Patent ID: 8670556

Claim:
A method of communicating information, comprising: storing, by a first communication device, a first profile including a respective user-selected profile attribute for each of multiple users of the first communication device to control responses of the first communication device to mode change requests on a per user basis, the first communication device being capable of switching between a multiple user communication mode and a single user private mode in response to a mode change request; storing, by a second communication device, a second profile including a respective user-selected profile attribute for each of multiple users of the second communication device to control responses of the second communication device to the mode change requests on a per user basis, the first and second communication devices being remote from one another, the second communication device being capable of switching between a multiple user communication mode and a single user private mode in response to the mode change request, the second communication device exhibiting a current mode that is one of the multiple user communication mode and the single user private mode of the second communication device; transmitting, by the first communication device, audio information and the mode change request to the second communication device, the mode change request being designated to a particular user of the multiple users of the second communication device; receiving, by the second communication device, the audio information and the mode change request; switching, by the second communication device, from the multiple user mode to the single user private mode, in response to the mode change request if permitted by the respective user-selected profile attribute of the particular user in the second profile of the second communication device; denying a mode change between the multiple user communication mode and the single user private mode, by the second communication device, in response to the mode change request if the respective user-selected profile attribute of the particular user in the second profile of the second communication device does not permit the mode change; and asking the particular user of the second communication device to allow the mode change between the multiple user communication mode and the single-user private mode, by the second communication device, in response to the mode change request if the respective user-selected profile attribute of the particular user in the second profile of the second communication device specifies that the particular user should be asked before allowing the mode change.