Patent ID: 8064487

Claim:
A method for facilitating virtual presence, comprising: at a first physical location associated with a first person, a physical presence detector detecting a physical presence of a second person at the first physical location, wherein the first person is at a virtual office at the time the physical presence of the second person at the first physical location is detected, wherein detecting the presence of a second person at the first physical location includes detecting a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the second person at the first physical location; in response to detecting the physical presence of the second person at the first physical location, a processor determining an identity of the second person; the processor determining a first communication device associated with at least one of the virtual office or the first person, wherein determining the first communication device includes determining an address of at least one communication device at the virtual office; the processor sending a notification to the first communication device to notify the first person at the virtual office of the presence and the identity of the second person at the first physical location, wherein the presence and the identity are provided in a common notification message; the processor receiving an input from the first communication device that the first person authorizes initiation of a communication channel between the first communication device and a second communication device at the first location; and in response to receiving the input, the processor initiating the communication channel between the first communication device and the second communication device.