Importance

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Abstract

A profile is maintained, either in a central profile data base (106) or in a more distributed manner that includes local profile data bases (706). These profile data bases include preference information for particular users, which preference information is utilized by the system to direct various messages from various sources to various destinations for a particular user. By accessing the system through an appropriate input source (708), the user can provide temporary over-ride instructions that cause this preference information to be temporarily altered. When so altered, messages that would ordinarily be directed to a location in accordance with the original entries to the profile data base will be directed instead to a temporary destination (707) as identified by the user. This temporary destination can either be identified in particular at the time of entering the temporary over-ride instruction, or can be pre-identified in an over-ride plan (709). The over-ride instruction will be removed and the original conditions reset upon occurrence of a predetermined event. This predetermined event can be, for example, occurrence of a pre-established expiration time and/or reception of a reset instruction subsequent to reception of the temporary over-ride instruction.

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First Claim