Patent ID: 8144853

Claim:
A method for providing contact information, comprising: storing, in a telecommunications network, contact information for each of a plurality of contacts, the contact information for at least one of the plurality of contacts comprising a telephone availability status; updating the telephone availability status for the at least one of the plurality of contacts based upon an activation of the contract information; automatically providing, to a telephone coupled to the telecommunications network, the telephone availability status for the at least one of the plurality of contacts and an updated list of the plurality of contacts stored on the telephone, the telephone adapted to convert audio signals into a form transmittable via a public switched telephone network; causing the telephone to render, to a user of the telephone, the telephone availability status for the at least one of the plurality of contacts; and responsive to an indication from a first user, securely sharing the contact information and the updated telephone availability status with an information device operated by a second user, wherein the information device is not a telephone.