Abstract: A variable geometry battery compartment of an electronic communication device, such as a telephone test set, is readily reconfigurable by the user, so that different sized batteries can be used to power the circuitry of the device. For this purpose, a moveable battery contact wall is repositionable between spaced apart locations relative to a fixed battery contact wall. A charging switch controls the establishment of a charging path for rechargeable batteries, and can only be engaged when the moveable wall is positioned to accommodate longer sized rechargeable batteries. Changing the position of the moveable battery contact wall to accommodate shorter, non-rechargeable batteries, will prevent the charging switch from being engaged by an activating boss in a cover of the device, so that shorter non-rechargeable batteries cannot be placed in circuit with a battery charger.

Abstract: A transmission strobe clock signal control mechanism continuously monitors DTE data and transmission strobe clock signals used to strobe the DTE data onto a serial communication link, and automatically adjusts the phase of the transmission strobe clock signal in response to a misalignment between the two signals that exceeds acceptable limits. In a first embodiment, the DTE data signal is sampled by a high speed clock and clocked through a `data sample` shift register. Selected stages of the register, associated with a timing window that contains a transmission strobe clock signal edge, are coupled to an exclusive logic operation circuit, whose output indicates whether all of the data samples in the selected stages of the shift register are the same or not. If not, it is inferred that a data transition too close to the transmission strobe clock signal edge has occurred, necessitating an adjustment of the phase of the transmission strobe clock signal.

Abstract: A continuously tunable wideband optical communications receiver exhibits optimum performance across multiple octaves of received signal bandwidth. The receiver's transimpedance preamplifier input stage includes a variable transconductance field effect transistor, whose transconductance exhibits a very steep non-linear variation with drain current over the operational bandwidth of the transimpedance amplifier. As a result, the bandwidth of the transimpedance amplifier and therefore the receiver can be tuned to accommodate the detected data rate. The data rate of the received signal (known either a priori, or extracted by a clock recovery circuit) is used to adjust drain current and thereby tune the operational bandwidth of the receiver.

Abstract: A line driver with positive feedback reduces the output signal amplitude excursion required for driving a communication line, and enables the driver's output impedance to be synthesized using a reduced component value, thereby achieving a reduction in power loss through the output resistor, while simultaneously matching the effective electrical value of the driver's output impedance to the line. The line driver includes an operational amplifier having differential polarity inputs and an output. An output resistor, whose value is a fraction of the line impedance, is coupled between the amplifier output and an output node coupled to the line. A negative feedback resistor is coupled between the amplifier output and an inverting input. A further resistor is coupled between the amplifier output and a non-inverting input.

Abstract: A multi-ported, caller ID-based test unit is installable in the central office of a public switched telephone network. The test unit is capable of determining the telephone number, subscriber name and various other information associated with the subscriber line used to access to the test device, and is operative to conduct various tests of a telephone circuit from which a call to the test device is placed. These tests include exercising a caller identification, call waiting class of service, testing the ability of the telephone circuit to receive incoming calls, and testing the operation of a message-waiting indicator of a telephone unit coupled to the telephone circuit, as well as the ability to conduct a data session with a remote terminal using the test unit's data port.

Abstract: In order to provide a secure housing assembly for an electronic lock, while also providing protection against electrostatic discharge, a conductive plate-based housing assembly is configured to be installed within either a door mortise, or as an escutcheon housing mountable to the exterior of the door. For either installation, the same metallic plate sub-assembly is employed as both a support structure for a circuit board of the lock's electronic circuitry and as a wall of the protective housing. Since the circuit board's ground conductor layer is electrically connected to the metallic plate via conductive mounting standoffs, the lock circuitry is protected against damage due to electrostatic discharge when a key is inserted into a keyway of the lock.

Abstract: A demand-based connection management satellite communication network includes a plurality of geographically distributed earth stations, each earth station having a frame relay protocol-based switch for interfacing message signals between terminal devices and modem unit. One of the earth stations is a hub station whose modem unit includes plural demodulators tuned to carrier frequencies transmitted from other, remote stations. Each remote station has at least one hub-programmable demodulator and/or a programmable modulator. When an originating station receives a request from a terminal device for connectivity with a terminal device at a destination station, it transmits a connectivity request message to the hub station. In response, the hub station checks a demodulator and/or modulator frequency assignment database for demodulator availability.

Abstract: A flat panel display spacer metering apparatus comprises a motor-driven rotatable disc, having a plurality of cavities distributed around a first surface of the disc. As the disc is rotated, its cavities are filled with spacers from a storage and fill device, configured as a hollow cylinder installed in a bore of a metering block. To facilitate transfer of spacer elements stored in the storage cylinder into cavities in the disc, an axially biased plunger continuously pushes the spacer elements against the first surface of the disc. As a result, whenever rotation of the disc exposes one or more of its cavities to the open end of the cylinder, spacers are forced into and fill the cavities. As the disc is further rotated and successive ones of its cavities are filled with spacers, the filled cavities are brought into alignment with a spacer element ejection head. The ejection head continuously directs a fluid, such as dry nitrogen gas against the cavity-containing surface of the disc.

Abstract: A wire-insertion and cutting head for a telephone wire installing impact tool has a plurality of unitary wire-insertion and cutting blade elements embedded in a single resilient cutting blade support block. Each wire-insertion and cutting blade element has both a wire-insertion blade and an increased thickness knife edge molded as a single continuous hardened steel element. The knife edge is located relative to the slot in the cutting blade to ensure that the knife edge will consistently and reliably effect a clean cut of a respective wire against the surface of the terminal receptacle, as the wire is urged into the terminal receptacle by the blade during operation of the impact tool.

Abstract: A data and clock recovery arrangement, for a high speed fiber optic digital communication system in which a serial digital bit stream is pre-scramble encoded by interleaving complementary pairs of overhead bits between successive groups of data bits, and then scrambled and transmitted to a receive site, comprises a data rate independent variable bit rate synchronizer, a descrambler and a decoder. The data rate independent variable bit synchronizer processes the received scrambled and encoded digital bit stream to derive a variable data rate synchronization clock signal. The synchronizer is capable of accepting any data rate within the operational data clock signal range of the system, and automatically tunes itself to the data clock signal embedded in the received scrambled and encoded serial data stream, so as to output respective scrambled and encoded serial data and clock signals.

Abstract: A two masking level process for a dual buried region epitaxial architecture forms a first masking layer on a surface of a P type substrate. The first masking layer exposes first and second surface portions of the substrate for N+ and P+ buried regions. N type impurities are introduced into the substrate through the first masking layer, so as to form N+ doped regions. A second masking layer is then selectively formed on the first masking layer, such that the second masking layer masks the first aperture, but exposes a second portion of the first masking layer that both includes and surrounds the second aperture. Boron impurities are then introduced through the exposed second aperture of the first masking layer, to a P+ doping concentration.

Abstract: A flat panel-configured electronically steered phased array antenna includes a planar distribution of densely nested microstrip dipole sub-arrays, arranged and controlled in a manner similar to microstrip `reflect-array` antenna elements. The resultant phase of a circularly polarized wave for a reflect-array fan-out distribution of dipole antenna elements is controlled by an associated plurality of triode-configured field emission devices. Each dipole element sub-array is plated to a resistive sub-layer on an interior surface of a flat first millimeter wave transmissive panel member of an evacuated flat panel type support structure. Mounted to a similar resistive layer on the interior surface of a second, flat panel member is a microstrip conductive layer partially overlapped around its periphery by respective fan-configured microstrip dipole antenna elements plated on the first panel member.

Abstract: A telephone wire termination tool is configured to reliably seat and cut one or more wires in a reduced capacity wire termination receptacle, such as an AT&T/Lucent Technologies, RJ-45/M-series type jack. The tool comprises a pistol handle having a trigger which is operative to bring an actuator into engagement with a wire-insertion and cutting head carrier. The cutting head carrier retains a multiple wire-insertion and cutting head having a plurality of unitary wire-insertion and cutting blades, and is linearly translatable along an axis of the handle towards a nose end of the tool. The carrier cavity is sized such that the cutting head blades protrude from beyond the carrier, so that they may readily engage the reduced capacitry wire termination receptacle retained in a wire termination receptacle holder installed at the nose end of the tool handle.

Abstract: A housing structure for retaining and cooling a plurality of printed circuit boards includes an arrangement of parallel electrical connectors, which receive associated connectors mounted to respective ones of the printed circuit boards. Integrated with each printed circuit board is a respective frame-configured thermally conductive heat exchanger, that abuts a first side of the printed circuit board. A second side of the printed circuit board contains circuit components to be cooled. Cooling fluid flowing through the adjacent chambers of the heat exchanger draws heat away from the circuit components. A cooling fluid supply and removal plenum is coupled to adjacent fluid inlet and exhaust ports provided at a top end wall of the heat exchanger.

Abstract: A signal processing arrangement adjusts baud timing in a communication system receiver, wherein an information signal comprised of (sin(x))/x function contributions of successively adjacent bits is received via a memoryless channel. The information signal is sampled in accordance with a baud sampling clock signal, to derive successive samples of bits contained in the information signal. The sampling clock signal has a baud sampling clock frequency that is adjusted by a phase locked loop in accordance with a timing error signal. The signal processing arrangement comprises an intersymbol interference (ISI) correlation-driven baud timing recovery scheme which makes use of the fact that, for a given bit, at all instances in time other than where its peak occurs, the channel will contain energy from adjacent bits, so that there will be a substantial correlation of channel energy among successively adjacent bits of a transmitted sequence.

Abstract: A line cord strain relief attachment assembly facilitates insertion and replacement of a two conductor line cord terminated by relatively small geometry terminal lug connectors, rather than a larger modular style multiconductor connector, such as an RJ-45 plug. The line cord strain relief attachment assembly includes a generally cylindrically configured strain relief element, made of a suitable flexible and waterproof material and having a flange spaced apart from one end of the element. The strain relief element has a diameter proximate to that of a generally circular aperture in a rear wall of the test set. Adjacent to the one end of the strain relief element its cross-section is reduced to form a sloped recess region. A line cord retention wedge has a slot which conforms with the recess region of the strain relief element. The slot is bounded by opposing ramp-configured walls, that are sloped to conform with the sloped surface of the tapered recess region of the strain relief element.

Abstract: A test interface adapter allows a line-conditioning or test device, such as a direct access test unit (DATU), that is normally interfaced with a standard central office switch via a no-test trunk, to be coupled to and communicate with the respective ports of a test interface of a non-standard central office switch that is not equipped with a no test trunk, so that conditioning and/or testing of subscriber telephone lines served by such non-standard central office switch may be carried out. When so installed, the interface adapter of the present invention is operative to map signals at first interface ports, to which the non-standard central office switch is connected, to second interface ports to which the line conditioning/test device (e.g DATU) is connected, and vice versa.

Abstract: A sealed housing for cooling a plurality of printed circuit cards includes a chassis that supports a plurality of electrical connectors retaining printed circuit cards in mutually adjacent, spatially separated relationship. A first side of a respective printed circuit card is attached to an associated convectively cooled heat exchanger, having a cooling fluid flow chamber containing thermally conductive heat exchange elements through which an internal cooling fluid flows. A sealed, forced cooling fluid recirculation structure is mounted to the chassis and recirculates cooling fluid through heat exchangers of respective printed circuit cards. The sealed, internal cooling fluid recirculation structure contains thermally conductive heat exchangers that are convectively coupled with the internal cooling fluid and are conductively coupled to a distribution of thermally conductive fins on the outside of the chassis.

Abstract: A performance monitoring arrangement conducts auxiliary communications between a performance-monitoring capable line interface unit and one or more performance-monitoring capable channel units of a D4 channel bank without interrupting transmission of digital data to and from a customer premises. During each of an initialization mode and a performance-monitoring mode, the data communication format of a channel bank bus is modified to allow insertion of an auxiliary line interface unit-sourced command bit between selected bits of the data. During the performance-monitoring mode, the communication format of the channel bank link is further modified to provide for insertion of a response bit from a channel unit and the transmission of data at an increased data rate. In the absence of an indication that there is an anomaly that would impair the operation of the channel bank, the channel unit transitions to a performance-monitoring mode of operation.

Abstract: A wire-insertion and/or cutting tool comprises a handle having an axial bore, in which a wire-insertion and cutting blade assembly holder is installed. A wire-insertion and/or cutting blade assembly is inserted into the holder in a selected one of a plurality of blade assembly insertion orientations. The blade assembly includes a wire-insertion and/or cutting blade, that is configured to engage a wire to be inserted into a terminal block, and is operative to either seat, or to both seat and cut the wire in accordance with the selected blade assembly configuration and its insertion orientation. The blade assembly may include a rotatable cutting blade, and the holder configured to rotate the cutting blade and cut a wire engaged thereby for a first insertion orientation of the blade relative to the holder, but to prevent the cutting blade from rotating for a second insertion orientation of the blade assembly relative to the holder.