Abstract: The present invention encompasses a base station and method of providing communication services to a plurality of communication units. The method includes the steps of sending communication information between the base station and at least two of the plurality of communication units. A first step of identifying communication units produces a group identifier. A scrambling code, based at least in part on the group identifier, is then used to encode the communication information for transmission.

Abstract: A method for providing a lossless, compressed topology aggregation of a group of switching nodes and interconnecting links. The switching nodes are divided into border vertices having communications with other networks or subnetworks and interior vertices. The method determines non-redundant optimal paths between different pairs of border vertices. These paths are aggregated for storage at individual border switching nodes to enable the characteristic, metric or attribute to be advertised outside of the subnetwork or peer group.

Abstract: A vessel anchor includes a body having a first cylindrical member and a second cylindrical member. The second cylindrical member is disposed substantially within the first cylindrical member. The vessel anchor further has a retention slide bar for affixing an anchor line. The first cylindrical member has at least one spaded edge and the second cylindrical member has a mass greater than the first cylindrical member.

Abstract: An ATM hub transcoder system (AXC) is coupled to a base station controller (BSC), a mobile switching center (MSC), and a base transceiver subsystem (BTS). In one embodiment, the transcoder system is comprised of an ATM switch subsystem, a transcoder subsystem (XC), a base transceiver subsystem interface (BTSI), and a mobile switching center network interface subsystem (MSC-NI). The ATM switch provides coupling and communication of data in an internal ATM format between each of the XC, BTSI, MSC-NI, and BSC, responsive to control signals from the BSC. The MSC-NI provides for conversion of the format of the data between the internal ATM format and a synchronous format. In one embodiment, the synchronous format is used for communication between the MSC and the NI, responsive to the MSC and the BSC, and the BTSI provides for communicating mobile subsystem information between the BTS and the XC, responsive to the BTS and the BSC.

Abstract: A base station system (BSS) encompasses a base station controller (BSC), ATM transcoder (AXC), and one or more Base Tranceiver Subsystems (BTS). The AXC provides for the coupling of external mobile subscriber subsystems (MS) and a public switched telephone network (PSTN). The BSC provides for communication with and control of the ATM transcoder hub subsystem. In one embodiment, the ATM transcoder subsystem provides a first set of signals to the BSC subsystem to signal the base station controller as to call flow management data. The BSC is responsive to the first set of signals from the ATM transcoder hub to generate a second set of signals coupled back to the ATM transcoder hub. This second set of signals provides for the control of transcoding and conversion necessary to communicate between a wireless air communications format data and a call management protocol format data utilized in communication to the public switch telephone network.

Abstract: A network interface (NI) system provides for communicating encoded digital data between a connection-based network and a plurality of cellular communications networks. Each of the cellular communications networks is comprised of a plurality of cell sites that communicate with a plurality of mobile units via radio signals. The cell sites provide for converting data received in said radio signals (e.g., embedded data) into electronic digital data signals and converting the electronic data signals into radio signals. The connection-based network has a plurality of delivery points which function to translate from the electronic data into a form used by said connection-based network and from the form used by said connection-based network into the electronic data.

Abstract: A portable data device employs an integrated circuit having a signal processor that receives a power signal from an external source via a power node. A decoupling device is placed between the power node and the signal processor. An energy reservoir is placed in parallel with the signal processor, which acts in concert with the decoupling device to isolate the effects of the signal processor from the rest of the integrated circuit.

Abstract: A data communication system employs a method (400) for transmitting packetized data (100) using a combination of well known transmission techniques, such as TCP/IP and a novel compression process. A message type identifier (300) for the packet to be transmitted is first identified, which identifier comprises a packet type identifier (113) and a protocol identifier (114). The packet type identifier (113) distinguishes between control information and user information in the data packet. The packet is then selectively encoded (407, 411) using either a first or a second header compression technique, depending on the packet type identifier (113) and the protocol identifier (114). In this manner, an improved packet transmission scheme is envisaged, which gives a reliable solution for data transmission in a noisy RF environment and/or a bandwidth-limited environment.

Abstract: A radio communication system includes a plurality of sites that each belong to one of a plurality of zones. The plurality of zones are each linked to a zone controller and the plurality of sites are employed to facilitate communications among a plurality of communication units affiliated therewith. A method of establishing a communication between two of the plurality of communication units that are presently affiliated with sites not belonging to a common zone includes the step of determining a preferred zone for at least one of the plurality of communication units. After identifying a usable site that belongs to the preferred zone, the communication unit then affiliates with the usable site to facilitate the communications with the second communication unit.

Abstract: A radio communications device is arranged to communicate time divided signals (60 and 70) over first (40) and second (50) time discontinuous systems having first and second frame structures respectively. Switching device (120) switches between communicating signals (60) over the first system (40) during time periods of the first frame structure and communicating signals (70) over the second system (50) during time periods of the second frame structure. Hence over a given period of time the device simultaneously communicates time divided signals over the first (40) and second (50) systems.

Abstract: A system for a pipeline cascaded content addressable memory CAM system for sequentially processing input data includes an input register, a CAM core, cascade logic and an output register. As the memory association functions produce matches in the CAM core, the cascade logic in parallel composites data associated with each matching CAM core. Each cascade processes a separate data input simultaneously then passes on the cumulative results to the next stage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for mitigating data congestion in a radio communication system makes use of a data controller that provides a data buffer for storing data messages to be transmitted over a common communication resource. If the stored data messages cannot be favorably transmitted on the common communication resource, the data controller transmits a congestion indication message over the common communication resource to a plurality of communication devices. In this manner, transmission activity is limited at the communication device, thereby allowing for data traffic to be transmitted.

Abstract: A terminal device powers a portable data device by transmitting in two modes of operation. In a first mode of operation, the terminal transmits to the portable data device a power signal at a first level and a data signal using a first modulation format and a first bit rate. In a second mode of operation, the terminal transmits to the portable data terminal a power signal at a second level and a data signal using a second modulation format and a second bit rate. The terminal determines a requirement to change modes of operation, and changes modes in response to changing power requirements of the portable data device.

Abstract: A frame to cell converter (413) uses a process for converting a data transmission stream for transportation in a cell-based network (102). The frame to cell converter (413) receives a data transmission stream from a data source to produce a received data transmission stream. The received data transmission stream may be either a synchronous data stream or an asynchronous data stream. An address translation is performed based on the data source to produce a unique address identifier. The unique address identifier and a portion of the received data transmission stream are employed to create an ATM cell (238) for transportation within the cell-based network (102).

Abstract: A radio communication system (100, 200) employs a method of providing communication services to a communication unit (104, 105) having a plurality of service requirements. The radio communication system (100, 200) further includes a plurality of service providers (101-103) for which the communication unit catalogues (506, 512) service attributes as part of the inventive method. Further, for each of the service requirements, the communication unit (104, 105) selects (514) one of the plurality of service providers (101-103) to facilitate that service requirement.

Abstract: The present invention encompasses a method of storing ternary data that includes the steps of (1) initializing a conversion register by storing binary-to-ternary mask data in a conversion register; (2) storing ternary data in a content addressable memory (CAM) by inputting a single bit binary data to the conversion register, and converting the binary data into two bits of ternary data using the conversion register; and (3) simultaneously storing the two bits of ternary data in first and second memory cells. For subsequent searching, the method further includes the steps of searching for a match of input search binary data to the stored contents of the CAM; providing a match valid output responsive to the input search binary bits matching any of the stored contents; and generating an address corresponding to a location in the CAM where the match is found.