Patents Assigned to American Telephone and Telegraph Company
  • Patent number: 4924386
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for optimizing resource allocations is disclosed which utilizes the Karmarkar algorithm to proceed in the interior of the solution space polytope. The values of the allocation variables are limited by upper and lower bounds, either individually or collectively with the same common bound. Each successive approximation of the solution point, and the polytope, are normalized such that the solution point is at the center of the normalized polytope using a diagonal matrix of the current solution point. The objective function is then projected into the normalized space and the next step is taken in the interior of the polytope, in the direction of steepest-descent of the objective function gradient and of such a magnitude as to remain within the interior of the polytope. The process is repeated until the optimum solution is closely approximated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 8, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventors: Barry A. Freedman, Marc S. Meketon, Robert J. Vanderbei
  • Patent number: 4923301
    Abstract: A method for lithographic alignment utilized in the manufacture of integrated circuits is described. The procedure includes an initial calibration through the lens system to expose a calibration material in a diffraction grating pattern. An interference pattern is produced above the grating with intersecting laser beams. By adjusting the path and/or phase of these beams the interference pattern is aligned with the diffraction pattern to establish a calibration point corresponding to a reference intensity in the intensity of the diffracted light. A wafer to be exposed is then placed in the exposure tool and is aligned by observing the diffraction pattern from a diffraction grating fiducial mark induced by the calibrated interference pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 8, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventor: Donald L. White
  • Patent number: 4923739
    Abstract: An electrical interconnection medium is made as a composite of electrically conducting, magnetic particles in a nonconductive matrix material. Particles are magnetically aligned into a network which extends in at least two dimensions as, e.g., in a sheet or layer medium. A layer medium may further include additional, larger conductive particles which may be magnetically aligned into columns extending the thickness of the medium; typically, in this case, the medium serves as an anisotropically conductive medium in the direction of the columns, with slight in-plane conductivity imparted by the network aiding the dissipation of electrostatic charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 8, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventors: Sungho Jin, William R. Lambert, Robert C. Moore, John J. Mottine, Jr., Richard C. Sherwood, Thomas H. Tiefel
  • Patent number: 4924491
    Abstract: An emergency call service system, such as an E911 system, provides service system personnel with the addresses of abandoned calls to facilitate abandoned call follow-up. When a call comes in to a "911" ANI controller (21), the calling number is recorded. If the call is abandoned prior to being assigned by ACD 23 to an agent position (27-28) for being answered, an abandoned call ALI function (25) is invoked to obtain information pertaining to the calling number from a database (20), similarly to a non-abandoned call. When obtained, the information is displayed on equipment (29) such as a printer, terminal, or PC, to make it available to system personnel for use in following up on the call. The ANI controller serves both "911" emergency calls and emergency call-handling agents as well as other calls and other users, by switching the emergency calls to the agents and switching the other calls to the other users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 8, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventors: Merle F. Compton, Vincent D. Vanacore, Brian W. Walsh
  • Patent number: 4921321
    Abstract: A new class of silicon compounds having a high percentage of silicon atoms bonded to three other silicon atoms has been synthesized. These materials denominated polysilynes form smooth amorphous films which have quite useful properties. For example, photooxidation produces a refractive index change from 1.70 to 1.45. Similarly, photooxidation also produces a substantial change in solubility. Thus the materials are useful for the fabrication of optical and electronic devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventor: Timothy W. Weidman
  • Patent number: 4921160
    Abstract: A personal data card (10), comprised of a semiconductor chip (28), sealed by encapsulant (38) in an opening (26) in a body (12), is advantageously provided with a shock absorbing device (38) which substantially circumscribes the encapsulant to substantially isolate the encapsulant from the body of the card. By isolating the encapsulant from the card body, the shock absorbing device reduces the stresses transmitted from the card body into the capsulant and into the chip when the card is flexed. In this way the incidence of cracking of the chip caused by the stresses generated upon flexing of the card is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventors: Richard M. Flynn, Fred W. Verdi
  • Patent number: 4922348
    Abstract: This invention relates to an arrangement for efficiently transmitting facsimile signals from a facsimile source to a facsimile destination using a standard facsimile user interface. The connected switched communications network recognizes that the call is from a facsimile source or to a facsimile destination and causes the facsimile signals to be transmitted at the transmission speed of the source to storage in a network. Subsequently, the signals are transmitted from storage to a facsimile destination at the transmission speed of the destination when the destination becomes available. Advantageously, the source need not wait for the destination to become available before transmitting, and the transmission can take place at a bit rate that matches the source and the destination even when these bit rates are different. Retransmission because of errors in one link is only required for that link, i.e., from the source to the storage or from the storage to the destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventors: Alexander C. Gillon, Adam V. Reed, John M. Scanlon
  • Patent number: 4922490
    Abstract: A communication station capable of transmitting audible speech represented by speech signals received on the line during the on-hook state. A calling party name may be spoken at the station without requiring the call to be answered. The station is also usable, while on-hook, for receiving voice messages, e.g., emergency warnings, transmitted from a central office or customer premises switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventor: James R. Blakley
  • Patent number: 4922417
    Abstract: A data hashing arrangement particularly suitable for efficient database storage and fast retrieval of large numbers of character strings. A database address is determined for a character string by replacing individual characters with random numbers selected from a predefined table of random numbers. The table locations of the selected random numbers are uniquely defined by the characters. The selected numbers are combined by iteractive bit reordering and exclusive-OR operations to form a result, which is then used to derive the database address where the character string is stored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1986
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventors: Brian R. Churm, Michael E. Diesel
  • Patent number: 4922325
    Abstract: A multilayer ceramic package is disclosed which includes a high frequency interconnect that simulates the performance of a conventional coaxial connector. The interconnect comprises a signal conductor surrounded by the ceramic material forming the package. A plurality of vias are formed through the ceramic material so as to surround the conductor. These vias are then connected to a ground plane to form the outer shielding for the high frequency interconnect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventor: Palmer D. Smeltz, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4922522
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a lottery system. Customers purchase lottery entries using their customer stations to send lottery entry data to a toll switching system equipped to prompt customers and accept lottery entries. Customer identification data for identifying purchasers is transmitted to that toll switching system in the form of automatic number identification signals from switching systems connected to the customers and personal identification codes keyed by customers. Lottery data is stored in the toll switching system and transmitted to a centralized lottery data base system for determining lottery winners. Advantageously, customers may purchase entries in existing, periodic draw lotteries from their own customer stations, using the shared facilities, and the high peak capacity for handling lottery traffic of a public switched network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventor: John M. Scanlon
  • Patent number: 4922486
    Abstract: A high capacity metropolitan area network (MAN) is described. Data traffic from users is connected to data concentrators at the edge of the network, and is transmitted over fiber optic data links to a hub where the data is switched. The hub includes a plurality of data switching modules, each having a control means, and each connected to a distributed control space division switch. Advantageously, the data switching modules, whose inputs are connected to the concentrators, perform all checking and routing functions, while the 1024.times.1024 maaximum size space division switch, whose outputs are connected to the concentrators, provides a large fan-out distribution network for reaching many concentrators from each data switching module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventors: William P. Lidinsky, Gary A. Roediger, Scott B. Steele, Ronald C. Weddige
  • Patent number: 4922480
    Abstract: A technique for increasing the number of manufactured laser transmitters which meet a predetermined wavelength specification is disclosed. Semiconductor lasers which exhibit a relationship between operating temperature and wavelength can be tuned by adjusting the operating temperature to ensure that the transmitter's operating wavelength will fall within the system-specified limits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventor: Fridolin L. Bosch
  • Patent number: 4922251
    Abstract: An analog to digital interface circuit includes two matched, symmetrical, differential amplifiers which in response to an analog signal having a rising edge and a falling edge produce first and second output signals which are identical but 180.degree. out of phase; whereby the rising edge of the analog signal corresponds to the rising edge of the first output signal, the falling edge of the analog signal corresponds to the rising edge of the second output signal and the time interval between the rising edges of the two output signals is equal to the time interval between the rising and falling edges of the analog signal. The outputs of the differential amplifiers are further processed by two matched, symmetrical buffers which produce first and second digital signals having like falling edges corresponding to the rising and falling edges of the analog signal, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventor: Gary B. Ollendick
  • Patent number: 4922311
    Abstract: A gate electrode having an insulating top layer as well as insulating sidewall spacers permits the source and drain regions to be electrically contacted through windows directly above the source and drain regions formed in a window pad layer. There is a conducting layer, termed a window pad layer, over portions of these regions. Because of the insulating top layer and sidewall spacers on the gate, the window may be misaligned with respect to the source and drain regions, and maybe even closer to the gate than are these regions, but electrical contacts to these regions are still obtained. The window pad layer may also be used as sublevel interconnect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventors: Kuo-Hua Lee, Chih-Yuan Lu, David S. Yaney
  • Patent number: 4922519
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying the class of an operator assistance call in order to reduce the operator work time for serving such a call. A customer dials 0 or dials 0 plus a directory number and is connected to a program controlled operator assistance system or switch. The switch initially connects the calling customer to a voice processing unit and prompts the customer to speak a command or key a command code. The command or command code is recognized and used to direct the flow of the control program to selectively defer a connection to an operator position. For example, for person-to-person calls, the operator position is only connected after the called customer terminal answers. Advantageously, such a method and apparatus substantially reduces operator work time for broad classes of frequently used operator assistance services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventor: Abraham N. Daudelin
  • Patent number: 4920899
    Abstract: A refractory furnace (10) is constructed to facilitate repair of worn or damaged refractory portions while the furnace is maintained at near-operating temperature. A sidewall (40) of the refractory furnace is comprised of a plurality of modular sections (85) each of which includes a refractory lining (87). One or more modular sections may be selectively replaced when becoming worn or damaged. Replacement is accomplished by external access and removal of the worn or damaged modular sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventors: Robert F. Blundy, Charles E. Dunbar
  • Patent number: 4922515
    Abstract: Cut-off malfunctions in a communication network are lcoated by establishing a connection through the network between a first terminal and a second terminal. At the first terminal, a prescribed sequence of first signals is generated and applied to the established network connection. At the second terminal, a second signal is generated responsive to receipt of a first signal over the established connection and the second signal is applied to the established network connection. A signal representing the difference between the number of first signals applied to the established connection and the number of second signals received from the established connection is formed at the first terminal. The established connection is maintained for testing when the difference signal exceeds a predetermined number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: American Telephone and Telegraph Company
    Inventor: Raymond A. Simpson, Jr.
  • Patent number: D307560
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignees: American Telephone and Telegraph Company, AT&T Information Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Arlan K. Andrews, David M. Dickson, John N. McGarvey, Michael P. Zambelli
  • Patent number: D307748
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 8, 1990
    Assignees: American Telephone & Telegraph Company, AT&T Information Systems
    Inventors: Ramon M. Cardona, David G. Geis, Francis E. Huntoon, Chris G. Johnson, Kenneth F. Lewinski, Raymond R. Seidlitz, Eugene K. Sokolowski