Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for notifying one or more users of information. A list of one or more subscribable objects is provided to one or more of the users; a subscription request is received from one or more of the users based on at least one of the subscribable objects; and a determination is made as to whether a user providing a subscription request has a privilege to subscribe to the subscribable object. The list optionally comprises only subscribable objects that the user is privileged to subscribe to. Once one or more users are identified that entered a subscription that matches the notification information, a determination is made as to whether the identified users have appropriate privileges associated with the information before a notification containing the information is sent to the identified users.

Abstract: A disclosed notification and response system enables applications to communicate with recipients using a number of different media. The notification and response system (i) sends requests to one or more recipients, using the medium specified by each individual recipient; (ii) collects and processes responses; and (iii) forwards the responses to their final destination by means of the medium specified by the final destination. Applications frame requests in at least one supported human language and media format, and the request is delivered to the appropriate recipient(s), according to their preferences. Communication flow expressions specify the recipients for a given request, and how, when and where each recipient shall receive the request. Requests are dynamically updated, and the parameters of a communication flow expression are not evaluated, until the request is delivered.

Abstract: A switching system adjunct (120) monitors a call between a calling and a called party and reestablishes the call when one of the parties has been or is being dropped. The reestablishment may be effected to a same or a different phone number of the dropped party, and may be effected via the same or a different medium (e.g., wired or wireless). The call record of the original call is merged into the call record of the reestablished call, thus preserving the context of entities involved in the call that exists at the time that the party is dropped.

Abstract: A switching system adjunct (120) monitors a call between a calling and a called party and reestablishes the call when one of the parties has been or is being dropped. The reestablishment may be effected to a same or a different phone number of the dropped party, and may be effected via the same or a different medium (e.g., wired or wireless). The call record of the original call is merged into the call record of the reestablished call, thus preserving the context of entities involved in the call that exists at the time that the party is dropped.

Abstract: A network communication bridge establishes communication between a computing system within a protected network and an external computing system. A registrar is positioned outside the protected network and registers authorized users. The registrar determines if the computing device associated with the user is publicly addressable, and for those computing devices that are not publicly addressable, the computing device maintains a persistent communication session with a bridge proxy server. The bridge proxy server employs a reversal or relaying technique to enable communication between two systems that cannot ordinarily establish communication with each other, based on characteristics of the two systems. If at least one party to a communication is publicly addressable, then a reversal technique is employed.

Abstract: A disclosed notification and response system enables applications to communicate with recipients using a number of different media. The notification and response system (i) sends requests to one or more recipients, using the medium specified by each individual recipient; (ii) collects and processes responses; and (iii) forwards the responses to their final destination by means of the medium specified by the final destination. Applications frame requests in at least one supported human language and media format, and the request is delivered to the appropriate recipient(s), according to their preferences. Communication flow expressions specify the recipients for a given request, and how, when and where each recipient shall receive the request. Requests are dynamically updated, and the parameters of a communication flow expression are not evaluated, until the request is delivered.

Abstract: A disclosed notification and response system enables applications to communicate with recipients using a number of different media. The notification and response system (i) sends requests to one or more recipients, using the medium specified by each individual recipient; (ii) collects and processes responses; and (iii) forwards the responses to their final destination by means of the medium specified by the final destination. Applications frame requests in at least one supported human language and media format, and the request is delivered to the appropriate recipient(s), according to their preferences. Communication flow expressions specify the recipients for a given request, and how, when and where each recipient shall receive the request. Requests are dynamically updated, and the parameters of a communication flow expression are not evaluated, until the request is delivered.

Abstract: An arrangement maintains consistency among satellite databases and an integrated database that is the union of the satellite databases with a controller that fetches update requests from a queue and applies each fetched request to all of the databases, in sequence, ending with the integrated database. In applying a modification request to a target database, a filter is used that comprises two components. The first component processes the modification request submitted by the queue to a modification request that is appropriate for the schema of the target database and that is based on the data that is already present in the target database. When appropriate, the first component also creates an update request that is sent to the queue, to achieve transitive closure. The second component communicates with the target database, using the API and protocols of the target database.

Abstract: A system and method for accepting and responding to queries based on information stored on multiple heterogenous information sources. A uniform query interface to large collections of structured information sources is provided to a user to pose queries using a uniform schema of the available information. A query plan for answering the query is formulated from descriptions of the contents and capabilities of the available information sources. Based on these descriptions logical solutions which are subsets of the complete solution to the query are derived. An order for executing these solutions is determined based on the input requirements and other capabilities of the relevant information sources.