Abstract: Bilevel textual images are compressed by segmenting the image into marks (401) and then coding each mark using a soft pattern matching method. Each mark is compared (403) with the marks in a library of marks and if an acceptable match is found (404), the index of the matching mark is coded (412). Each pixel in a current mark is then coded using a statistical coder that codes each pixel based on the value of the pixel and a set of probabilities of all sample values based on a context that consists of pixels in the current mark and pixels in the matching mark (414, 415, 416, 417). In order to reduce the overall bit count of the image, pixels which are poorly predicted (i.e., pixels black ?or white! in value, but whose context makes them more likely to be white ?or black!)) (705) are color-reversed (706, 709) prior to coding, if so doing will not perceptibly alter a reconstructed image (708).

Abstract: A method and system is disclosed for handling multimedia messages when the intended recipient is unavailable. The telecommunication based method and system allows a party to leave a greeting message which will be furnished to a caller when the party is unavailable. The method and system further allows a caller to leave a multimedia message for the unavailable intended recipient. The method and system further alerts the party that a multimedia message has been recorded and allows the party to retrieve the multimedia message.

Abstract: Billing for information and/or interactive services provided to a user over the Internet by an information service provider (ISP) is arranged by the user by placing a billing telephone call to a 900 telephone number associated with the ISP for such billing purposes. The cost to the user for the 900 number billing telephone call, which is determined by the ISP, represents the charge for receiving the information and/or interactive services from the ISP, and is billed to the user's telephone number account. The ISP's 900 number account is credited by the telephone company for the call and thus for the information and/or interactive services provided.

Abstract: A call placed by a calling party from within the local office or campus area served by an intelligent PBX of a called party who is a subscriber to a personal reach service is held at that PBX for determination of whether the called party/subscriber is within or outside the local area served by the PBX. This determination is made using two-way paging technology through which a pager-carrying called party/subscriber is determined to be within the local area if the two-way pager carried by the called party/subscriber is registered within the area. If the called party/subscriber is determined to be within the local area, then a local page is broadcast to the called party/subscriber and a return call to the PBX by the called party/subscriber is bridged with the call being held from the calling party at the PBX.

Abstract: Internet access is provided to a multimedia terminal (101, 102, 103, 104) supporting the H.320 protocol through a gateway server (125) that is connected to the Internet. The data stream of the H.320 bearer channel (ISDN phone line or switched 56 kbps facilities) is used for the exchange of data between the accessing terminal and the gateway server, which outputs and receives such data onto and from the Internet, respectively. The gateway server is implemented to function to directly exchange on the H.320 data stream information requests and responsive data in the TCP/IP format used for Internet transport. Alternatively, the gateway server is implemented to function as a proxy to which requests are passed from the terminal over the H.320 data stream, and where function calls are made and locally converted to TCP/IP format for transport onto the Internet.

Abstract: An integer of potentially unbounded size is compression coded by first transforming the integer into a binary representation in which the length of the sequence of bits representing the integer is self-contained within the sequence itself. Each of the bits within the sequence is then coded with a binary arithmetic coder, such as the QM-Coder, which uses as a conditioning context for each bit, the bits of the sequence previously coded. In order to limit the amount of memory used to store the probability information associated with each conditioning context, memory is allocated for storing such information as that conditioning context is needed. Also, once a predetermined amount of memory has been used to store this probability information for different conditioning contexts, no further memory space is allocated for newly occurring conditioning contexts. Rather a special overflow memory space is allocated and used for all conditioning contexts not previously defined.

Abstract: A video system is disclosed in which a single generic MPEG standard encoder (107) is used to simultaneously code and compress plural different resolution video signals from a single input video signal; and in which a single generic MPEG standard decoder (402) is used to simultaneously decode plural coded and compressed video signals of different resolutions and form a single composite video signal. The coder converts each frame of pixel data of the input video signal into plural frames having different resolutions, which are then combined into a common frame (106) for input to the generic MPEG encoder. The MPEG encoder produces a single coded and compressed output bitstream in slices of macroblocks of pixel data, which output bitstream is demultiplexed (108) into separate resolution bitstreams using Slice Start Code identifiers associated with each slice and Macroblock Address Increments associated with the first macroblock in each slice, to properly route each slice to the appropriate output.

Abstract: In a personal reach telephone service in which a calling party's telephone call to a personal reach telephone number of a called party is bridged to a return call placed by the called party in response to a page, a connection is established between bridging and signaling equipment associated with the interexchange network, to which the calling party's call is directed, and the home PBX associated with the called party. The called party, in responding to the page, and if local to the PBX, calls into his home PBX where this return call and the calling party's call are bridged together.

Abstract: In an environment of competitive local and interexchange carriers, offering number portability between local carriers-serving a common region and between switches serving that region, each local carrier accesses a regional database to determine the identify of the carrier and switch serving a local customer. In addition, interexchange carriers access a national database to determine the identity of the carrier and switch serving the customer specified by the number dialed by an originating customer. For customers requiring high reliability service, alternate carriers can be used to serve such customers in case the primary carrier is unavailable; the databases identify these alternate carriers. Advantageously, this arrangement allows a high degree of freedom of movement of customers between carriers and geographic relocation without requiring a number change.

Abstract: Dynamic reconfiguration of T1 access channels to various Nodal (network) services can be realized by applying carefully devised trunk-conditioning signals to disconnected channels to provide proper system responses and prevent billing errors as well as unwanted alarm conditions. Trunk-conditioning with specific signals in binary sequences are defined for Terminal lines and Private Branch Exchange ("PBX") lines for the popular signalling type of E&M, LS, GS and PLAR. A steady idle signal is recommended for Terminal line conditioning; and a short duration of idle signal followed by a steady busy signal for inter-switch applications (eg. PBX to 4ESS.TM.) while loss of connectivity exists. This technique can be used in implementing the RINA service function for services offered by AT&T and any similar service provider. The service function will allow for greater access flexibility and better utilization of access bandwidth as well as network services.

Abstract: An improvement in the transparency of personal telecommunications over the prior art is achieved by automatically placing a return call from a personal communications unit of a called individual in response to a call from a caller and alerting the called individual to the existence of the call placed to his personal number only upon an indication that the call from the calling telephone remains in progress. In one embodiment of the invention, the called individual associates his personal communications unit with a telephone channel, before his reception of any calls. Should a caller make a call to the called individual's personal calling number, the telephone network causes the transmission of an actuation signal. In response to the actuation signal, the personal communications unit places a call to a predetermined number over a switched telephone network using the aforementioned associated telephone channel.

Abstract: A telecommunications system is configured for restarting a telephone call within a telephone network as the call is processed from an originating station progressively through the telephone network. The system determines that the originally dialed number is not associated with optimum processing of the call to a desired final destination. A determination based on call identifier information stored at a telephone network switch or database involves analyzing the call identifier information for caller input or indications of equipment type. A determination can also be made based on messages or data received relating to operational conditions of the switching network; or, data relating to and describing a destination, such as equipment type or services and features available.

Abstract: A video system is disclosed in which a single generic MPEG standard encoder (107) is used to simultaneously code and compress plural different resolution video signals from a single input video signal; and in which a single generic MPEG standard decoder (402) is used to simultaneously decode plural coded and compressed video signals of different resolutions and form a single composite video signal. The coder converts each frame of pixel data of the input video signal into plural frames having different resolutions, which are then combined into a common frame (106) for input to the generic MPEG encoder. The MPEG encoder produces a single coded and compressed output bitstream in slices of microblocks of pixel data, which output bitstream is demultiplexed (108) into separate resolution bitstreams using Slice Start Code identifiers associated with each slice and Macroblock Address Increments associated with the first macroblock in each slice, to properly route each slice to the appropriate output.

Abstract: A name mapper, name servers, and multimedia servers are connected to a multimedia manager. Each client has the name of a multimedia server, i.e., a virtual host name, from which it can obtain multimedia service. The name server stores associations of server host names to layer-3 addresses. When a client initiates a multimedia session, it requests the layer-3 address of the server that corresponds to its server's name. The name server sends the layer-3 address of the one of the multimedia servers that is currently designated as corresponding to that name. The multimedia client stores the name-to-layer-3 address binding in it's cache. The multimedia client then establishes communications with the multimedia server at that layer-3 address and clears its cache. The dynamic name-to-layer-3 address binding in the name server is managed by the name mapper, which may be collocated with the multimedia manager or may be located on a separate server.

Abstract: A so-called "ELAN contronect network" is employed to interconnect sub-ELANs to form an ELAN. More specifically, the "ELAN contronect network" is a separate network for interconnecting the servers of the sub-ELANs, where a sub-ELAN is a part of an ELAN having its own LES and BUS that may also be configured as a stand-alone ELAN. Each of the sub-ELANs is connected to the ELAN contronect network via a point-to-point connection-oriented connection, e.g., an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) connection and the ELAN contronect network is configured to present itself to each of the servers of the sub-ELANs as clients thereof. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the ELAN contronect network includes an address server, a broadcast/route server, a configuration server, multimedia servers, and at least one LAN hub interconnected over a high-speed backbone.

Abstract: In providing personal telephone calling capability as a service, for reliability purposes, it is necessary to have available several independent meet-me systems, to provide redundant capability in the event of a failure of any one of them. Each meet-me system has at least 1) one meet-me bridge and 2) its own telephone trunks directly connecting it to the telephone network over which it receives return calls. A problem with doing so is insuring that the return call is properly bridged to the caller's call when a) the telephone number for the return call is a predetermined translatable telephone number and b) the particular one of the meet-me systems to which the caller's call is connected is determined only upon receiving in the network the call placed by the caller.

Abstract: A method for allocating access to a shared limited resource among a plurality of users who require access to the resource, the allocation being made such that each user is granted access to the resource at a minimum guaranteed rate associated with each user and such that the resource is available for use by any user exceeding its minimum guaranteed rate only if the resource is available, the method comprising the steps of: assigning tokens to each user at a rate determined by the minimum guaranteed rate associated with each user; storing tokens assigned to each user in a bank associated with each user, each bank having a finite capacity associated with each user; storing tokens assigned to a user whose associated bank has reached its capacity in a bank assigned to another user whose bank is below its capacity; and allowing a user requesting access to the resource to have access to the resource if the user has a predetermined number of tokens in its associated bank and otherwise denying access to the resource.

Abstract: A system and method for backing up CCS7 call control messages between an IXC network and an LEC network in the event of failures in the CNI-based signaling system of the IXC toll switches. The architecture provides network paths for the LEC's CCS7 call control messages to reach the IXC toll switches with CCS7 signaling isolation, and for control messages from the CCS7-isolated toll switches to reach the LEC's switching offices. Messages from the LEC are routed from an IXC Signal Transfer Point to a Gateway switch. The Gateway switch routes the messages to the isolated victim switch via helper switches using 56 kbps F-links to the victim switch.

Abstract: A system for completing air-to-ground telephone calls is arranged so that a call originating from an aircraft is received in a ground station and directed to a special purpose platform disposed in the land-based telecommunications network. The platform, which may be implemented as an interactive voice response system, includes the capability to interact with the caller by (a) collecting billing information, which may be a commercial credit card or a telephone calling card, or other billing mechanism which can be initiated by a request for connection to a telephone operator; (b) validating credit cards and telephone calling cards by initiating a query and receiving a response from elements in the telecommunications network or from an external database; (c) providing auxiliary features such as block calling, free calls, speed dialing, sequence calling, etc.; and (d) depending upon the type of call involved, completing the call as either a traditional 1+long distance call, or as a 0+(e.g.

Abstract: A method is described for completing calls to wireless communications customers. A database is queried to determine whether to bill the calling party or the called party for communication charges (e.g., airtime charges) associated with the wireless communication service. When the query indicates that the calling party is to be billed for those communications charges, a telecommunications switch which received the call from the calling party is instructed to record information to be used in billing the calling party for the charges. At the same time, the wireless switch that normally would bill the called party for the charges is instructed to suppress billing of the called party for the charges. The billing instruction is sent to the wireless switch in a signaling message using a message parameter that is unaffected by intermediate (e.g., local exchange carrier) switches.