Patent ID: 8849264

Claim:
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon for sharing information about a time availability of a user, wherein the program instructs the processor to perform the following steps: receive information indicative of a status of the user, wherein the status represents an availability of the user to accept telephone calls on a first computing device; receive, via a second computing device, information indicative of a caller preparing to make a telephone call to the user's first computing device, wherein the information indicative of the caller preparing to make the telephone call includes one or more of the following the caller displaying a telephone number of the user on the second computing device, the caller dialing the telephone number of the user with the second computing device; and upon receiving information indicative of the caller preparing to make a telephone call to the user, provide a notice indicative of the user's status to the second computing device of the caller, wherein the notice includes one or more of the following a graphic representation of the user's status, a textual representation of the user's status, and an audio representation of the user's status; and receive information indicative of the user selecting a visibility condition, wherein the visibility condition is selected from at least one of the following a public visibility condition, a semi-public visibility condition, and a private visibility condition, wherein, if the public visibility condition is selected, the processor is operable to provide the notice indicative of the user's status to all callers, wherein, if the semi-public visibility condition is selected, the processor is operable to provide the notice indicative of the user's status only to callers included on a contact list of the user's first computing device, wherein, if the private visibility condition is selected, the processor is operable to provide the notice indicative of the user's status only to callers included on a list of private callers of the user's first computing device.