Patent ID: 7631042

Claim:
a computer implemented method comprising: a. detecting an incoming call from a caller or a data from a sender intended to be received by a user; b. determining whether the user has enabled automated status updates; c. responsive to the determination that the automated status updates are not enabled, obtaining a current message, and playing the current message for the caller or sending the current message to the sender; and d. responsive to the determination that the automated status updates are enabled, performing second steps comprising: da. obtaining a current event from a calendaring program of the user; db. determining whether a user created message exists for the current event; dc. responsive to the determination that the user created message exists for the current event, obtaining the user created message; dd. responsive to the determination that the user created message does not exist for the current event, creating a new message wherein the new message is created by the calendaring program of the user and wherein the new message is associated with the current event; de. determining whether multiple message levels are enabled; df. responsive to the determination that the multiple message levels are enabled, obtaining a recipient intended message associated with the caller or sender; and dg. playing for the caller or sending to the sender at least one of the user created message, the new message, or the recipient intended message, wherein the caller or the sender is updated on a status of the user; dh. wherein the recipient intended message is one of a plurality of recipient intended messages stored in a message repository in a format adapted for use with a plurality of devices; di. wherein each recipient intended message has an identification, an associated voice message, an associated data message, one or more intended recipients, and an event; dj. wherein the one or more intended recipients is a limiting field that defines callers and senders permitted to hear or receive the message; dk. wherein the associated voice message is an audio file that is played on a voicemail on an audio device; dl. wherein the associated data message is a data file that contains a written message corresponding to the associated voice message; and dm. wherein the event is a limiting field that defines one or more events in the calendaring program.