US 7,584,209 B2Granted

Flexible file format for updating an address book

AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation

InventorsNeil L. Shipp, Victor E. Romano, Michael V. Sliger

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Abstract

Mechanisms for updating an address book. A first computing system generates an address book update file format and provides the file to a second computing system. The file format contains several data fields. One of the data fields consists of a configurable list of attribute property identifications. These property identifications represent address book information such as e-mail address, phone number, first name, surname, and the like. A second data field comprises contact data that includes at least some of the properties identified by the configurable list. Changes to the information contained in the address book update may be made by simply adding or deleting attribute property identifications. This has the effect of allowing modifications to the address book file format without having to generate a new file format.

Claims17

Dependent claims

One or more computer-storage media for use in a computing environment having thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing environment, cause the computing environment to perform a method of receiving an address book data structure sent from a first computing system to a second computing system, the method comprising:

receiving the address book data structure at the second computing system, the address book data structure comprising:
a header field, the header field comprising:
a version field specifying at least the type of the address book data structure;
a signature field comprising a signature field cyclic redundancy check (CRC);
and
a records field;
and
a meta-data field, the meta-data field comprising:
a size field;
and
an entry attribute table, wherein the entry attribute table comprises a list of a plurality of property identifications, the property identifications in the entry attribute table representing each of the properties that would be present in a fully populated address book entry, and wherein the each of the property identifications in the entry attribute table define a particular encoding type for each of the properties;
one or more address book records;
and
a presence bit array contained within the at least one of the one or more the address records, the presence bit array indicating each property which is identified in the entry attribute table and which is also present in the at least one of the one or more address records and the presence bit array further indicating each property which is identified in the entry attribute table and which is not present in the at least one or more address records;
and
calculating a calculated CRC for the address book data structure;
comparing the calculated CRC to the signature field CRC;
and
determining from the comparison whether there has been corruption of the address book data structure.

16 more elements

In a computing network including a first computing system that updates a second computing system using an address book data structure, a method for the first computing system to send an electronic address book to the second computing system, the method comprising:

generating the address book data structure, wherein the address book data structure comprises:
a header field comprising:
a version field specifying at least the type of the address book data structure;
a signature field comprising a signature field cyclic redundancy check (CRC);
and
a records field;
a meta-data field comprising:
a size field;
a global attribute table;
and
an entry attribute table, wherein the entry attribute table comprises a list of a plurality of property identifications, the property identifications in the entry attribute table representing each of the properties that would be present in a fully populated address book entry, and wherein the each of the property identifications in the entry attribute table define a particular encoding type for each of the properties;
a global properties record;
one or more address book records;
and
a presence bit array contained within the at least one of the one or more the address records, the presence bit array indicating each property which is identified in the entry attribute table and which is also present in the at least one of the one or more address records and the presence bit array indicating each property which is identified in the entry attribute table and which is not present in the at least one or more address records;
and
calculating the CRC and recording the CRC in the signature field;
and
providing the address book data structure to the second computing system, including the CRC in the signature field for comparing a second calculated CRC to the CRC in the signature field to determine if the provided address book data structure is corrupted.

16 more elements

In a computing network including a first computing system that updates an address book of a second computing system using an address book update data structure, the address book update data structure including attribute property identifications, a method for the second computing system to update the address book using the address book update data structure, the method comprising:

receiving the address book update data structure, the data structure comprising
a header field, the header field comprising
a version field, a signature field wherein the signature field comprises a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and
a records field,
a meta-data field, the meta-data field comprising
a size field,
a global attribute table, and
an entry attribute table,
a global properties record, and
one or more address records, and
wherein the entry attribute table comprises a list of all property types which would be included in a fully populated address book entry of a particular version;
accessing the entry attribute table which identifies each of the properties which would be present in a fully populated address book entry;
accessing at least one of the address records;
accessing property data contained within the at least one address record;
accessing a presence bit array contained within the at least one of the address records, the presence bit array indicating each property which is identified in the entry attribute table which is present in the at least one address record and indicating each property which is identified in the entry attribute table and which is not present in the address record;
using the presence bit array to find attribute property information associated with properties which are identified in the entry attribute table and which are indicated as included in the at least one address record;
using the property identifications from the entry attribute table and the associated property information from the at least one address record to update an address book;
the second computing system calculating a calculated CRC for the address book update record;
comparing the calculated CRC to the CRC contained within the signature field;
and
determining from the comparison whether there has been corruption of the address book update structure.

18 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.