Importance

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Abstract

In accordance with a method and apparatus for providing unified communications and messaging management based on a user's presence information, a presence system is coupled to a PBX, a voice mail service and a LAN in an office. The presence system keeps track, in a secure manner, of registered users' current 'presence context' (e.g. at desk, campus roam, at hotel, at home, etc.). When a call to a user is received by the PBX, the presence system forwards the call to the user in accordance with the user's current presence context. An IVR system may be provided to make communication and messaging options available to the caller, which options depend on the user's current presence context. The presence system further provides registered users with the ability to configure the number and type of communications and message devices with which they can be accessed and to define different 'profiles' that define the communications and messaging options presented to incoming callers in each presence context. The presence system may further allow a user to specify whether certain of the user's configured devices are temporarily unavailable so that the device can be temporarily removed from a set of options presented to an incoming caller.

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First Claim