Handheld electronic device including automatic mobile phone number management, and associated method
View Patent ↗A method of updating information included in a handheld device user's contact entry included in a global address list wherein the device stores information of a first type, such as a mobile phone, SMS or MMS number or a PIN. The method includes determining whether the information of a first type has been modified from a first stored piece of information to a second stored piece of information, and generating a message including the second stored piece of information and sending the message to a computer system of the organization if it is determined that the information of a first type has been modified. The computer system stores the second stored piece of information in response to receipt of the message by the computer system for subsequent access by a requesting party. Also provided is an improved handheld electronic device having one or more routines adapted to implement the method.
1. A method of updating information included in a selected contact entry included in a global list of contact entries maintained by an organization, the selected contact entry being for a user of a handheld electronic device, the handheld electronic device storing information that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on a network, the selected contact entry being able to include the information, comprising:
determining whether the information stored by the handheld electronic device that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network has been modified from a first stored piece of information to a second stored piece of information; and
generating a message including the second stored piece of information and sending the message to a computer system of the organization if it is determined that the information stored by the handheld electronic device that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network has been modified, wherein the computer system stores the second stored piece of information for subsequent access by a requesting party by storing the second stored piece of information in a table in association with the user, the table being separate from the global list of contact entries, rather than updating the global list of contact entries.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the handheld electronic device includes a SIM card, and wherein the SIM card stores the information that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the information that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network is a mobile phone number, wherein the first stored piece of information is an old mobile phone number for the user and the second stored piece of information is a new mobile phone number for the user.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the information that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network is a PIN, wherein the first stored piece of information is an old PIN for the user and the second stored piece of information is a new PIN for the user.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the information that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network is an SMS number, wherein the first stored piece of information is an old SMS number for the user and the second stored piece of information is a new SMS number for the user.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the information that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network is an MMS number, wherein the first stored piece of information is an old MMS number for the user and the second stored piece of information is a new MMS number for the user.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the computer system includes a messaging server, and wherein the global list of contact entries is maintained by the messaging server.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein sending the message to a computer system of the organization includes sending the message to the messaging server.
9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the computer system includes a wireless enterprise server coupled to the messaging server and a firewall, and wherein the message to the computer system of the organization includes sending the message to the messaging server through the firewall and the wireless enterprise server.
10. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the messaging server implements an electronic mail system, and wherein the global list of contact entries includes contact information for each member of the organization that has an email account in the electronic mail system.
11. A system, comprising:
a handheld electronic device; and
a computer system maintained by an organization associated with a user of the handheld electronic device, the organization maintaining a global list of contact entries;
the handheld electronic device, comprising:
a processor; and
one or more memory media in electronic communication with the processor, the one or more memory media storing information that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on a network, the information being of a type that may be stored in the global list of contact entries, the one or more memory media further storing one or more routines executable by the processor, the one or more routines being adapted to:
determine whether the information stored by the one or more memory media that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network has been modified from a first stored piece of information to a second stored piece of information; and
generate a message including the second stored piece of information and send the message to the computer system if it is determined that the information stored by the one or more memory media that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network has been modified;
wherein the computer system stores the second stored piece of information for subsequent access by a requesting party by storing the second stored piece of information in a table in association with the user, the table being separate from the global list of contact entries, rather than updating the global list of contact entries.
12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more memory media includes a SIM card, and wherein the SIM card stores the information that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network.
13. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the information that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network is a mobile phone number, wherein the first stored piece of information is an old mobile phone number for the user and the second stored piece of information is a new mobile phone number for the user.
14. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the information that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network is a PIN, wherein the first stored piece of information is an old PIN for the user and the second stored piece of information is a new PIN for the user.
15. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the information that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network is an SMS number, wherein the first stored piece of information is an old SMS number for the user and the second stored piece of information is a new SMS number for the user.
16. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the information that uniquely identifies the handheld electronic device on the network is an MMS number, wherein the first stored piece of information is an old MMS number for the user and the second stored piece of information is a new MMS number for the user.
17. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the computer system includes a messaging server, and wherein the global list of contact entries is maintained by the messaging server.
18. The system according to claim 17 , wherein the computer system includes a wireless enterprise server coupled to the messaging server and a firewall, and wherein the one or more routines are adapted to send the message to the messaging server through the firewall and the wireless enterprise server.
19. The system according to claim 17 , wherein the messaging server implements an electronic mail system, and wherein the global list of contact entries includes contact information for each member of the organization that has an email account in the electronic mail system.
20. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more routines are adapted to send the message to the messaging server.