Patent ID: 6587555
Filing Date: 2003-07-01
Classification: H04M,H04Q

Abstract:
A method for establishing communications between a first party and a second party in a network, the second party being a member of a group that includes more than one member, and the members of the group being associated with a same first communications address, comprising:receiving a signal from the first party to initiate communications with the second party at the first communications address; retrieving a profile for the first communications address from a database, the profile containing communications information for each member of the group, wherein each member of the group is associated with one or more second communications addresses, each of the second communications addresses being associated with one or more communications options, wherein one of the communications options is designated as a preferred communications option; prompting the first party to select one of the second communications addresses; sensing the status of each member's preferred communications option; when the preferred communications option is unavailable, selecting another communications option according the members profile and updating the members profile information according to changes in the status; and the first party to the second party based on the second party's communications options.