Patent ID: 7433921

Claim:
A system for use in communication between a plurality of users: one or more service programs; and one or more collaboration initiation programs; wherein at least one of the one or more service programs and one or more collaboration programs are for: maintaining a first association between a first user and corresponding addressing information of a first communication device used by the first user to log in; maintaining a second association between a second user and corresponding addressing information of a second communication device used by the second user to log in, wherein the second communication device is separated from the first communication device by a wide area network; wherein the first and second associations are dynamically changeable by keeping track of client programs at the respective communication devices so that the first and second users, if logged in, can be found no matter where they are located; presenting a user interface on a display associated with the first communication device, the user interface including at least one of a scrollable list of identifiers of the plurality of users and a dial panel of identifiers for at least a subset of users from the scrollable list, wherein at least one of the scrollable list and the dial panel includes an identifier for the second user; allowing the first user to select the identifier of the second user from the user interface; if the second user is not logged in, indicating to the first user that the second user is not logged in; in response to the first user selecting the identifier of the second user and if the second user is logged in, using the addressing information of the second communication device to allow communication between the first and second users, the communication being established using either a communication type selected by the first user or a default communication type; detecting an incoming request for communication, from at least a third user, at the first communication device of the first user during an active communication with the second user; indicating to the first user the third user; and providing the first user with an option of accepting the incoming request for communication with the third user.