Abstract: A multi-hulled vessel for upward ice-breaking is disclosed. The vessel has side hulls that are at least partially submerged while the vessel is underway. The side hulls each have a ridge on their upper surface. To break through ice at sea, the side hulls are positioned under the ice and the trim is adjusted for an upward trim angle. As the vessel moves forward, the ice is lifted and force concentrates along the ridge on the side hulls. The ice breaks along this force concentration, aided by the weight of the ice itself.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed that enables the adaptive pooling of M transmission paths that offer a first signal-quality guarantee, or no guarantee at all, with N transmission paths that offer a second signal-quality guarantee. Through this adaptive pooling, a telecommunications channel is created that meets the quality of service or waveform quality required for a packet stream being transmitted, while not excessively exceeding the required quality. The technique adaptively recaptures any excess signal quality from one path and uses it to boost the quality of an inferior path. A node of the illustrative embodiment selects the paths to handle a current segment of source packets, based on one or more parameters that are disclosed herein. The node adapts to changing conditions by adjusting the transmission characteristics for each successive segment of packets from the source packet stream.

Abstract: The invention relates to the control and regulation of a vibration isolation system with a number of vibration signal transducers for providing analogue sensor signals and a number of actuators for suppressing vibrations by processing the sensor signals to form actuator actuation signals for driving the actuators. One object of the invention is to demonstrate a way which enables high-quality parameterizability and regulating performance over a considerably wider frequency bandwidth of a vibration isolation system to be regulated. The invention proposes digitizing some of the sensor signals provided and processing them to form digital actuator actuation signals and processing other sensor signals provided in an analogue manner to form analogue actuator actuation signals and combining the digital actuator actuation signals and the analogue actuator actuation signals to form common actuator actuation signals which are supplied to the actuators in order to drive them.

Abstract: The present invention provides a technique for directly calling telephones via a shared telephone number, which telephones do not have telephone numbers in the address space of the Public Switched Telephone Network. This is particularly useful for visitors and guests who are, for example, temporarily at a hotel, school campus, or business.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed that enable an interactive voice response (IVR) system to deliver content streams of various media types (e.g., video, audio, etc.) to telecommunications terminals. The illustrative embodiment provides extensions to the Voice extensible Markup Language (VXML) standard that enable an IVR system script to specify the playback order, timing, and coordination of multiple content streams (e.g., whether an audio stream and a video stream should be played back concurrently or serially; whether a particular content stream should finish before playback of another content stream commences; whether a content stream that is currently playing should be stopped and supplanted with another content stream, etc.).

Abstract: An apparatus for intelligently responding when a user refuses an incoming message at a telecommunications terminal is disclosed. In the illustrative embodiments, the apparatus comprises a processor that prompts the user to optionally specify (i) one or more acceptable alternative message delivery mechanisms (e.g., email, text chat, etc.), and/or (ii) one or more alternative devices (e.g., pager, PDA, etc.) when a user refuses an incoming message. For example, a user in a noisy environment who refuses a voice telephone call might specify the following as alternative delivery mechanisms and devices: short message service (SMS) on the user's pager, text chat on the same device as the first message, and email on the user's personal digital assistant (PDA).

Abstract: An electromagnetic missile launcher is disclosed that provides greater flexibility for use with a variety of missile types and also provides potentially higher performance and efficiency as compared to prior-art electromagnetic missile launchers.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods are disclosed that enable a caller to specify one or both of (i) the content of a ringback signal that is generated when placing a call, and (ii) one or more properties of the ringback signal. In the first illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a “far” data-processing system that is closer to the called terminal than to the calling terminal (e.g., a terminating switch, an edge switch that is close to the terminating switch, etc.) generates a ringback signal based on preferences or rules of the caller that are stored in a database. In the second illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a “near” data-processing system that is closer to the calling terminal than to the called terminal (e.g., an originating switch, an edge switch that is close to the originating switch, etc.) generates a ringback signal based on caller rules and preferences.

Abstract: The invention describes a T-shaped bus connector comprising a holding device for mechanically retaining the T-shaped bus connector on a mounting device on which the T-shaped bus connector is to be arranged, and further comprises a first and a second connecting unit for respectively producing an electrical connection to a complementary connecting unit of a device arranged adjacent to the bus connector, wherein the first and second connecting units face in substantially opposing directions and are constructed complementarily to one another, as well as a third connecting unit, oriented substantially perpendicular to the first and second connecting units, for producing an electrical connection to a connecting unit, complementary to the third connecting unit, of an electrical or electronic module, wherein data and/or power bus lines are run between all three connecting units, and all three connecting units are covered at least in part with a shielding material.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed to optimize the call admission control algorithm that governs a shared-communications channel, in which the algorithm accounts for the levels of mobility, on an individual basis, of one or more terminals that need to use the channel. Instead of determining the variation in the distribution of supported data rates aggregated across multiple terminals—which can result in a greater variance in the call admission criterion—the technique of the illustrative embodiment tracks the variation in the distribution, for each terminal, of the data rates for that terminal. In short, the technique of the illustrative embodiment accounts for the variance in data rates that is attributed to the mobility of individual, representative terminals and not to the variance that is attributed to the spatial distribution of multiple terminals.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed that attempts to improve the evaluation of a network path's signal quality, as well as the selection of a network path for transmission purposes, without some of the costs and disadvantages of doing so in the prior art. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, a node with access to the packet network, such as a VoIP telephone endpoint, evaluates the quality of service that is associated with each of multiple network paths. The evaluation process is iterative, in which the number of candidate paths is successively reduced from one iteration of the technique to the next. The multiple paths that remain as candidates in any given iteration are evaluated concurrently and at an evaluation bit rate that i) is less than the full transmission rate of the real-time traffic (VoIP) packets to be sent and ii) varies as a function of the number of candidate paths remaining under consideration.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods are disclosed for enabling a telecommunications terminal to notify its user of the arrival of a message via an acoustic or visual signal whose properties are based on attributes of the message. A network infrastructure element (e.g., a switch, a private branch exchange [PBX], a server, etc.) receives a message directed to a terminal and sets the values of ringtone properties (e.g., tempo, volume, pitch, rhythm, etc.) based on attributes of an incoming message (e.g., the sender, a priority, a subject, the location from which the message was sent, etc.). In a first illustrative embodiment the network infrastructure element sends the message and the instantiated ringtone to the terminal, while in a second illustrative embodiment the network infrastructure element sends the message and the property values to the terminal, and the terminal plays a locally-stored ringtone in accordance with the property values.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are disclosed that enable an enhanced, interactive voice response (IVR) system to securely authenticate a user at a telecommunications terminal, without some of the disadvantages in the prior art. In particular, after the user at the telecommunications terminal requests access to a resource, the controlling IVR system of the illustrative embodiment issues a random challenge sequence to the user, along with interspersed “camouflage elements” and one or more directions as to how to respond. The user is then free to speak a returned sequence that answers the combined challenge sequence and interspersed camouflage elements; as a result, an eavesdropper overhearing the user hears what sounds like a random number or string. In short, the technique of the illustrative embodiment uses a challenge-response exchange of a substitution cipher interspersed with camouflage elements.

Abstract: As is reflected in the disclosed method and apparatus, the present invention is a technique to account for the variation in channel occupancy of a particular terminal or terminals during the call admission process. Instead, a channel utilization manager accounts for the probabilistic nature of the call admission decision by using a pre-determined, statistically justified value to represent the channel occupancy. The “per-call” channel occupancy value is determined by a number of factors, including the shared-communications channel data rate. Channel occupancy is incorporated into one or more cumulative distribution functions (CDF), which are evaluated by the channel utilization manager as part of the call admission process. In turn, each channel-occupancy CDF of a shared-communications channel can be generated from a CDF of the terminals' data rates on that channel, which data rates can be determined analytically or empirically.

Abstract: A method is disclosed that enables a user to set their “away” or auto-reply messages for two or more communications services (e.g., e-mail, voice mail, etc.) in one action. Separate actions are required in the prior art to change each outgoing message for every distinct communication service. The illustrative embodiment of the present invention is a method that enables a user to change the auto-reply message for multiple communication services with less effort than was required for multiple services in the prior art. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, a text auto-reply message intended for e-mail is automatically converted into an abbreviated form for instant messaging and wireless text services and into audio for services like telephony. Furthermore, the illustrative embodiment enables the automatic translation of messages into different natural languages, and can apply rules so that the resulting messages are used appropriately.

Abstract: The illustrative embodiment of the present invention is a launch system that includes a closure that, in use, is attached to one or both ends of a missile canister. The closure is blown off of the canister before there is any contact between it and the nose of the missile. The closure incorporates an actuation mechanism that releases the closure when there is a rapid increase in pressure within the canister, such as when the booster of a canistered missile fires. The actuation mechanism is not, however, responsive to the magnitude of the pressure within the canister. As a consequence, the closure will not release if there is a slow build-up of pressure within the missile canister.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for sealing the barrel of an underwater gun between firings is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a valve that is moved between a sealing and non-sealing state by a valve-actuator. In some embodiments, the valve actuator is driven by gases that result when a round is fired.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for treating the ends of glass rods in which glass rods are inserted into receptacles in a carrier and with the carrier are carried past a burner and at least one rail in an advancing direction, the flame of the burner melting at least one end of the glass rods and the glass rods being lifted by the rail in the receptacles and rolling on the rail so that the glass rods are made to rotate during the melting process.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed that enable a private branch exchange to determine that a voice mail system has answered a call, without some of the disadvantages in the prior art. The private branch exchange—or, generally-speaking, a data-processing system—infers that the voice mail system has answered a call by timing key events or by noting some of indications that are received from another system, or both. Subsequently, the private branch exchange drops the voice mail system from the call, thereby minimizing the non-enterprise voice mail system's handling of calls that are originated to an on-premises terminal.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for determining, for each candidate communication medium, the availability of one or more telecommunications endpoint users for participating in a communication session of interest (i.e., either new or existing) via the evaluated medium. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, an availability manager determines the availability based on (i) one or more discrete rules, or (ii) one or more continuous functions, or both. The continuous functions are specified with respect to the time that has elapsed since a previous session, the time remaining in an active session, and the expected duration of a new session. Once it has determined the availability of one or more participants in the communication session, the availability manager of the illustrative embodiment transmits one or more signals to a call-processing server, which then sets up the participants on the session via the appropriate communication medium such as voice, instant messaging, and so forth.