Classifying a portion of user contact data into local contacts

Abstract

Contact data for contacts of a user is stored. Each of the contacts is ranked (e.g., based on stored profile information for each contact). In one embodiment, each of the contacts is classified as either a local contact or a directory contact based on the ranking to provide local contacts and directory contacts. The local contacts are provided for local storage on a user device of the user. A directory contact is provided to the user device from the directory contacts by the server (e.g., in response to a query from the user device).

1 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . A method, comprising:
 storing contact data for each of a plurality of users including a first user, the contact data comprising a plurality of contacts for the first user, the contact data further comprising data associated with messages sent to the first user by each of the plurality of contacts;   ranking each of the plurality of contacts to provide a first ranking associated with a first user device of the first user, the first ranking based at least in part on the data associated with the messages sent to the first user by each contact;   dividing, by a server platform, based on the first ranking, the plurality of contacts to provide a first set of local contacts for local storage on the first user device and a first set of directory contacts stored only on the server platform;   providing, by the server platform, to the first user device, the first set of local contacts for the local storage on the first user device; and   in response to a query from the first user device, providing, by the server platform, to the first user device, a first plurality of contacts in a first ranked order based on the first ranking, the first plurality of contacts including a first directory contact from the first set of directory contacts, wherein the first directory contact is provided as an option for presentation in a user interface to the first user when entering data in an input field.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the first set of local contacts is provided for the local storage prior to the first user device presenting the input field to the first user for entering the data. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising ranking each of the plurality of contacts to provide a second ranking associated with a second user device of the first user, wherein the second ranking is based at least on a likelihood that future communication with each respective contact will be performed via the second user device. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the likelihood of future communication is determined based at least on a prior communication history with the respective contact. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising providing a second directory contact and a third directory contact, each from the first set of directory contacts, to the first user device responsive to the query, wherein the first, second, and third directory contacts are presented to the first user in the user interface in a ranked order based on the first ranking. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the ranking of each of the plurality of contacts comprises ranking each contact using unique profile information for the contact. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the first set of local contacts is provided to the first user device via an address book server of the server platform, and the first directory contact is provided to the first user device via a directory server of the server platform. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the first ranking is further based at least on a user context of the first user device, the method further comprising:
 ranking the plurality of contacts based on at least a user context of a second user device of the first user to provide a second ranking associated with the second user device; and   classifying, by the server platform, each of the plurality of contacts as either a local contact or a directory contact based on the second ranking to provide a second set of local contacts and a second set of directory contacts;   providing the second set of local contacts for local storage on the second user device; and   providing a second directory contact, from the second set of directory contacts, to the second user device.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the user context of the first user device is based at least on a physical characteristic of the first user device, or a time of day. 
     
     
         31 . A system, comprising:
 at least one processor; and   memory storing instructions configured to instruct the at least one processor to:
 store contact data for each of a plurality of users including a first user, the contact data comprising a plurality of contacts for the first user, the contact data further comprising data associated with messages sent to the first user by each of the plurality of contacts; 
 rank each of the plurality of contacts to provide a first ranking associated with a first user device of the first user, the first ranking based at least in part on the data associated with the messages sent to the first user by each contact; 
 divide, by a server platform and based on the first ranking, the plurality of contacts to provide a first set of local contacts for local storage on the first user device and a first set of directory contacts stored only on the server platform; 
 provide, to the first user device, the first set of local contacts for the local storage on the first user device; and 
 in response to a query from the first user device, provide, to the first user device, a first plurality of contacts in a first ranked order based on the first ranking, the first plurality of contacts including a first directory contact from the first set of directory contacts, wherein the first directory contact is provided as an option for presentation in a user interface to the first user when entering data in an input field. 
   
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the first set of local contacts includes a first local contact to present to the first user from the local storage in response to the query from the first user device. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the instructions are further configured to instruct the at least one processor to provide, from the server platform, when the first user is entering the data into the input field, a second directory contact and a third directory contact, wherein the first, second, and third directory contacts are each presented on a display in a ranked order based on a respective rank determined by the server platform. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the contact data for a respective contact of the plurality of contacts further comprises data extracted from the messages sent to the first user by the respective contact. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein each of the first set of local contacts has a higher rank than any of the first set of directory contacts. 
     
     
         36 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions, which when executed, cause a system to:
 store contact data for each of a plurality of users including a first user, the contact data comprising a plurality of contacts for the first user, the contact data further comprising data associated with messages sent to the first user by each of the plurality of contacts;   rank each of the plurality of contacts to provide a first ranking associated with a first user device of the first user, the first ranking based at least in part on the data associated with the messages sent to the first user by each contact;   divide, based on the first ranking, the plurality of contacts to provide a first set of local contacts for local storage on the first user device and a first set of directory contacts stored only on a server platform;   provide, to the first user device, the first set of local contacts for the local storage on the first user device; and   in response to a query from the first user device, provide, to the first user device, a first plurality of contacts in a first ranked order based on the first ranking, the first plurality of contacts including a first directory contact from the first set of directory contacts, wherein the first directory contact is provided for presentation in the user interface to the first user when entering data in an input field.   
     
     
         37 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 36 , wherein the ranking is based at least on a likelihood that future communication with each respective contact of the plurality of contacts will be performed via the first user device. 
     
     
         38 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 36 , wherein the instructions further cause the system to provide a second directory contact and a third directory contact, each from the first set of directory contacts, to the first user device responsive to the query, wherein the first, second, and third directory contacts are to be presented to the first user in a ranked order based on the ranking. 
     
     
         39 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 36 , wherein the first set of local contacts is provided to the first user device via an address book server, and the first directory contact is provided to the first user device via a directory server. 
     
     
         40 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 36 , wherein the ranking is further based at least on a user context of the first user device, and the instructions further cause the system to:
 rank the plurality of contacts based at least on a user context of a second user device of the first user to provide a second ranking associated with the second user device; and   classify each of the plurality of contacts as either a local contact or a directory contact based on the second ranking to define a second set of local contacts and a second set of directory contacts;   provide the second set of local contacts for local storage on the second user device; and   provide a second directory contact, from the second set of directory contacts, responsive to a query from the second user device.   
     
     
         41 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 40 , wherein the user context of the first user device is based at least on a physical characteristic of the first user device.