Abstract: A filter including a porous support defining one or more channels therethrough, and a porous ceramic membrane layer on a surface of the porous support defining at least one of the one or more channels. The ceramic membrane layer includes an inorganic ceramic composition having the formula SiMpxpCyNzOmHn, where each Mp present is independently selected from a p-block element or a d-block element; p is an integer from 1 to 5; for each Mp present, xp is independently from about 0 to about 60; y is from about 0 to about 60; z is from about 0 to about 60; m is from about 0 to about 40; and n is zero or nonzero. At least one of y and z is nonzero when p is zero, and p is nonzero when y and z are both zero.

Abstract: A method is described herein for enabling a person (presentity) to maintain their presence/IM service when they take their end-device and move/roam from a home network to a visited network. In one embodiment, while the person is located in the home network 104, their end-device (e.g., laptop, PDA, SIP/soft phone) uploads presence/IM information (e.g., presence rules, watcher list, service profile) from SIP/SIMPLE devices (e.g., presence server, SIP registrar, IM server). Then, after the person has taken their end-device and moved to the visited network, the end-device partially re-registers with the SIP registrar located within the home network. The end-device also partially registers with the SIP registrar located within the visited network. Once these steps are completed, then a person (presence watcher) can obtain presence information about the person (presentity) who is currently located within the visited network.

Abstract: A method is described herein for optimizing the delivery and deployment of web services to consumers by providing presence information (presence attributes) in addition to business/technical information (if needed) about different web service providers to the consumers so they can select a web service provider based on various important factors such as load, price, location, etc. . . . of the web service. An enhanced web service registry and a presence system are also described herein.

Abstract: A method of implementing common interest community services in a presence system comprising creating a common interest community in which an interest state of a presence message is aggregated into a group in the presence system, publishing a member presence information to the common interest community to be selectively made available to a subscribing member of the common interest community and subscribing to the common interest community for receiving the member presence information, wherein a publishing member may selectively grant an access level.

Abstract: Automatic subscription to presence services is achieved using a communications manager within a presence system. The communications manager is capable of detecting the occurrence of an event associated with at least one of a presentity and a watcher. The communications manager automatically subscribes or unsubscribes the watcher to receive presence information of the presentity in response to detection of the event.

Abstract: A presence-based transaction tracking method and system for communicating transaction information over a data network in which a sensing device in a host network associated with a transaction publishes presence information associated with a sensed transaction state to a server. A watcher subscribes to the server for receiving the presence information in which a middleware application can enable a watcher access across disparate client messaging systems.

Abstract: A system and method are described herein that includes a presence server which is capable of notifying a watcher about a location of a person using a rich presence element in accordance with security and privacy rules specified by the person. In the preferred embodiment, the system uses a read/write RFID tag and RFID reader as well as a presence server to collect, store and distribute location information as a presence element to the watcher. To accomplish this, the user data and program carrying capability of the read/write RFID tag is used to push to the presence server not only location information but also policies and rules established by the user to control the distribution of the location information as a presence element to watchers. The location policy rules can be made and controlled by the user and/or a third party.

Abstract: A presence server is described herein that implements a method which processes and integrates a presence watcher's communication preferences and a presentity's communication preferences and then distributes the integrated communication preferences along with the presentity's presence information so that the presence watcher can use this information to make a decision on how to contact the presentity. In this way, the presence watcher can achieve promoted communication satisfaction because they know now if they can contact the presentity using their preferred language/device (media type)/security mode (protocol). This enhancement of the communication satisfaction is possible because the integrated communication preferences provided to a presence watcher reflects not only the presentity's communication preferences but also the presence watcher's communication preferences.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for implementing multi-time scale adaptive routing in an IP network are described. One embodiment is a packet router that supports multi-time scale resource management. The packet router comprises a management agent that manages differentiated services policy information database operable to store policies on forwarding packets in the packet router; a resource server system that controls forwarding of packets in the packet router based on adaptive selections of policies from the policy information database; a flow measurement system that monitors packet flows through the packet router and generates statistic reports which affect the resource server systems selection of control; and a hardware forwarding engine that receives and forwards packets in response to the resource server system controls.

Abstract: Scalable presence distribution system and method are described. In one embodiment, a presence distribution system comprises a plurality of presence servers and a centralized management function for coordinating registration of a presentity with one or more of the plurality of presence servers.

Abstract: System and method for indicating network quality of service capability as a presence attribute of an end-user are described. One embodiment is an access network for providing quality of service (“QoS”) information of the access network. The access network comprises an Application Quality of Service (“AQS”) device that controls QoS parameters for the access network; a presence server that develops a QoS attribute of an end-user of the access network by collecting QoS attributes of the access network from the AQS device and collecting QoS attributes of an end-user device; and a Session Initiation Protocol (“SIP”) server that communicates with the presence server to collect the QoS attribute of the end-user and communicates the QoS attribute to an edge router of another access network.

Abstract: A communications system provides customized messages based on presence and preference information by collecting presence information and preference information on a plurality of subscribers. The presence information includes information on the availability of a subscriber, while the preference information includes policies for different priority levels of callers. In response to unavailability of a called subscriber for a communication session, the communications manager transmits a customized response to the caller that is generated based on the presence information and the preference information of the called subscriber.

Abstract: A network monitoring system (10) for monitoring a network along which network traffic flows in a form of packets. The system comprises circuitry (36, 42) for receiving a packet communicated along the network and for determining whether the received packet satisfies a set of conditions. The system further comprises circuitry (36/30, 46), responsive to a determination that the received packet satisfies the set, for determining a measure, wherein the measure is determined over a defined time interval and comprises a ratio of packet arrival variance and a mean of packets arriving during the time interval and for comparing the measure to a threshold. Lastly, the system comprises circuitry (36, 52), responsive to the measure exceeding the threshold, for adjusting network resources.

Abstract: A method of implementing common interest community services in a presence system comprising creating a common interest community in which an interest state of a presence message is aggregated into a group in the presence system, publishing a member presence information to the common interest community to be selectively made available to a subscribing member of the common interest community and subscribing to the common interest community for receiving the member presence information, wherein a publishing member may selectively grant an access level.

Abstract: A method is described herein for optimizing the delivery and deployment of web services to consumers by providing presence information (presence attributes) in addition to business/technical information (if needed) about different web service providers to the consumers so they can select a web service provider based on various important factors such as load, price, location, etc. . . of the web service. An enhanced web service registry and a presence system are also described herein.

Abstract: A system and method are described herein that includes a presence server which is capable of notifying a watcher about a location of a person using a rich presence element in accordance with security and privacy rules specified by the person. In the preferred embodiment, the system uses a read/write RFID tag and RFID reader as well as a presence server to collect, store and distribute location information as a presence element to the watcher. To accomplish this, the user data and program carrying capability of the read/write RFID tag is used to push to the presence server not only location information but also policies and rules established by the user to control the distribution of the location information as a presence element to watchers. The location policy rules can be made and controlled by the user and/or a third party.

Abstract: A system and method are described herein that includes a presence server which is capable of notifying a watcher about a location of a person using a rich presence element in accordance with security and privacy rules specified by the person. In the preferred embodiment, the system uses a read/write RFID tag and RFID reader as well as a presence server to collect, store and distribute location information as a presence element to the watcher. To accomplish this, the user data and program carrying capability of the read/write RFID tag is used to push to the presence server not only location information but also policies and rules established by the user to control the distribution of the location information as a presence element to watchers. The location policy rules can be made and controlled by the user and/or a third party.

Abstract: Scalable presence distribution system and method are described. In one embodiment, a presence distribution system comprises a plurality of presence servers and a centralized management function for coordinating registration of a presentity with one or more of the plurality of presence servers.

Abstract: A presence server transforms a presentities preferences from a device view to a media view by collecting raw preference data from the presentity in a variety of formats and processing the raw preference data to determine a preferred order of media types. The raw preference data includes a preference indication for each media type supported by each device associated with the presentity. The preferred order of media types can be provided to a watcher of the presentity.

Abstract: Described are systems and methods for handling presence messages intended for an offline user. When an online user wants to send an instant message to an offline user, a presence-sensing server detects and notifies the online user of the status of the offline user. The presence-sensing server then can either store the instant message in the server or send the instant message to the offline user via his preset preferred means of contact. The offline user can then filter and decide whether to participate in an online instant messaging session with the online user or to respond while remaining offline using the non-instant message method.