Abstract: A controller (112) processes (400, 500, 600) an original voice message to detect (602) an original silent portion and to measure (604) an original duration, and the controller creates (620) a modified voice message by replacing (620) the original silent portion with a modified silent portion having a transmission duration. The transmission duration is derived (612, 614, 618) from the original duration, and the transmission duration is shorter than the original duration. The controller then transmits (622) the modified voice message.

Abstract: A display apparatus (100) having improved impact resistant mechanical qualities includes a display (102) and a mechanically coupled support bezel (110). The support bezel (110) includes peripheral walls (112) to form an aperture (114) and cantilevered clips (118) integral to the peripheral walls (112) for holding the display (102).

Abstract: A method and apparatus reduces an output ripple signal of a power supply (200) for supplying a DC voltage and current to a load. One of the output ripple signal and an intermediate ripple signal is sensed to produce a control signal at a ripple sensing element (206), and a rectangular pulse carrier signal is generated by a pulse width modulator (302), the signal having a duty cycle modulated with the control signal to produce a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal carrying ripple signal energy. The rectangular pulse carrier signal operates at a frequency substantially higher than the control signal. The PWM signal is coupled into a portion of the power supply through a transformer (202). The transformer is arranged such that the PWM signal is combined with the intermediate ripple signal at an amplitude and relative phase sufficient to substantially reduce the output ripple signal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus decodes a data packet in a communication system utilizing an error correcting code. Channel symbols are received (302), and channel symbol reliability weights are determined (306) for each. A code word symbol is formed (308) from the channel symbols, and the channel symbol reliability weights are mapped (312) into a code word symbol reliability weight, which is set equal to the minimum channel symbol reliability weight mapped for the code word symbol. The method and apparatus continues (318) to similarly process additional channel symbols until the data packet is completely collected. Then, a predetermined number of code word symbols having the lowest code word symbol reliability weights in the data packet are marked (320) as erasures, after which the data packet is decoded (322) by utilizing a soft decision decoding technique.

Abstract: A method and apparatus in a radio messaging system monitors (304, 404), by a plurality of base receivers (207), an inbound channel for an inbound transmission from a portable subscriber unit (122), and determines (306, 406) a subset of the plurality of base receivers that reliably receive the inbound transmission. The method and apparatus then selects (310, 408) a frequency reuse plan for the radio messaging system, based upon the subset.

Abstract: In an electronic device having a keyboard (120) and a display (116), a processing system (106) displays on the display a message entered through the keyboard and selects a supplemental mode, in response to entry of a first predetermined key sequence by a user. The supplemental mode is selected in accordance with the first predetermined key sequence, from at least one of a group of supplemental modes included in the electronic device. The group of supplemental modes comprise an acronym mode (200), a supplemental scrolling keyboard mode (300), a predictive character pairing mode (301), a predictive menuing mode (400), and a bi-directional delete mode (500). The electronic device operates in accordance with the supplemental mode until an occurrence of at least one of (a) the user entering a second predetermined key sequence and (b) the supplemental mode executing to completion.

Abstract: A radio signal is digitized and filtered to derive a digitized pilot signal (210) modulated by channel amplitude and phase distortion. A numerator and a denominator are formed for dividing the digitized radio signal (208) by the digitized pilot signal, the numerator and the denominator requiring a first predetermined number of bits per sample. The bits of the numerator and the denominator are shifted (518) by equal amounts until a highest order bit of one of the numerator and the denominator is non-zero. A second predetermined number of highest order bits of the numerator are divided (524) by the second predetermined number of highest order bits of the denominator in a divider utilizing less than the first predetermined number of bits, to generate a channel compensated radio signal (536) having a minimum number of bits that can accommodate a predetermined maximum dynamic range.

Abstract: An application registry (226) is programmed (504) into a wireless modem (124) and includes routing information for routing data, based upon data type, to an application (244) or to storage (238, 236). Thereafter, the wireless modem receives (602) the data and determines (604) the data type. The wireless modem then routes (614, 628, 624, 618) the data in accordance with the routing information for the data type and, when the routing information indicates the application is located in an external device, further in accordance with an accessibility status of the external device.

Abstract: A processor (208) selects a candidate message (214) from a message queue (212), and tests (306) whether an available space (216) in the current frame of data is sufficient to accommodate the candidate message. The processor records (320, 420) a skip indicator (218, 220) into a predetermined memory location, in response to the candidate message being a numbered message and the available space in the current frame being insufficient. The processor skips (316) the candidate message during the current frame even though available space is sufficient, when the skip indicator is recorded in the predetermined memory location and is applicable to the candidate message. The processor adds (332) the candidate message to the current frame of data, when the available space in the current frame is sufficient and the candidate message is a message not affected by the skip indicator. The processor continues (330) to select, test, record, skip, and add, as above, to form the current frame of data.

Abstract: A processing system (210) subdivides (302) a voice message into a plurality of portions, and estimates (304) a plurality of preferred pitch periods corresponding to the plurality of portions. The processing system calculates (314) a plurality of segment sizes corresponding to the plurality of preferred pitch periods, and compresses (316) each of the plurality of portions by utilizing a corresponding one of the plurality of segment sizes in a speech compression algorithm, thereby generating a compressed message. The processing system determines (326) from the plurality of segment sizes a preferred segment size for decompressing the compressed message; and sends (328) the preferred segment size, along with the compressed message, to a receiver (122) for use in decompressing the compressed message in a speech decompression algorithm.

Abstract: A first portable subscriber unit (122, 602) of a plurality of portable subscriber units transmits (504) an inbound message (400) on an inbound channel. The inbound message is intended for a base receiver (616). The inbound message is received (506) by a second portable subscriber unit (606, 608) of the plurality of portable subscriber units. The second portable subscriber unit retransmits (520) the inbound message on the inbound channel only when a predetermined attribute of the inbound message satisfies (508, 510, 512, 514, 518) a predetermined condition.

Abstract: A fixed portion (102) of a radio messaging system schedules (602) an inbound message to be transmitted at a first scheduled time on a channel from a portable subscriber unit (122). The channel is monitored (604) at the first scheduled time to receive the inbound message, utilizing a beamforming technique. In response to failing to achieve adequate reception of the inbound message at the first scheduled time, the fixed portion reschedules (608) the inbound message to be transmitted at a second scheduled time, and remonitors (610) the channel at the second scheduled time to receive the inbound message, utilizing an omnidirectional technique.

Abstract: A browser functionality is split between a wireless client (122) and an infrastructure portion (102) of a wireless communication system. The infrastructure portion sends (412) to the wireless client a response from a server (124) to an earlier request originated (404) by the wireless client, the response modified by the infrastructure portion to comprise a placeholder for an additional data element needed to complete the response. Without a need for a further request from the wireless client, the infrastructure portion then originates (414) a request to the server for the additional data element and forwards (418) the additional data element to the wireless client when received from the server.

Abstract: Dummy subscriber information records (226) are programmed (502) into a database of a local controller (110), and templates (222) are also stored (504) in the database. Each template includes a range of subscriber numbers (406, 408) belonging to subscribers of a home controller (120) different from the local controller, and a pointer (412) to a corresponding dummy subscriber information record (226). When the local controller receives (506), from a message originator, a subscriber number that falls within the range of subscriber numbers of one of the templates, the local controller obtains (508) subscriber information (418, 420) from one of the dummy subscriber information records through the pointer of the one of the templates.

Abstract: Traffic in a radio communication system (FIG. 1) is adaptively balanced (300) to control congestion. A congestion model is maintained (302) with congestion dependencies including first and second types of congestion along with corresponding likelihood functions that indicate a likelihood that the first type of congestion will lead to the second type of congestion. An early warning of an impending congestion is detected (304) from an incoming traffic mix which exceeds an output traffic capability, given a current output allocation and configuration. The congestion model is accessed (306), in response to detecting the impending congestion, to identify and determine a priority for possible sources of the impending congestion. Action is then taken (308, 314, 318) to relieve the impending congestion by doing at least one of (a) increasing output resources and (b) decreasing traffic rates from the possible sources, prioritized in accordance with the congestion model.

Abstract: A communication system (100) includes a shared communication medium, such as a communication channel or a base station, for providing messages and transmission devices (110) for transmitting the messages over the shared communication medium during sharing periods defined by a sharing pattern (114). A trading center (105) coupled to the transmission devices (110) modifies the sharing pattern (114) in response to traffic handled by the transmission devices (110).

Abstract: An amplifier (100) includes an output node (114) having an output voltage (V.sub.out), and a switching amplifier (104) having a first output (132) coupled to the output node for delivering a switching amplifier output current (I.sub.SW) to the output node. The amplifier further includes a modulator (136) coupled to the switching amplifier for controlling the switching amplifier, and a linear amplifier (102) producing a linear amplifier output current (I.sub.lin) through a second output (118) coupled to the output node. The amplifier also includes a feedback network (106) coupled to the modulator for controlling the modulator, the feedback network also coupled to a reference signal (V.sub.ref) which the amplifier apparatus tracks, the feedback network further coupled to a current sense signal (I.sub.sen) proportional to the linear amplifier output current, and coupled to a switching amplifier signal (V.sub.

Abstract: A communication system (100) provides inbound communications from messaging units (120) to a controller (105) and outbound communications from the controller (105) to the messaging units (120). The inbound communications include scheduled packets and unscheduled packets that are transmitted over a reverse channel signal 250 divided into time slots. The controller (105) receives the scheduled and unscheduled packets and provides boundary information to the messaging units (120) to allocate the time slots between the scheduled packets and the unscheduled packets. The boundary information is computed based on previous boundary information for a time period and an average throughput of the unscheduled packets for the time period.

Abstract: A portable subscriber unit (104) monitors (602) a signal fading rate in an outbound channel from a base station (102), and transmits a message. The portable subscriber unit transmits (606) the message once on an inbound channel in response to the signal fading rate in the outbound channel being less than a predetermined value. The portable subscriber unit transmits (608) the message more than once in response to the signal fading rate in the outbound channel being greater than or equal to the predetermined value.