Patent ID: 7903796

Claim:
A method for managing communication devices associated with a voice network and a data network using at least one unified communication manager and an instant messaging service, wherein the at least one unified communication manager is connected to both the voice network and the data network, the method performed by the unified communication manager comprising: receiving a first instant message from a user through a real-time communication channel that is established by the instant messaging service and containing at least a request to set one or more rules for responding to a communication attempt to at least one of the communication devices; setting the one or more rules based on information in the first instant message; and transmitting to the user, through the real-time communication channel, a second instant message containing a notification indicating the setting of the one or more rules of the at least one communication device; wherein setting the one or more rules comprises modifying the one or more rules based on the information in the first instant message; storing the modified one or more rules in a storage in the data network and accessible to the unified communication manager; and transmitting information based on the modified one or more rules to a control point in the voice network.