Abstract: The personal communication system of the present invention includes one or more mobile stations which operate in conjunction with a Private/Residential Base Station and a Mobile Station Emulator to provide seamless rerouting of existing telephone connections between the Private/Residential Base Station and a cellular telephone system. The Mobile Station Emulator associated with the Private/Residential Base Station communicates with either a cellular network or a personal communications service (PCS) over a digital channel to enable hand-in and hand-out, control the emissions of the Private/Residential Base Station, and provide control and monitoring functions to other devices connected to the Private/Residential Base Station.

Abstract: The multiple location, communications network is provided as an overlay application to, for example, one or more private networks. The network adds increased flexibility to an existing private network system by adding additional features, e.g., abbreviated dialing plans, function number dialing, automatic selection of routing, centralized access to private and public network facilities, outgoing call screening, and work-at-home functionality, that may not be currently available to the private network subscriber. Further, the network overlay application of the present invention is adapted to maintain and not disturb the subscriber's current service or the existing private network.

Abstract: A flexible multipoint composition and bridging system is provided for video signal composition and bridging of a plurality of geographically dispersed locations. The system includes a centrally located bridging unit that receives video, audio and data signal substreams from each of the remote locations. Based on the data substreams from each location, the bridging unit resizes, cuts and pastes the various images into separate video montage images for display at each of the locations. The system enables users to optionally display video images or signals from one or more of the other locations within separate display windows at their respective terminals. The display windows can be zoomed, panned, scaled, translated, and partially or wholly occluded depending on a user's preferences or needs. The video images may be composed in signal space or entirely in transform space. Further, the flexible multipoint bridging system may be used for various applications, including video conferencing and broadcasting.

Abstract: An advanced intelligent network application is provided for collecting and recording cumulative call data to a subscriber's telephone number. The subscriber may receive monthly reports regarding incoming telephone traffic with the data formatted according to one or more of the following categories: total calls for the reporting period; quantity of calls by day of month; quantity of calls by hour of day; quantity of calls by local area and exchange (i.e., NPA-NXX); quantity of calls by Zip Code+4; and quantity of calls by demographic code. The report may also provide the subscriber with, e.g., a record of incoming local exchange telephone traffic.

Abstract: A data processing system which includes a processor having a processor memory and a mechanism for specifying an address that corresponds to a processor-requested data block located within another memory to be accessed by the processor. A hierarchical memory system is provided, which includes a cache and a long-term storage. An address of a requested data block is translated to a second addressing scheme, and is meshed, so that proximate data blocks are placed on different physical target disks within the long-term storage. A user-configuration mechanism is provided, which allows the user to define one or more user-configurable parameters which will control the access to the cache, and the transfer of data between the processor and the cache and between the cache and the long-term storage.

Abstract: A radio communication system is disclosed which comprises a base station for transmitting and receiving signals to and from one or more remote stations. The base station is provided with at least one receive antenna coupled to a base station receiver. The receive antenna is provided with a directional pattern in a horizontal plane and a mechanism for steering the directional pattern azimuthly, until such time as a synchronization signal transmitted by a remote station located within the coverage area is received by the base station receiver. Upon detection of the synchronization signal, scanning of the receive antenna's pattern is stopped until such time as message information can be obtained from the remote station and forwarded to a particular destination requested by the remote station. Upon receiving the information, the base station will resume scanning of the antenna, and the information will be forwarded to its requested destination.

Abstract: An network screening application is provided for use in an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN). The network screening application may provide two screening features for a private telecommunications network. One screening feature may screen off-network calls to be terminated on the private network to ensure that the calling party is an authorized user of the network and to ensure that the called party is authorized to receive the off-network calls. The other screening feature may screen outgoing calls from the private network (i.e., on-network calls) such as long distance phone calls terminating outside of the local service area of the network, to ensure that the on-network calling party is authorized to make outgoing calls from the network.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a dynamic range enhancing system for increasing the dynamic range of a transmission link, characterized as either an analog or digital link. The system includes a pre-processing unit, provided at a first location, that receives, as input, a transmit signal, and a post-processing unit, provided at a second location, remote from the first location, that receives, as input, a signal transmitted over the transmission link. The pre-processing unit includes a first signal level adjusting device for adjusting a signal level of the transmit signal to be transmitted over the transmission link and a control signal maybe provided for controlling the post-processing unit, and the post-processing unit includes a second signal level adjusting device for adjusting a signal level of the adjusted transmit signal transmitted over said transmission link.

Abstract: In a data processing system, source block addresses are linearly mapped to virtual linear target disks equal in size to actual physical disks comprised by the long-term storage. Blocks of the virtual linear target disks are then assigned to disk-meshed disks equal in size to the actual physical disks whereby each block within a set of adjacently addressed linear target disk blocks is assigned to a separate disk-meshed disk. Controller meshing may be performed by assigning each disk-meshed disk to a controller-meshed disk which will comprise the actual physical disk, whereby respective sets of blocks within respective disk-meshed disks, all having the same disk controller, are assigned to equal-sized controller-meshed disks located on different disk controllers. Additional mechanisms that may be provided in the data processing system include efficient cache buffer lookup linked lists, and a mechanism for accelerating processing performed by an ancillary processing mechanism by ignoring a delay time.

Abstract: A mobile radio communications network is provided with a system for allocating one or more ranges of transmission frequency to the communications network, in order to prevent the network from interfering with received signals of an incumbent radio system. The allocating system may be provided with a device for receiving and monitoring information indicative of the presence and location of incumbent radio stations. A signal level monitoring system monitors signals transmitted from incumbent radio stations to determine the frequency and degree of RF isolation, with respect to a monitoring antenna of the monitoring system, of the stations. The monitoring system includes monitoring antennas, a spectrum analyzer, a device for controlling the spectrum analyzer, and a device for processing and correcting the data produced by the spectrum analyzer.

Abstract: A transparent telephony system is disclosed for providing hands-free communication. The transparent telephony system includes a device for initiating a call between a caller's location and a call destination based on a voice utterance (e.g., the call recipient's name) made by the caller, a device for reproducing the voice utterance made by the caller at the call destination so that the call recipient may identify the caller, and a device for handling the call attempt in accordance with a voice utterance made by the call recipient. The call handling device enables the call recipient to optionally accept the initiated call and establish two-way voice communication with the caller by uttering an appropriate voice command ( e.g., "go-ahead" or "yes").

Abstract: An apparatus and method is provided for forwarding incoming calls by utilizing a subscriber defined routing list. The routing list may comprise alternate telephone numbers to which calls placed to the subscriber's number(s) will be routed. Subscribers may establish routing lists that allow incoming calls to be forwarded to other numbers for either all of their numbers or for selected groups of one or more numbers. Each group of numbers is identified by a unique group number. Incoming calls are forwarded according to a time-of-day or day-of-week, a percentage allocation, a specific date, an originating location of the calling party, or inputs by the calling party to prompts. Subscribers may use the group number to activate and configure forwarding options associated with subscriber numbers associated with the group.

Abstract: A mobile radio communications network is provided with a system for allocating one or more ranges of transmission frequency to the communications network, in order to prevent the network from interfering with received signals of an incumbent radio system. The allocating system may be provided with a device for receiving and monitoring information indicative of the presence and location of incumbent radio stations. A signal level monitoring system monitors signals transmitted from incumbent radio stations to determine the frequency and degree of RF isolation, with respect to a monitoring antenna of the monitoring system, of the stations. The monitoring system includes monitoring antennas, a spectrum analyzer, a device for controlling the spectrum analyzer, and a device for processing and correcting the data produced by the spectrum analyzer.

Abstract: A storage controller is disclosed which may emulate several types of specialized host specific and/or storage device specific storage controllers. The storage controlling system can transfer information between one or more different types of target units and one or more channels of at least one host. The system is provided with a computer, which includes a first interface, a second interface, and a programmable storage controller. The first interface is configured to receive one or more channel adapters which carry one or more channel programs transmitted from the channels of the host. The channel programs may carry data, status information, and commands. The second interface allows input and output to storage facilities which comprise one or more target units. The programmable storage controller may be provided with a device coupled to the channel adapters for translating channel program commands, and determining, from the channel program, a target unit for which at least one channel program is transmitted.

Abstract: An apparatus for storing data is disclosed, which has a storage medium support frame for supporting storage medium carrying members of similar configuration. The size of the storage medium support frame can be changed (i.e., adjusted) to accommodate an arbitrary number of storage medium carrying members. In one embodiment, the storage medium carrying member may be in the form of a rewritable optical disk or another type of optical storage platter. The storage medium support frame comprises a plurality of disk units which may be coupled to each other, each disk unit having a disk support structure for supporting at least one platter. The disk units are provided with mechanisms for detachably connecting, and thereby stacking, a variable number of disk units together to form the storage medium support frame. As the disk units are stacked, i.e.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a dynamic range enhancing system for increasing the dynamic range of a transmission link, and also to a process for increasing the dynamic range of a transmission link. An instruction setting process is also provided for defining a set of instructions, for a control device of the system, which detects, at an initial position along the transmission link, the level of a transmit signal adapted to be transmitted over the transmission link. The control device controls a first signal level changing device and a second signal level changing device in response to the detected level. The first and second signal level changing devices, respectively, process the transmit signal level before and after transmission over the link.

Abstract: An interface is disclosed that formats a first link (a source link--e.g., a T1 link) having N channels to fit into a second link (a source link--e.g., a PCM-30 or a doubled T1 link) having N+M channels. Each of the first and second links are implemented with primary rate carrier links, and have a standard payload portion and a standard overhead portion. A mechanism is disclosed for routing information between the first link and the second link, so that information being transported over the first link can also be transported over the second link. An adding mechanism is also disclosed for routing supplemental overhead information to at least one added overhead channel within the second link, wherein the added overhead channel occupies a standard payload portion of the second link. An overhead information bit is disclosed, which transmits information within a (k)th bit of an (l)th channel of each frame of the second link. An information bit signal is formed with at least five consecutive of the (k)th bits.

Abstract: A communications method and a network for carrying out the method are provided. The network includes a loopback command system and a first link station connected to a communications link. The link traverses several loopback-capable devices as it extends from the first link station to a second link station remote from the first link station. The loopback command system controls the loopback-capable devices to cause them to loopback. In order to command a loopback of a particular loopback-capable device, the first link station generates an initial loopback value and forwards the same over the link to a downstream loopback-capable device located along the link. Each loopback-capable device receives a loopback value from an upstream device, and compares if the received value is equal to a predetermined value. If the loopback value is equal to the predetermined value, the device is placed into a loopback state.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a dynamic range enhancing system for increasing the dynamic range of a transmission link, and also to a process for increasing the dynamic range of a transmission link. An instruction setting process is also provided for defining a set of instructions, for a control device of the system, which detects, at an initial position along the transmission link, the level of a transmit signal adapted to be transmitted over the transmission link. The control device controls a first signal level changing device and a second signal level changing device in response to the detected level. The first and second signal level changing devices, respectively, process the transmit signal level before and after transmission over the link.