Abstract: An improved system and method for rating subscribers based on wireless subscriber specific credentials. A wireless network operator, or a content/application provider assigns to a subscriber a unique username. For purposes of providing rating or feedback information, the assigned username acts uniquely to identify the subscriber, whose actual identity therefore remains anonymous. The subscriber uses his or her mobile phone to access a mobile telephony network. Evaluators may offer feedback or ratings of the subscriber using the internet.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for global motion estimation for video stabilization. The method enables selecting a video frame from a video stream. The method further enables downscaling the video frames by factor close to 2 in a two dimensional range, dividing the downscaled video frame into a plurality of macroblocks, performing motion estimation for the macroblocks to generate a set of local motion vectors. Further, the method enables selecting macroblocks representing global motion vectors from the set of local motion vectors, computing a single global motion vector for the selected macroblocks and determining occurrence of at least one of: scene change, illumination change or crossing object and modifying the single global vector to compensate for errors induced due to occurrence of at least one of: scene change, illumination change or crossing object.

Abstract: A device for use with a gyroscopic stabilizer for use in an assembly that is moveably connected to a vehicle. The gyroscopic stabilizer has a gyroscope, a skew motor, and a skew motor velocity servo-control system. The gyroscopic stabilizer can control a skew of the assembly based on a torque signal to maintain the assembly in an intended position. The skew motor velocity servo-control system can control the skew motor. The skew motor can move the gyroscope. The gyroscope can provide the torque signal. The device comprises an assembly position determining system, a detector, a state estimator and an output portion. The assembly position determining system can generate an assembly position signal based on one of a position of the assembly, a position of the gyroscopic stabilizer, a position of the gyroscope, a position of the skew motor and a position of the skew motor velocity servo-control system.

Abstract: A fishing lure having a head portion with a first side and a second side. A first eye socket is positioned on the first side of the head portion and a second eye socket is positioned on the second side of the head portion. Each of the first and second eye sockets is substantially semi-spherical shape and each of said first and second eye sockets is coated with a fluorescent substance of substantially uniform application. A first eye component is fixedly secured in at least a portion of the first eye socket and a second eye component is fixedly secured in at least a portion of the second eye socket. Each of the first and second eye components comprise a transparent, substantially spherical material.

Abstract: A method of operating a communications system including a satellite may include providing communications feeder links between the satellite and a plurality of satellite gateways, and providing a communications service link between the satellite and at least one radioterminal using a plurality of satellite service link antenna feed elements. During a first time period, signals of first and second service link antenna feed elements of the plurality of service link antenna feed elements may be coupled between a first one of the plurality of satellite gateways and the first and second service link antenna feed elements. During a second time period, a signal of the first service link antenna feed element may be coupled between the first satellite gateway and the first service link antenna feed element, and a signal of the second service link antenna feed element may be coupled between a second one of the plurality of satellite gateways and the second service link antenna feed element.

Abstract: A stop log slot/guide cleaning method and apparatus is disclosed as a frame with attached scraping or scrubbing devices attached in locations that will contact and shear off attached marine life or debris. A flushing system that using water or compressed air or both attached and located on the frame pushes the removed or loose debris off of the stop log slot/guide seating surfaces as the frame is lowered into or removed from the slot leaving clean flat sealing surfaces for the stop log seals to seal against.

Abstract: An approach is provided for transmitting messages using low density parity check (LDPC) codes. Input messages are encoded according to a structured parity check matrix that imposes restrictions on a sub-matrix of the parity check matrix to generate LDPC codes. The LDPC codes are transmitted over a radio communication system (e.g., satellite network), wherein a receiver communicating over the radio communication system is configured to iteratively decode the received LDPC codes according to a signal constellation associated with the LDPC codes. The receiver is configured to iteratively regenerating signal constellation bit metrics after one or more decoding iterations.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing automatic gain control for use in a satellite terminal of a satellite communication system capable of transmitting a plurality of different modes of data. The apparatus includes a demodulator circuit having an analog to digital converter; a first variable attenuator having an attenuation value set on the basis of a measured power level of a predetermined data signal; and a second variable attenuator having an attenuation value set on the basis of the mode of data being received by the satellite terminal, where each of the data modes have a corresponding predetermined attenuation value associated therewith which is utilized as the attenuation value of the second variable attenuator when the satellite terminal receives the data mode.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for performing parameter negotiation in a data compression link. When data is sent along the communication link in a compressed form, the escape character is not modified. When sending data in an uncompressed form, the escape character is followed by a command and the escape character is modified. A parameter mode can be entered when data is being sent uncompressed. During parameter mode, parameter negotiation between the modem peers can be accomplished without interrupting the communication link.

Abstract: A system and method is provided that employs a frequency domain interpolative CODEC system for low bit rate coding of speech which comprises a linear prediction (LP) front end adapted to process an input signal that provides LP parameters which are quantized and encoded over predetermined intervals and used to compute a LP residual signal. An open loop pitch estimator adapted to process the LP residual signal, a pitch quantizer, and a pitch interpolator and provide a pitch contour within the predetermined intervals is also provided.

Abstract: A requesting terminal includes an interface that allows a user to select whether data downloaded from a network (such as the Internet) is transmitted to the requesting terminal via a high-speed link, such as a satellite link, or a lower speed link, such as a terrestrial link. Preferably, the terrestrial link (which may comprise a conventional dial-up Internet connection) is a two-way link, wherein the requesting terminal transmits data requests to the network via the terrestrial link. The data requests generated by the requesting terminal are modified to designate whether the requested data should be downloaded from the network via the terrestrial link or the satellite link. The terrestrial link may also be automatically selected for certain applications.

Abstract: A method of interleaving blocks of indexed data of varying length is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: providing a set of basic Interleavers comprising a family of one or more permutations of the indexed data and having a variable length; selecting one of the basic Interleavers based upon a desired Interleaver length L; and adapting the selected basic Interleaver to produce an Interleaver having the desired Interleaver length L.

Abstract: An approach for managing system capacity of a satellite communications system is disclosed. A satellite communications system provides communication services to a region. A terminal (101, 103) is located within the region and is configured to transmit and receive signals over a satellite (105) having a payload that processes the signals. The terminal (101, 103) has a predetermined profile that includes service class information and rate information. A hub (107) is configured to receive system capacity resource configuration data that reflect capacity requirements of a service provider and to determine partitioning of system capacity over the region based upon the system capacity resource configuration data. The hub (107) transmits configuration information to the payload of the satellite (105) according to the determined partitions. The terminal (101, 103) is configured to transmit a bandwidth request message to the payload.

Abstract: A threaded space-time (TST) architecture in a multiple antenna wireless communication system uses the coded transmission in each layer of a transmission resource array as a space-time code. Each layer of a layer set is active during all available symbol transmission intervals, and each of the transmit antennas are used equally often, such that layers each transmit a symbol using a different antenna during each symbol transmission interval. A receiver is provided for multi-user reception using an iterative, soft-input/soft-output (SISO) multi-user detection algorithm based on minimum mean square error (MMSE) criterion, among other methods.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for Turbo encoding uses a set of rate-compatible Turbo Codes optimized at high code rates and derived from a universal constituent code. The Turbo Codes have rate-compatible puncturing patterns. The method comprises: encoding a signal at a first and second encoder using a best rate ½ constituent code universal with higher code rates, the first encoder and the second encoder each producing a respective plurality of parity bits for each information bit; puncturing the respective plurality of parity bits at each encoder with a higher rate best puncturing patterns; and puncturing the respective plurality of parity bits at each encoder with a lower rate best puncturing pattern. In a variation, the best rate ½ constituent code represents a concatenation of polynomials 1+D2+D3 (octal 13) and 1+D+D3 (octal 15), D a data bit. A Turbo Encoder is provided which has hardware to implement the method.

Abstract: An approach for managing queues of a terminal operating in satellite communications system is disclosed. A hub controls bandwidth allocations in conjunction with a satellite. A plurality of terminals is configured to issue bandwidth allocation requests to the satellite. Each of the terminals has queues that are configured to store the packets, and a queue control logic that is configured to dynamically change depths of the queues according to a prescribed scheme. The prescribed scheme specifies new depths of the plurality of queues based upon past bandwidth allocations associated with the respective queues.

Abstract: An approach for is provided for adapting to a variety of link propagation conditions is disclosed. A source terminal generates a packet data burst that includes a header and an optional payload. The header is modulated using a default modulation scheme and is coded using a default coding scheme. A switch is configured to receive and to forward the packet data burst. A destination terminal is configured to demodulate the header using the default modulation scheme and the default coding scheme, and to examine the header to determine a particular coding scheme and a particular modulation scheme associated with the payload. The protocol can be applied to any radio communication system, particularly, to a satellite communication system with multiple satellite terminals.

Abstract: A system and method for decoding encoded data is provided. A parser receives and parses the encoded data into data streams, with each of the data streams including a portion of said encoded data. A decoder decodes the data streams to provide decoded data which includes soft decision data. The decoder performs an decoding iteration on each of the data streams to provide the decoded data, and performs such decoding iterations based on additional information. The system and method alternatively can be configured without a parser, and can employ at least one soft decoder module and another decoder module. The soft decoder module performs multiple decoding iterations on the encoded data to provide soft decision data and the other decoded module decodes the encoded data based on the soft decision data to provide hard decoded data representative of a decoded condition of said encoded data and/or soft decision data.