Abstract: A communication system includes a plurality of desktop controller agents receiving goal commands and invoking a process to achieve the goals. A plurality of resource agents each in communication with an associate device receives and stores goals from a desktop controller agent and operates the associated device in response to goals received from the desktop controller agent. A network interconnects all of the agents and carries goals between the agents. Communications folders for the user agents are maintained and include a log of communications made using devices associated with a respective desktop controller agent. Attachments can be selected to accompany communications made using the devices.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of operating a communication system comprised of providing a plurality of process agents for receiving goal commands (goals) and for invoking a process to achieve the goals, providing a plurality of device agents, each in communication with its own device, for receiving and storing goals from a process agent, and for operating its corresponding device in response to receiving the goals from a process agent, and interconnecting all of the agents and carrying goals between agents thereby.

Abstract: A method of providing a visual indication to a first communication connection (CC) subscriber of the status of a telephone CC comprising the steps of providing ah icon on a display that represents the first CC subscriber, providing a call setup icon on a display representing a command to set up a CC, dragging the icon representing the first CC subscriber to the call setup icon, automatically displaying a directory of subscribers, dragging an identity of a second CC subscriber from the directory to the call setup icon, establishing a CC between communication apparatus used by the first subscriber and communication apparatus used by the second CC subscriber via subscriber's lines, changing the identity of the calls setup icon to a call icon, displaying an icon representing the second CC subscriber in the call icon, and displaying a new call setup icon, whereby icons representing CC subscribers of a call in progress are both represented and are visually discernible by the first CC subscriber in the call icon.