Automatic correction of contact list errors in a collaboration system

Abstract

Managing a contact list in a collaboration system, by detecting if a contact has been offline for at least a predefined period of time and/or detecting if a target identifier is being entered into a contact list of a first user of a first collaboration system, where the contact is identified by a target identifier in a contact list of a first user of a first collaboration system, searching a collaboration system directory to find a replacement identifier associated with a second user of the first collaboration system, where the second user meets a predefined peer criterion with respect to the first user, and where the replacement identifier a) is different from a target identifier, and b) meets a predefined similarity criterion with respect to the target identifier, and replacing the target identifier with the replacement identifier in the contact list of the first user.

1 . A method comprising:
 detecting if a contact has been offline for at least a predefined period of time, wherein the contact is identified by a target identifier in a contact list of a first user of a first collaboration system;   searching a collaboration system directory to find a replacement identifier associated with a second user, wherein the second user meets a predefined peer criterion with respect to the first user, and wherein the replacement identifier
 a) is different from the target identifier, and 
 b) meets a predefined similarity criterion with respect to the target identifier; and 
   adding the replacement identifier into the contact list of the first user, wherein the replacement identifier is not present in the contact list of the first user before the adding.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the replacement identifier of the searching is a replacement identifier associated with a second user of the first collaboration system. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the replacement identifier of the searching is a replacement identifier associated with a second user of a second collaboration system, wherein said second collaboration system is external of the first collaboration system. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the adding of the replacement identifier into the contact list, replaces the target identifier with the replacement identifier in the contact list of the first user so that after the replacement, the target identifier is no longer in the contact list of the first user. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the adding of the replacement identifier in the contact list of the first user results in the contact list of the first user including the target identifier and the replacement identifier. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the searching is performed responsive to detecting if the contact has been offline for at least the predefined period of time. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the replacement identifier identifies the contact as belonging to the second collaboration system. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  and further comprising:
 presenting, via a computer-controlled output device, the replacement identifier in a manner that shows that the replacement identifier is a candidate for replacing the target identifier; and 
 receiving, responsive to presenting the replacement identifier, an instruction for adding the replacement identifier into the contact list of the first user. 
 
     
     
         9 . A method comprising:
 detecting if a target identifier is being entered into a contact list of a first user of a first collaboration system;   searching a collaboration system directory to find a replacement identifier associated with a second user, wherein the second user meets a predefined peer criterion with respect to the first user, and wherein the replacement identifier
 a) is different from the target identifier, and 
 b) meets a predefined similarity criterion with respect to the target identifier; and 
   adding the replacement identifier into the contact list of the first user, wherein the replacement identifier is not present in the contact list of the first user before the adding.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the replacement identifier of the searching is a replacement identifier associated with a second user of the first collaboration system. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the replacement identifier of the searching is a replacement identifier associated with a second user of a second collaboration system, wherein said second collaboration system is external of the first collaboration system. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the adding of the replacement identifier into the contact list, replaces the target identifier with the replacement identifier in the contact list of the first user so that after the replacement, the target identifier is no longer in the contact list of the first user. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the searching is performed responsive to detecting if the target identifier is being entered into the contact list. 
     
     
         14 . A system comprising:
 one or more processors;   one or more storage mediums storing program instructions;   an offline detector, comprising a subset of the program instructions stored in the one or more storage mediums, wherein the one or more processors execute the program instructions to detect if a contact has been offline for at least a predefined period of time, wherein the contact is identified by a target identifier in a contact list of a first user of a first collaboration system;   a replacement searcher, comprising a subset of the program instructions stored in the one or more storage mediums, wherein the one or more processors execute the program instructions to search a collaboration system directory to find a replacement identifier associated with a second user of the first collaboration system, wherein the second user meets a predefined peer criterion with respect to the first user, and wherein the replacement identifier
 a) is different from a target identifier, and 
 b) meets a predefined similarity criterion with respect to the target identifier; and 
   a contact list manager, comprising a subset of the program instructions stored in the one or more storage mediums, wherein the one or more processors execute the program instructions to add the replacement identifier into the contact list of the first user, wherein the replacement identifier is not present in the contact list of the first user before the adding.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the adding of the replacement identifier into the contact list, replaces the target identifier with the replacement identifier in the contact list of the first user so that after the replacement, the target identifier is no longer in the contact list of the first user. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the replacement searcher is configured to search responsive to detecting if the contact has been offline for at least the predefined period of time. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the replacement searcher is configured to present, via a computer-controlled output device, the replacement identifier in a manner that shows that the replacement identifier is a candidate for replacing the target identifier, and
 receive, responsive to presenting the replacement identifier, an instruction for adding the replacement identifier into the contact list of the first user. 
 
     
     
         18 . A system comprising:
 one or more processors;   one or more storage mediums storing program instructions;   an addition detector, comprising a subset of the program instructions stored in the one or more storage mediums, wherein the one or more processors execute the program instructions to detect if a target identifier is being entered into a contact list of a first user of a first collaboration system;   a replacement searcher, comprising a subset of the program instructions stored in the one or more storage mediums, wherein the one or more processors execute the program instructions to search a collaboration system directory to find a replacement identifier associated with a second user of the first collaboration system,
 wherein the second user meets a predefined peer criterion with respect to the first user, and 
 wherein the replacement identifier
 a) is different from a target identifier, and 
 b) meets a predefined similarity criterion with respect to the target identifier; and 
 
   a contact list manager, comprising a subset of the program instructions stored in the one or more storage mediums, wherein the one or more processors execute the program instructions to add the replacement identifier into the contact list of the first user.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the contact list manager is configured to add the replacement identifier into the contact list by replacing the target identifier with the replacement identifier in the contact list of the first user. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the searching is performed responsive to detecting if the target identifier is being entered into the contact list. 
     
     
         21 . A computer program product comprising:
 a computer-readable storage medium; and   computer-readable program code embodied in the computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable program code comprises a set of instructions able to be executed by a processor, wherein said computer-readable program code is configured, for a contact that is identified by a target identifier in a contact list of a first user of a first collaboration system, to   search a collaboration system directory to find a replacement identifier associated with a second user of the first collaboration system, wherein the second user meets a predefined peer criterion with respect to the first user, and wherein the replacement identifier
 a) is different from a target identifier, and 
 b) meets a predefined similarity criterion with respect to the target identifier, and 
   computer-readable program code embodied in the computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable program code comprises a set of instructions able to be executed by a processor, wherein said computer-readable program code is configured to add the replacement identifier into the contact list of the first user.   
     
     
         22 . The computer program product of  claim 21  wherein the computer-readable program code is configured to add the replacement identifier into the contact list by replacing the target identifier with the replacement identifier in the contact list of the first user. 
     
     
         23 . The computer program product of  claim 21  wherein the computer-readable program code is configured to detect if the contact has been offline for at least a predefined period of time. 
     
     
         24 . The computer program product of  claim 23  wherein the wherein the computer-readable program code is configured to search responsive to detecting if the contact has been offline for at least the predefined period of time. 
     
     
         25 . The computer program product of  claim 23  wherein the replacement identifier identifies the contact as belonging to a second collaboration computer program product.