Abstract: The satellite communication system uses defocused feed arrays to generate a large number of beams that cover a number of regions. The ground gateways are assigned the same frequency spectrum. The beams are divided into multiple groups and each group is controlled by a different ground gateway. The signals within each group are coherent. Each gateway can then control the set of beams landing on its neighboring territory.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling multi-party conference calls includes circuitry which is operable according to a new conference call protocol. The protocol and accompanying apparatus and method allow a conference call controlling party to selectively have private conversations with one of the subject parties in the conference call. Additionally, the controlling conference call party may selectively drop conference call participants. A mobile station includes a store for storing the conference call participant “subject party set-up number” in relation to the subject party number and/or name. The mobile station also allows the conference call controller to scroll up and down a list of conference call participants. This allows the controller to be certain of a conference call participant's “call set-up number” when using a command for a private call or a command to drop a conference call participant.

Abstract: A pre-determined negative constant is utilized in soft handoff mode to permit a new pilot signal to be added to an wireless phone's active set. The negative constant is combined with the weakest pilot signal in the active set and then compared to the new pilot signal strength which allows the new pilot to trigger a Pilot Strength Measurement Message (PSMM) even when the new pilot signal is weaker than all active set pilot signals. The negative constant provides a soft handoff while maintaining or reducing drop rate probabilities and frame error rates. After initially triggering a PSMM, the next instance the new pilot may ordinarily cause a PSMM to be triggered is when the new pilot signal exceeds the strongest active set pilot signal. Triggering a PSMM when exceeding the strongest active set signal may increase the probability of dropped signals. To reduce the probability of dropped signals, a negative constant is utilized during soft handoff to add a new pilot to an active set.

Abstract: The Eb/No estimation process generates two streams of power control bits that are transmitted to the base station. One of the power control bit streams is generated under the assumption that the frame rate has not changed. The other power control bit stream is generated under the assumption that the frame rate has changed. The base station, knowing whether or not the frame rate changed, chooses the appropriate stream to use in controlling the base station transmit power.

Abstract: A method and system for avoiding communication failure in CDMA systems. The method system achieve their objects as follows. At least one CDMA carrier acquisition failure is detected. Channel acquisition procedures are adjusted such that the at least one CDMA carrier for which acquisition failed is no longer considered a viable channel. Channel acquisition failure detection can include storing the identity of the at least one CDMA carrier for which acquisition failed. Adjustment of channel acquisition procedures can include removing the at least one CDMA carrier for which acquisition failed from the list of carriers considered active. Adjustment of channel acquisition procedures can also include allowing CDMA carrier selection as if the detection of at least one CDMA carrier acquisition failure had not occurred, and, if the CDMA carrier selected is the at least one CDMA carrier for which acquisition failed, substituting another CDMA carrier in place of the CDMA carrier selected.

Abstract: In a cell-based transmission protocol such as ATM, a Cyclic Redundancy Check code is used for error detection at a frame level, and a Hamming code is used for error correction at the cell level, to improve error protection, and reduce the need for retransmission. The method can be used as a modification to ATM Adaption Layers.

Abstract: A wireless communication network includes a mobile station and a base station which are adapted to allow an ongoing voice call to be converted to a digital fax call without forcing the user to relinquish the line and to restablish a call for the purposes of a transmitting digital fax (fax from a digital device). A base station controller is adapted to respond to an analog tone which prompts the base station to set up a digital fax call even though a voice call is already in place. Similarly, a mobile station is adapted to set up a digital fax call even though a voice call is in place either when it receives the analog tone originated by the PSTN or when it receives an AT command from a personal computer indicating that a digital fax transmission is desired.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for minimizing the effects of faults over an air link of a wireless transmission channel utilizing Transport Control Protocol (TCP). The system includes a TCP-Aware Agent Sublayer (TAS) in a protocol stack, which has a mechanism for caching both TCP packets during forward transmission and acknowledgment (ACK) return packets. The caching mechanism is located near a wireless link of the wireless transmission channel. The system also includes a link monitoring agent coupled to the TAS. The link monitoring agent monitors the condition of the wireless transmission channel for an occurrence of a predefined fault. Once a predefined fault is detected, a system response is implemented based on the type of fault encountered. When the fault is an air link packet loss, an associated packet is immediately retransmitted from the cache, and when the fault is a temporary disconnect, a congestion window of the TCP source is closed.

Abstract: A number of user IDs are assigned to each wireless device. The number of user IDs required is based on the type of information transmitted (e.g., video, voice, or data). The user ID's generate the orthogonal Walsh codes used to cover a data signal to be transmitted. Each Walsh code is 2n-bits in length and the memory size is 2n×2n where n is the number of bits in the Walsh code. Each unique user ID addresses a memory to generate a unique Walsh code corresponding only to that user ID. The orthogonal codes output from the memory cover the information to be transmitted. This results in the transmitted signal being orthogonal to other users and also orthogonal within the transmitting user's own signal bursts.

Abstract: The circuit board guide apparatus is comprised of multiple guides (105-107) that hold the edges of the circuit boards. The apparatus is additionally comprised of the rear portion (200) having a backplane retention portion and a rear snap-in sel-fretention feature. The apparatus has a front portion (300) that comprises the snap-in, self-retention feature. The guide retention devices (110-112) elevate the guides (105-107) from the sides of the electronic assembly enclosure and keep the guides (105-107) separate and parallel.

Abstract: This invention relates to radio communication networks and more particularly, but not exclusively, to radio communication networks using multiple access techniques. A system and method for adaptively changing the characteristics of a signal transmitted across the network is provided. In one embodiment, the communications network includes at least two transceivers; wherein at least one of the transceivers is capable of sending a feedback signal to the other transceiver after receiving a signal transmitted over the network from the other transceiver after analysis of the transmitted signal and in the event that the signal characteristics of the system need to be varied.

Abstract: The present invention assigns a pair of user ID's to each user. The user ID's are used as addresses to access two orthogonal Walsh codes in a memory. Each Walsh code is 2n-bits in length and the memory size is 2n×2n. The orthogonal codes are then used to cover the information symbols for transmission. This results in the transmitted signal being orthogonal to other users and also orthogonal within the transmitting user's own signal bursts.

Abstract: When the frame rate changes from eighth rate to full rate, the power control process increases the Eb/No target by &Dgr;1. If the frame rate changes from full rate to eighth rate, the power control process decreases the Eb/No target by &Dgr;2. In both cases, a decision threshold for a Frame Quality Metric is determined. If the Frame Quality Metric is less than the threshold, normal power control is resumed. If the Frame Quality Metric is greater than or equal to the threshold, the newly set target Eb/No is decreased by A3. The target Eb/No is continually decreased by A until the frame rate changes or the target reaches the required Eb/No, indicated by a bad frame or lower frame quality metric (i.e., lower than the frame quality threshold).

Abstract: A method and system, for use with wireless communications systems having a cellular architecture, for achieving near real time reservation of channels in a first cell for servicing call-in-progress handoffs from other cells such that blocked calls originating within a first cell and blocked handoff of calls-in-progress from other cells are held within acceptable levels. The method and system specify that a minimum number of unutilized channels in a first cell be reserved for servicing call-in-progress handoffs. In the event that a request for a call-in-progress handoff from one of the other cells into the first cell cannot be serviced due to a lack of unutilized channels, the specified minimum number of reserved channels is dynamically adjusted upward and the request for a call-in-progress handoff that could not be serviced is enqueued. Enqueued requests are serviced in a first in first out fashion as unutilized channels become available.

Abstract: The invention overcomes the inefficient conventional mobile paging methods that cause a bottleneck in the FOCC due to constraints of both the bandwidth and the limited number of radio frequency channels in mobile telecommunication systems. This is accomplished by first determining the mobility pattern of each mobile station during a given sampling period. Then the probability that the mobile station will be located within each cell in the network is determined. From the cells having non-zero probabilities, at least two paging zones are defined using a genetic optimization method which converges on paging zones which produce a minimum paging cost which correspondingly results in minimum utilization of the FOCC.

Abstract: A method and system for use with wireless communications systems having a plurality of groups of channels, and wherein the method and system assign specific groups of channels such that channel interference is minimized. The method and system accomplish their objects via the use of communications equipment adapted to do the following: define a geographic area; map the defined geographic area with at least one high bandwidth cell cluster wherein each cell has at least one sector; and eliminate channel adjacencies by selectively assigning channels, drawn from the plurality of groups of channels, to the at least one high bandwidth cell cluster.

Abstract: A robust method for determining the boundaries of cells and the associated reliability of the RF coverage within these boundaries is presented. The invention accurately determines the average range from the base station to the cell edge from RF signal strength measurements with a linear regression approach. The accuracy of this estimate is quantified both as a range uncertainty (e.g. ±100 meters) and as a cell coverage reliability (i.e. area/edge) through 1) simulation, 2) analysis of real data, and 3) theoretical analysis. It is shown that if the estimate of the cell radius meets the desired accuracy, then the corresponding estimates of coverage reliability (both area and edge) are more than sufficiently accurate. It is recommended that radio survey analyses incorporate this test as part of the coverage validation process.

Abstract: The present invention facilitates an inter-mobile switching center (MSC) soft hand-off by creating a communication link between the MSCs through the base station controllers (BSCs). The routers in the BSCs are linked to form a virtual router. This faster link between the BSCs enables the same protocol to be used for intra-MSC soft hand-off used for inter-MSC soft hand-off.

Abstract: The provisioning process of the present invention first determines the average number of units of the system resource that are held per call. This parameter is a function of the call model and call-related event holding times. The average number of units is used, along with the Busy Hour Call Attempts to determine the holding rate, Rresource, of that particular call-related event to be allocated memory. The holding rate is then used by ┌Rresource +7{square root over (Rresource)}┐ to determine the number of resources required to be allocated to the call-related event.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for achieving tandem free operation (TFO) including bypass transcoding and cross transcoding in a communication system. The present invention provides communication of compressed voice signals, or voice signals compressed in a common format, between wireless mobile stations across a PSTN by bypassing vocoders residing in the MSC/BSC of the communication system, or between network elements of an ATM network. In a wireless network, a capability signal, preferably being a low frequency tone, is transmitted by the terminating MSC/BSC to the originating MSC/BSC to indicate that the terminating element is capable of transcoding or transcoding and cross transcoding. The originating element responsively generates an optional LF tone and a 2100 Hz tone to disable network cancellers between the originating element and the terminating element in the forward direction.