Patent ID: 7379543

Claim:
A method of contacting a person using a universal point of contact identifier, the method comprising: (a) receiving the universal point of contact identifier input into an initiating device; (b) locating, based on the universal point of contact identifier, a plurality of point of contact information for contacting the person; (c) sending a request for the person's preferred point of contact information, the request including at least a portion of the universal point of contact identifier identifying the person and including a contact type identifier identifying a type of contact requested from among a plurality of types of contact; (d) receiving the person's preferred point of contact information corresponding to the type of contact indicated by the contract type identifier; and (e) automatically establishing a communication session, consistent with the type of contact indicated by the contact type identifier, between the initiating device and a preferred point of contact specified in the preferred point of contact information without sending the person's preferred point of contact information to the initiating device.