Patent ID: 7747752

Claim:
A method of negotiating, in real time, a future time for a future communication between a caller and a callee, the method as viewed by the caller comprising: sending a first request for a future communication to an interaction management system of the callee; wherein if the first request is accepted by the interaction management system of the callee, obtaining electronic schedule information from electronic calendar systems of the caller and callee, determining a list of mutually available free times between electronic calendar systems of the caller and callee, presenting the list to both the caller and callee, and facilitating real time negotiation between the caller and callee for selecting the future time for the future negotiation, wherein if the first request is rejected by the interaction management system of the callee, receiving, from the callee, one or more options for limited present interaction with the callee responsive to a present availability of the callee and to an access level of the caller to the callee; and establishing a limited present electronic communication with the callee during periods when the present availability of the callee is low using the one or more options; wherein the present availability is low if the callee is attending an important meeting, wherein the access level is based on a preexisting relationship between the caller and the callee, the preexisting relationship being determined from a database coupled with a device of the callee, the database including entries for a plurality of potential callers identified by the database as being acquaintances of the callee, and wherein the options for limited present interaction include a pager number, a telephone number and an email address of the callee.