Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for improved monitoring and analysis of VoIP communications, multimedia communications or other types of network traffic in a network-based communication system. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an endpoint device of the system includes an integrated call synthesis capability. More particularly, the endpoint device is configurable into at least a first mode of operation in which the device responds to one or more commands from a testing server of the system directing the device to participate in a synthetic call or other test communication within the system, and a second mode of operation in which the device is utilizable by a system user to establish an actual communication. Other aspects of the invention relating to kernel timestamping and timestamp post-processing provide improved accuracy for measurements such as jitter, loss and delay.

Abstract: A method for effecting load balancing in a packet-switched network is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of: (a) providing a set of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses corresponding to a Universal Resource Locator (URL), wherein the ordering of the IP addresses in the set of IP addresses is indicative of a corresponding desirability of contacting each of the IP addresses and wherein the set of IP addresses are in a first order; (b) receiving activity-related information associated with at least one of the IP addresses; and (c) reordering the set of IP addresses to be in a second order different from the first order.

Abstract: An apparatus and method that uses a computer interposed between the telephony endpoint and the telecommunication system controlling that telephony end point.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods are disclosed for enabling a telecommunications terminal to notify its user of the arrival of a message via a ringtone whose properties are based on information from one or more call logs. A network infrastructure element (e.g., a switch, a server, etc.) receives a message directed to a terminal and establishes property values for a ringtone (e.g., tempo, volume, pitch, rhythm, etc.) based on information from a call log (e.g., how many times the caller has called today, whether an earlier call from this caller was returned, etc.). In a first illustrative embodiment the network infrastructure element sends the message and the instantiated ringtone to the terminal, while in a second illustrative embodiment the network infrastructure element sends the message and the property values to the terminal, and the terminal plays a locally-stored ringtone in accordance with the property values.

Abstract: A communication system processing element comprises a processor coupled to a memory and implements at least a portion of a distributed expert system. The distributed expert system is arranged in at least two hierarchical levels, including an upper level comprising a central controller, and a lower level comprising a plurality of local agents each associated with one or more communication devices of the system.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods are disclosed for enabling multiple telecommunications terminals that are associated with a common user to notify their user of the arrival of an incoming message via a ringtone, where the ringtone is: (i) coordinated across the terminals, and (ii) customized for each terminal based on one or more attributes of the terminal. In particular, in the illustrative embodiments a coordinating terminal that receives a message also directed to another telecommunications terminal sets the values of one or more properties of a ringtone (e.g., tempo, timbre, pitch, rhythm, etc.) based on one or more attributes of the other telecommunications terminal (e.g., terminal type, etc.).

Abstract: A method and system for transferring telephone calls and data between computer programs in a call center. Flow connection modules associated with call center application programs allow data and telephone calls to be transferred from one computer program to another in the call center. The flow connection modules may be combined with a locator program such that the combination replaces the automatic call distributor (“ACD”) in a call center. The flow connection modules enable development of modular call centers, allowing call center agent workstations to be easily increased or decreased. In operation, an application notifies its flow connection module that a call on a telephone in the workstation should be transferred to another application. The flow connection module establishes a data connection with a flow connection module associated with the other application.

Abstract: Controlled access to enterprise services is provided for a mobile device in a communication system, via a mobile gateway having a first server and a second server. The first server of the gateway is arranged behind a firewall of the enterprise network and is coupled between the second server and one or more enterprise servers of the enterprise network. The second server is arranged in front of the enterprise firewall and is configured for communication with an operator network associated with the mobile device. The gateway controls interaction between the mobile device and the one or more enterprise servers such that access to one or more associated enterprise services is provided in a secure manner.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for assessing the available resources in a network and using the assessment for admission control. A VoIP call can be established with a device only if the network has sufficient resources to accommodate the call or it is possible to make such resources available by curtailing ongoing data connections. A network utilization characteristic (NUC) provides a measure of network capacity. The network utilization characteristic of a flow is the fraction of time the network is busy transmitting data for that flow. The sum of the network utilization characteristics of all flows yields the fraction of time the network is busy transmitting data. The difference between one and the sum of all flows indicates the time that the network is idle in the measured time interval. A new flow can be accommodated if the NUC of the new flow is smaller than this difference value.

Abstract: Digital ink annotations of digital documents are captured, processed, and stored for later retrieval. Elements within the digital documents are found and data concerning them are stored, in order that they may be associated with the digital ink annotation and serve as anchors for the digital ink annotations within the digital documents being annotated. Furthermore, a markup language schema is used for the efficient, standardized storage of the digital ink annotations. By these means, digital ink annotations are stored efficiently, retrieved, and rendered accurately across different types of browsers and operating systems, as well as across different size browser windows and output devices.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for switching data packet flows by assigning schedules to guaranteed delay and bandwidth traffic. Scheduled bandwidth is subtracted from the available bandwidth, and the remaining unscheduled bandwidth is available for standard “best-efforts” packet transmissions, or other guaranteed packet flows. Guaranteed bandwidth is assigned on a schedule basis, and packet flows are assigned schedules which are mutually acceptable to both transmitters and receivers. Flows transmit and expect to receive packets in accordance with their assigned schedules. Schedules are negotiated between packet transmitter applications and packet receiver applications. During scheduled periods, packets sent by the packet transmitter are directly and immediately forwarded to the assigned packet receiver.

Abstract: A system for validating a license to use a computational component, comprising (a) a GPS module 108 to determine one or more of GPS timing information and a geographic location of at least one of the computational component 400 and a key device 100 in communication with the computational component 400 and (b) a validation agent 128 and/or 404 operable to (a) compare the GPS timing information against the license expiration date and/or compare the geographic location with at least one predetermined geographic location permitted by the license and (b), when the GPS timing information is outside of the permissible license term and/or when the geographic location is not a permitted geographic location under the license, determine that the computational component 400 is not validly licensed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for estimating the location of a wireless terminal across multiple building floors. The illustrative embodiment determines the floor where the wireless terminal is presently located by using a majority logic-based heuristic. A plurality of signal monitors measure signals from the wireless terminal and provide those signal strength measurements to a location estimation server. Alternatively, the wireless terminal measures signals that are transmitted by a plurality of transmitting signal devices and provides those signal strength measurements to a location estimation server. The location estimation server determines the floor of the wireless terminal in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

Abstract: A private branch exchange (PBX) or other communication system switch is configured to establish connections for at least first and second calls associated with an external endpoint, using respective first and second trunks. Upon detection of a voice path connection between the first and second calls in a network external to the switch, the switch conferences the first and second calls together within the switch and drops at least one of the trunk connections. The switch may detect the voice path connection using an active approach in which a designated signal is generated on one of the first and second trunks and a determination is made as to whether the designated signal is detected on the other trunk. As another example, the switch may detect the voice path connection using a passive approach which involves monitoring the first and second trunks to determine whether they are connected in the external network.

Abstract: A feedback control for a predictive dialer employs three feedback loops. A first feedback loop adjusts the dialer's call initiations to compensate for error between the desired, reference, service level and a service level realized by calls that were initiated by the predictive dialer to steer the realized service level to the reference service level. A second loop adjusts the predictive dialer's call initiations for margin between the number of non-nuisance calls (successes) initiated by the predictive dialer over a time and the number of successes that would have been sufficient to produce the reference service level to force the realized service level to converge to the reference service error while ensuring that the oscillations of the realized service level stay above the reference service level.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a telephone system in which the actual identity of the calling individual is provided to the called party. The calling individual has at least one identification code (“ID”) associated with him. The invention then maps this unique ID to the actual identification of the calling party and substitutes the calling individual's number for the calling station number in the ANI identification provided to the telephone system.

Abstract: A real time chat server (610) not only maintains the chat session but also synchronizes the browse and chat functions by dynamically linking the browser and chat applications to allow the contents of the browser window and the chat window to change in a coordinated manner. The chat server is built from a number of core software objects, namely user objects (616, 618), connection objects, and room objects (612, 614). In this way, multiple users' browsers may be connected into one powerful distributed chat/HTTP server and all such users are able to fully interact with one another in a coordinated manner via type-written messages, HTML web documents, and file transfers. The usefulness of chat is enhanced by embedding the chat functions into the browser window.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for license distribution are disclosed. An endpoint requests information from a server related to information required for the server to grant a license. The server provides the required information to the endpoint. The endpoint obtains the required information, and forwards the information to the server. The server, upon receiving the information, determines if a license may be granted to the endpoint, and transmits a license authorization to the endpoint, which includes the number of licenses which are granted.