Patent ID: 7254223
Filing Date: 2007-08-07
Classification: H04M

Abstract:
1. An improved method for storing contact data in a wireless personal communication device, comprising the steps of: initiating a message from a message originator to a message recipient under the control of the message originator; receiving at a message center coupled to a communications network both message originator information provided automatically by the communications network as the caller ID identifying the telephone number of the message originator, and a non-facsimile picture obtained from the message originator prior to transmitting the caller ID to a wireless portable communication device; causing the communications network to wirelessly transmit the caller ID and the picture from the message center to the wireless portable communication device; maintaining contact data in a database resident in a computer system, the contact data comprised of at least one of name, telephone number, or image information that is associated with actual or potential communicants; transmitting the contact data from the computer system to the wireless portable communication device using a radio frequency communication link, where the wireless portable communication device is capable of receiving caller id data supplied from the communications network; receiving the contact data in a receiver unit of the wireless portable communication device; storing the received contact data within a database resident in the wireless portable communication device, and; accessing the contact data which is received and stored within the database for the purpose of establishing the identity of an actual or potential communicant.