Abstract: A modulated signal source for implementing A modulated signal method of a generating a modulated signal having a radio frequency based upon a linear mixing of signals is disclosed. An in-phase pulse signal modulator of the modulated signal source provides an in-phase pulse modulated signal in response to a reception of a baseband in-phase signal and an in-phase clock signal with the in-phase clock signal and the in-phase pulse modulated signal being synchronized. A quadrature pulse signal modulator of the modulated signal source provides a quadrature pulse modulated signal in response to a reception of a baseband quadrature signal and a quadrature clock signal with the quadrature clock signal and the quadrature pulse modulated signal being synchronized.

Abstract: A slot antenna has independent antenna elements. A multilayer dielectric substrate has a conductive layer. A pair of coplanar elongated slots is formed in the conductive layer and configured in a substantially collinear fashion with one another. A pair of transmission lines of conductive traces is formed on the multilayer dielectric substrate coupled to a respective slot. Preferably the pair of slots is notches configured in directions opposing one another. In a further aspect of the invention an additional slot is formed in the conductive layer between the pair of the slots and an additional transmission line of a conductive trace is formed on the multilayer dielectric substrate and coupled thereto. For polarization diversity, the another slot can be configured orthogonally relative to the pair of the slots. Associated application circuitry can be disposed on the same dielectric substrate as the antenna element.

Abstract: A method and cache for caching encoded symbols for a convolutional decoder with forward and backward recursion includes storing different encoded symbols of an encoded frame in each of a plurality of symbol memory elements (200, 202, 400) and routing the same encoded symbols from one of the plurality of symbol memory elements (200, 202, 400) to at least both a forward recursion decoder (208) and a backward recursion decoder (210, 402). The plurality of symbol memory elements may be, for example, single port RAM cells, each operatively controlled to receive different encoded symbols of an encoded frame as input. Control logic (204) routes the same encoded symbols from one of the plurality of symbol memory elements (200, 202, 400) to all of the recursion decoders (208, 210, 402).

Abstract: A decoding method and apparatus performs a forward recursion process on recursive convolutionally generated symbols and performs backward recursion on the symbols wherein a next state for the backward recursion process is based on linearly combining both a plurality of bits defining a current state of a backward recursion process and a hypothesized information bit. In one embodiment, a backward state determinator (200) combines all binary bits in a current state backward recursion register (202) to generate a most significant bit (MSB) (210) of a next state backward recursion register (204). To obtain remaining bits of the next state backward recursion register (204), bits (207a-207n) in the current state backward recursion register (202) are shifted. The shifted bits then serve as the least significant bits (208a-208n) in the next state backward recursion register (204).

Abstract: A format programmable hardware packetizer (110) receives real-time raw input data (125) from a multimedia data source (103) via an analog to digital converter (105) and a data encoder (120) gated by encoder interrupts (127). The real-time raw input data is buffered in an internal byte collector of the packetizer (110). A main CPU interrupt (117) is issued to the main processor (130) when a packet boundary code is received. The packetizer (110) formats the data according to a desired format selected on line (115) for dump to the main memory (140) while providing a managed, much lower level of interrupts to the main processor (130) on the CPU interrupt line (117). A plurality of hardware packetizers (110) can be deployed according to alternative constructions for efficient real time packetizing in various selected formats.

Abstract: An efficient antenna pattern shaping structure employs a parasitic element made of a conductive surface next to radio circuitry to shape the pattern of an associated antenna, preferably one that is a quarter wave antenna. The parasitic element is disposed on a first side of the radio circuitry to act as a reflector of electromagnetic energy. The parasitic element has at least two edges and wherein the at least two edges of the parasitic element are bent in a direction towards the radio circuitry in order to shape the antenna pattern more efficiently. The parasitic element is electrically slightly larger than a half wavelength of a frequency band of interest, preferably the low frequency of interest. A optional opposing parasitic element can be disposed on a second side of the radio circuitry opposite the first side. The opposing parasitic element is electrically slightly smaller than a half wavelength of the frequency band of interest, preferably half a wavelength of the high frequency of interest.

Abstract: Edges of the surface metal of a cage shield are bent inwardly towards an interior of a cavity formed by the cage shield to eliminate leakage at apertures in the shield. In a further embodiment, bends can also be formed by the metal layers and through holes within a printed circuit board.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for speech recognition involves classifying (38) a digitized speech segment according to whether the speech segment comprises voiced or unvoiced speech and utilizing that classification to generate tonal feature vectors (41) of the speech segment when the speech is voiced. The tonal feature vectors are then combined (42) with other non-tonal feature vectors (40) to provide speech feature vectors. The speech feature vectors are compared (35) with previously stored models of speech feature vectors (37) for different segments of speech to determine which previously stored model is a most likely match for the segment to be recognized.

Abstract: A device for implementing a method for generating a pulse width modulated signal based upon a natural sampling technique is disclosed. First, a complex baseband signal is received by the device. Second, the device computes a first pulse edge vector and a second pulse edge vector as a function of the baseband signal. Third, the device computes a first set of natural sampling points as a function of the first pulse edge vector and computes a second set of natural sampling points as a function of the second pulse edge vector. These computations can involve one or more detections of a jump k&pgr; within the first pulse edge vector and/or the second pulse edge vector. Finally, the pulse width modulated signal is generated with pulse edges corresponding to the first set of natural sampling points and the second set of natural sampling points.

Abstract: A radio telecommunications network for providing information services to a mobile subscriber (22) includes a distributed arrangement of Agent Transceiver Systems (13, 14, 15), each associated with a base station (17, 18, 19) serving a respective geographical area, and each acting as a host platform for local information services. This distributed arrangement keeps the transmission loads due to accessed information which is added to the radio communications system to a minimum. A further feature of the invention allows mobility of a subscriber's personalised details to be moved around from platform to platform as he moves from one location to another, without interfering with the usual operation of the telecommunications system. Links (20, 21, 23) to a global services platform also provide access to Internet-type services.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a printed circuit board with a polymer thick-film (PTF) resistor whose dimensions can be defined with improved precision by providing a circuit board construction having a planar surface where the resistor is to be deposited. To achieve the desired board construction, the interconnect for the resistor is pattern plated using a permanent photodielectric layer as a plating mask instead of a sacrificial plating resist. The interconnect can be patterned before or after the PTF resistor ink is printed. The x and z dimensions (width and thickness, respectively) of the resistor are determined by the deposition process, while the y dimension (electrical length) is accurately determined by copper terminations.

Abstract: A video bitstrean error resilient transcoder (100), method (300), video-phone, and video-communicator are provided wherein error resilience is implemented by verifying a syntax of a video bitstream and replacing the video bitstream between resynchronization markers with a valid syntax that is used by a decoder to produce a video sequence.

Abstract: A cellular communications system permits handover of a group of mobile stations (15) having like characteristics from a base station (13) operating in one type of network e.g. UMTS to a base station (16) operating in a different type of network e.g. GSM, or from a first carrier frequency to a second carrier frequency both being supported by the same base station, thereby relieving congestion in an overloaded cell by handing over a group of calls to an under-loaded one. The invention has the benefits of enabling such a handover with the minimum of signalling overhead.

Abstract: The present invention provides a subscriber device (10), method (1000, 1500), wireless router (30), and communication system (100). The communication system (100) includes at least one subscriber device (10) having a message generator (1612) for generating a message which includes an indicator of a receive/transmit switching time, and the wireless router (30) for communicating with at least one subscriber device, the wireless router having a scheduler (902), optimizer (904), and an allocation map generator (906), wherein the wireless router (30) prepares an efficient and optimized channel allocation map for transmission to the subscriber device (10) taking into account the indicator of the receive/transmit switching time for the subscriber device (10) and wherein the map indicates at least one allocated transmit time, in a form of a block, having a beginning and an end, for transmission by the subscriber device following a receive time.

Abstract: Machine-read bar code data is received from a network access apparatus (64). A priority level is determined based on the bar code data. The priority level is assigned for the network access apparatus (64) to interact with a computer via a computer network (12).

Abstract: Interleaving within a communication system occurs by finding a minimum value (m) such that that N<=2n×(2m−1), wherein N is an interleave block length, and n is a predetermined fixed value. A maximum-length sequence generator is initialized to 1 and a bit reverse sequence generator is initialized to 0. An n bit output is determined from the bit reverse sequence generator, and an m bit output is determined from the maximum length sequence generator. Finally, the n bit output is used as a most significant bit and the m bit output is used as a least significant bit for an interleaver address.

Abstract: System includes decoder. Decoder performs a portion of an intermediate Chase iteration, of a series of Chase iterations for decoding input data, to obtain a successful hard-decision decoding result for input data. Decoder determines that the successful hard-decision decoding result comprises overall Chase decoding result, for the series of Chase iterations, with employment of reliability information for at least one location of input data and without employment of information that specifies, for input data, error location within input data. The intermediate Chase iteration and a Chase iteration comprise consecutive Chase iterations having only one value difference between respective code patterns thereof. Decoder skips at least one intermediate Chase iteration to proceed to the intermediate Chase iteration that obtains the successful hard-decision decoding result.

Abstract: A handheld device comprises a housing and an optical reader supported by the housing. The housing can include a corner portion at which the optical reader is accessible. Alternatively, the housing can define a major exterior surface at which the optical reader is accessible. The optical reader can include a scanning beam reader responsive to an orientation of the handheld device.

Abstract: In order for the Voice Activity Detector (VAD) decision to overcome the problem of being over-sensitive to fluctuating, non-stationary background noise conditions, a bias factor is used to increase the threshold on which the VAD decision is based. This bias factor is derived from an estimate of the variability of the background noise estimate. The variability estimate is further based on negative values of the instantaneous SNR.

Abstract: A method of estimating motion in interlaced video involves, firstly, a frame search (61), where a search is conducted for the frame structure using a sub-sampled block matching metric (e.g. sub-sampled SAD). The locations to be searched are either fixed or dynamically determined based on the minimum frame SAD (ie best frame block match). Next, pixel errors are calculated (62) for all pixels included in the sub-sampled block matching metric. Each pixel error is first identified as belonging to one of four field patterns (e.g. even-even, even-odd, odd-even and odd-odd). For each location, pixel errors can be classified into two field patterns, either even-even and odd-odd or even-odd and odd-even (63). The pixel errors belonging to the same field pattern are added together (64) to obtain field error values (eg field SAD values). The individual field error (or field SAD) values are used to determine (77-80) the field Motion Vectors.