Patents Assigned to British Telecommunication, plc
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Patent number: 7203761Abstract: A home agent, attached to a home network, receives, adapts and forwards messages intended for a mobile node attached to one of a plurality foreign networks. The home agent, having received a message, passes the message on to a processing unit to assess whether the message should be adapted so as to be compatible with the destination foreign network and to adapt the message accordingly. The adapted message is returned to the home agent to be encapsulated and tunnelled to a foreign agent attached to the destination foreign network. The foreign agent decapsulates the message and passes it on to the mobile node. This method has the advantage that the mobile node is able to receive messages regardless of the type of network to which it is attached.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2000Date of Patent: April 10, 2007Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Jagmohan S Rai, Mark Anderson, Shaun Wright, Christopher John Fenton
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Patent number: 7069217Abstract: A synthesizer is disclosed in which a speech waveform is synthesized by selecting a synthetic starting waveform segment and then generating a sequence of further segments. The further waveform segments are generated based jointly upon the value of the immediately-preceding segment and upon a model of the dynamics of an actual sound similar to that being generated. In particular, a method is disclosed of a voiced speech sound comprising calculating each new output value from the previous output value using data modeling the evolution, over a short time interval, of the voiced speech sound to be synthesized. This sequential generation of waveform segments enables a synthesized sequence of speech waveforms to be generated of any duration. In addition, a low-dimensional state space representation of speech signals are used in which successive pitch pulse cycles are superimposed to estimate the progression of the cyclic speech signal within each cycle.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 1997Date of Patent: June 27, 2006Assignee: British Telecommunications PLCInventors: Stephen McLaughlin, Michael Banbrook
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Patent number: 7058713Abstract: The present invention provides a test method which can determine whether a user terminal is capable of supporting a real time connection, such as a computer telephony link, with a network terminal while simultaneously supporting a connection with a WWW server.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2001Date of Patent: June 6, 2006Assignee: British Telecommunications PLCInventors: Richard J B Reynolds, Philip Gray, Michael P Hollier, Antony W Rix
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Publication number: 20060045180Abstract: Compressed recorded video is to be transmitted over a variable bit-rate link, using bandwidth reservation. In order to determining the transmission rate that is to be used (and reserved) at any given time, in such a way as to make the two match so as to minimise wasted bandwidth, the data stream is split into chunks chosen such that the average bit rate for the chunk as a whole is no less that the average bit rate for any shorter chunk starting at the same point. The chunk can then be transmitted using this average rate without any buffering problems. Preferably one chooses chunks so that the average bit rate for the chunk is no less than that for any shorter or longer chunk starting at the same point. This has the benefit that a request for bandwidth never has to ask for an allocation that is higher than that specified in any previous such request. In systems that switch between streams of different degrees compression.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 18, 2003Publication date: March 2, 2006Applicant: British Telecommunications, plcInventors: Mohammed Ghanbari, Kai Sun
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Publication number: 20050147279Abstract: Security check method and apparatus reduces problems that can arise if the user security data set becomes known by unauthorized persons. To address this problem only part of the user data set is recorded in insecure sections of the system. For example, a security check preventing unauthorized remote access to a shared computer is provided by capturing a user data set representing a user's iris, operating the user's personal computer to select only a portion of the captured data set requested by the shared computer and transmitting the portion along a telecommunications line. The shared computer derives partial data sets from stored user data sets using a similar selection to that used by personal computer and compares the partial data set it has derived with the partial data set transmitted by the personal computer in deciding whether to grant access. Point-of-sale devices and cards recording only partial user data sets are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 16, 2005Publication date: July 7, 2005Applicant: British Telecommunications plc.Inventors: Maurice Gifford, Christopher Seal, David McCartney
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Patent number: 6892069Abstract: A method of routing messages destined for a mobile node (6) in a communications system, such as the Internet, including sending the messages to a proxy node (18) according to reachability information recording the current reachability of the mobile node (6), as well as user preference information provided by a service controller (13), which is able to divert an incoming message to an address specified by the user, and in the absence of current location information for the mobile node (6), can intervene to send an incoming message to a default location such as the proxy node (18).Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 1998Date of Patent: May 10, 2005Assignee: British Telecommunications, PLCInventor: Jason Stuart Flynn
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Patent number: 6891509Abstract: An assembly of mechanically steerable directional radio antennas, comprising a primary antenna and at least one secondary antenna, arranged such that the or each secondary antenna is capable of being physically steered over a limited azimuthal arc relative to the primary antenna, and is at least partially within the swept volume of the primary antenna. By allowing the swept volumes of the antennas to overlap, a compact assembly can be provided, while by limiting the azimuthal movement of the secondary antennas relative to the primary, it can be arranged that the antennas do not foul each other.Type: GrantFiled: September 5, 2001Date of Patent: May 10, 2005Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Ian G Rose, William H Dobbie
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Patent number: 6804337Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating a bill image in a computer implemented billing system for a telecommunications network which includes providing a plurality of discounts for a customer retroactively applied to calls made during a billing period in which the discounts apply. The method includes loading qualification criteria for the plurality of discounts and customer account details into the billing system, generating a data structure defining a time line over at least part of which the discounts are operative, the time line being divided in dependence on the qualification criteria and customer account details into a number of segments each of which corresponds to a period during which a respective version of the discounts were operative, accumulating charges for the calls made during each segment, and calculating the appropriate discounts from the accumulated charges for each segment for calls which qualify for the discounts.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 2001Date of Patent: October 12, 2004Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Samuel Anderson, Stephen Brankin, Edward Millsopp, Angela Rose Canavan, Nicholas Orr, William J Gault
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Patent number: 6801772Abstract: Where a call of one cellular telephone network has a cell of another network as neighbor, a dedicated control channel for a mobile station which is registered with the public network and whose subscriber has access privileges for the private network, carries neighboring cell data for the cell of the private network. Consequently, the mobile station (provides measurement reports for cells of both network and can be preferentially handed over to the cell of the private network by the public network.Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 2001Date of Patent: October 5, 2004Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Jonathan Richard Townend, Nigel Clive Lobley
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Patent number: 6765886Abstract: A telecommunications network is provided, including a switch configured such that a request from a first network termination to establish a communications link with a second network termination is directed to a service processor which directs the switch to establish the link. This enables the user terminal to direct service and call setup requests directly to the service processor, the switch not being involved with the call or service request until the service processor instructs it to participate, thereby minimizing the establishment and allocation of resources until it is clear that such resources are required. A call can therefore be validated before any communications links are established, thus potentially offering economies in the operation of the system.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 1997Date of Patent: July 20, 2004Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Nigel Lobley, John M. Cullen
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Patent number: 6731648Abstract: In a communications network, which may be a broadband optical network, a packet is transmitted from a source node to a destination node on a looped signal path. A return signal, which may function as an acknowledgement of the original signal, is transmitted back to the source node from the destination node in the time slot which was occupied by the original packet.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 1998Date of Patent: May 4, 2004Assignee: British Telecommunications PLCInventor: David Cotter
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Patent number: 6668288Abstract: A telecommunications data conferencing platform has a secure zone and a partly secure zone connected by a secure firewall. The secure zone contains a master data server, a billing system a reservation system and an audio bridge connected to the firewall. The partly secure zone contains a pair of slave data servers. The first slave data server can be connected through a public firewall to the public Internet. The first slave data server can receive incoming calls from the public switched telecommunications network via a bank of modems. The secure firewall restricts the passage of messages from the partly secure zone to the secure zone to messages which originate directly in the partly secure zone but allows the passage of conference data. Thus, unauthorised parties are unable to gain access to the reservation system or the master data server. In order to establish a conference, the reservation system creates a conference on the master data server.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2000Date of Patent: December 23, 2003Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Timothy Midwinter, Ian Geoffrey Daniels
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Patent number: 6574730Abstract: An authentication system of a terminal on a public switched telephone network provides a security node associated with a local exchange and a network terminal. For one-way authentication, the terminal responds to a call initiation by sending a unique authentication code comprising a number and a secret key encrypted according to a first algorithm, the secret key being specific to the terminal. The security node constructs the expected authentication code from the number, using the first algorithm and a second key which is a function of a terminal identification number, and compares the expected code with the received code. In two-way authentication, the security node responds to the call initiation by sending a transaction number to the terminal encrypted according to a second algorithm. The terminal generates the authentication code as a function of the first algorithm, the secret key and the transaction number. The authentication code is sent back to the security node.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 1997Date of Patent: June 3, 2003Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Robert Andrew Bissell, Kevin Paul Bosworth, Michael John Britnell, Peter Maxwell Harding, Richard Middleton Hicks, Jonathan James Kingan, Michael Victor Meyerstein, Keith Eric Nolde, John Rabson, Jonathan Crispin Ranger, David Anthony Roberts, Mark Jonathan Stirland, Richard Paul Swale
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Patent number: 6396604Abstract: An optical network includes a number of nodes coupled to an optical transmission medium, such as an optical fiber bus. Each of the nodes includes a dark pulse generator. Different nodes output dark pulses in different time slots onto the transmission medium, forming a dark pulse OTDM (optical time division multiplexed) signal. The network may have a re-entrant bus topology.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 1998Date of Patent: May 28, 2002Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Kevin Smith, Julian Kazimierz Lucek, Danny Robert Pitcher, Terrence Widdowson, David Graham Moodie, Andrew David Ellis
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Patent number: 6363467Abstract: In order to reduce problems caused by a user corrupting memory by incorrect use of memory allocation functions in the C programming language, memory allocation requests of an application (32) are monitored by a monitor sub-process (34) during run-time, and invalid memory allocation requests are detected and the application interrupted by the monitor sub-process. Additionally, an allocator sub-process (42) external to the application performs the memory allocation requests to shield the memory from user errors. A start-up dialog (48) synchronises the application (32) and allocator (42), and the allocator maintains during run-time a memory segment (46) conforming to the memory (44) allocated to the application.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 1998Date of Patent: March 26, 2002Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventor: Richard Weeks
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Patent number: 6339587Abstract: A method of operating a network management system for a telecommunications involves satisfying a request for a connection path having a specified capacity between two specified termination of the network. The network comprises a plurality of connections between network nodes, each connection having a predetermine capacity. The method comprises first searching a store of routings and available capacities to identify a connection path to satisfy the request. Then the method determines whether a connection path with adequate capacity is present in the store. If no such path is present in the store, then the method proceeds to testing a model of the network to identify at least one suitable connection path between the requested terminations. Subsequently, the method proceeds to adding any suitable connection paths, identified to the store, and upon identifying a connection path having the requested capacity between the requested terminations, allocating the identified connections so as to satisfy the request.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 1998Date of Patent: January 15, 2002Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventor: Richard Mishra
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Patent number: 6333988Abstract: A personal identification apparatus for providing information characteristic of an eye includes a housing with an entrance window through which a user looks at a target object. An image capture device within the housing operates to provide an image signed representing features of the eye and responsive to non-visible light reflected from the eye. In addition to the illumination source for the non-visible light reflected from the eye the apparatus also includes an optical element substantially transparent to the non-visible light and which has a first region less transparent to visible light from the target object than a second region. The arrangement of the apparatus is such that the image capture device views the eye through the second region of the optical element and the eye views the target object through the first region of the optical element.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 1998Date of Patent: December 25, 2001Assignee: British Telecommunications PLCInventors: Christopher Henry Seal, Maurice Merrick Gifford, David John McCartney
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Patent number: 6334132Abstract: A system for summarizing data sets stores target data items and divides the data set into sections. Each section is compared against the target data items and a ranking value is calculated for each section dependent on the outcome of the comparisons. A summary of the data set is then compiled from sections having a ranking value past a pre-determined threshold value.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 1998Date of Patent: December 25, 2001Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventor: Richard Weeks
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Patent number: 6334152Abstract: An interactive information delivery system server delivering text or other visual data to a display unit is accessed by a user by means of his own telephone, through an interface unit. The interface unit interprets key pad presses and/or voice commands, and in response to these it controls the server. This allows the expensive and vulnerable hardware (which may be a conventional PC and modem) to be positioned in a secure location, but still be usable by members of the public. As the location of the display unit (which may be a conventional PC and modem) may make audio output impractical, the interface unit may pass an audio channel from the server to the user's telephone. In response to appropriate commands from the telephone, it can also divert the call to a predefined call centre.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 1998Date of Patent: December 25, 2001Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Robin Thomas Mannings, David Lynton Gibson
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Patent number: 6292462Abstract: Multiple carriers are generated, modulated by data to be transmitted, as shown by oscillators and modulators (or using Fourier transform techniques). They follow two paths. One path via an adder takes a set of carriers at integer multiples of a windowing frequency where the odd carriers have some reference phase and the even carriers are in phase quadrature. The other path via an adder takes a second set of carriers, again at integer multiples of the windowing frequency. The even carriers have a reference phase and the odd carriers are in phase quadrature therewith. In the first path, the signal is multiplied by a windowing function with a period equal to the reciprocal of the windowing frequency. In the second path, the signal is multiplied by a similar function which is time-shifted (by a delay) by half of the period.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 1998Date of Patent: September 18, 2001Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: John W Cook, Robert H Kirkby