Patent ID: 8296370

Claim:
A method at a server, the method comprising: receiving current contact status information communicated by a first communication device, the contact status information indicating availability of a first user associated with the first communication device; storing the current contact status information for the first user; wherein, for current contact status information indicating unavailability of the first user, the current contact status information includes one or more alternate contacts associated with the first user; verifying availability of the one or more alternate contacts; prior to updating an address book of a second communication device, verifying availability of a second user independently of a connection status of the second user, by checking stored current contact status information for the second user, the second user being associated with the second communication device, when the second user is available, interrogating the address book of the second communication device to identify an entry of the first user in the address book of the second communication device; updating the address book of the second communication device with the current contact status information about the first user including the one or more alternate contacts; and where the current contact status information for the first indicates unavailability: transmitting from the server to the second communication device message routing options for communicating with the first user; the message routing options being based on the current contact status information for the first user; wherein the message routing options for communicating with the first user include an option to route a message to the one or more alternate contacts.