Abstract: A device capable of providing information to a user through a plurality of different alerting signals, includes a sensing system capable of sensing indications that the device is in a first particular physical relationship to the user's body; an alerting system capable of conveying information to the user through a plurality of different alerting signals, the alerting signals including: a first set of alerting signals and a second set of alerting signals that are such as to be less noticeable to the user if the device is in the first particular physical relationship to the user's body than the first set of alerting signals, the device further including comprising a controller responsive to the sensing system and configured to estimate from the indications whether the device is in the first particular physical relationship to the user's body, and while it is to control the alerting system so as to suppress the provision of information to the user through the second set of alerting signals.

Abstract: To alleviate the requirement to back-off all up-link performance, such as by limiting power spectral density, to overcome far-end cross-talk problems otherwise associated with relatively short loop-length wireline links, the present invention partitions the frequency spectrum based on an estimate of the loop length of a subscriber unit (CPE) modem from an exchange (LTE) modem. Up to a threshold frequency (fmax) at which received transmissions from a subscriber having a longest loop length (115) become indistinguishable by the LTE modem from a noise floor (102), up-link performance on all loop lengths is limited to correspond to that of the longest loop. At frequencies above the threshold frequency (fmax), subsets of subscribers (152-154) having relatively short loop lengths (116-119) use high frequency carriers that have signal to noise ratios sufficient to support information transmission in these elevated frequency bands.

Abstract: To facilitate acquisition of lock in a multiple sub-channel carrier scheme, a plurality of time-continuous pilots (102) on known sub-channels are made available to an addressed unit across the frequency spectrum. The addressed unit is then able to select one of these pilots for training purposes and specifically for frequency and phase acquisition (106). The selection is based, typically, on the pilot with either the best signal to noise ratio or the first pilot to satisfy the minimum quality requirements for effective training. Discontinuous carriers, of which there can be several, are then used to identify a symbol boundary at the addressed unit. Once acquisition has been established, the pilots can, if desired, be released to carry low-bit rate traffic, although it is preferable to retain pilot tones for use within the system.

Abstract: A method, and related apparatus, for determining symbol alignment in a discrete multi-tone communications system comprising the steps of: receiving a signal on each of at least one selected carrier frequency; for each of a plurality of receiver window alignments with respect to said signals, deriving a measure of received signal power level on each said selected carrier frequency; for each said receiver window alignment and selected carrier frequency deriving a measure of spectral leakage on at least one adjacent carrier frequency; selecting a receiver window alignment responsive to said derived measures.

Abstract: To reduce power consumption and associated heating in a line card of line termination equipment (LTE, 12) employing multiple cub-channel carriers to communicate broadband information to customer premise equipment (CPE, 30) down a wireline communication resource (26, sub-channel carrier transmissions are restricted (58) during periods of CPE inactivity. Power supplies to a power amplifier (30) associated with the line card and wireline resource (26) are reduced, with digital signal processing capabilities of the LTE (12) further restricted (64). When the CPE wishes to re-start communication, the CPE (30) locks (68) to a correct alignment in a transmission scheme using a pilot tone that is transmitted within a simple pattern sent during reduced sub-channel carrier transmissions. Alternatively, should all transmission from the LTE cease during CPE inactivity, then the CPE monitors (80) the transmission environment and sends (82) a wake-up call to the LTE between boundaries of an uplink slot.