
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[0044] Mobile device 130 stores data 227 in persistent memory 244. In various
embodiments, data 227 includes service data comprising information required by
mobile
device 130 to establish and maintain communication with the wireless network
(for example
WAN 115 and/or PLMN 120). Data 227 can include conference call management
system 300
data used by mobile device 130 for various tasks. For example, data 227 can
include
user-profile information, including unique device identifiers, for example a
device personal
identification number (PIN). Additionally, the memory can store a list of
contacts including
contact information relating to various people, for example, name of a user, a
user's identifier
(user name, email address, or any other identifier), place of employment, work
phone number,
location information, home address, device PIN, or the like. In addition, the
memory can store
a list of contacts including various groups of people, for example, a group of
relatives, friends,
or colleagues, etc. Moreover, the memory can store a list of contacts
including one or more ad
hoc groups for particular purposes, for example, a "new product developing"
group, or a
"financial committee" group, etc.
[0045] Mobile device 130 also includes a battery 238 which furnishes energy
for
operating mobile device 130. Battery 238 can be coupled to the electrical
circuitry of mobile
device 130 through a battery interface 236, which can manage such functions as
charging
battery 238 from an external power source (not shown) and the distribution of
energy to various
loads within or coupled to mobile device 130. Short-range wireless
communications
subsystem 262 is an additional optional component that provides for
communication between
mobile device 130 and different systems or devices, which need not necessarily
be similar
devices. For example, short-range wireless communications subsystem 262 can
include an
infrared device and associated circuits and components, or a wireless bus
protocol compliant
communication mechanism such as a BLUETOOTH communication module to provide
for
communication with similarly-enabled systems and devices.
[0046] A predetermined set of applications that control basic device
operations,
including data and possibly voice communication applications can be installed
on mobile
device 130 during or after manufacture. Additional applications and/or
upgrades to operating
system software 223 or software applications 225 can also be loaded onto
mobile device 130
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through the wireless network (for example, WAN 115 and/or PLMN 120), auxiliary
I/O
subsystem 250, data port 252, short-range wireless communications subsystem
262, or other
suitable subsystem such as 264. The downloaded programs or code modules can be
permanently installed, for example, written into the program memory (for
example, persistent
memory 244), or written into and executed from RAM 246 for execution by
processor 240 at
runtime.
[0047] Mobile device 130 can provide three principal modes of communication: a
data
communication mode, a voice communication mode, and a video communication
mode. In the
data communication mode, a received data signal such as a text message, an e-
mail message,
Web page download, or an image file are processed by communications subsystem
211 and
input to processor 240 for further processing. For example, a downloaded Web
page can be
further processed by a browser application, or an e-mail message can be
processed by an e-mail
message messaging application and output to display 204. A user of mobile
device 130 can
also compose data items, such as email messages, for example, using the input
devices in
conjunction with display 204. These composed items can be transmitted through
communications subsystem 211 over the wireless network (for example, WAN 115
and/or
PLMN 120). In the voice communication mode, mobile device 130 provides
telephony
functions and operates as a typical cellular phone. In the video communication
mode, mobile
device 130 provides video telephony functions and operates as a video
teleconference term. In
the video communication mode, mobile device 130 utilizes one or more cameras
260 to capture
video of video teleconference. In the video communication mode, call
management system
300 can be a video conferencing server and can include a video control module
(not shown) that
controls the operation of camera 260 for participating in a video conference.
[0048] In system 100, a conference call can be managed by conference bridge
132, or
can be managed by one of the computers 142, 143, or one of mobile devices 130,
135, 136, and
140, for example.
[0049] In the following, examples will be given as conference bridge 132
managing a
conference call. Before beginning a conference call, conference bridge 132
sends invitations to
potential conference call attendees through emails or text massages, for
example. After
receiving responses from these potential conference call attendees, conference
bridge 132 can
generate a conference call roster that includes the names of the attendees in
the conference call.
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Conference bridge 132 can then send the conference call roster to each of the
attendees. Note
that conference bridge 132 can send the conference call roster to the
attendees before or after
the conference call begins.
[0050] Examples will now be given to how mobile devices 130, 135, 136, and 140
can
update their contact lists stored locally at, for example, persistent memory
244 after receiving
a conference call roster. Although the following examples are described in
reference to mobile
device 130, it also applies to mobile devices 135, 136, and 140.
[0051] Figure 3 is a block diagram depicting example conference call
management
system 300 implemented on a mobile device, for example, mobile device 130,
mobile device
135, mobile device 136, mobile device 140, computer 142, or computer 143. As
illustrated,
conference call management system 300 includes a contact information
retrieving module 310,
a contact information generation module 320, a communication module 330, a
management
module 340, and a data storage module 350. It is appreciated that one or more
of these modules
can be deleted, modified, or combined together with other modules.
[0052] Contact information retrieving module 310 can generate a request for
contact
information and send it to communication module 330. Communication module 330
sends the
request to a remote device (such as conference bridge 132) that maintains a
contact information
database containing a plurality of contact information records. Communication
module 330 is
also configured to receive information from remote devices. For example,
communication
module 330 is configured to receive a conference call roster, or request
contact information.
After the requested contact information is received, contact information
record generation
module 320 generates contact information records based on the received contact
information.
Management module 340 is configured to populate the contact information
records in mobile
device 130. Data storage module 350 stores the contact information records in
mobile device
130 at, for example, persistent memory 244.
[0053] In some embodiments, the received contact information can include
updates to
an attendee's contact information that was previously stored on mobile device
130. The
received contact information can include only updates or can include both
updates and contact
information identical to the contact information stored on mobile device 130.
Management
module 340 is configured to update the previously stored contact information
records in mobile
device 130. Data storage module 350 stores the updated contact information.
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[0054] Management module 340 can give instructions for displaying a list of
conference call attendees, and can determine whether an attendee's contact
information is
stored locally. If management module 340 determines that the contact
information is not stored
locally, management module 340 can provide instructions for displaying a
prompt to the user
requesting whether to request that contact information. A video control module
(not shown)
can be included in the conference call management system 300 to control the
operation of
camera 260 when participating in a video conference.
[0055] In some embodiments, management module 340 can provide instructions for
requesting contact information for an attendee having contact information
already stored on
mobile device 130. Management module 340 can compare the requested contact
information
with the stored contact information for determining whether to update the
attendee's contact
information. In some embodiments, management module 340 can provide
instructions for
transmitting the stored attendee's contact information, which can then be
compared with
contact information located at the remote location.
[0056] In some embodiments, the updates to the contact information occur
automatically. In some other embodiments, management module 340 can provide
instructions
for displaying a prompt to the user requesting whether to update the
attendee's contact
information.
[0057] Figure 4A depicts an example mobile device 130 displaying a screen shot
of its
participation in a conference call. In Figure 4A, mobile device 130 includes a
display 204,
such as a graphical user interface, showing that mobile device 130 is in a
status of "In
Conference" 402. It can also display a menu, for example, presenting to the
user one or more
menu items for the conference call. For example, the menu items 404 can
include "Mute"
404a, "Show Keyboard" 404b, or "View All Attendees" 404c. In some embodiments,
the
menu items 404 can be presented as icons. If the user selects "View All
Attendees" link 404c,
management module 340 of mobile device 130 can send instructions to a display
module (not
shown) for displaying a conference call roster including a list of names of
the conference call
attendees. Before sending the instructions for displaying, management module
340 checks
(using data storage module 350) whether the contact information of the
conference call
attendees is stored locally at, for example, persistent memory 244.
[0058] Figure 4B illustrates an example screen shot of mobile device 130
displaying a
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list of names of the conference call attendees. The list includes attendee
names "John Doe"
406, "Mary Jones" 408, and "Steve Banks" 410, etc. In addition, the list can
include indicators
as to whether the contact information of the attendees is stored locally and
available to be
viewed according to the determination results from management module 340. For
example, in
Figure 4B, a question mark "?" 406a adjacent to name "John Doe" 406 can
indicate that the
contact information of attendee "John Doe" is not stored locally in mobile
device 130, while a
checked box 408a or 410a can indicate that the contact information of
attendees "Mary Jones"
and "Steve Banks" is already stored locally in a memory of mobile device 130
and is available
for viewing. In other example embodiments, the list also shows other
attributes of the
attendees, such as whether an attendee is on mute, in a private discussion
with other attendees,
etc.
[0059] If the contact information is not stored locally, the user of a mobile
device 130
can request that the contact information of an attendee be added to a contact
list of the mobile
device 130. For example, in Figure 4B, the contact information of "John Doe"
is not stored
locally and the user can select "Add" link 406b to add the contact information
to the contact list
of mobile device 130. The user can also request to view the contact
information stored locally.
For example, because the contact information of "Mary Jones" and "Steve Banks"
is stored
locally in mobile device 130, the user can select the "View" links 408b and
410b to view the
respective contact information of "Mary Jones" and "Steve Banks".
[0060] If the user selects the "Add" link 406b, contact information retrieving
module
310 of mobile device 130 generates a request to retrieve the contact
information.
Communication module 330 sends the request to a remote device, while still
participating or
preparing to participate in the conference call. For example, mobile phone 130
can send a
request for the contact information to conference bridge 132, which manages
the conference
call. Figure 4C illustrates an example screen shot of the mobile device 130
retrieving contact
information of an attendee "John Doe" while still participating in the
conference call. The
mobile device 130 can display a text message, "Retrieving John Doe's contact
information"
414 and a retrieving status bar 416 to show the progress of the retrieval.
[0061] After communication module 330 receives the requested contact
information,
contact information generation module 320 generates a new contact information
record based
on the received contact information. Management module 340, upon notification
of the new
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contact information record, sends instructions for displaying the new contact
information
record to a display module (not shown), whereby the user can edit the contact
information.
Figure 5A depicts an example of displaying a new contact information record
502 in a mobile
device 130. The new contact information record 502 includes name of the
person, title,
position within an organization, email address, employer, place of employment,
work phone
number, location information, home address, PIN, etc. A functional dialogue
block 504 that
provides an option to save the new contact information record 502 can be
displayed along with
this new record.
[0062] Referring to Figure 5B, in some embodiments, after the user agrees to
save the
new contact information record, the mobile device provides options to
associate the contact
with one or more groups. For example, the user can save the new record to an
existing list of
contacts by selecting 506a. In some embodiments, the user can save the new
record to one or
more existing groups by selecting 506b. The one or more existing groups can
include one or
more ad hoc groups, and the new contact information record can be associated
with the one or
more existing ad hoc groups, which can be automatically determined based on
the conference
call roster. In some embodiments, the user can create one or more new groups
and save the new
record to the one or more new groups by selecting 506c. The one or more new
groups can
include one or more new ad hoc groups, and the new contact information record
can be
associated with the one or more new ad hoc groups.
[0063] Figure 6 shows a flowchart representing an example method for updating
a
contact list according to some embodiments. While the flowchart discloses the
following steps
in a particular order, it is appreciated that at least some of the steps can
be moved, modified, or
deleted where appropriate.
[0064] At step 602, a mobile device (such as mobile device 130) receives an
invitation
to a conference call. After the invitation is accepted, the mobile device
receives a conference
call roster from a server, for example, conference bridge 132 at step 604. The
conference call
roster includes a plurality of conference call attendees participating on a
conference call. In
some embodiments, the mobile device receives both the conference call
invitation at step 602
and the conference call roster at step 604 from the same transmission. For
example, a
conference invite email can include the conference call roster including the
list of the
conference call attendees. Note that the mobile device can receive the
conference call roster
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before or after the conference call begins.
[0065] At step 606, the mobile device participates in the conference call by
communicating with a server (such as conference bridge 132). The conference
call can be an
audio conference call, a video conference call, or a combination of both. For
example, while in
the conference call, the user of the mobile device can have an option to open
the conference call
roster, including the names of the attendees. In some embodiments, the user
can request to see
the corresponding contact information stored locally in the mobile device. The
mobile device
can display the conference call roster so that the user can see who is
attending and can provide
the user with the option of requesting contact information from an attendee
listed on the
conference call roster. At step 608, if it is determined that the contact
information of one or
more of the attendees is to be requested from a remote device (such as
conference bridge 132
or computers 142, 143), the mobile device sends a request for contact
information at step 610.
[0066] The requested contact information can include an attendee's contact
information not stored locally on the mobile device, updates to the attendee's
contact
information already stored on the mobile device, or a combination of updates
and contact
information identical to the contact information stored on mobile device 130.
[0067] In some embodiments, step 608 further involves determining whether the
contact information of one or more of the attendees is stored locally. If the
contact information
is stored locally, the mobile device can automatically request the contact
information from the
remote device, can prompt the user asking permission to request the contact
information, or
simply does not request the contact information since it is already stored in
the mobile device.
[0068] After sending a request for contact information at step 610, the mobile
device
receives contact information from a remote contact information database at
step 612. This
contact information includes, for example, an email address, a PIN, a place of
employment, a
phone number, an address, or any combination thereof. The contact information
database can
be maintained in conference bridge 132 or computers 142, 143, for example.
[0069] At step 614, the mobile device populates the contact information record
with at
least some of the received contact information. In the embodiment where the
contact
information is contact information for an attendee not previously stored on
the mobile device,
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the mobile device can create a new contact information record and populate the
record with the
received contact information. In the embodiments where the received contact
information
includes updates to contact information for an attendee previously stored on
the mobile device,
the mobile device can determine whether the received contact information
includes updates,
and updates the contact information record by populating the record with at
least the updated
contact information. In some embodiments, the updated or new items of the
contact
information record of an attendee previously stored on the mobile device can
be highlighted
(for example, with different colors or underlines) to distinguish the original
contact information
from the received contact information so that the user can be aware of what
the updated or new
items are.
[0070] This contact information can then be displayed on a display screen at
step 616.
In some embodiments, the mobile device receives instructions from the user to
modify at least
a portion of the contact information record. The mobile device determines
whether to save the
contact information record at step 618 according to an instruction from the
user.
[0071] Figure 7 shows a flowchart representing an example method of a server,
for
example conference bridge 132, after receiving a request from a mobile device
for retrieving
contact information according to some embodiments. While the flowchart
discloses the
following steps in a particular order, it is appreciated that at least some of
the steps can be
moved, modified, or deleted where appropriate.
[0072] In step 702, a server managing the conference call receives the request
for
contact information of a conference call attendee. The server can in
accordance with a
predetermined rule, for example, determine whether to approve the request at
step 704. In
some other embodiments, the server can receive an instruction indicating
whether the request
should be approved, from a moderator of the conference call. The moderator of
the conference
call can use a moderating device (for example, mobile device 130, mobile
device 135, mobile
device 136, mobile device 140, computer 142, or computer 143) for hosting the
call. In yet
some other embodiments, the server does not perform approval step 704 and
proceeds
automatically to step 708. If the server determines not to approve the
request, it sends a denial
message back to the mobile device at step 706. On receipt of the denial
message, a mobile
device 130 displays a denial message. For example, mobile device 130 displays
a denial
message 802 as shown in Figure 8.
[0073] On the other hand, if the server approves the request, the server sends
the
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contact information to the requesting mobile device at step 708
[0074] According to some example embodiments, a mobile device can send a
contact
information request to a server other than the server that manages the
conference call. For
example, referring back to Figure 1, mobile device 130 can send a request for
the contact
information to computer 142, which does not manage the conference call but
maintains a
contact information database in its storage 142a. The contact information
database contains a
plurality of contact information records including the requested contact
information of the
conference call attendee. Each contact information record can include, for
example, an email
address, a PIN, a place of employment, a phone number, an address, etc.
Computer 142, in
response to the request, searches for, acquires, and sends the requested
contact information
back to mobile device 130. Because retrieving the contact information is
without the
involvement of conference call managing server, the user of mobile device 130
can thus enjoy
a broad flexibility in obtaining new contact information.
[0075] Certain adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments can
be
made. Therefore, the above discussed embodiments are considered to be
illustrative and not
restrictive.
[0076] Embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to any particular
operating system, mobile device architecture, server architecture, or computer
programming
language.
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