Abstract: A method of providing originator information to an intended communications recipient during establishment of a communication session includes reading, at an originating communication terminal, originator information carried by a device located with the originating terminal, and including at least some of the originator information in at least one signal transmitted by the originating communication terminal during establishment of the communication session for transmission to a communication terminal associated with the intended communications recipient.

Abstract: The present invention provides an audio source selection process for a conference bridge. The conference bridge receives multiple audio sources and selects at least one of the audio sources based on the relative signal levels associated with the audio signal at each of the audio sources. The audio signals associated with the selected source are delivered to conference participants via one or more audio outputs. The conference bridge will repeatedly employ a selection process to select an audio source based on signal level measurements for the audio signals of the audio sources. During the selection process, the influence of a selected audio source relative to the other unselected audio sources is reduced, after the selected audio source has remained selected for more than a first time period.

Abstract: Forwarding state may be installed for sparse multicast trees in a link state protocol controlled Ethernet network by enabling intermediate nodes to install state for one or more physical multicast trees, each of which may have multiple logical multicast trees mapped to it. By mapping multiple logical multicasts to a particular physical multicast, and installing state for the physical multicast, fewer FIB entries are required to implement the multiple multicasts to reduce the amount of forwarding state in forwarding tables at the intermediate nodes. Mapping may be performed by destination nodes before advertising membership in the physical multicast, or may be performed by the intermediate nodes before installing state when a destination node advertises membership in a logical multicast.

Abstract: A system, device, and method for distributing link state information in a communication network combines a link state routing protocol with a sliding window mechanism in order to efficiently distribute link state information. The sliding window mechanism permits a predetermined number of unacknowledged link state advertisement protocol messages to be outstanding at any given time. Unacknowledged link state advertisement protocol messages are retransmitted after a predetermined timeout period.

Abstract: A consistent tie-breaking decision between equal-cost shortest (lowest cost) paths is achieved by comparing an ordered set of node identifiers for each of a plurality of end-to-end paths. Alternatively, the same results can be achieved, on-the-fly, as a shortest path tree is constructed, by making a selection of an equal-cost path using the node identifiers of the diverging branches of the tree. Both variants allow a consistent selection to be made of equal-cost paths, regardless of where in the network the shortest paths are calculated. This ensures that traffic flow between any two nodes, in both the forward and reverse directions, will always follow the same path through the network.

Abstract: Connectivity fault notification is provided by generating an alarm indication signal at a device that is logically adjacent to the fault, and forwarding the alarm indication signal upward through various levels to at least one client level entity. The alarm indication signal may be suppressed at any level for a service instance if service is restored at that level, or if a protection path prevents disruption of the service instance at that level, or auto-suppressed at an originating node based on number of times transmitted or elapsed time. The alarm indication signal may include a point of failure indicator such as the MAC address of the device that generates the alarm indication signal, or a failed resource identity such as an IEEE 802.1AB LLDP MAC Service Access Point (“MSAP”). Further, the alarm indication signal may be employed to trigger use of the protection path.

Abstract: A system for interfacing a client system in a first network domain with a Provider Link State Bridging (PLSB) domain includes at least two Backbone Edge Bridges (BEBs) of the PLSB domain. Each BEB is an end-point of a connection in the first network domain to the client system and an end-point of at least a unicast path in the PLSB domain. An inter-node trunk is provided in the PLSB domain for interconnecting the BEBs. A phantom node is defined in the PLSB domain and is notionally located on the inter-node trunk. Each of the BEBs is configured such that: an ingress packet received from the client system via the connection in the first network domain is forwarded through a path notionally rooted at the phantom node; and an egress packet destined for the client system is forwarded to the client system through the connection in the first network domain.

Abstract: The present invention allows for dynamic association of a computational device, such as a personal computer or personal digital assistant, with a telephone terminal. A computer-telephone adaptor or like function implemented in a telephony switch or other telephony device will receive authentication indicia. The authentication indicia may be provided by the computational device that is to be associated with the telephone terminal, or through other means. The authentication indicia may be provided by a user or generated by the computational device or by other means. To confirm the association, the user must enter confirmatory authentication indicia corresponding to the original authentication indicia through the telephone terminal.

Abstract: In order to provide an early and more accurate determination of network problems, current NPI OMs are compared with samples of recent historical NPI OMs so that changes in the NPI OM are detected based on current overall network conditions rather than on conditions that may have existed at statistically insignificant earlier operational periods. By constantly adjusting a performance threshold, against which the current NPI OM is compared, by using a smaller and very recent sampling of NPIs (in the case of sudden and abrupt performance-NPI degradation detection) or a larger and greater number of NPIs over a wider time period (in the case of slow and persistent NPI degradation detection) to establish the threshold, detection results are more accurate and meaningful.

Abstract: An architecture which permits externalized management of services includes a number of management service capability (MSC) definitions. Each operator may associate a management service capability with a Service/Service Capability for managing various aspects of the Service/Service Capability. An interface enables a variety of different management systems to utilize a common MSC structure, independent of the information models, transport mechanisms and management interface of the system using the MSC. With such an arrangement, management related integration costs associated with integrating and bundling complex multi-media services is significantly reduced.

Abstract: An edge device is used to support a backbone provider bridging network to facilitate interconnection of a plurality of networks. The edge device is coupled between the backbone and a first one of the networks, and is operable to encapsulate data units received from the first network with a header, and to forward the encapsulated data unit to the backbone. The header is indicative of a tunnel that is used to support traffic from the first network to a second network over the backbone. The edge device also de-encapsulates data units received from the backbone that are destined for the first network.

Abstract: A control protocol is run in the interconnect region between network domains so that the interconnect region may be managed using a separate control plane. According to an embodiment of the invention, a spanning tree protocol is used to establish a separate spanning tree within the interconnect region. To avoid loop formation within the interconnect region, links interconnecting adjacent edge nodes that are part of the interconnect region and which belong to a given domain are allowed to pass control frames but not data frames. OAM may be used detect link failure of a link between adjacent nodes on a given domain.

Abstract: A shared (proxy) OAM session is performed in a packet-based network on behalf of a plurality of connections. First and second connections are each routed between respective nodes of the network for carrying data traffic. The second connection shares a portion of the routing of the first connection. The shared OAM session is performed along a path which is co-routed with at least part of the shared portion of the routing of the first connection and the second connection. Failure notification signalling is propagated to an endpoint node of each of the first and second connections when the shared OAM session indicates a failure has occurred. The use of a shared OAM session reduces processing at nodes and reduces OAM traffic. Each connection can be a trunk, such as a PBT/PBB-TE trunk, or a service carried within a trunk.

Abstract: To provide expedited ringback at an originating terminal, a call request is sent from the originating terminal to a destination device over an Internet Protocol (IP) network. Local resource reservation is performed by the originating terminal after sending the call request. A first message is received by the originating terminal prior to the originating terminal sending a second message indicating that local resource reservation has been performed, the first message for indicating that alerting is being performed at the destination device. In response to receiving the first message and determining that the local resource reservation has been performed, a ringback indicator is generated by the originating terminal.

Abstract: A conference notification system in which potential participants to a conference re notified of relevant sections of the conference as they occur. Records are maintained of associations of persons to at least one or more conference section indicators, each indicator being uniquely associated with a conference section. The system identifies the current conference section and identifies persons associated with the current section, notifying them accordingly.

Abstract: A system, device, and method for distributing link state information in a communication network combines a link state routing protocol with a sliding window mechanism in order to efficiently distribute link state information. The sliding window mechanism permits a predetermined number of unacknowledged link state advertisement protocol messages to be outstanding at any given time. Unacknowledged link state advertisement protocol messages are retransmitted after a predetermined timeout period.

Abstract: An automated attendant system is made multimedia capable by adding a combined user agent to the automated attendant. A search is done to verify that the caller to the automated attendant has combined user agent capabilities. If so, the caller receives multimedia content from the automated attendant's combined user agent so that the content may be presented on the caller's computer to assist the caller in navigating through the automated attendant's menus and options. Upon selection of a desired connection from the menus and options, the automated attendant's combined user agent helps the caller be connected by voice to the selected connection.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a multi-touch display system that supports both multi-touch human input as well as input from a digital pen. The display system has a display panel that is configured to allow human touches along a front surface to be detected and tracked. The display panel also includes a location pattern that preferably covers the viewable areas of the display panel. The location pattern is configured to allow any location within the location pattern to be detected by analyzing a portion of the display pattern that is associated with the particular location. The digital pen is used to “write” on the display panel, wherein such a writing function involves detecting the location where writing occurs and controlling display content that is displayed on the display panel to reflect what is being written.

Abstract: A method for routing input/output (10) data in a telecommunication system including a network node having a plurality of first integrated circuit (IC) cards, a plurality of second IC cards and a switching fabric, each second IC card connected to a corresponding first IC card in a respective slot of the network node xs described. The method involves receiving the IO data at an external port of any of the plurality of first or second IC cards. When packets of the IO data are received at an external port of a given second IC card, the given second IC card performs a packet classification of the packets to at least in part determine a destination for the packets. A further step of the method includes delivering the packets to a first or second IC card destination according to the packet classification performed by the given second IC card via a logical network layer existing on the first and second IC cards and the switching fabric.

Abstract: An optical communication device comprises an input/output configured to be coupled to an optical communications line, and a passive optical loopback module coupled to the input and configured to receive optical signals from the input/output, the loopback module being further configured to reflect incoming signals of a test wavelength to the input/output.