Patent ID: 7545762

Claim:
In a packet-switched network in which a network access element provides network access to customers and sends status messages to an accounting element regarding services provided to said customers, a method for network presence notification from a network presence server to a destination, wherein said destination provides content to customers over said packet-switched network, said method comprising: said destination registering with said network presence server, wherein registration specifies network presence information to be supplied to said destination; monitoring said status messages to obtain selected network presence information, at least in part, from said status messages; forwarding said selected network presence information to said network presence server; said network presence server comparing received network presence information with said registration; providing said selected network presence information matching said registration to said destination, said destination including a content gateway for providing content to said customers, wherein said selected network presence information includes an identification of an accessing customer and a network address temporarily assigned to said accessing customer; and said destination validating an attempt by said accessing customer to access said content according to said selected network presence information received from said network presence server.