Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing a Modified Discrete Cosine Transform on an audio signal is disclosed which utilizes a Discrete Fourier Transform. Illustratively, the MDCT spectral coefficients for the signal are generated from the real FFT spectral coefficients.

Abstract: Application programs compiled for a first, "source", computer are translated, from their object form, for execution on a section, "target", computer. The translated application programs are linked or otherwise bound with a translation of the source computer system software. The translated system software operates on the image of the source computer address space in the target computer exactly as it did in the source computer. The semantics of the source computer system softwae are thus preserved identically. In addition, a virtual hardware environment is provided in the target computer to manage events and to deal with differences in the address space layouts between the source and target computers.

Abstract: Individuals are provided with a transaction card which is to be presented for at least certain classes of transactions, e.g., truck rentals, purchases of chemicals, etc. Encoded electronically within the card are a) physical verification information and b) identity information. The identity information is encrypted, to create an encrypted identity file, using an "identity encryption key." The matching "identity decryption key" is held in secret by an appropriate government agency or agencies. The encrypted identity file and the physical verification information are then commingled and encrypted together using the "public encryption key" of a so-called public key encryption/decryption pair to create a composite encrypted file. The matching "public decryption key" is distributed to the society at large and is, in particular, stored at points-of-sale/transaction.

Abstract: Portable computing and communications devices are connected with other, typically fixed devices via the use of a capacitive data connector. Each of the two mating sections of the connector includes a set of coupling plates. When the two sections are brought into contact, the coupling plates form capacitors across which data signals can be passed. Circuitry driving each section of the data connector is such as to create a bidirectional signaling path, thereby providing a connection which is functionally equivalent to an ohmic connection. Signals that are typically passed across data connectors on individual parallel leads are, in the present data connector, serialized, passed across the connector in that form and connected back to parallel form on the other side of the connection. Each section of the connector illustrately includes a permanent magnet to draw and hold the two sections in alignment, thereby providing a connector which is self-aligning.

Abstract: A security system controlling access to a resource is arranged to operate such that when an attempt to access a resource using a password or PIN fails, the time interval "t" that must elapse before a subsequent attempt at access can be successful, is incremented. By making the increments increasingly large (illustratively, an exponential function of the number "n" of unsuccessful attempts), repeated access attempts by hackers or other unauthorized users is discouraged, because they simply cannot wait the time needed to make a large number of trial and error attempts. On the other hand, valid users, while experiencing a delay prior to access, are nevertheless able to gain access, rather than being completely "lockedout". This approach is a better compromise between access control and denial.

Abstract: An HDTV transmission system includes a Tomlinson precoder in the transmitter in order to compensate for forced intersymbol interference introduced by an NTSC rejection filter used in the receiver. The system employs one of a family of four-dimensional coded modulation schemes based on a six-signal-point, one-dimensional base constellation. The various schemes exhibit different amounts of so-called shaping gain and support respective different payload data rates. The characteristics of the Tomlinson precoder are such as to preserve the substantial portion of the shaping gain. The system may switch its operation among the various coded modulation schemes to account for changes in channel conditions and/or to accommodate different source signal bit rates.

Abstract: In a speaker verification system, a method of compensating for differences in speech samples obtained during registration and those obtained during verification due to the use of different types of microphones is provided by filtering at least one of the samples such that the similarities of the two samples are increased. The filtered sample is used within the speaker verification matching process. A two-way comparison is disclosed in which both a verification speech sample and a reference sample are filtered with nonlinear microphone characteristics such as carbon microphone characteristics. A four-way comparison is also disclosed in which patterns produced from unfiltered verification and reference samples and patterns produced from the filtered verification and reference samples are compared to identify a match. A score is determined for each comparison. The comparison having the best score is used to determine if a match has occurred.

Abstract: Digital signals, such as digitized television signals, are subjected to a source coding step followed by a channel mapping step. The source coding step causes the television signal to be represented by two or more data streams while, in the channel mapping step, the mapping is such that the data elements of the various data streams have differing probabilities of being erroneously detected at the receiver. In preferred embodiments, a first one of the aforementioned data streams carries components of the overall television signal which are regarded as the most important--for example the audio, the framing information, and the vital portions of the video information, such as motion compensation information--and that data stream is mapped such that its data elements have the lowest probability of error.

Abstract: Speaker independent recognition of small vocabularies, spoken over the long distance telephone network, is achieved using two types of models, one type for defined vocabulary words (e.g., collect, calling-card, person, third-number and operator), and one type for extraneous input which ranges from non-speech sounds to groups of non-vocabulary words (e.g. `I want to make a collect call please`). For this type of key word spotting, modifications are made to a connected word speech recognition algorithm based on state-transitional (hidden Markov) models which allow it to recognize words from a pre-defined vocabulary list spoken in an unconstrained fashion. Statistical models of both the actual vocabulary words and the extraneous speech and background noises are created. A syntax-driven connected word recognition system is then used to find the best sequence of extraneous input and vocabulary word models for matching the actual input speech.

Abstract: A five-channel perceptual audio compression system which encodes five matrixed channels switches among a fourteen encoding modes each utilizing a respective different set of matrixed channels. Six of the modes are for encoding the three front channels and eight of the modes are for encoding the two back channels. A number of the modes have as at least one of their respective matrixed channels a matrixed channel which is a function of a) one of the input channels or a sum or difference of two of them, and b) a predicted value of a).

Abstract: A method for use in a telecommunications system in which a call sequencing facility allows a caller who is trying to reach a called subscriber to be routed to each of a sequence of telephone numbers specified by the subscriber, even though a call placed to one such telephone number is answered.

Abstract: Calling card subscribers are allowed to charge telephone calls to calling card numbers before the calling card issuer's billing system is updated to include account records containing subscriber-specific information associated with those card numbers. Billing data associated with calls charged to those card numbers are stored until account records are created for those card numbers. Upon the creation of an account record for one of those card numbers, subscriber-specific information contained in the account record is combined with the stored billing data associated with that card number to form a conventional billing record for further processing.

Abstract: Interexchange carriers make their rate information for long-distance service available in a database. PBXs and telephone central offices access that rate information using ISDN and/or SS7 signaling and use it as a basis for determining which carrier to use at any given time in the routing of a call. Such accessing may be carried out on a call-by-call basis. Or a carrier's schedule of rates can be stored locally in the PBX or local switching office, thereby obviating the need for a database query for every call.

Abstract: In a modulation scheme involving differential encoding and Reed-Solomon encoding, the differential encoding is performed before the Reed-Solomon encoding in the transmitter. In the receiver, a differential decoding operation is performed after an RS decoding operation. The overall coding scheme and the RS decoding are so arranged as to ensure that the RS decoding will be proper in the presence of phase rotations, notwithstanding the fact that the differential encoding is performed before the RS encoding in the transmitter and the fact that the RS decoding is performed before the differential decoding in the receiver.

Abstract: Difficulties with prior disrupted communications restoration systems are overcome by employing for each node of a communications network a restoration processor in which predetermined functions of the restoration process are managed by respective ones of a plurality of manager modules. The manager modules are arranged to be directly interconnected only with a so-called restoration manager that coordinates the operations of the modules and provides for their interconnection needs. In a preferred embodiment, four manager modules, a) a user interface manager module, b) a digital cross-connect system (DCS) manager module, c) a distributed communications manager module and d) a core algorithm manager module, are interconnected and coordinated by the restoration manager. Additional robustness to the restoration process is provided by way of enhancements to the functionality of the core algorithm manager module.

Abstract: Personal telephone number service is provided by an adjunct within a communications network to provide a number of functionalities, one of which allows associated subscribers to customize the way in which they receive telephone calls. In particular, each subscriber may dynamically specify a number of caller identifiers and a different call treatment for each such identifier as well as a particular billing mode. A call treatment may include, for example, a specification to forward an associated call to an (a) particular telephone number, (b) default telephone number, or (c) messaging service. A profile defining information about how services are to be carried out for a particular subscriber is created and/or updated via an arrangement which receives the information in facsimile form and then uses character recognition technology to "read" the information contained thereon and to update the profile.

Abstract: A tagged string is developed by setting the value of a current priority variable to the maximum priority level, selecting a shortest length string of the plurality the characters of which have not all been incorporated into the tagged string as the current string, selecting a character of the current string that is not found in the string that was processed for incorporation into the tagged string immediately prior to the current string, adding the selected character to the tagged string and setting the value of the priority indicator for the just added character to the value of the current priority value. Character selection, addition and priority setting are repeated until the characters of the current string are all incorporated into the tagged string. Thereafter, the value of the current priority variable is decreased. The process, except for the setting of the current priority level, is repeated until all strings have been incorporated into the tagged string.

Abstract: A modulation scheme for HDTV, for example, uses a concatenated code comprised of a Reed-Solomon coder followed by an N-dimensional trellis coder whose N-dimensional output symbols with N>1, are used to modulate a one-dimensional vestigial sideband modulator. Specifically, each N-dimensional symbol is a sequence of N one-dimensional signal points--specifically signal points of a one-dimensional VSB constellation.

Abstract: In a telecommunications network, outgoing calls from a particular subscriber location for each of a plurality of telecommunications applications are delivered via a single access link to a single point of distribution through which the subscriber location is caused to be connected, as a function of the telecommunications application type, to an appropriate intelligent network element (INE) server. Additionally, incoming calls of the various application types and directed to a particular directory number are delivered to a single point of collection associated with its NPA-NNX and connections for those calls are caused to be made from the point of collection to an appropriate INE server, as a function of the telecommunications application type and the directory number in question. Communications within the network are by way of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cells.

Abstract: In a telecommunications network outgoing calls from a particular subscriber location for each of a plurality of telecommunications applications are delivered via a single access link to a single point of distribution through which the subscriber location is caused to be connected, as a function of the telecommunications application type, to an appropriate intelligent network element (INE) server. Additionally, incoming calls of the various application types and directed to a particular directory number are delivered to a single point of collection associated with its NPA-NNX and connections for those calls are caused to be made from the point of collection to an appropriate INE server, as a function of the telecommunications application type and the directory number in question. Communications within the network are by way of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cells.