# US 2014/0156644 A1 · Facilitating personas in communication exchange environments > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0156644 A1 - Document ID: US20140156644A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/705,515 - Filed: 2012-12-05 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-05 - Assignees: Microsoft Corporation - Applicants: Microsoft Corporation - Inventors: Elena Apreutesei; Michael R. TenEyck; Michael K. Higashi; Gustavo Santos - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140156644A1 ## CPC - H04L 12/6418: {Hybrid transport} - G06F 16/156: {Query results presentation} - G06F 16/48: Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Methods, systems, and software are disclosed herein for facilitating personas in communication exchange environments. Aspects of the disclosure include search requests to search for relevant personas. In response to each of the search requests, different contact sources are searched for any relevant contacts. Any relevant personas can then be returned having contact information assembled from the relevant contacts. ## Claims ### Claim 1 One or more computer readable storage media having stored thereon program instructions for facilitating a communication exchange environment that, when executed by a computing system, direct the computing system to at least: in response to a search request comprising search criteria with which to search for relevant personas, identify a plurality of persona identities based on the search criteria; in response to identifying the plurality of persona identities, identify in a plurality of contact sources a plurality of contacts associated with the plurality of persona identities; and initiate a reply to the search request comprising a plurality of personas, each of the plurality of personas corresponding to a persona identity of the plurality of persona identities and comprising contact information assembled from at least a portion of the plurality of contacts. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 1 wherein, for at least one persona of the plurality of personas, the portion of the plurality of contacts from which the contact information is assembled comprises a first contact identified from a first contact source of the plurality of contact sources and a second contact identified from a second contact source of the plurality of contact sources. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 2 wherein, for the at least one persona of the plurality of personas, the persona identity represents a person and the contact information comprises a first email address for the person assembled from the first contact and a second email address for the person assembled from the second contact. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 3 wherein to initiate the reply, the program instructions further direct the computing system to communicate with a communication application that initiated the search request. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 4 wherein the search request further comprises reply criteria with which to populate the relevant personas and wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to assemble the contact information from the portion of the plurality of contacts based on the reply criteria. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 1 wherein the search criteria comprises a search string, the search string having been input while initiating a communication to identify a person associated with the communication. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 1 wherein the program instructions, to assemble the contact information from at least the portion of the plurality of contacts, further direct the computing system to interface with a contacts folder to retrieve at least a portion of the contact information and interface with an organization directory service to retrieve at least another portion of the contact information. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 1 wherein the program instructions, to assemble the contact information from at least the portion of the plurality of contacts, further direct the computing system to interface with a contacts folder to retrieve at least a portion of the contact information and interface with a social network service to retrieve at least another portion of the contact information. ### Claim 9 A computing apparatus comprising: one or more computer readable storage media; and program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media for facilitating a communication exchange environment that, when executed by a processing system, direct the processing system to at least: initiate a search request comprising search criteria with which to search for any contacts in a plurality of different contact sources with which to generate personas; receive at least one persona in reply to the search request, the at last one persona comprising contact information assembled from a plurality of different contacts in the plurality of different contact sources; and initiate presentation of a view of the at least one persona, the view comprising at least a portion of the contact information. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The computing apparatus of claim 9 comprising the processing system coupled with the one or more computer readable storage media by computer readable communication media, the processing system configured to execute the program instructions. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The computing apparatus of claim 9 wherein the program instructions comprise a communication application and wherein the communication application communicates the search request to a communication exchange system, and wherein the search request further comprises reply criteria by which the communication exchange system assembles the contact information. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The computing apparatus of claim 9 wherein the search criteria comprises a search string, the search string input while initiating a communication to identify a person associated with the communication. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The computing apparatus of claim 9 wherein the plurality of different contact sources comprises a contacts folder and an organization directory service. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The computing apparatus of claim 9 wherein the plurality of different contact sources comprises a contacts folder and a social networking service. ### Claim 15 A method of operating a communication exchange system to facilitate personas in a communication exchange environment, the method comprising: receiving a plurality of search requests to search for relevant personas initiated by a plurality of application platforms in the communication exchange environment; in response to each of the plurality of search requests, searching a plurality of different contact sources for any relevant contacts; and returning a plurality of relevant personas to the plurality of application platforms in the communication exchange environment, each of the plurality of relevant personas comprising contact information assembled from the relevant contacts. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of search requests comprises search criteria used when searching the plurality of different contact sources for the relevant contacts. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of application platforms in the communication exchange environment includes a communication application and wherein the search criteria comprises a search string input to the communication application when initiating a communication. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of search requests further comprises reply criteria specifying with which portions of the relevant contacts to generate the contact information. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of different contact sources comprises a contacts folder and an organization directory service. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of different contact sources comprises a contacts folder and a social networking service.