Abstract: Systems and methods for voice and data routing are described. Systems and methods may include receiving a voice or data contact; receiving information regarding the voice or data contact; accessing information regarding one or more voice or data centers; determining a plurality of parameters related to routing the voice or data contact; determining weighting for the plurality of parameters; receiving values for the plurality of parameters; calculating a score for the one or more voice or data centers based on the received values and weighting; selecting, by a processor, a voice or data center to receive the voice or data contact based on the calculated score; and routing the voice or data contact to the selected voice or data center.

Abstract: A human operator's voice is artificially varied prior to transmission to a remote caller. In one example, the operator indicates target speech content (e.g., actual speech, pre-prepared text, manually entered text) to a speech processing facility, which enunciates the target speech content with an output voice that exhibits prescribed speech characteristics (e.g., accent, dialect, speed, vocabulary, word choice, male/female, timbre, speaker age, fictional character, speech particular to people of a particular geographic region or socioeconomic status or other grouping). Another example is an automated call processing system, where an output voice is selected for each incoming call and information is interactively presented to callers using the output voice selected for their respective calls.

Abstract: A water stream containing hardness minerals is subjected to a water treatment process using an alkali agent to precipitate the hardness minerals and to produce a softened water stream is used to create an integrated water treatment and flue gas desulfurization process. Thereafter, the softened, alkaline water stream is utilized in a scrubber to scrub a flue gas containing sulfur dioxide to produce a sulfur-lean flue gas. The invention may be applied to a steam-based bitumen recovery operation where bitumen, sour produced gas or other sulfur containing fuels are burned for producing steam for bitumen recovery. More specifically, the associated produced water from the bitumen recovery process may be softened for re-use and for utilization as a scrubbing agent for high-sulfur containing flue gas arising from the steam generators. The process provides an economically favorable process while minimizing waste disposal requirements.

Abstract: A human operator's voice is artificially varied prior to transmission to a remote caller. In one example, the operator indicates target speech content (e.g., actual speech, pre-prepared text, manually entered text) to a speech processing facility, which enunciates the target speech content with an output voice that exhibits prescribed speech characteristics (e.g., accent, dialect, speed, vocabulary, word choice, male/female, timbre, speaker age, fictional character, speech particular to people of a particular geographic region or socioeconomic status or other grouping). Another example is an automated call processing system, where an output voice is selected for each incoming call and information is interactively presented to callers using the output voice selected for their respective calls.

Abstract: A water stream containing hardness minerals is subjected to a water treatment process using an alkali agent to precipitate the hardness minerals and to produce a softened water stream is used to create an integrated water treatment and flue gas desulfurization process. Thereafter, the softened, alkaline water stream is utilized in a scrubber to scrub a flue gas containing sulfur dioxide to produce a sulfur-lean flue gas. The invention may be applied to a steam-based bitumen recovery operation where bitumen, sour produced gas or other sulfur containing fuels are burned for producing steam for bitumen recovery. More specifically, the associated produced water from the bitumen recovery process may be softened for re-use and for utilization as a scrubbing agent for high-sulfur containing flue gas arising from the steam generators. The process provides an economically favorable process while minimizing waste disposal requirements.

Abstract: A system for selectively reporting the position of a person, animal, vehicle, or other mobile object utilizes a low power remote tracking device with a one-way tone-only paging receiver, wireless telephone transceiver, and location-sensing device such as a GPS unit. The paging receiver responds to remotely initiated activation signals to selectively power-up the location-sensing device and transceiver. The location-sensing device determines position, whereupon the transceiver places a call to report the tracking device's position. Position reports may be transmitted upon request, or repeatedly upon a predetermined schedule.

Abstract: A data compression system and a method for compressing an alphanumeric message is disclosed in which a predetermined dictionary has entries represented by corresponding phrase codes, a phrase encoder encodes strings of at least one symbol in the alphanumeric message with phrase codes representing dictionary entries corresponding to the strings, and a statistical model encoder encodes at least a portion of the remaining symbols in the message using a statistical model based coding method.

Abstract: A process for devulcanizing a rubber vulcanizate by desulfurization involves suspending a rubber vulcanizate crumb in a solvent which preferably swells the rubber vulcanizate before or during the devulcanization reaction and adding an alkali metal, such as sodium, to the suspension. The alkali metal cleaves mono-, di- and polysulfidic cross-linkages in the rubber vulcanizate to liberate rubber polymer having a molecular weight substantially equal to that of the rubber polymer prior to vulcanization. Carbon black may also be recovered for re-use in accordance with the process of the present invention. Devulcanized rubber may be subjected to a re-vulcanization reaction without separation of rubber polymer from the solvent by addition of an appropriate curing mixture.

Abstract: A scanning radio reciever for a wide area paging system which interconnects conventional radio common carriers (RCC) for broadcasting page information. A plurality of RCC's in each geographical area served by the paging system of the invention are connected to a local page processor. The local page processor processes incoming page information and transfers the information to an available RCC for broadcast in the local area. If broadcast of the page information is also desired in a remote geographical area, a copy of the page information is transferred to a central page processor for distribution to the selected remote geographical area for broadcast. The paging receiver is designed so that it scans the frequency of a plurality of RCCs. Thus, the same receiver may be used to receive pages from more than one RCC.