Patent ID: 8081965

Claim:
A method for distributing presence information to a plurality of devices, the method comprising: determining if a presence device is within a range of a detection device; when it is determined that the presence device is not within the range of the detection device, storing absence information on the detection device and sending the absence information to a management device, the management device being separate from the detection device; when it is determined that the presence device is within the range of the detection device: storing information on the detection device regarding the detection of presence of the presence device; sending the presence information regarding the detection of presence to the management device; on the management device, determining an availability status of a user of the presence device and determining a location of the detection device; on the management device, when it is determined that the user is not available, determining an availability status for the user of the presence device, the determination of the availability status for the user of the presence device comprising the management device detecting whether the user is on a call and the management device checking an electronic calendar to determine the availability status for the user; and on the management device, storing presence information associated with the presence device, the management device storing presence information for a plurality of presence devices, wherein presence information includes the location of the detection device and the availability status of the user of the presence device; and providing the presence information to a plurality of devices, the providing of the presence information to the plurality of devices including updating a second detection device to indicate that the user is not located near the second detection device.