Abstract: Wireless access to a network 2 by an isolated user 1 includes the isolated user 1 transmitting a wireless signal intended to produce interference at nodes included in a group 3, 4 and 9 of nodes, that have access to the network 2. Upon the interference being detected by a member of one of the groups, and a link established between the isolated user 1 and the member of the group, access to the network 2 is arranged for the isolated user 1. In one method, the isolated user is unlicensed and seeks access to the network via a licensed part of the wireless spectrum.

Abstract: A signaling method is provided that can improve the efficiency of forward-link control signaling in OFDM systems. The method involves using a set of forward-link subcarriers that are dedicated for control information, and are shared by a set of two or more users. The control information destined for each user is spread using a respective spreading code, thereby to provide a spread control message. The spread control messages destined for the various users are summed together prior to transmission.

Abstract: A method is disclosed, by which a local mobility anchor (LMA) In a proxy mobile IP network can perform address assignment for a mobile node in cooperation with network address translation, so that the mobile node can be configured with a private HoA. In one embodiment, the LMA obtains the NAI of a mobile node (MN) that is: (i) operating as an IPv4 host and (ii) seeking entry to the network as its home network. The LMA identifies a DHCP server located in the network and serving at least one NAT, and sends it a request message in which the ClientId is set equal to the NAI of the mobile node. The LMA receives a private HoA from the DHCP server, which it forwards in a PBA message to a mobile access gateway (MAG) connected to the MN.

Abstract: A method is provided for communicating data belonging to at least one application flow (AF). In one aspect, the method involves mapping the data to payload bits of two or more encoder packets (EPs) such that each said EP carries a payload dedicated to only one AF, and transmitting the EPs concurrently. In a second aspect, the above said mapping is inverted at a receiver.

Abstract: A technique for avoiding spurious TCP timeouts through delay injection which requires no modification of, or access to, the TCP protocol itself. More particularly, injection of additional random delay or jitter at some point in a packet's roundtrip path across a wireless communications network is employed so as to increase the variance in round trip times, without significantly increasing the average value thereof. Spurious TCP timeouts are avoided through the artificial delay injection which occurs at a network element along the communications path and without modification of, or requiring access to, the TCP protocol. Further, the injection of artificial delay is applied on a transaction-by-transaction basis. That is, the decision to inject, or not inject, the artificial delay as well as the value of the injected delay are applied to each TCP connection or TCP flow.

Abstract: An antenna is provided for operating within the electrically small antenna regime (i.e., ka?0.5), and having bandwidth performance quite close to fundamental limits. The antenna of the invention, in various embodiments, is based upon spherical resonator structures that are characterized by a performance factor (Q/Qchu,) close to 1.5. The antenna combines a resonator structure determined according to the method of the invention with an appropriate transmission line feeding arrangement, such that the resonator effectively couples the transmission line mode to the radiating spherical harmonic mode in an impedance-matched manner.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for maintaining compact descriptions of the behavior of customers in a database of information relating to customer transactions. Of all possible variables that might be used to characterize customer transactions, a limited number are selected on the basis of discriminating power to define customer profiles. Customers are classified according to distinguishing features of their profiles. A new customer can be initially assigned to a particular class based on data characterizing his first few transactions.

Abstract: A method of scheduling and sub-channelization is provided for a wireless network such as an OFDMA network. Distributed coordination is applied across sectors, such neighboring sectors will tend to schedule cell-edge users at the same time, while sub-channelizing to different portions of the full frequency band available for forward link transmissions. This tendency is achieved by dividing each sector's users into user classes which depend upon forward link channel quality. Each user class is assigned a different set of priorities for use of available timeslots and subcarriers.

Abstract: A method of establishing communication between an information source defined by a data processing system and a user accessing the information source with a data processing device via a communications network is described. The method comprises assigning a position in a queue to the user according to one or more rules; determining contact information relating to the user which enables an agent to contact the user; and establishing communication between an agent and the user at the head of the queue using the contact information. The method is characterized in that at least one rule relates to the use of the information source by the user, and that the method further comprises monitoring the interaction of the user with the information source, one or more of the rules using the monitored interaction to assign a position in the queue to the user, wherein the information source is a Web server and the user accesses the information source using a Web browser.

Abstract: A new approach is described for scheduling uplink or downlink transmissions in a network having remote terminals communicating with a central hub. The scheduler keeps track of a token count. The token count for a given remote terminal is incremented by a target amount in each pertinent timeslot, but is also decremented each time that the remote terminal is served. The amount of the decrement for one timeslot is the amount of data served, i.e., transmitted to or from the remote terminal, in that timeslot. In exemplary embodiments of the invention, the target amount by which T is incremented depends on the current value of T. Whenever the token count is non-negative (i.e., whenever it has a positive or zero value), the target amount is a desired floor, or lower limit, on an average amount of data delivered to or from the given remote terminal in one timeslot. Whenever the token count is negative, the target amount is a desired ceiling, or upper limit, on the same average amount of data delivered.

Abstract: Disclosed are network management procedures that apply measurements of traffic load to achieve greater efficiency in the operation of the network. In a method for deciding whether to route an incoming call on a selected potential service route, the potential service route is treated preferentially if each of its links has available capacity that is more than sufficient by a specified margin. In a method for computing billing revenues, the non-compliance of the network service provider with contracted requirements for carried load causes a revenue penalty to be exacted for lost bandwidth.

Abstract: The invention proposes a device for providing tunable high-frequency and/or radio-frequency comprising within one IC-package at least four signal paths providing at least two input and at least two output ports (rf-port1, rf-port2, rf-prot3, rf-port4) at least one active component (T) and at least one variable passive component (C1, C2) connected at least with an input port of the active component (T), and at least one control path for controllable tuning the at least one variable passive component (C1, C2).

Abstract: A method of wireless communication is disclosed, in which polarization diversity can be utilized to improve fading performance or to increase the capacity of the communication channel in a scattering environment. Complementary signal information is impressed upon, or derived from, corresponding electric and magnetic polarized field components of a transmitted or intercepted electromagnetic wave. Four, five, or even six independent signal channels can thereby be utilized for communication using a localized antenna arrangement.

Abstract: In a method for acquiring statistical information from data, an initial cumulative distribution function (CDF) that characterizes an initial set of data is acquired. The acquisition of this CDF comprises acquiring a set of quantile endpoints that define the CDF. At least one additional CDF, which characterizes a further set of data, is also acquired. Information that describes the initial CDF is combined with information that describes one or more additional CDFs, and the result is used to obtain a composite CDF that describes a combined set of data that includes the initial data set and the one or more further data sets. Then, a new set of quantile endpoints is determined, that defines the composite CDF. The sequence of steps described above is repeated at least once more. The previously obtained composite CDF is used as the initial CDF for each repetition of this sequence.

Abstract: In many packetized communication networks, it is not feasible to obtain exact counts of traffic (OD counts) between specific origin-destination node pairs, because the link counts that are readily obtainable at router interfaces are aggregated indiscriminately over OD pairs. The best that can be done is to make a probabilistic inference concerning the OD counts from the observed link counts. Such an inference relies upon a known linear relationship between observed link counts and unknown OD counts, and a statistical model describing how the values of the OD and link counts are probabilistically distributed. Disclosed is an improved method for making such inferences. The disclosed method takes explicit account of past data when forming a current estimate of the OD counts. As a consequence, behavior that evolves in time is described with improved accuracy and smoothness.

Abstract: A fiber-optic WDM ring carries communication traffic among a plurality of nodes, each node associated with respective subscriber premises. Remote gain is provided in at least one link of the ring. In specific embodiments of the invention, the remote gain is applied preferentially to those wavelength channels most in need of amplification. In specific embodiments of the invention, the remote gain is Raman gain.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for determining the admissibility of an offered session of traffic of a specified class to a server in a packetized communication network. Each class c has a peak traffic rate r(c). The server has a total processing rate C. Admitted packets are scheduled according to an EDF scheduling discipline. The method for determining admissibility comprises defining an operating point for the server. The operating point represents the number of sessions Nc of each respective class currently offered or currently being served. The method further comprises determining whether the defined operating point falls within a set of operating points that together define an admissible region. The admissible region consists of operating points for which the probability of violating a delay bound for any packet is below a threshold. The determination of the admissible region involves principles of statistical multiplexing.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for generating unitary space-time signals for wireless communication using an array of M transmitting antennas. Each unitary space-time signal comprises T symbols. The method can be used to generate arbitrarily large signal constellations. The resulting unitary space-time signals have statistical properties that are favorable for reliable use in communication, and they can lead to very high data transmission rates. The disclosed method involves the mapping of binary strings of data to matrix products of the kind obtained by left-multiplying an initial T×M matrix by an ordered multiplicative sequence of exponentiated T×T unitary matrices, referred to as generator matrices. The result of each such multiplication is a unitary space-time signal matrix that may be transmitted. Each generator matrix corresponds to a single bit or a collection of bits of a binary string that is to be mapped.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for designing a signaling network of call coordinators (CCs) for internet telephony. The new method can be used to design a CC network of arbitrary size that satisfies, with high probability, limitations on the maximum number of sockets per CC and on the maximum number of hops between an arbitrary pair of switches in the network. According to the disclosed method, the network of CCs is treated initially as a collection of isolated points, one point for each CC. Then, links are added between pairs of CCs, excluding pairs lying within the same switch. The links are added randomly, but with a particular probability p, which may be different for different pairs. Thus, whether a given link is added depends, in effect, upon the outcome of a loaded coin toss in which the probability of a positive outcome is p.

Abstract: Coding systems that provide a perceptually improved approximation of the short-term characteristics of speech signals compared to typical coding techniques such as linear predictive analysis while maintaining enhanced coding efficiency. The invention advantageously employs a non-linear transformation and/or a spectral warping process to enhance particular short-term spectral characteristic information for respective voiced intervals of a speech signal. The non-linear transformed and/or warped spectral characteristic information is then coded, such as by linear predictive analysis to produce a corresponding coded speech signal. The use of the non-linear transformation and/or spectral warping operation of the particular spectral information advantageously causes more coding resources to be used for those spectral components that contribute greater to the perceptible quality of the corresponding synthesized speech.