Patents Assigned to Alcatel Alsthom
  • Patent number: 5968122
    Abstract: A scheme for propagating, between views of a network, status information for elements of the network in a way that mirrors how the network is maintained. The propagation scheme divides the elements of the network into either connections or equipment, groups the elements in each of these two partitions into increasingly higher-level views and propagates status of fundamental and compound objects between the different views to help locate the source of any malfunction of the network. This status propagation scheme is particularly suited for monitoring a wide-area network, where there are more connections and more complex equipment than in a typical local area network, these connections are usually more geographically disbursed, and most importantly these connections are maintained by different people than those who maintain the other equipment of the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventors: John K. Schlosser, Joel Rariden, Bhalchandra R. Ketkar, Gregory A. Bathrick
  • Patent number: 5959973
    Abstract: As long as a queuing network node (Q) is not congested, it returns to the source terminals (S1, S2, S3, S4) transmitting data packets through this queuing network node (Q), upper packet rate values (ER) which are proportional to the actual packet rate values (CCR). The transmit rate of a source terminal (S1, S2, S3, S4) upon receipt of the upper packet rate value (ER), is controlled so that it stays below this upper packet rate value. In this way, the queuing network node (Q) allows its aggregate input rate to increase in a controlled, smooth way and does not rely on the sources (S1, S2, S3, S4) themselves. Once the queuing network node (Q) gets congested a fair share algorithm is used to determine which source terminals have to decrease their transmit rates and which source terminals are allowed to further increase their transmit rates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventors: Wim Pol Meurisse, Rudy Georges Hoebeke, Johan Hilda Witters
  • Patent number: 5959766
    Abstract: An optical amplifier device (REG) comprises a variable optical attenuator (DG), a control unit (CTRL), and an optical amplifier (EDFA). The gain of the amplifier (EDFA) and the attenuation of the attenuator (DG) are adjusted by the control unit (CTRL) based on a correlation (KOR) of the levels of the optical signals at the output of the optical amplifier (EDFA).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electric
    Inventors: Jurgen Otterbach, Thomas Pfeiffer
  • Patent number: 5956230
    Abstract: A device which houses the active and passive nodal point modules of telecommunication installations in the ground comprises a metal container with a removable cover and a removable support for the modules housed in the container. The modules are attached in a heat-conductive manner to the internal surface of the support. The support is made of heat-conductive material and its external surface has a number of cooling fins. Through the cooling fins, the support makes heat-conductive contact with the internal surface of the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electicite
    Inventors: Franz Grajewski, Werner Stieb
  • Patent number: 5951660
    Abstract: A current control interface arrangement includes a card circuit and a connector means. The connector means is adapted to generate, from the supply voltage terminals, an enable signal which is directly correlated to the moment of insertion or extraction of the load from the power supply. The card circuit includes an active device to be coupled between a power supply terminal and a load, an enable controlled switch for delivering the correct voltage to the control terminal of the active device for turning on, respectively turning off this device and a time constant means for controlling the rate at which the active device is further rendered conductive. A very simple power supply sequencing apparatus including the current control interface arrangement allows for coupling a plurality of supply voltages to a card in descending order starting from the highest supply voltage to the lowest supply voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventor: Geert Arthur Edith Van Wonterghem
  • Patent number: 5949367
    Abstract: Neural networks are used to classify objects automatically by means of Doppler-broadened radar echo signals. The classification device KK contains a neural network (NET, NET2) which has an input layer (IL) of input nodes (IN1, . . . , IN57) for features (M) of the Doppler-broadened radar echo signals, and an output layer (OL) of output nodes (ON1, ON2, ON3) for predetermined classes to which the objects can be allocated. The neural network (NET, NET2) is adapted to the external conditions prevailing at the time of the classification operation. The adaptation takes place either via accessible input nodes (ZN1, ZN2) into which control information (SI) can be entered, and which cause the neural network (NET) to adapt to one or to several external influence factors, or via a selection device (SEL) which, from the parameters (P1, . . .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventors: Michael Trompf, Hans Jurgen Matt, Dieter Baums, Gebhard Thierer
  • Patent number: 5949376
    Abstract: The antenna element comprises a printed circuit board (1) on one side of which is a conductive ground plane (2); and on the other side of which are two symmetrical conductive feed tracks (3,4) which excite orthogonal slot apertures (12,13, 22, 23) etched in the ground plane. Radiation from the slots induces orthogonal currents into a radiating patch (14, 18) supported in a spaced relationship with the slots. Two signals can be radiated from the patch simultaneously with 90.degree. separation in polarization. The slots radiate to the rear as well as to the front. A symmetrical conductive cavity (17, 25) enclosing the slots contains rear radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventors: Noel A. McDonald, Shaun Hamilton
  • Patent number: 5943320
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for charging for the use of a telecommunication service, as well as to a switching system, a service control point and a network management facility. A service request is transmitted from a subscriber (A) via a telecommunication network (KN) of a network operator to a service-providing unit (SAPP1) of the service provider. A charge unit (BILL) of the network operator administers the charge collection for the use of the telecommunication service. The service-providing unit (SAPP1) provides the requested telecommunication service only after receipt of a confirmation message from a authorization unit (AUT) of the network operator. The charge message (M6) with data relating to a charge for using the telecommunication service is transferred from the service-providing unit (SAPP1) to the charge unit (BILL) and the charge unit (BILL) collects the charge after the confirmation message has been received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventors: Hartmut Weik, Uwe Stahl, Wolfgang Lautenschlager, Lothar Krank, Rudiger Falkner
  • Patent number: 5938779
    Abstract: ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) testability, troubleshooting access and visibility of internal circuitry are the primary targets of test engineering analysis. The widely applied boundary-scan technique is a useful interface but does not solve all problems connected with the PBA (Printed Board Assembly) manufacturing process. The invention provides an extension of the boundary-scan technique currently implemented to provide improved ASIC testability. The Collateral ASIC Test (method and logic) implemented in a boundary-scan device according to the invention makes possible a test process standardization to ASIC design and testing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventor: James M. Preston
  • Patent number: 5940568
    Abstract: It is known to expose a photosensitive waveguide core to an optical interference pattern which is produced using a phase mask. Precise positioning of the phase mask above the optical waveguide is difficult if several Bragg gratings are to be produced in a confined space. The invention solves the problem of how to produce virtually arbitrarily defined refractive-index gratings in a core of an optical waveguide with high precision without the use of phase masks. To accomplish this, a buffer layer of the optical waveguide, preferably the cladding layer (CLA), is patterned in such a way that UV laser light directed to the waveguide forms an optical interference pattern in the core (COR), thereby imprinting a Bragg grating. The pattern (GST) in the buffer layer is preferably formed by etching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventor: Kurt Losch
  • Patent number: 5939222
    Abstract: A spirally wound storage cell having an alkaline electrolyte, the storage cell being in particular of the nickel-cadmium type or of the nickel metal hydride type, and including at least one positive electrode and at least one negative electrode on either side of a non-woven separator made up of fibers made exclusively of polypropylene, said storage cell being characterized by the fact that said separator (5) comprises first and second superposed layers, said first layer (6) being obtained by the "spun-bond" method and serving as a support, and said second layer (7) being obtained by needling fibers on said first layer, the needling tangling the fibers of the second layer together, and bonding them to the fibers of the first layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventors: Stephane Senyarich, Patrick Viaud
  • Patent number: 5939668
    Abstract: A shielded patch cable has a series of wires and a first foil of an electrical conductive material, the first foil surrounding the series of wires over their length. The patch cable also has a capacitor for preventing the formation of a grounding loop upon connection of the cable. The capacitor is formed by the first foil surrounded by an intermediate layer of an electrical insulating material, which insulating material is surrounded by a second foil of an electrical conductive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventor: Paul De Win
  • Patent number: 5933562
    Abstract: For use in digital optical telecommunication systems, optical semiconductor components are shown having a transition region for the expansion of the mode field of a light wave in order to reduce losses when coupling to an optical fiber or an optical waveguide of a supporting plate. An optical semiconductor component contains a deep ridged waveguide (RIDGE) with a cover layer (DS) disposed on a substrate (SUB.) The ridged waveguide (RIDGE) has a first (MQW) and second (BULK) waveguide cores, these being separated by a separating layer (SEP). The thickness of this separating layer increases in a transition region (UB1) along a longitudinal direction (L) of the ridged waveguide (RIDGE), thus increasing the vertical distance between the two waveguide centers (MQW, BULK).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventors: Kaspar Dutting, Edgar Kuhn
  • Patent number: 5926513
    Abstract: A radio receiver for receiving radio frequency (RF) signals includes an analog down-converting and filtering section for down-converting and selecting the RF signals to an intermediate passband and a stopband which substantially determine the widest bandwidth of operation of the radio receiver. An analog-to-digital converter converts the intermediate frequency signal to a sampled digital signal. A digital filtering section, responsive to the sampled digital signal, includes wideband and narrowband digital filters for providing wide bandwidth and narrow bandwidth baseband quadrature output signals for the widest bandwidth of operation and a narrow bandwidth of operation at a frequency within a passband. The wideband digital filtering is designed to only provide a modest amount of additional stopband attenuation with a significantly sharper transition band rolloff from passband to stopband.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventors: Edwin A. Suominen, Charles J. Voboril
  • Patent number: 5926835
    Abstract: A method of isolating a memory location containing an obsolete value of a variable, in a shared memory of a computer, said location being referenced via a pointer for access in the context of a first transaction, a lock called a "hold" being placed on said location and being assigned to a single task, said hold preventing any other task from accessing said location. The method of the invention does not free the location containing the obsolete value, but it isolates it from transactions other than that transaction which possesses the first pointer. This allows the task owning the first pointer to continue to access said obsolete value. However, any transaction can access another value of the variable, without waiting, because the descriptor of said variable directs said transactions to a location which is freely accessible and contains said other value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale D'Electricite
    Inventors: Dominique Guidot, Franck Jouenne, Benoit Paul Dubois Taine
  • Patent number: 5926536
    Abstract: A requesting terminal signals a call request (CALL) to a control unit of a first communications network. The control unit then determines whether sufficient capacity is available in the first communications network to establish the connection requested by the call request. In the event of insufficient capacity, the control unit transmits an overload message (DAT) to the requesting terminal. It only initiates an alternative establishment of the requested connection via another, second communications network after it receives an acknowledge message (ACK) issued by the requesting terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventors: Harald Orlamunder, Uwe Stahl
  • Patent number: 5923652
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for tying additional function modules into a control facility of a switching system and to a switching system. A switching system comprises a control facility (CONTR) provided with a plurality of basic function modules (APP1 to APP3, BP1 to BP4) which are mutually coupled to each other, for controlling the switching functions of the switching system. The basic function modules (APP1 to APP3, BP1 to BP4) are coupled to one or more access modules (ACC). The additional function modules (APP11 to APP23, KONVERT1, KONVERT2) access the basic function modules (APP1 to APP3, BP1 to BP4) only via the access modules (ACC), such that at any given time each of the access modules (ACC), depending on the accessing additional function module (APP11 to APP23, KONVERT1 , KONVERT2), provides the additional function modules (APP11 to APP23, KONVERT1, KONVERT2) with only one individual logical access interface (INT1 to INT4) to the basic function modules (APP1 to APP3, BP1 to BP4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventors: Detlef Daase, Karl-Heinz Legat, Irina Muller
  • Patent number: 5920419
    Abstract: In order to operate at high frequencies and at high optical powers without reducing the possible depth of modulation, a quantum well electro-optical modulator has a semiconductor structure of III-V elements including, in succession, an n doped layer, an undoped layer, a quantum well active layer and a p doped layer. Applications include optical transmission systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale D'Electricite
    Inventors: Christophe Starck, Dominique Lesterlin
  • Patent number: 5917816
    Abstract: During data transmissions between a mobile radio network and a telecommunications network, in order to adapt the data signals to the protocols and modulation rates used by said networks, adaptation processors which perform so-called interworking functions are used which are either implemented in each mobile station of the mobile radio network, or which are implemented in a centralized interworking function that is connected to several mobile switching centers. A centralized interworking function (CIWF) is described for the simple construction of a mobile radio network, which contains different interworking functions (IWF1, . . . , IWFn) for adapting data transmissions between several mobile switching centers (MSC) and different data transmission nodes (MOD, PH, PAD, ISDN) of a telecommunications network (PSTN), and contains a controlled switching network (SWT) which selectively connects the different interworking functions to the mobile switching centers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventor: Dieter Jacobsohn
  • Patent number: 5911023
    Abstract: Optical fiber cable components such as buffer tubes, filler rods, or jackets are produced using a thermoplastic polyolefin characterized by a high melt flow index. The use of material with a high melt flow index versus conventional "extrusion grade" materials which are characterized by a low melt flow index results in substantial improvements in buffer tube crystallinity and crystallization rates, improved buffer tube crush resistance, reduced post extrusion shrinkage, improved gel compatibility, and improved excess fiber length control. The advantages of using materials with a high melt flow index are most evident when processing thermoplastic materials such as nucleated copolymers of ethylene and propylene at high line speeds (shear rates) of over 50M/min.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1999
    Assignee: Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
    Inventors: Brian G. Risch, James D. Holder