Patent ID: 8884736

Claim:
A method of processing communications to and from multiple communications systems based on user preferences and based on presence information for one or more users of the communications systems, comprising: receiving first user preferences for operation of each of the multiple communications systems for when a first user is in a physical location with respect to each of the multiple communications systems; receiving second user preferences for operation of each of the multiple communications systems for when a second user is in the physical location with respect to each of the multiple communications systems; establishing an hierarchical relationship between the first user and the second user that is utilized for resolving conflicts between the first user preferences and second user preferences such that the first user preferences take precedence over the second user preferences; receiving presence information for the first user and the second user of the multiple communications systems, the presence information indicating the first user and the second user is in the physical location with respect to at least one of the multiple communications systems; determining whether the first user preferences conflict operationally with the second user preferences for the at least one of the multiple communications systems; and if the first user preferences conflict with the second user preferences for the at least one of the multiple communications systems, resolving conflicts such that the first user preferences take precedence over the second user preferences: passing the presence information for the first user of the multiple communications systems to the at least one of the multiple communications systems to indicate the first user is in the physical location with respect to the at least one of the multiple communications systems; and in response to receiving the presence information for the first user of the multiple communications systems at the at least one of the multiple communications systems, changing one or more settings of one or more of the other multiple communications systems for receiving a second communication for the second user based on the indication that the first user is in the physical location with respect to the at least one of the multiple communications systems.