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US 10,652,380 B1Granted
Techniques to manage contact records
AssigneeWhatsapp Inc.
InventorsMichael B. Donohue, Clark Chen, Alan Liu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Exemplary embodiments relate to techniques for managing contact information received in the context of a messaging system. Messages may be received from known contacts which contain user contact records for third parties. Based on the trust relationship with the known contacts, the user contact record is placed in a contact record repository for later retrieval. When another message is received which either references the user contact record or is from the third party referenced in the user contact record, a dialog box is presented offering the user the opportunity to add the user contact record as an address entry in the address book of the device.
Claims20
A computer-implemented method, comprising:
- requesting, from an administrator of a messaging thread of which a user of a client device is a participant, user contact records of participants other than the administrator in the messaging thread, each user contact record comprising a name and phone number of a participant;
- receiving a plurality of user contact records at the client device, the plurality of user contact records representing participants in the messaging thread;
- determining that a first user contact record of the plurality of contact records does not match an entry in an address book on the client device;
- determining that a user contact record for the administrator exists in the address book on the client device;
- based on the determinations that the first user contact record does not match an entry in the address book on the client device and that the user contact record for the administrator exists in the address book on the client device, storing the first user contact record in a contact record repository on the client device separate from the address book;
- receiving an incoming message at the client device from an initiating user account;
- determining the first user contact record contains information matching identifying information of the initiating user account;
- extracting contact information from the first user contact record;
- and
- adding information from the first user contact record as an entry in an address book on the client device.
7 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a processor on a client device;
- a messaging component operative on the processor to:
- request, from an administrator of a messaging thread of which a user of the client device is a participant, user contact records of participants other than the administrator in the messaging thread, each user contact record comprising a name and phone number of a participant;
- receive a plurality of user contact records at the client device, the plurality of user contact records representing participants in the messaging thread;
- determine that a first user contact record of the plurality of user contact records does not match an entry in an address book on the client device;
- determine that a user contact record for the administrator exists in the address book on the client device;
- based on the determinations that the first user contact record does not match an enter in the address book on the client device and that the user contact record for the administrator exists in the address book on the client device, store the first user contact record in a contact record repository on the client device separate from the address book;
- receive an incoming message at the client device from an initiating user account;
- determine the first user contact record contains information matching identifying information of the initiating user account;
- extract contact information from the first user contact record;
- and
- add information from the first user contact record as an entry in an address book on the client device.
9 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:
- request, from an administrator of a messaging thread of which a user of the client device is a participant, user contact records of participants other than the administrator in the messaging thread, each user contact record comprising a name and phone number of a participant;
- receive a plurality of user contact records at the client device, the plurality of user contact records representing all participants in the messaging thread;
- determine that a first user contact record of the plurality of user contact records does not match an entry in an address book on the client device;
- determine that a user contact record for the administrator exists in the address book on the client device;
- based on the determinations that the first user contact record does not match an entry in the address book on the client device and that the user contact record for the administrator exists in the address book on the client device, store the first user contact record in the contact record repository on the client device separate from the address book;
- receive an incoming message at the client device from an initiating user account;
- determine the first user contact record contains information matching identifying information of the initiating user account;
- extract contact information from the first user contact record;
- and
- add information from the first user contact record as an entry in an address book on the client device.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.