Universal state-aware communications

Abstract

A communications system for general business environments that exploits knowledge of user state to provide advantages of efficiency and control for individual users and for the business. The communications system also provides particular advantages in environments where users have multiple communication devices and for communications of a business with external parties. In other aspects, the communication system provides features of application flexibility and system fault-tolerance with broad applicability to communication systems. The communication system includes a controller that receives requests for establishing communications when a user is in an appropriate state to receive communications and communicates state of the user to other users. The controller receives a user request for establishing a communication when the user is not in the appropriate state for communication, receives a user request for a state change to the appropriate state to receive the communication, and initiates the communication without changing state of the user.

1 . A system for establishing communications among users and disseminating state information about the users, the system comprising:
 a controller that:
 receives requests for establishing communications when a user is in an appropriate state to receive communications; 
 communicates state of the user to other system users; 
 receives a user request for establishing a communication when the user is not in the appropriate state for communication; 
 receives a user request for a state change to the appropriate state to receive the communication; 
 initiates the communication without changing state of the user. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the controller initiates the communication without communicating the state change of the user to other users. 
     
     
         3 . A method for establishing communications among users and disseminating state information about the users, the method comprising:
 receiving requests for establishing communications when a user is in an appropriate state to receive communications;   communicating state of the user to other system users;   receiving a user request for establishing a communication when the user is not in the appropriate state for communication;   receiving a user request for a state change to the appropriate state to receive the communication;   initiating the communication without changing state of the user.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  further including initiating the communication without communicating the state change of the user to other users.