1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to wireless communication systems and a universal address book that can be utilized to manage a variety of user contact information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication systems have developed through various generations, including a first-generation analog wireless phone service (1G), a second-generation (2G) digital wireless phone service (including interim 2.5G and 2.75G networks) and a third-generation (3G) high speed data/Internet-capable wireless service. There are presently many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including Cellular and Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular Analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), the Global System for Mobile access (GSM) variation of TDMA, and newer hybrid digital communication systems using both TDMA and CDMA technologies.
The method for providing CDMA mobile communications was standardized in the United States by the Telecommunications Industry Association/Electronic Industries Association in TIA/EIA/IS-95-A entitled “Mobile Station-Base Station Compatibility Standard for Dual-Mode Wideband Spread Spectrum Cellular System,” referred to herein as IS-95. Combined AMPS & CDMA systems are described in TIA/EIA Standard IS-98. Other communications systems are described in the IMT-2000/UM, or International Mobile Telecommunications System 2000/Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, standards covering what are referred to as wideband CDMA (WCDMA), CDMA2000 (such as CDMA2000 1×EV-DO standards, for example) or TD-SCDMA.
In wireless communication systems, mobile stations, handsets, or access terminals (AT) receive signals from fixed position base stations (also referred to as cell sites or cells) that support communication links or service within particular geographic regions adjacent to or surrounding the base stations. Base stations provide entry points to an access network (AN)/radio access network (RAN), which is generally a packet data network using standard Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) based protocols that support methods for differentiating traffic based on Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Therefore, the base stations generally interact with ATs through an over the air interface and with the AN through Internet Protocol (IP) network data packets.
In wireless telecommunication systems, Push-to-talk (PTT) capabilities are becoming popular with service sectors and consumers. PTT can support a “dispatch” voice service that operates over standard commercial wireless infrastructures, such as CDMA, FDMA, TDMA, GSM, etc. In a dispatch model, communication between endpoints (ATs) occurs within virtual groups, wherein the voice of one “talker” is transmitted to one or more “listeners.” A single instance of this type of communication is commonly referred to as a dispatch call, or simply a PTT call. A PTT call is an instantiation of a group, which defines the characteristics of a call. A group in essence is defined by a member list and associated information, such as group name or group identification.
Conventionally, data packets within a wireless communication network have been configured to be sent to a single destination or access terminal. A transmission of data to a single destination is referred to as “unicast”. As mobile communications have increased, the ability to transmit given data concurrently to multiple access terminals has become more important. Accordingly, protocols have been adopted to support concurrent data transmissions of the same packet or message to multiple destinations or target access terminals. A “broadcast” refers to a transmission of data packets to all destinations or access terminals that can be commonly associated such as within a given cell, served by a given service provider, and the like, while a “multicast” refers to a transmission of data packets to a given group of destinations or access terminals. In an example, the given group of destinations or “multicast group” may include more than one and less than all of possible destinations or access terminals that otherwise share a common association. However, it is at least possible in certain situations that the multicast group includes only one access terminal, similar to a unicast, or alternatively that the multicast group comprises all access terminals sharing a common association, similar to a broadcast.
In addition to various transmission schemes such as unicast, multicast, broadcast that may be used, a call may generally be classified as a half duplex or a full duplex communication for at least some of the participants. A PTT is a half duplex call that corresponds to a server mediated communication between two or more identified access terminals, regardless of the various configurations used to conduct the PTT calls. Full duplex calls can generally include VoIP calls and other calls that allow simultaneous transmission and reception.
Users of wireless devices have many methods of communicating including traditional Voice, Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Email, and Voice over Internet Protocol/Session Initiation Protocol (VoIP/SIP providers. Furthermore, soon each user may also have PTT/PTX options. Further, each user may have multiple accounts with multiple providers, for example, business and personal use which results in an explosion of per-user contact-methods which are difficult to manage in an integrated fashion on a wireless device. Users may need to be able to manage all of these different per-user contact methods in an integrated fashion from their mobile device or from a web-based application, including the ability to sync with local contact management applications.
Personal Information Managers (PIMs) such as, for example, Outlook® by Microsoft Corporation, can synchronize with wireless devices, but often not with a large network provider or global address book. Further, most PIM software does not natively support synching a large number of communication methods to a wireless device in a predictable fashion.
Conventional cellular phones generally have an address book, which can be locally stored or can be stored by the network, such as in the GMS Subscriber Identity Module in a GSM network. The address books of individual cellular phones are typically not synchronized in a useful manner to the address books of other phones. Further, synchronization in the form of a very simple point-to-point provider synchronization exists and can either be synchronized to a network provider such as the address book back up service offered by Verizon Corporation, or to a back-up storage medium. Cross-synchronization amongst users however is not common.
Conventional vCards can be sent from one party to another containing name and address information, phone numbers, URLs, logos, photographs, and even audio clips. vCard is a file format standard for electronic business cards. vCards are often attached to e-mail messages, but can be exchanged in other ways, such as on the World Wide Web. However, vCard data can quickly become outdated/inaccurate and it is not easy to update without sending the card.
Thus, a need exists for managing different per-user contact methods in an integrated fashion from a mobile device or from a web-based application, including the ability to synchronize with local contact management applications. Further, a need exists for providing a universal address book (subject to privacy restrictions) that can provide a source of known-good directory information from the wireless carrier or other provider. For example, permission to access a person's contact record may be determined by a users' relationship in a social networking application such as MySpace or Facebook. Furthermore, a universal address book can allow wireless carriers to inter-operate with each other in a seamless way, providing a much “cleaner” and faster user experience.