United States Patent [19J
`Stuntebeck et al.
`
`111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
`US006065016A
`[11] Patent Number:
`[45] Date of Patent:
`
`6,065,016
`*May 16,2000
`
`[54]
`
`UNIVERSAL DIRECTORY SERVICE
`
`[75]
`
`Inventors: Peter H. Stuntebeck, Little Silver;
`Andrew Frederick Bulfer, Mountain
`Lakes, both of N.J.
`
`[73]
`
`Assignee: AT&T Corporation, New York, N.Y.
`
`[ * l
`
`Notice:
`
`This patent issued on a continued pros(cid:173)
`ecution application filed under 37 CFR
`1.53( d), and is subject to the twenty year
`patent term provisions of 35 U.S.C.
`154(a)(2).
`
`[21] Appl. No.: 08/689,212
`
`[22]
`
`Filed:
`
`Aug. 6, 1996
`
`[51]
`[52]
`[58]
`
`Int. Cl? ...................................................... G06F 17/30
`U.S. Cl. ............................. 707/200; 707/10; 707/102
`Field of Search ......................... 340/825.34; 348/17;
`379/89, 201, 67, 88, 112, 114, 207, 308,
`93, 266; 707/101, 200, 10, 102; 395/200.57,
`187.01; 455/414
`
`[56]
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`4,797,910
`4,922,519
`5,163,083
`5,181,237
`5,315,705
`5,434,974
`5,442,693
`5,483,586
`
`1!1989 Daudelin ................................... 379/67
`5/1990 Dauldelin ................................ 379/112
`11/1992 Dowden eta!. .......................... 379/88
`1!1993 Dowden eta!. .......................... 379/88
`5/1994 Iwami eta!. ............................ 395/200
`7/1995 Loucks et a!. . ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... 707/101
`8/1995 Hays et a!. .............................. 379/308
`1!1996 Sussman ................................. 379/201
`
`5,524,141
`5,684,866
`5,708,422
`5,732,219
`5,740,231
`5,751,338
`5,757,900
`5,758,069
`5,835,570
`5,850,433
`5,873,032
`5,943,417
`
`6/1996 Braun et a!. .............................. 379/93
`11/1997 Florindi eta!. ......................... 379/114
`1!1998 Blonder et a!. .................... 340/825.34
`3/1998 Blumer et a!. ..................... 395/200.57
`4/1998 Cohn et a!. ............................... 379/89
`5/1998 Ludwig, Jr. ............................... 348/17
`5/1998 Nagel eta!. ............................ 379/207
`5/1998 Olsen ................................. 395/187.01
`11/1998 Wattenbarger ............................ 379/67
`12/1998 Rondeau ................................. 379/201
`2/1999 Cox eta!. ............................... 455/414
`8/1999 Cox et a!. ............................... 379/266
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`0 238 257
`0 576 141
`
`3/1987 European Pat. Off .......... H04M 3/50
`5/1993 European Pat. Off .......... H04M 3/50
`
`Primary Examiner-Wayne Amsbury
`Assistant Examiner-Thuy Pardo
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Kenyon & Kenyon
`
`[57]
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A universal directory service (UDS) provides the commu(cid:173)
`nication addresses of individuals associated with numerous
`different institutions, and can be accessed via more than one
`communication channel. A UDS server communicates with
`one or more data sources to provide directory information to
`a user. The UDS also provides supplemental information
`such as company name, logo, and specialty. The UDS can be
`accessed via numerous communication channels including
`the internet, on-line service providers, wireless devices,
`modem, dedicated access channels, voice access via an
`attendant, and voice access via a speech recognition and
`synthesis system.
`
`34 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets
`
`BEGIN NEW
`SEARCH OR
`RE-ANALYZE
`RESPONSES
`
`158
`
`RingCentral Ex-1034, p. 1
`RingCentral v. Estech
`IPR2021-00574
`
`

`

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`32
`
`RingCentral Ex-1034, p. 2
`RingCentral v. Estech
`IPR2021-00574
`
`FIG. 1
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`May 16,2000
`
`Sheet 2 of 2
`
`6,065,016
`
`FIG. 2
`
`110
`
`114
`
`DISCONNECT
`USER
`
`PRESENT QUERY
`FORM TO USER
`
`USER TRANSMITS
`IDENTIFYING
`INFORMATION
`TO UDS SERVER
`
`UOS SERVER DETERMINES
`WHICH DATABASE
`SERVERS TO QUERY
`
`UOS SEAVER SENDS
`QUERIES TO APPROPRIATE
`DATABASE SERVERS
`
`130
`
`134
`
`138
`
`UDS SERVER RECEIVES
`AND ANALYZES
`RESPONSES
`
`142
`
`IF NUMBER OF RESPONSES
`IS TOO LARGE, PROMPT
`USER FOR ADDITIONAL
`INFORMATION
`
`UDS SERVER PRESENTS
`RESPONSES TO USER
`
`146
`
`150
`
`BEGIN NEW
`SEARCH OR
`RE-ANALYZE
`RESPONSES
`
`158
`
`RingCentral Ex-1034, p. 3
`RingCentral v. Estech
`IPR2021-00574
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`

`

`6,065,016
`
`1
`UNIVERSAL DIRECTORY SERVICE
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`20
`
`25
`
`This invention relates to directory services. More
`particularly, this invention relates to a directory service
`which provides the communication addresses of individuals
`associated with numerous different institutions, and which
`can be accessed via more than one communication channel.
`Due to the rapid growth in on-line and wireless
`technology, many individuals today (especially white-collar 10
`professionals) can be reached at numerous communications
`addresses. An individual's communication addresses may
`include a business telephone number, a home telephone
`number, a fax number, a cellular telephone number, a pager
`number, a personal reach service number, an e-mail address, 15
`a home page URL, a personal communications service
`(PCS) number, and a secretary/reach telephone number.
`Obtaining this information for a particular individual can
`be difficult and time consuming. Often, several sources must
`be consulted before the desired information is tracked down,
`forcing one to make repeated attempts to locate the infor(cid:173)
`mation. This can be time consuming and potentially costly,
`especially if the person is far away or in another country.
`Sometimes the information appears on business cards, but
`one often does not have the necessary business card at-hand
`when attempting to reach a person. Furthermore, the number
`of ways to reach someone has become so large that business
`cards have become cumbersome, awkward, unattractive, and
`confusing.
`Currently, there is no centralized directory service which
`provides a person's numerous communications addresses.
`Furthermore, there is no centralized directory service which
`provides all of the communication addresses of individuals
`associated with different companies. The list of phone 35
`numbers contained in local "white pages" directories is
`typically limited to home and front-desk business numbers.
`Some corporations and universities maintain on-line direc(cid:173)
`tories which are accessible via the internet. However, these
`directories provide limited information such as a primary 40
`telephone number and e-mail address. Some companies,
`such as AT&T, maintain internal directories which can only
`be accessed by employees. AT&T's internal directory pro(cid:173)
`vides the telephone number, FAX number, e-mail address,
`and mailing address of certain individuals associated with 45
`AT&T, among other information such as company organi(cid:173)
`zational information and the individual's work location and
`room number.
`Looking for the communication addresses of individuals
`associated with different companies using on-line directories
`maintained by corporations and other institutions can be
`time consuming for several reasons. First, one has to deter(cid:173)
`mine the e-mail address of the particular institution where
`the desired information resides. Second, such directories
`may not have the particular communication address one is 55
`looking for. Third, one is required to access a separate
`on-line directory for each company, which can be tedious
`and time consuming when searching for the numbers of
`several individuals employed at different companies.
`In view of these and other drawbacks of current directory 60
`services, it is an object of this invention to provide a
`directory service that enables a user to obtain from a
`centralized location the communication addresses of indi(cid:173)
`viduals from numerous different institutions.
`It is a more particular object of this invention to provide 65
`a directory service which provides all of the communication
`addresses of an individual in a centralized location.
`
`2
`It is a still more particular object of this invention to
`provide a directory service which provides supplemental
`information in addition to an individual's communications
`addresses.
`It is a further object of this invention to provide a
`directory which can be accessed via numerous communica(cid:173)
`tion channels.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`These and other objects of the invention are accomplished
`in accordance with the principles of the invention by pro(cid:173)
`viding a universal directory service ("UDS") server which
`communicates with one or more database servers containing
`directory information relating to individuals from various
`different companies. In a preferred embodiment, the UDS
`server communicates with (1) a local directory server con(cid:173)
`taining directory information relating to the UDS provider
`and additional hosted companies, (2) on-line directory serv(cid:173)
`ers maintained by corporations from which the provider has
`received proper permission to access, (3) a local database
`server which contains directory information gathered by the
`provider and third parties, and ( 4) a white pages directory
`server which contains directory information relating to pri(cid:173)
`vate individuals.
`The UDS server can be accessed via the internet, on-line
`service providers, wireless communication channels, dial-up
`communication channels, dedicated communication
`channels, telephone connections to attendants, and tele(cid:173)
`phone connections to a voice recognition and synthesis
`system.
`In addition to the numerous communication addresses of
`an individual, the UDS server also provides supplemental
`information such as the type of business the individual or
`company is engaged in, specialties or particular
`accomplishments, business hours, prices, organizational
`charts, responsibilities of the individual within the company,
`and maps logos, trademarks, and other graphical images.
`This invention provides a convenient, inexpensive, and
`quick way for a user to obtain the communication addresses
`of someone with whom they wish to communicate. It
`eliminates the need to make repeated telephone calls to
`obtain a communications address, and the need to maintain
`printed directories. Furthermore, by maintaining current
`communication addresses on the UDS, one can avoid the
`time and expense of having to reprint business cards when(cid:173)
`ever one's company title, business address, or communica(cid:173)
`tion address changes. This invention may also facilitate a
`return to the time when business cards contained only a
`person's name and company since all of a person's com(cid:173)
`munications addresses are available through the universal
`50 directory.
`Further features of the invention, its nature and various
`advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying
`drawing and the following detailed description of the pre(cid:173)
`ferred embodiments.
`
`30
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of preferred appa(cid:173)
`ratus for implementing a directory service in accordance
`with this invention.
`FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred sequence of steps for oper(cid:173)
`ating the apparatus of FIG. 1 in accordance with this
`invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
`This invention can be used to provide the communication
`addresses and supplemental information of any entity that
`
`RingCentral Ex-1034, p. 4
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`

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`6,065,016
`
`10
`
`25
`
`3
`desires to be listed on the universal directory. Such entities
`include, but are not limited to, corporations, universities,
`colleges, non-profit organizations, government agencies,
`partnerships, individuals, and the like. Institutions and cor(cid:173)
`porations are referred to for purposes of illustration through(cid:173)
`out this text.
`In a preferred embodiment of this invention shown in
`FIG. 1, UDS server 10 communicates with local directory
`server 30, on-line corporate directory servers 32, local
`database server 34, and white pages server 36.
`Local directory server 30 preferably is maintained by the
`UDS provider and may be located near UDS server 10. In
`addition to maintaining directory information relating to the
`UDS provider itself, local server 30 preferably contains
`directory information of hosted institutions which have 15
`contracted with the UDS provider to maintain their direc(cid:173)
`tories. Thus, local server 30 preferably contains the com(cid:173)
`munication addresses of individuals associated with both the
`UDS provider and hosted institutions.
`On-line corporate directory servers 32 are maintained by
`corporations or other institutions and can be accessed via the
`internet. UDS server 10 communicates with the on-line
`directory servers of those corporations and institutions that
`have given the universal directory service provider proper
`permission to do so. In this manner, the UDS server is able
`to access the directories of corporations and institutions
`other than those hosted by the UDS provider.
`Database server 34 preferably contains information col(cid:173)
`lected by the UDS provider. This information may be
`collected from customers who have given the provider
`permission to provide information relating to them, and
`from updates provided by UDS users (discussed further
`below). Such information may also be collected during the
`course of ordinary business. Server 34 preferably also 35
`includes information collected by third parties including
`subscription lists of professional and trade journals, member
`lists of professional societies, alumni lists, and other
`sources.
`White pages server 36 preferably contains the communi(cid:173)
`cations addresses of private individuals. With the growing
`popularity of the internet, many individuals may wish to
`have their personal e-mail address( es ), home page URL, and
`the like listed on the UDS. Such information, as well as the
`communication addresses of other individuals and
`institutions, preferably is maintained on white pages server
`36. In an alternate embodiment (not shown), rather than
`providing a separate white pages server, the communications
`addresses of private individuals are stored on the local
`directory server 30. This eliminates the need to maintain a
`separate white pages directory.
`In a preferred embodiment, those listed on the service can
`log -on to the service at any time in order to update their
`directory information. The information maintained on the
`UDS is thus kept current and complete.
`In FIG. 1, local directory server 30, local database server
`34, and white pages server 36 are shown as separate from the
`UDS server 10. However, in alternative embodiments (not
`shown), one or more of servers 30, 32, and 34 are maintained
`on the same hardware, and controlled by the same software, 60
`as the UDS server.
`UDS server 10 can be accessed via numerous communi(cid:173)
`cation channels. A user having an internet account can
`access server 10 via internet communication channel 50. A
`user subscribing to an on-line access provider can access the 65
`UDS server via on-line communication channel 52. A user
`having a computer (such as a laptop) capable of wireless
`
`4
`communication can access the UDS server via wireless
`communication channel 54. A user having a computer with
`a modem can access the UDS server using dial-up commu(cid:173)
`nication channel 56.
`A user may also access the UDS server via a dedicated
`communication channel. As shown in FIG. 1, the user is part
`of a local area network (LAN) having dedicated communi(cid:173)
`cation channel 58 which communicates with the UDS
`server.
`A user may also access the UDS using a conventional
`telephone. A user can phone attendant 59 operating a com(cid:173)
`puter which communicates with the UDS server via atten(cid:173)
`dant communication channel 60. In this case, the user tells
`the attendant the information he or she is looking for and the
`attendant initiates a search on the UDS. The attendant then
`relays the search results to the user over the telephone.
`The user can also access the UDS server by phoning voice
`recognition and synthesis system 61. The voice recognition
`system communicates with the UDS server via communi-
`20 cation channel 62. The user is able to search for information
`on UDS by speaking appropriate commands to the voice
`recognition system. The voice recognition system initiates a
`search on the UDS and conveys the results to the user using
`a synthesized or pre-recorded voice. The voice recognition
`system can be implemented using voice recognition tech(cid:173)
`niques known to those skilled in the art.
`The UDS server is able to provide directory information
`about individuals associated with many different companies.
`30 This invention eliminates the need for one to consult several
`different sources in order to find a particular communication
`address. When looking for the communication addressees of
`several individuals associated with different companies, the
`user need consult only the UDS, rather than the directories
`of the separate companies.
`The UDS preferably provides all of the communication
`addresses of those listed on the service. Such addresses
`include, but are not limited to, a business telephone number,
`a home telephone number, a fax number, a cellular telephone
`40 number, a pager number, a personal reach service number,
`an e-mail address, a home page URL, a personal commu(cid:173)
`nications service number, a secretary/reach telephone
`number, and other addresses. In this manner, a user can
`obtain any one of an individual's communication addresses
`45 from a convenient, centralized source.
`The UDS preferably provides supplemental information
`in addition to communication addresses. Supplemental
`information provided by the UDS preferably includes, but is
`not limited to, the type of business the individual or com-
`50 pany is engaged in (e.g., a "yellow pages" type of category),
`specialties or particular accomplishments of the individual
`or company, business hours, prices, organizational charts,
`responsibilities of the individual within the company, and
`maps, logos, trademarks, and other graphical images.
`FIG. 2 shows a preferred sequence of steps for operating
`the universal directory service of FIG. 1 in accordance with
`this invention.
`In step 110, user connection to the UDS server is estab(cid:173)
`lished via any one of communication channels 50, 52, 54,
`56, 58, and 62 discussed above. When a user accesses the
`UDS using attendant communication channel 60, the atten(cid:173)
`dant carries out the steps described below using information
`provided by the user, with the exception that the attendant
`preferably does not log on separately for each user, but is
`continuously logged on the UDS server. The user in this case
`may be required to provide a password or personal identi(cid:173)
`fication number (PIN) for billing purposes.
`
`55
`
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`

`6,065,016
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`5
`In step 114, the user logs on to the UDS. The UDS
`determines if the log-on is valid in step 118. It is preferable
`to provide security step 118 so that unauthorized persons do
`have access to the UDS. For example, the user may be
`required to provide a password or PIN in order to access the
`UDS. If the log-on is invalid, the user is disconnected in step
`122. It is preferable to permit the user to attempt to log-on
`more than once before disconnecting the user at step 122, in
`order to allow the user to correct errors made when entering
`a password for example.
`If the log-on is valid, the UDS presents a query form to
`the user in step 126. The query form enables the user to input
`information identifying the individual of interest. In general,
`any known technique for specifying identifying information
`when searching a database can be used at this step. Many
`such techniques are known to those skilled in the art. In a
`preferred embodiment, the user is prompted to input a field
`of parameters. For example, a field may consist of the name
`of the individual, the company the individual is associated
`with, and the state in which the company is located. Other 20
`fields specifying more information may be used in accor(cid:173)
`dance with this invention.
`The query form preferably appears on the display screen
`of the user's computer, or on the display screen of the
`attendant's computer when accessing the UDS via a tele- 25
`phone attendant. When accessing the UDS via the voice
`recognition and synthesis system, the system preferably
`communicates using simulated or pre-recorded speech,
`while the user simply speaks to the system.
`The UDS preferably allows the user to search using 30
`incomplete identifying information. The user preferably can
`specify a unknown field parameter using an appropriate
`signal. This can be done, for example, by leaving one of the
`field parameters blank. The user preferably can specify
`unknown characters using an appropriate character. This can
`be done, for example, by substituting an asterisk for the
`unknown character. The user preferably can specify boolean
`combinations of identifying information using the logical
`operators AND, OR, NOT, and the like.
`In step 130, the user transmits the identifying information
`to the UDS server.
`In step 134, the UDS server receives the identifying
`information specified by the user, and determines which of
`servers 30, 32, and 34 to query. This is done in order to
`eliminate from the search those servers which do not contain
`the desired information, thereby conserving computing
`resources, and increasing the speed of the search process.
`Techniques for accomplishing this step are well known to
`those skilled in the art.
`In step 138, the UDS server transmits a query to each of
`the servers which it found appropriate at step 134. The UDS
`server accesses each server using its own protocol. On-line
`Corporate servers 32, in particular, may have different
`access protocols. If any of the servers are implemented on 55
`the same hardware and software as the UDS server, the
`query preferably is transmitted within the software.
`In step 142, the UDS server receives the responses from
`each of the queried servers. The UDS server analyzes these
`responses in order to discard information that does not 60
`match the identifying information provided by the user.
`Techniques for carrying out this process are well known to
`those skilled in the art.
`In step 146, the UDS server determines if the number of
`listings matching the identifying information provided by 65
`the user is excessive. If the number is excessive, the server
`prompts the user to input additional identifying information.
`
`6
`It may be necessary to repeat this step in some instances in
`order to reduce the responses to a useful number. If the user
`is unable to reduce the number of responses by specifying
`additional information, the user preferably is given the
`option of terminating the search or receiving all of the
`information, if practical.
`In step 150, the UDS server transmits the response or
`responses to the user. The responses can be formatted in any
`known manner. For example, they can be arranged in
`10 alphabetical order, or in order of estimated accuracy. Tech(cid:173)
`niques for estimating the accuracy of the responses are well
`known in the art.
`In step 154, after transmitting the responses to the user,
`the UDS server permits the user to modify the search. The
`15 user can, for example, specify additional identifying infor-
`mation.
`If the user chooses to modify the search, the UDS server
`re-analyzes the responses of the previous search (or initiates
`a new search if necessary) in step 158.
`On the other hand, if the user does not want to modify the
`search or begin a new search, the search session is termi(cid:173)
`nated at step 162. A billing record preferably is produced at
`this point if usage-based pricing is in effect for the user.
`Some users may receive access for a fiat rate which does not
`depend on the number of searches carried out or the amount
`of time logged on to the server. In this case, preferably no
`billing record is produced at the end of the session.
`In an alternative embodiment (not shown), information is
`provided to the user in two stages in step 150. Rather than
`providing all of the directory information at once, the UDS
`first transmits the communication addresses of the matching
`responses. Then, upon the user's request, the corresponding
`supplemental information is transmitted to the user. Such a
`two-stage process is useful if the UDS provider desires to
`implement a two-tiered billing system in which the user is
`charged an additional fee to receive the supplemental infor(cid:173)
`mation.
`In another alternative embodiment (not shown), a user
`accessing the UDS via a computer can dial a displayed
`phone number simply by clicking on an appropriate icon
`within the display screen of the computer. In this
`embodiment, the user's telephone is coupled to the computer
`so that the computer causes the telephone to dial the selected
`45 number.
`It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the UDS
`server can be programmed to perform the above steps using
`known programming techniques. It will also be clear to
`those skilled in the art that software for accessing the UDS
`50 server in accordance with this invention can be provided
`using known programming techniques.
`Thus, a universal directory service which provides the
`communication addresses of individuals associated with
`numerous different institutions, and which can be accessed
`via more than one communication channel has been
`described. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
`invention can be practiced in other than the described
`embodiments, which are presented for purposes of illustra(cid:173)
`tion and not of limitation.
`The invention claimed is:
`1. A method of operating a directory service in order to
`provide directory information to a user of said directory
`service comprising the steps of:
`providing a plurality of communications channels for
`accessing said directory service;
`receiving identifying information relating to an individual
`via one of said communication channels;
`
`35
`
`40
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`

`6,065,016
`
`10
`
`7
`searching at least two data sources using said identifying
`information in order to retrieve communication address
`information useful for contacting said individual,
`wherein said at least two data sources contain infor(cid:173)
`mation relating to a plurality of individuals listed on the
`directory service, and said plurality of individuals are
`associated with different entities, and wherein at least
`one of said at least two data sources is maintained by
`an entity distinct from the entity providing said direc(cid:173)
`tory service; and
`transmitting said communication address information
`useful for contacting said individual to the user via said
`one of said communication channels.
`2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of searching
`at least one data source comprises transmitting a query to at 15
`least one server.
`3. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of transmitting
`a query to at least one server comprises transmitting a query
`to each of a local directory server, an on-line corporate
`server, a local database server, and a white pages server.
`4. The method of claim 2 wherein said at least one server
`comprises a local directory server.
`5. The method of claim 4 wherein said local directory
`server includes communication address information relating
`to the directory provider and institutions hosted by the
`directory provider.
`6. The method of claim 2 wherein said at least one server
`comprises an on-line corporate server.
`7. The method of claim 2 wherein said at least one server
`comprises a local database server.
`8. The method of claim 2 wherein said at least one server
`comprises a white pages server.
`9. The method of claim 1 further comprising, before said
`searching step, the step of processing said identifying infor(cid:173)
`mation in order to identify at least one of a plurality of data
`sources as appropriate for searching, and wherein said
`searching step comprises:
`searching said identified at least one of said plurality of
`data sources using said identifying information in order
`to retrieve communication address information useful
`contacting said individual.
`10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of
`permitting said plurality of individuals listed on the direc(cid:173)
`tory service to update their communication address infor(cid:173)
`mation.
`11. The method of claim 1 wherein said different entities
`comprise corporations, institutions, individuals, and univer(cid:173)
`sities.
`12. The method of claim 1 wherein said searching step
`further comprises retrieving supplemental information relat(cid:173)
`ing to said individual.
`13. The method of claim 12 wherein said supplemental
`information comprises a type of business, a specialty, busi(cid:173)
`ness hours, prices, an organizational chart, a map, and a
`logo.
`14. The method of claim 1 wherein said a plurality of
`communication channels comprise an internet communica(cid:173)
`tion channel, an on-line service provider communication
`channel, a wireless communication channel, a dedicated
`communication channel, and an attendant communication 60
`channel, and a speech recognition and synthesis system
`communication channel.
`15. A directory service for providing directory informa(cid:173)
`tion to a user of said service comprising:
`a server;
`a plurality of communication channels for accessing said
`server; and
`
`8
`at least two data sources which communicate with said
`server, wherein at least one of said at least two data
`sources is maintained by an entity distinct from the
`entity providing the directory service, and which con(cid:173)
`tain information relating to a plurality of individuals
`listed on the directory service, said plurality of indi(cid:173)
`viduals being associated with different entities, and
`wherein:
`when identifying information relating to an individual
`is received by said server from the user via one of
`said plurality of communication channels, said
`server searches at least one of said at least two data
`sources using said identifying information in order to
`retrieve communication address information useful
`for contacting said individual, and then transmits
`said communication address information useful for
`contacting said individual to the user via said one of
`said communication channels.
`16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said server
`20 searches at least one of said at least one data source by
`transmitting a query to at least one data server when iden(cid:173)
`tifying information is received by said server from the user
`via one of said plurality of communication channels.
`17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said at least one
`25 data server comprises a local directory server.
`18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said local directory
`server includes communication address information relating
`to the directory service provider and institutions hosted by
`the directory provider.
`19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said at least one
`data server comprises a corporate on-line server.
`20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said at least one
`data server comprises a local database server.
`21. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said at least one
`35 data server comprises a white pages server.
`22. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said server trans(cid:173)
`mits a query to each of a local directory server, a corporate
`on-line server, a local database server, and a white pages
`server when identifying information is received by said
`40 server from the user via one of said plurality of communi(cid:173)
`cation channels.
`23. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said different
`entities comprise corporations, institutions, individuals, and
`universities.
`24. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said server
`retrieves from said at least one of said at least two data
`sources supplemental information with said communication
`address information.
`25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said supplemental
`so information comprises a type of business, a specialty, busi(cid:173)
`ness hours, prices, an organizational chart, a map, and a
`logo.
`26. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said a plurality of
`communication channels comprises an internet communica-
`ss t