Abstract: A method to deliver traffic to a mobile node that is undergoing a hand-off between two Access Routers (AR) is described. The method of the present invention operates to perform the following. Decrease or minimize, delays between the time the old link breaks and the first packet is sent from the new link. Reduce or eliminate packet bursts from old to new Access Router (AR) when an old (existing) link breaks. Ensure that packets are neither lost nor duplicated during hand-off. Maintain Quality of Service (QoS) control of delivery order to the Mobile Node (MN). Make best use of multiple links during Make before break hand-off. Support both uplink and downlink traffic.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus which allow a wireless terminal (302) to simultaneously maintain connections with multiple base stations (304, 306) are described. Each wireless terminal (302) is capable of supporting multiple separate timing and/or other control loops one, for each base station connection thereby allowing the connections to operate independently and in parallel. Different control signals and/or data are transmitted on each connection that is established with a base station (302, 306). In this manner base stations (302, 306) receive different data allowing for asynchronous data transmission. The data received by the base stations (302, 306) can be supplied to a wired asynchronous network (308) without the need to combine the received data prior to supplying it to the wired network (308). The communications techniques of the invention can be used to implement soft handoffs without the need to duplicate data transmissions to multiple base stations.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for using a novel Care of Address option in a packet header which allows a mobile node to includes its HoA as the source address and its CoA in a new header field referred to herein as a CAO field are described. When the CAO is present, ingress filtering is performed by an access node on the address included in the CAO instead of the address in the source address, e.g., the HoA, or, is performed on the address in the CAO option field in cases where the source address does not pass ingress filtering, e.g., because the HoA corresponds to a different subnet than the access subnet due to the MN visiting a foreign subnet. Various flags may be included in the CAO field relating to security and/or processing operation to be performed by a receiving node.

Abstract: Data communication over a block-coherent channel in a communication system is described. Low-complexity demodulation techniques that allow good performance are described. A dwell, e.g., a set of block coherent symbols transmitted including a known symbol, e.g., a pseudo pilot symbol, are received, demodulated and decoded by a joint decoder/demodulator employing soft inputs, soft outputs, and interleaving of messages. Low-complexity SISO demodulator is suitable for processing pseudo-pilot modulated information corresponding to each of one or more dwells. The low-complexity method achieves good performance when turbo equalization is used. Some decoding and demodulation embodiments include independent phase estimates and updated independent phase estimates following the extrinsic principle to generate soft symbol values and soft bits.

Abstract: Group communications methods and apparatus are described. In particular, methods for granting a mobile device access to a communications resource, e.g., the right to transmit data, associated with a group are described. User requests for the communications resource are suppressed by the corresponding mobile device, for periods during which the communications resource has been granted to another mobile device. A mobile device may store a suppressed user request so that a resource request signal may be transmitted after the communications resource has been released by the mobile device that was previously granted the resource. In this manner requests that cannot be granted are not transmitted, increasing communications efficiency as compared to systems where requests are not suppressed at the mobile devices. A priority scheme is used in some embodiments to determine whether or not a request should be suppressed while another device has been granted the communications resource.

Abstract: The present invention involves apparatus and methods to perform wireless terminal transmission power control. The invention uses novel and highly efficient methods to: convey power control information, specify power control level adjustments, recognize power control information, limit interference in the power control signaling, and recognize corrupted power control signaling, thus conserving wireless terminal energy and minimizing power control signaling and associated bandwidth. Base stations send analog power control command signals, with a continuous range of control levels, to wireless terminals for transmission power adjustments. Power control signals include two components which can be used to convey information, e.g., power control commands, signal quality, device identity information. For zero power adjustment, the control component signal is not transmitted.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing and/or using amplifiers and performing various amplification related operations are described. The methods are well suited for use with, but not limited to, switching type amplifiers. The methods and apparatus described herein allow for the use of switching amplifiers while reducing and/or compensating for distortions that the use of such amplifiers would normally create. The described methods and apparatus can be used alone or in combination with various novel signaling schemes which can make it easier to compensate for the non-ideal behavior of switching amplifiers in such a way as to enable practical application in wireless transmission and/or other applications.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing a multi-carrier communications system are described. Various approaches to a phased system deployment and system configurations resulting from different levels of deployment are described. In addition mobile node and methods of operating mobile nodes in communications systems that may have different levels of deployment in different cells are described.

Abstract: Video decoder methods and apparatus are described. In accordance with the invention, hardware decoder circuitry, e.g., intra-coded image decoding circuitry and motion vector reconstruction circuitry, is used in combination with a general purpose processor, e.g., Pentium processor, to perform video decoding operations. The video decoder hardware circuitry of the present invention is responsible for performing non-memory intensive functions. The general purpose processor or a general purpose processor operating in conjunction with a graphics processor are used to perform memory intensive video decoding operations such as motion compensated predictions. The video decoding hardware circuitry of the present invention can be implemented as a separate physical device, e.g., chip, or can be implemented on the same physical chip as a general purpose processor with which it works.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for splitting Golay sequences into a plurality of subsets of sequence elements and transmitting the subsets are described. The sequence subsets include an equal number of elements, e.g., symbols, from the split sequence and are transmitted using one group of tones per subset. The tones in each group of tones are uniformly spaced with one symbol being transmitted on each tone. The groups of tones are separated from one another by a frequency spacing which is greater, e.g., many times greater, than the frequency spacing between the tones in each group. Low peak to average power ratios are achieved for the transmitted signals while at the same time allowing for a wide band of frequencies to be used to transmit the split sequence. This leads to greater frequency diversity and facilitates frequency and phase related signal measurements by a device receiving the signal.

Abstract: A liquid meter body including a plastic material bucket 1 which includes a lower portion 3 delimited by a bottom 9 end by a lower side wall 10 and a cylindrical upper portion 4 delimited by an upper side wall. The upper side wall joins onto the lower side wall at a shoulder 5. The lower portion 3 defines a housing 2 for a measuring chamber. The meter body further comprises entry and exit tubes 6, 7, the tubes having an external thread, the interior of the tubes opening into the housing 2 of the measuring chamber via a bore formed in the lower side wall 10 and respectively forming an injector 11 and an ejector 12. The meter body has an elliptical bottom 9. The bores forming the injector 11 and the ejector 12 are elliptical.

Abstract: Antennas and methods of manufacturing and using antennas suited for use in mobile devices are described. The described antennas include an antenna arm (104) and a conical spring radiating element (108) attached to one end of the arm. The spring radiating element (108) is covered by a protective cap (106) and can be compressed to fit inside the cap (106) for easy storage in a PC card. The antenna arm (104) may be implemented as a layered circuit board. In some embodiments the antenna arm (104) includes a radiating element, e.g., a conductive strip (1304), positioned along an edge of the arm (104) which will remain exposed even when the antenna is inserted into a PC card for storage. In various embodiments the spring radiating element (108) automatically extends when the antenna arm (104) is switched from a storage position to an active position, e.g., by pulling on the antenna arm to cause it to slide or swing out of a housing (102).

Abstract: The use of multiple states of mobile communication device operation to allow a single base station to support a relatively large number of mobile nodes is described. The various states require different amounts of communications resources, e.g., bandwidth. Four supported states of operation are a on-state, a hold-state, a sleep-state, and an access-state. Each mobile node in the on-state is allocated communication resources to perform transmission power control signaling, transmission timing control signaling and to transmit data as part of a data uplink communications operation. Each mobile node in the hold-state is allocated communication resources to perform transmission timing control signaling and is provided a dedicated uplink for requesting a state transition and a shared resource for transmitting acknowledgements. In the sleep state a mobile node is allocated minimal resources and does not conduct power control signaling or timing control signaling. Data may be received in the on and hold states.

Abstract: This document describes a way to extend Mobile IP Authentication Authorization and Accounting (AAA) signaling to enable a node to request from a network operator combinations of home and local service capabilities (when roaming) in an efficient and scalable manner. It also enables the home and foreign service providers to constrain and account for actual services provided based on a combination of the foreign and home operator policy.

Abstract: Aggregating physical connections from customers for presentation to an access router and de-aggregating traffic from a shared link(s) from the access router. Ports of an aggregation unit may be configured such that each has a unique identifier in the place of information (e.g., the layer 2 address) originally in the layer 2 header. The layer 2 (e.g., MAC) address of the customer device connected with the port can be associated with, and therefore determined from, the IP address of the attached device. When a packet is received from a customer, information in the layer 2 header is changed to a unique identifier assigned to a logical port or interface associated with the physical port. When a packet is received from the access router, it is placed on the port assigned to the logical port associated with the destination layer 2 address (or associated with other bits of the unique bit string and at least some of those bits are replaced with the destination layer 2 address of the device associated with the port.

Abstract: A sealing assembly designed to co-operate with a screw provided with a tightening slot by being mounted therein in such a manner that once said assembly is sealed the tightening slot is hidden in a manner that is not reversible except by destroying the seal, and further comprising a breakable drive suitable when the sealing assembly is subjected to a tightening action, for driving the screw in a tightening direction inside a receptacle provided for this purpose and for breaking once the screw becomes blocked, so as to prevent any loosening action being applied via the breakable drive.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing a thermal equalizing system for use within a hot runner system of a plastic injection molding apparatus are described. The thermal equalizing system employs at least one thermal fluid circulating circuit which uses a heat transfer fluid to remove excess heat from overheated areas within the injection molding apparatus and/or to add heat to under heated areas within the injection molding apparatus.

Abstract: Hands free voice dialing telephony devices that can perform relatively simple speech recognition, e.g., to recognize one or a few words corresponding to a command to initiate voice dialing, are described. Speech recognition models stored in the telephony devices can be relatively small and may be either of a speaker dependent or speaker independent type. In response to detecting a command to perform a voice dialing operation the telephony device establishes a connection with a voice dialing intelligent peripheral (IP). The IP includes far greater speech recognition capabilities than the individual telephone devices and is responsible for supporting voice dialing operations associated with a plurality of voice dialing service subscribers. The IP performs speech recognition on speech provided by individual telephony devices and outputs telephone numbers corresponding to recognized spoken names.

Abstract: Methods and Apparatus for early detection and identification of a threat, and alerting against detected threats, such as individuals wearing or carrying explosive materials and/or weapons, e.g., suicide bombers and other terrorists, at a great enough distance to limit loss of life and destruction of property are disclosed. The methods comprise transmitting a signal in the direction of a potential threat, measuring the detected reflected signal, and comparing the signal level with a threshold indicative of a threat. A monitor is employed to display the threat and attributes of the detected signals. The invention further illuminates the suspicious individual(s) with a Laser illuminator/designator and provides information about the distance to the suspicious individual(s).

Abstract: An orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based spread spectrum multiple access system using offsetting between cells, and in particular, the use of tone offsetting and time offsetting, is disclosed. More specifically, frequencies that define the tone set of one cell is offset from the frequencies that define the tone set of at least one adjacent cell. In other words, if a first base station is using tones F1, F2, . . . , FN within a frequency band, then a second base station adjacent to the first base station uses tones F1+&Dgr;f, F2+&Dgr;f . . . , FN+&Dgr;f within the same frequency band. Furthermore, the symbol timing of the base-station of one cell may be offset from the symbol timing of the base-station of an adjacent cell. Thus, if a first base station starts successive symbols at times T1, T2, and T3, then a second base station adjacent to the first base station starts its respective corresponding successive symbols at times T1+&Dgr;t, T2+&Dgr;t, and T3+&Dgr;t.