Contact schema

US7636719B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Microsoft Corporation · US

Inventors

• J. Patrick Thompson · Moselle, US
• Walter R. Smith · Seattle, US
• Kim Cameron · Bellevue, US
• Jonathan David Perlow · San Francisco, US
• Dejan Subotic · Kirkland, US
• Melissa W. Dunn · Woodinville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 19, 2002
• Grant date: Dec 22, 2009
• Expiry date: Feb 23, 2025

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S707/99931
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A schema is provided that defines people, groups and organizations by their corresponding contact information and other related characteristics. The schema defines a person by personal data, name data, location data, and e-address data. A group is defined by group membership data and e-address data. An organization is defined by location data and by e-address data. The schema also defines role occupancies for interrelating the various contacts. The role occupancies are defined by role occupancy data that may include employee data, team member data, group membership data, family data, customer or business data, and other types of data that can link two or more contacts. By interrelating contacts based on role occupancies, the schema is able to provide rich querying of one or more databases for obtaining desired contact information.