Abstract: An improved transformer assembly includes a core windings about the core, and a mechanism attached to opposing ends of the core for slideably mounting the assembly to interior edges of a printed circuit board (pcb) which define a recess in the pcb. A further mechanism permits making direct electrical connection between conductors on the printed circuit board and the transformer windings. No additional fasteners or additional soldering is required. This transformer assembly is especially suited for utilization in a modem in order to reduce the thickness of its housing.

Abstract: A plurality of multiplexer cells are connected in series to accommodate the multiplexing of different data and channels. Pairs of variable lengths shift registers are utilized in each multiplexer cell in order to accommodate different data rates. One of the shift registers is always connected in series with the multiplex data stream while the other is connected to receive and store channel data. The two registers are alternately connected to baseband data stream and channel data in order to accomplish the multiplexing function.

Abstract: The transmission and reception of burst analog signals, such a voice signal, over a TDM system is improved according to the present invention by minimizing discontinuities between the signal at the end of its time slot in one frame relative to the beginning signal at its next time slot in the following TDM frame. In the TDM transmitter, stored digital information transmitted during its time slot is reprocessed during the preceding time slot in the next frame in order to maintain magnitude continuity. In the TDM receiver, the feedback signal to an analog to digital conversion circuit is switched during non-active time slots to follow data being clocked out of a digital storage element at a frame rate such that the data clocked out preceding the next active time slot will correspond to the data present at the end of the preceding active time slot.

Abstract: A cryptographic apparatus for encrypting and decrypting digital words includes a mechanism that permits a cipher algorithm to be electronically stored after the manufacture of the apparatus. The storing mechanism includes at least one electrically erasable, programmable gate array containing a portion of the cipher algorithm and at least one random access memory device coupled to the array for storing digital data generated by the algorithm. A mechanism which is coupled to the gate array and memory device controls the execution of the algorithm for each digital word thereby decrypting encrypted digital words and encrypting non-encrypted digital words.

Abstract: An assembly of a plurality of resonators is formed in which the resonators are held edge to edge and fixed relative to each other. The assembly is held together by two rigid strips mounted on opposing surfaces near the central regions of the resonators. The assembly is disposed in a longitudinal pipe which contains an abrasive material. The pipe is rotated about its axis causing the assembly to nonrandomly tumble in the abrasive so that the projecting ends of the resonators have material removed. Thus, resonators having rounded or contoured ends are produced.

Abstract: An improved excitation vector generation and search technique (FIG. 1) is described for a code-excited linear prediction (CELP) speech coder (100) using a codebook memory of excitation code vectors. A set of M basis vectors v.sub.m (n) are used along with the excitation signal codewords (i) to generate the codebook of excitation vectors u.sub.i (n) according to a "vector sum" technique (120) of converting stored selector codewords into a plurality of interim data signals, multiplying the set of M basis vectors by the interim data signals, and summing the resultant vectors to produce the set of 2.sup.M codebook vectors. Only M basis vectors need to be stored in memory (114), as opposed to all 2.sup.M code vectors.

Abstract: A user-interactive speech recognition control system is disclosed for recognizing a complete sequence of keywords (e.g., a telephone number such as 123-4567) via entering, verifying, and editing variable-length utterance strings (e.g., 1-2-3; 4-5; 6-7) separated by the user-defined placement of pauses. The device controller (120) utilizes timers (124) to monitor the pause time between partial-sequence digit strings recognized by the speech recognizer (110). When a string of digits is followed by a predetermined pause time interval, the recognized digits will be replied via the speech synthesizer (130). An additional string of digits can then be entered, and only the subsequent string will be replied after the next pause. Furthermore, the user has the flexibility to correct only the last digit string entered, or the entire sequence. Hence, if there is an error in only one digit, the erroneous digit string can be corrected without having to re-enter the entire digit sequence.

Abstract: The modem of this invention is capable of direct connection to a communication Host associated with a mainframe computer which uses a bisynchronous (bisync) protocol so that the Host believes a valid terminal is continuously connected regardless of whether the modem is online or offline. This permits communications to be established with the mainframe over the public switched telephone network.

Abstract: A radio communications system is described in which analog voice signals are transmitted and received via single sideband amplitude modulation, and digital data signals are transmitted and received via narrowband frequency modulation in a single trunked radio system having dedicated channel bandwidths. The base station continuously transmits the FM signalling information on a dedicated control channel. The remote station transceiver initially acquires lock to the data channel FM carrier, which is then demodulated to determine the frequency of an assigned voice channel. The remote station then acquires lock to the single sideband pilot carrier on the appropriate voice channel. The controller incorporates a memory state for holding AFC for the mobile transmit frequency. In the preferred embodiment, the data channel incorporates 2400 bps FSK-FM data in a 6.

Abstract: The modem of this invention overcomes problems associated with use in a wireless radio frequency communications channel. This modem provides a data carrier detection (DCD) function for associated data terminal equipment even though a transmission carrier or tone is not used. Provision is also made for communicating with data terminal equipment operating at a substantially lower data rate than the modem data rate without requiring a reduction in the modem data rate.

Abstract: A unitary connector for providing a connection between a printed circuit board edge connector and a telephone line jack, wherein a busy-out line condition is indicated when the printed circuit card is removed from the connector according to the present invention. The connector includes a female printed circuit board edge connector and a female telephone connector, each having the appropriate resilient connectors therein and paths for conduction between the two respective connectors. Moreover, the printed circuit board edge connector includes a plurality of electrically independent resilient contacts arranged in opposing rows, wherein at least one contact of one of the rows engages the respective opposing contact in the second row. The two engaged contacts are connected to the appropriate telephone jack pin to provide a busy-out condition indication.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for improving the quality of speech samples communicated via sub-band coding utilizing adaptive bit allocation, by providing error detection only on the adaptive bit allocation information. A first error detection code, such as a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), is calculated on the bit allocation parameters in the transmitter and sent to the receiver, where a second error detection code is calculated based upon the reconstructed bit allocation parameters. The transmitted error detection code is then used to determine if the received bit allocation information is correct, and if not, the frame of speech data is discarded. By protecting only the bit allocation information, additional speech frames may be salvaged from the error-prone channel, thus further increasing speech intelligibility.

Abstract: An automatic frequency control (AFC) circuit is disclosed for use in an SSB radio transceiver having the capability of transmitting and receiving SSB and FM data signals over any one of a number of communication channels having equal bandwidths. The dual-mode AFC circuit includes AFC circuitry which is capable of tracking the frequency of either: (a) a first radio frequency (RF) carrier having voice signals modulated via a signal sideband amplitude modulation within a first channel bandwidth by locking to the reduced pilot carrier transmitter with the SSB signals; or of (b) a second RF carrier having high speed data signals modulated by narrowband frequency modulation within the designated channel bandwidth. The AFC circuit also includes control circuitry to memorize the AFC control voltage during the time the mobile is transmitting, and to assist the acquisition of the FM data carrier by varying the AFC sweep rate on the signalling channel.

Abstract: An improved excitation vector generation and search technique (FIG. 1) is described for a code-excited linear prediction (CELP) speech coder (100) using a codebook of excitation code vectors. A set of M basis vectors V.sub.m (n) are used along with the excitation signal codewords (i) to generate the codebook of excitation vectors u.sub.i (n) according to a "vector sum" technique (120) of converting the selector codewords into a plurality of interim data signals, multiplying the set of M basis vectors by the interim data signals, and summing the resultant vectors to produce the set of 2.sup.M codebook vectors. The entire codebook of 2.sup.M possible excitation vectors is efficiently searched by using the vector sum generation technique with the M basis vectors--without ever having to generate and evaluate each of the 2.sup.M code vectors themselves. Furthermore, only M basis vectors need to be stored in memory (114), as opposed to all 2.sup.M code vectors.

Abstract: SSB receivers which use feedback and feedforward automatic gain control (AGC) are subject to bursts of noise in the audio output due to the action of the feedforward AGC when signals having low signal to noise (S/N) ratios are being received. This invention minimizes such noise bursts by disabling the feedforward AGC at a predetermined threshold S/N ratio independent of the feedback AGC control voltage. Noise within the received channel is bandpass filtered and a first signal generated which has an amplitude proportional to the filtered noise. The first signal is compared with a reference voltage which corresponds to the threshold at which the feedforward AGC is disabled.

Abstract: An improved noise suppression system (800) is disclosed which performs speech quality enhancement upon the speech-plus-noise signal available at the input (205) to generate a clean speech signal at the output (265) by spectral gain modification. The improvements of the present invention include the addition of a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold mechanism (830) to reduce background noise flutter by offsetting the gain rise of the gain tables until a certain SNR threshold is reached, the use of a voice metric calculator (810) to produce more accurate background noise estimates via performing the update decision based on the overall voice-like characteristics in the channels and the time interval since the last update, and the use of a channel SNR modifier (820) to provide immunity to narrowband noise bursts through modification of the SNR estimates based on the voice metric calculation and the channel energies.

Abstract: A digital communication system for transmission and reception of speech signals and utilizing sampling, filtering and sub-band coding techniques for reduction of the bit rate. The energy levels of each sub-band are determined with respect to the band having the maximum energy level. The energy level information is encoded and divided into protected and unprotected bits. Only the protected bits are used for the determination of the bit allocation of the sample information, but both protected and unprotected bits are utilized in reconstituting the original levels of the bands.

Abstract: In a digital data receiver, it is desirable to use the equalized data for deriving time synchronization information. This invention minimizes timing contention between an equalizer operating at a T/2 rate and a timing recovery circuit which utilizes the output of the equalizer. An interpolator interpolates T1 and T2 data samples from the equalizer and provides data signals R and S equally spaced relative to the peak baud amplitude which can be easily processed by the timing recovery circuit.

Abstract: A method and means for maintaining continuous bit synchronization of data transmitted from a remote unit through a base unit to a landline unit is disclosed. An input data stream at a first bit rate, such as digitized or encrypted speech, is interleaved with a plurality of signalling words, and transmitted over an RF channel at a second bit rate. The base site recovers the clock of the received data, strips off the signalling word, modifies the bit rate of the received data, and adjusts the recovered clock rate to provide an output data stream which is in bit synchronization with the input data stream and within a predetermined modem specification. The encrypted data is then sent over landlines to a decryption unit which requires bit synchronization.

Abstract: A system and method for error correction in communication systems for transmission of digitized speech signals. Sub-band coding is preferably applied to the input signal, and the sample information and the side information provided. An error detection code (EDC) is applied to at least a portion of the side information and an error correction code (ECC) is applied over the side information and the EDC. A second EDC is applied to the ECC. These information signals and error detection and correction codes are multiplexed with the protected portion of the side information and the error correction code separated by at least the sample information. Speech signals are thus transmitted and reconstituted with improved quality with a minimum data rate required.