Abstract: Active packets are utilized by a mobile terminal in a wireless network to set-up a wireless call via a signaling process, and for mobility management via a mobility process as the mobile terminal moves from one cell to another in a subnet. Active packets instantiate an agent in the fixed network to handle signaling between the mobile terminal and the fixed network, and then instruct the agent to negotiate setup of an open channel between the mobile terminal and the destination device. Moreover, active packets foster the handoff of the mobile terminal as the terminal moves from one cell to another in a subnet. Finally, the signaling process and mobility process are coordinated so that lost active packets are mitigated during roaming by the mobile terminal.

Abstract: A method and system for providing suppression of near-end speech energy for tone signal detectors. In accordance with the invention a system or device is connected between the tip and ring on a subscriber loop, the subscriber loop being connected to office equipment and that subscriber's station set. The system also includes a receive interface that is connected to either a tone signal detector or a frequency shift keying modulator. The system achieves speech cancellation by forming a Wheatstone bridge with a mirror circuit possessing a scaled image of the loop and office equipment impedance. In one embodiment of the invention the Wheatstone bridge is formed using the combined impedance of the loop and office equipment as the impedance that is to be matched by a set of balanced networks included within the system.

Abstract: A method and system for restricting telephone access to a predetermined set of telephone numbers. The method includes comparing the output of a caller ID signal decoder to telephone numbers stored in memory and allowing the telephone call to be completed if there is match between the calling party's number and a number stored in memory. The system consists of connection circuitry to which is connected a caller ID decoder, a number comparator, and an off hook detector. These components interact to restricts calls to only those stored in the number comparator.

Abstract: Techniques for using latent semantic structure of textual content ascribed to the items to provide automatic recommendations to the user. A user inputs a selected item and, in turn, a latent semantic algorithm is applied to the user selection and the textual content of the items in a database to generate a conceptual similarity between the selection and the items. A set of nearest items to the selected item is provided as a recommendation to the user of other items that may be of particular interest or relevance to the user's original selection based upon the conceptual similarity measure.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for extracting a fiber from connector. In accordance with our method the extraction does not compromise any failure evidence located within the ferrule of the fiber connector. The method comprises the steps of metallic etching, followed by adhesive etching, and a final step of heating and applying a load to the ferrule and/or fiber.

Abstract: A multicast address method for facilitating communication between nodes in “all IP” architectures that support CDMA soft handoff via IP multicasting wherein a multicast DHCP server allocates IP multicast addresses to mobile terminals from administratively scoped IP multicast addresses. IP multicast addresses are allocated to mobile terminals by offering, assigning, and distributing IP multicast addresses to the mobile terminals in response to IP multicast address requests from the mobile terminals to the multicast DHCP servers, which use unique mobile terminal identifiers to correlate mobile terminals with their prior and current IP multicast addresses. A multicast agent generates unicast IP address tables that map each of the unicast IP addresses, and edge routers use the unicast IP address tables to replace unicast IP addresses with their corresponding IP multicast address.

Abstract: For any telephone service subscriber, local services could be offered based on either the packet switched next generation network (NGN) or the PSTN network. The network can be configured such that for each particular phone line, the line's services are based either on a PSTN's class 5 switch or on a NGN's service manager (SM). The local service provider, through software reconfiguration could quickly and efficiently move service subscribers' phone lines from class 5 switch based local services to SM based services, and vice-versa. If a call origination is attempted from a phone connected to an access gateway, the SM will instruct the network to handle the call differently depending on whether the services should be offered based on the class 5 switch or the SM. If the services ought to be offered through the class 5 switch, then the SM will establish a virtual local loop connection between the phone and the class 5 switch.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for automatically designating a telephone call route through a telephone network including a circuit switched telephone network (STN) and a packet switched network, such as the Internet. The method includes the steps, executed by a network element, of receiving a telephone number corresponding to a called party receiving the telephone call, reviewing preference information pertaining to a calling party's telephone service, determining from the preference information and the telephone number whether the telephone call can be routed to the called party through the packet switched network, and assigning a route for the telephone call through one of either the packet switched network or the STN to the called party based on whether the call is routable through the packet switched network. A network element (NE) includes the databases and call processing records necessary to route a call and perform these steps.

Abstract: Encoding a real-time and non-real-time video stream, encapsulating the encoded video stream along with the decoding software corresponding to the encoding program into active packets at the Application and Services layer, and transmitting active the packets to the receiving terminal, which then supplies the receiver with the necessary decoding software to play any type of encoded video stream without having the associated decoding software pre-loaded.

Abstract: Methods and systems for estimating the number of active connections in a node in a communications network are described. The node estimates the number of active connections, without maintaining state information on each connection in the node, by sampling one or more packets in a buffer in the node when the node receives a packet, determining the number of sampled packets that are associated with the same connection as the received packet, and estimating the number of active connections in the node based on the determined number of the sampled packets. The node stabilizes the number of packets in the buffer by estimating the number of active connections in the node based on a sampling of the packets in the buffer when the node receives a packet, determining a probability for discarding the received packet based on the estimated number of the active connections and the recent buffer occupancy, and discarding the received packet according to the determined probability.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are provided for determining characteristics of an input optical signal in an optical network. An optical signal monitoring apparatus estimates a minimum time interval between transitions in the input signal, determines a clock signal based on the estimated minimum time interval, and performs a time domain measurement on the input signal based on the determined clock signal. The optical signal monitoring apparatus samples the input signal based on the determined clock signal and determines the characteristics of the input signal.

Abstract: An optical signaling header technique applicable to optical networks wherein packet routing information is embedded in the same channel or wavelength as the data payload so that both the header and data payload propagate through network elements with the same path and the associated delays. The header routing information has sufficiently different characteristics from the data payload so that the signaling header can be detected without being affected by the data payload, and that the signaling header can also be removed without affecting the data payload. The signal routing technique can overlaid onto the conventional network elements in a modular manner using two types of applique modules. The first type effects header encoding and decoding at the entry and exit points of the data payload into and out of the network; the second type effects header detection at each of the network elements.

Abstract: A method and system for determining the make-up of a subscriber loop having sending pulses onto a loop and acquiring data based on received echo signals. Determining from the received echoes each discontinuity on the loop and, based on each discontinuity, determining a channel transfer function for each loop section preceding the discontinuity. The transfer function is then used to synthesize an inverse filter. The inverse filter and acquired data are convolved for all the loop sections preceding the discontinuity. The method may be further improved by modeling real and spurious echoes and subtracting these echoes from the echoes generated in the loop.

Abstract: Methods and systems for improving network reliability in a packet-based network by applying a higher level of compression to information transmitted from an interface device in the event network congestion is detected. A network congestion level is detected for the network. If this network congestion level exceeds a selected level, the interface device is directed to apply a higher level of compression. The interface devices transmission rate is thus reduced, and accordingly, the network congestion decreased.

Abstract: A periodic wireless data transmission has improved access latency obtaining information regarding users' interest in the information and by arranging the information on an transmission in order of descending popularity. In one embodiment, each adjacent pair of topics on the transmission. The topics' positions on the transmission are exchanged if the exchange decreases the average latency for all users. This may be repeated for all of the topics on the transmission. The transmission structure may also be arranged so that the transmission combines a number of transmission channels to obtain greater aggregate capacity. This may be done using, for example, an FDMA transmission structured to be theoretically comparable to a plurality of “striped” disks known as a RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks).

Abstract: An optical signaling header technique applicable to optical networks wherein packet routing information is embedded in the same channel or wavelength as the data payload so that both the header and data payload propagate through network elements with the same path and the associated delays. The header routing information has sufficiently different characteristics from the data payload so that the signaling header can be detected without being affected by the data payload, and that the signaling header can also be removed without affecting the data payload. The signal routing technique can overlaid onto the conventional network elements in a modular manner using two types of applique modules. The first type effects header encoding and decoding at the entry and exit points of the data payload into and out of the network; the second type effects header detection at each of the network elements.

Abstract: An optical signaling header technique applicable to optical networks wherein packet routing information is embedded in the same channel or wavelength as the data payload so that both the single-sideband modulated header and data payload propagate through network elements with the same path and the associated delays. The header routing information has sufficiently different characteristics from the data payload so that the signaling header can be detected without being affected by the data payload, and that the signaling header can also be removed without affecting the data payload. The signal routing technique can overlaid onto the conventional network elements in a modular manner using two types of applique modules. The first type effects header encoding and decoding at the entry and exit points of the data payload into and out of the network; the second type effects header detection at each of the network elements.

Abstract: An Internet protocol based system and method facilitate communication and improve the overall network performance between remote user terminals and Web servers across the parts of the Internet (or IP-based Intranets), that are configured by a communications network, including an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network. In particular, the system includes a plurality of Local Area Networks (LANs), such as Ethernet LANs, each comprising a plurality of user terminals or PCs. The system further comprises at least one network switch (such as an ATM switch), and at least one digital subscriber line (xDSL) access router, each connected between a corresponding LAN and the network switch. The xDSL access routers function both as a router and a digital subscriber line multiplexor. Thus, each user terminal communicates directly with its default router, and vice-versa, obviating the requirement of communicating via the network switch (e.g., ATM switch) to the default IP edge routers.

Abstract: Active packets are utilized by a mobile terminal in a wireless network to manage the micro-mobility which includes both link layer mobility and intra-domain mobility of a wireless connection as the mobile terminal moves from one cell to another in a domain of a network. Active packets convey instructions and data so nodes in the domain may update forwarding tables maintained by each of the devices in the domain. The forwarding table entries contain both link layer entries and network layer entries to efficiently handle roaming by the mobile terminal.

Abstract: A method and system for providing seamless mobile IP connectivity between mobile stations (MS) connected to a PCS network via base stations (BS) connected to base station switching centers (BSCs). The BSCs are connected to a mobile station switching station (MSC) and are configured to direct voice traffic from the MS to the MSC. A gateway router (GR) is connected between the BSCs and the Internet and each BSC is configured as an IP data node. One or more subnets are defined, each of which includes at least one BSC. Each MS is assigned a permanent IP address and associated with a home subnet. When the system detects that the MS is connected to a BSC outside of its home subnet, it is assigned a care-of address to the MS to which IP data can be forwarded. IP data from the MS is routed through the GR. IP data directed to the MS is directed to the MS's permanent IP address. If the MS is connected to a BSC outside of its home subnet, the data traffic is forwarded to the MS's care-of address.