Abstract: A facility is provided for operating an asynchronous packet transmit bus such that isochronous information packets may be transmitted from a source to a destination with a fixed, constant delay. The fixed, constant delay is achieved by employing a bandwidth management bus and assigning to port modules which contend for access to the transmit bus respective levels of priority, in which the highest level of priority is associated with isochronous information and in which lower levels of priority are associated with other types of information, such as asynchronous information. In addition, each port module which transmits isochronous information is assigned at least one time slot of each frame of time slots. In this way, a port module that needs to transmit isochronous information is granted access to the transmit bus during its assigned time slot if the module asserts such highest level of priority in response to its address being transmitted over the bandwidth management bus.

Abstract: A telephone services functionality is disposed in a telecommunications network to ensure that a telephone call is processed in accordance with the telephone services respectively subscribed to by the calling and called parties. In addition, the functionality retains control over the call so that it may respond to service requests entered by either the calling or called party at any point following establishment of the call connection.

Abstract: The routing of calls of different classes of services as well as the administration thereof is enhanced by associating each such class of service with a number of parameters common to such services, such that each class of service, as well as a new class of service, may be readily identified by its respective parameter values. Accordingly, the routing and administration of calls of different classes of services may be handled in a systematic, straight forward manner so that basic network capabilities may be made available to various services using an administratively defined menu like structure. In addition, such class of service advantageously partitions network bandwidth allocation, call routing priority, voice/data transport, and traffic data registers into respective classes of services.

Abstract: A facility is provided which implements a "hold-for-pickup" function in the delivery of a data message, e.g., a facsimile. Particularly, the facility associates a data message that it receives from a sender with a respective confirmation number and sends the confirmation number to the sender. Thereafter, the facility transmits the message only to a receiver who enters the confirmation number when requested to do so. The facility also provides a number of other features, such as allowing the sender to specify the number of receivers that will receive the data message. Another feature associates a received data message with a plurality of confirmation numbers. In this way, a user may associate the confirmation numbers with respective receivers. The receivers may then obtain a copy of the sender's data message from the facility by entering their respective confirmation numbers when requested to do so.

Abstract: A common adjunct switch in association with a communications network provides a number of functionalities, one of which allows associated subscribers to customize the way in which they receive telephone calls and access enhanced services, such as a facsimile service. In particular, each subscriber may dynamically specify a number of caller identifiers and a different call treatment for each such identifier as well as a particular billing mode. A call treatment may include, for example, a specification to forward an associated call to a (a) particular telephone number, (b) default telephone number, or (c) messaging service.

Abstract: A facility is provided for redirecting a call from one destination point in a communications network to another destination point in the event that the call is not answered within a predetermined period of time, or in the event that after the call has been answered, the called party requests such redirection.

Abstract: To facilitate the processing of an incoming telephone call associated with a respective telecommunications network service an initial address message identifying the incoming call is intercepted before the message is presented to an associated toll switch that will process the call. The intercepted message is then examined in order to identify the toll switch service logic that will process the call. The resulting identity is then appended to the message and that result is then passed to the toll switch so that the identified service logic may be invoked to process the call in accord with the requested service.

Abstract: A method of arranging outside plant facilities associated with a telephone office is disclosed, in which serving terminals that connect to respective telephone station sets are designated as the originating equipment rather than the telephone office, thereby greatly simplifying the inventory of such facilities. As a result of such simplification, the outside loop assignment of a drop wire is then determined dynamically at the serving terminal.

Abstract: The versatility of a voice directed communications system is enhanced by centralizing voice verification and recognition apparatus and employing a frame relay network to connect such apparatus to individual ones of a plurality of platforms, each operative for establishing telephone calls in response to receipt of verbal directions from respective callers. In addition, each such platform is associated with a communications network node, such as an operator service position system, so that a caller need only dial a few telephone digits, e.g., the digits zero and zero, to access a respective one of the platforms.

Abstract: The quality of voice signals transmitted by a telephone station set, or similar device, are enhanced in accordance with the steps of the instant method before such signals are delivered to a receiving telephone station set by restoring the level of speech energy attenuated by the transmitting set, in which such restoration is performed at a point along a telephone connection between the transmitting and receiving telephone stations, for example, at a point within a telecommunications system which establishes the connection.

Abstract: A facility is provided for allowing a caller to place a telephone call by merely uttering a label identifying a desired called destination and to charge the telephone call to a particular billing account by merely uttering a label identifying that account. Alternatively, the caller may place the call by dialing or uttering the telephone number of the called destination or by entering a speed dial code associated with that telephone number.

Abstract: A facility is provided for locating a file in a backup memory, in which each of the components forming a hierarchical pathname identifying the file is converted into a unique identity using a minimum of bytes, and in which the location of the file in backup memory is determined as a function of each such identity rather than the component names forming the hierarchical pathname.

Abstract: A facility is provided for allocating a constrained common resource among a plurality of demands, in which a recommended solution to such an allocation is achieved by employing partial solutions priorly generated and stored in a database as a result of allocating the common resource among a plurality of prior, and possibly different, demands for the common resource.

Abstract: A computer is provided with a network planning facility, which displays in map form a network comprising a plurality of nodes each serving a plurality of subtending nodes, and in which the network is characterized by data stored in the computer. The operation of the planning facility is initiated in response to a user entering an appropriate command. Specifically, responsive to the command, the computer displays a plurality of symbols representing respective ones of the nodes, in which each such symbol is arranged so that it is indicative of the number of traffic terminations at its associated node. The user may then select, in a conventional manner, one of the displayed symbols and then invoke either an automatic mode or a manual mode.

Abstract: A facility is provided which determines the optimum phase of a sample clock signal that is used to acquire a copy of an image containing text. In particular, the phase of the sample signal is set to an initial value and is thereafter incremented by a predetermined amount of time following the acquistion of each of a predetermined number of copies of the image, in which each such copy is defined by respective pixel values. Upon acquiring a current copy of the image, a histogram is formed from ones of the pixel values and is stored in memory in place of a priorly stored histogram if the latest histogram contains more pixel values indicative of text than the priorly stored histogram. The phase of the sample clock signal is then adjusted to the phase associated with the histogram that is stored in memory following the last of such acquisitions.

Abstract: A new graphical tool, called a multi-process performance analysis chart, can be used in a quality control method for analyzing the performance of a group of processes in a multi-process environment. The method achieves at least three objectives. One, the method is useful for aggregating on one chart the overall status of a group of processes. Departures of process mean values from target values are readily interpreted from the chart as are process variabilities and process capability indices. Estimates of the expected fallout of a process parameter with respect to its tolerance are also readily generated. Two, the method allows for prioritizing quality improvement efforts in complex operations, which may comprise many processes. And three, the method allows for quantifying improvements resulting from reductions in the departures of process means from target values and from reductions in process variabilities.

Abstract: A facility is provided for enhancing the reliability of a communications network so that traffic whose flow is disrupted by, for example, a faulty link, may be quickly restored to service. In particular, such traffic is restored to service by establishing a number of orders of connectivity each formed from spare link capacity, in which each succeeding order of connectivity represents the shortest loop around a preceding order of connectivity.

Abstract: A facsimile machine is provided with a fall-back strategy arranged to track not only errors occurring in received scan lines randomly disposed over a received facsimile page, but also errors occurring in each of a series of scan lines. If the level of each such error at least equals the value of a respective threshold adapted to the current transmission rate and facsimile resolution, then the transmission rate is changed, in which case, the value of each threshold is changed in accordance with a new transmission rate.

Abstract: A threshold-based call control facility is provided for use in a telecommunications network switch to control the processing of calls associated with so-called high capacity (HICAP) telecommunications services. In addition, a feature is provided for dynamically changing a respective threshold value at each network switch until the number of such calls reaching a respective destination switch, and hence an associated trunk group, reaches an optimum level, in which each such change in the value of the threshold is determined as a function of traffic data accumulated by the destination switch for the associated trunk group.