Abstract: A method of establishing a transmission power level for signals transmitted in a conductor is provided in an environment where signal interference is present between the signals in the conductor and separate signals carried in a proximate conductor. The method includes the steps of determining a reference signal interference level at an end of the proximate conductor from a reference signal capable of being propagated from an opposing end of the proximate conductor and determining a transmission power level for the signals to provide a signal interference level based on the reference signal interference level. A system embodying the method is also provided.

Abstract: The digital data stream (e.g. ATM cell stream) replicating device features an input port for receiving a continuous digital data stream at an input transmission rate; a broadcast mechanism for replicating the input digital data stream N times; N output ports for transmitting each such replicated digital data stream through a separate output port at an output transmission rate at least equal to the input transmission rate; and a delay mechanism for introducing a relative delay for each said output digital data stream with respect to the input digital data stream such that the output streams are identical but out of phase with one another. Use of such a device enables a multi-port digital data communications device such as an ATM network switch to be tested using only one (expensive) performance test generator while still respecting the statistical multiplexing advantages of the multi-port digital data communications device.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method of mediating cell traffic between an asynchronous transmission mode (ATM) network and an adjacent network, each cell in said cell traffic having a set of transmission parameters related to the ATM network and a respective ATM connection for the cell.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of initiating a plurality of requests for statistics to be sent to an associated plurality of nodes in a segment of a communication network is provided. One or more requests are associated with an individual node. Each node has one or more node attributes. The method includes defining a sequence for initiating the requests to be sent to the nodes. The sequence is based on a value of a selected node attribute of each node. The method also includes initiating the requests according to the sequence.

Abstract: A method of filtering to remove coding artifacts introduced at block edges in a block-based video coder, the method having the steps of: checking the content activity on every line of samples belonging to a boundary to be filtered and where content activity is based on a set of adaptively selected thresholds determined using Variable-Shift Table Indexing (VSTI); determining whether the filtering process will modify the sample values on that particular line based on said content activity, and selecting a filtering mode between at least two filtering modes to apply on a block boundary basis, implying that there would be no switching between the two primary modes on a line by line basis along a given block boundary. The two filtering modes include a default mode based on a non-recursive filter, and a strong filtering mode which features two strong filtering sub-modes and a new selection criterion that is one-sided with respect to the block boundary to determine which of the two strong filtering sub-modes to use.

Abstract: An energy management system may include a refrigeration apparatus such as may be used to form an ice rink. Heat rejected from that apparatus may be used to address heating loads elsewhere. The apparatus may include a thermal storage apparatus, such as may be charged with ice, or another phase change material. The refrigeration apparatus may then be run for the purpose of obtaining the rejected heat, with the cooling of the thermal storage material as a by-product of operation to obtain extra rejected heat. The cold reservoir then developed in the thermal storage material may be used subsequently to provide cooling to a different load, at a different time of day. The thermal storage element may be used to provide cooling to a condenser of the refrigeration apparatus, or may be placed in series with a cooling load, such as an ice sheet or refrigerated enclosure. The apparatus may be electronically controlled, may used ammonia as an operating fluid in a vapor cycle system.

Abstract: The method for the non-disruptive monitoring of a packet flow from a target point (e.g., a specific port/VPI/VCI) to a counterpart point in a packet switch having one or more interface devices, connected to an internal bus, for servicing the target point, the counterpart point and a monitor test access connection (TAC) point comprises the steps of: (a) configuring the device servicing the TAC point to retrieve from the bus packets addressed thereto which use a multicast addressing scheme for routing packets from the target point to the counterpart point and from the target point to the monitor TAC point; (b) configuring the device servicing the counterpart point to additionally retrieve the multicast packets from the bus; and (c) configuring the device servicing the target point to address packets received thereat to the counterpart point and the monitor TAC point using the multicast address scheme only after step (b) is completed.

Abstract: Advertising available resource information for a link in a communication network is provided. The network uses a source routing protocol. The source routing protocol uses the available resource advertisements for identifying a path for a call routed through the node in the network. The method advertises the available resource information for the node to adjacent nodes linked to the node in the network when the node receives a request for a connection to be routed over the link, the request seeking resources exceeding available resources for the link, but not exceeding the last advertised resources for the link.

Abstract: A pre-processing system and method is used to compensate for global brightness changes in consecutive video frames. The system and method uses a brightness change model to identify the global brightness changes and to discard the brightness in a source frame so that the brightness changes between consecutive reconstructed video frames is kept to a minimum. The Hough Transform is used as one example of the model to accumulate votes for different values of brightness change model parameters. Compensation for any detected brightness changes in the source frame is performed with filtering of the model parameters when necessary, to help avoid any artifacts in the compensated source frame. Different application sequences of the brightness change model allows for multiple levels of processing delays.

Abstract: A tailset crupper for an animal, such as a horse, may be made from a solid casting without lightening features, such as to produce a heavier, less easily dislodged object, such as may have a lower center of gravity, and a center of gravity located closer to the surface of the animal. The tendency to resist dislodgement may be enhanced by employing a higher aspect ratio of lobe width, or lobe span to trough size than might otherwise be used. The tendency to resist dislodgement may also be enhanced by employing a wedge, or spoon, that may tend to protrude inwardly of the surface of curvature of the crupper.

Abstract: An electrically operated equipment with a sealed enclosure containing circuitry with an exterior visual indicator to show a state of operation of the equipment. The visual indicator is illuminated by a magnetic flux sensor also exterior to the equipment, the sensor inducing an electrical current from a sensed magnetic flux passing through a permeable wall of the enclosure. The magnetic flux is provided by a magnetic field generator within the enclosure. The generator is connected to the equipment to generate the field when the circuitry is operating correctly whereby the indicator shows a correct state of operation. The invention avoids the use of sealed orifices in the enclosure for conductors to pass to exterior LEDs or LEDs sealed within the enclosure and possible resultant leakage. The invention is useful for optical network units. The invention also includes a visual indicating device of multi-layer configuration and a method of visually indicating the operational state of circuitry.

Abstract: A railroad car body has a longitudinally extending center sill, and a main bolster extending transversely relative to the center sill. A center plate is mounted under the center sill at the intersection of the center sill and the main bolster. The center plate seats in the center plate bowl of a truck that supports the rail road car body for rolling motion along the rail road tracks. The center plate is a casting that has a round peripheral wall that seats entirely within the center plate bowl. None of the center plate extends beyond the round peripheral wall, and none of the center plate overhangs the peripheral upstanding steel ring of the center plate bowl wall. The center plate has a continuous circumferential welding fillet relief such as may tend more easily to permit automated welding. The center plate has a hollow, upstanding truncated central cone member for accommodating a king pin. The truncated cone stands taller than the rim.

Abstract: A system for ciphering data for transmission by a communication device is provided. The system includes a memory device having a memory buffer a first access port connected to the memory buffer and a second access port connected to the memory buffer. The system also has a data processing processor connected to the first access port via a first bus and a ciphering processor connected to the second access port via a second bus. The first access port and the second access port each provide mutually independent access to the memory buffer. The second bus is not connected to the first bus. The data processing processor is adapted to receive the data and provide the data to the memory buffer over the first bus. The ciphering processor is adapted to retrieve the data from the memory buffer over the second bus, generate ciphered data from the data, generate integrity check information for the ciphered data using the data and provide the ciphered data to the memory buffer over the second bus.

Abstract: An auto rack rail road freight car is provided for carrying low density, relatively high value, relatively fragile lading. The car has trucks that have multiple dampers in a four corner arrangement in the sideframes. The spring groups in the side frames are relatively soft, giving a low vertical bounce natural frequency. In an articulated embodiment, differentially placed ballast is mounted in a biased arrangement to load the coupler end trucks to encourage a dynamic response similar to the dynamic response of the internal trucks.

Abstract: A method of signalling a message using a terminal address across multiple network entities is provided. At least two contiguous network entities are associated with addressing spaces for which message addresses are not routable by way of the terminal address and are not otherwise routable by way of a single address. The method stores a terminal address of either an originating or terminating network entity. At every network border between any two contiguous network entities wherein an immediately succeeding network entity does not provide an address through which the message is routable, it is determined whether the address is to be stored and replaced with another address. If so, the address is stored so as to permit its subsequent retrieval. Once the address has been stored, the another address is assigned to be the address and the message is routed in the succeeding network using the another address.

Abstract: There is provided a method and apparatus for synchronization of topology state information between two network nodes in a communications network. The communications network has a routing protocol for intermittent advertisement of local state information throughout the network. The two network nodes include a requesting node which initiates a request for topology state synchronization and a replying node which receives the request. The replying node communicates with the requesting node to provide topology state information to the requesting node which is not possessed by the requesting node when the requesting node initiates its request. The method includes the step of selecting, prior to the request being made by the requesting node to the replying node, between a first and a second mode of synchronization.

Abstract: A signalling system providing communications between a controller and a remote unit in a network element is provided. The signalling system comprises a first communication module associated with the controller, a second communication module associated with the remote unit and a communication link for the first and second communication modules. The first communication module generates a command signal and a downstream monitoring signal for the remote unit. The second communication module receives the command signal and the downstream monitoring signal and generates the status signal and the upstream monitoring signal. The communication link carries the signals. The first communication module monitors for receipt of the upstream monitoring signal and the status signal and determines status of the communication link and the remote unit utilizing results of monitoring for the receipt of the upstream monitoring signal, the status signal and the command signal.

Abstract: A printing press ink transfer mechanism includes a primary flow metering device to monitor the flow ink supply and a secondary flow metering device to monitor the return flow of the ink to the supply. The difference in ink flow between the supply and return is delivered to the application rollers of a printing press.

Abstract: A manual gardening implement having two tools, for example ground-working tools having tines for breaking up soil. At least one of the tools has two positions, a working position in which it is located at the working end of a shaft of the implement, and a non-working position in which the tool is drawn up the shaft away from the ground-working end of the implement to occupy a retracted position.