Abstract: A gearing system which includes a pair of gears. The tooth profile of the first gear has three portions: a concave portion lying within the dedendum of the first gear, a convex portion lying within the addendum of the first gear, and a transition zone disposed between the concave and convex portions. Similarly, the tooth profile of the mating gear has three portions: a concave portion lying within the dedendum of the mating gear, conjugate to the convex portion of the tooth profile of the first gear; a convex portion lying within the addendum of the mating gear, conjugate to the concave portion of the tooth profile of the first gear; and a transition zone disposed between the concave and convex portions. The pair of gears may be designed such that no contact between meshing teeth is made along the transition zones. The tooth profiles of the gear pair have constant, or nearly constant, relative curvature.

Abstract: Novel multispecific chimeric receptor DNA sequences, expression cassettes and vectors containing these sequences as well as cells containing the chimeric DNA and novel chimeric receptor proteins expressed from the sequences are provided in the present invention. The novel multispecific chimeric receptor DNA and amino acid sequences comprise at least three domains that do not naturally exist together: (1) a multispecific binding domain comprising at least two extracellular inducer-responsive clustering domains which serves to bind at least one specific inducer molecule, (2) a transmembrane domain, which crosses the plasma membrane, and (3) either a proliferation signaling domain that signals the cell to divide, or an effector function signaling domain which directs a host cell to perform its specialized function.

Abstract: The present invention provides a multilayered wafer 10 such as an SOI wafer having a novel implanted layer. This implanted layer is removable and provides a resulting wafer having a substantially uniform surface. The wafer includes a bulk substrate 11 and an insulating layer 13 formed overlying the bulk substrate 15. A film of semiconductor material is formed overlying the insulating layer. Surface non-uniformities are formed overlying and in the film of semiconductor material. The non-uniformities are implanted, and are bordered by a substantially uniform interface 17 at a selected depth underlying the surface non-uniformities. The substantially uniform interface provides a substantially uniform resulting surface for the SOI wafer.

Abstract: A telephony system having a router for telephony calls has a plurality of selectable routing protocols and a system monitoring facility adapted for periodically determining the condition and performance of the system. Routing protocols are selected according to one or both of system condition and performance. In a system subject to degradation of performance under certain conditions, routing protocols may be selected that are relatively immune to causes of degradation in performance. As performance degrades, escalatory selection of more simple routing protocols may be provided.

Abstract: Telephone call routing in networks is provided by forwarding routing data other than origination identification and destination identification in-band with calls, and using the in-band data at call destinations to do further routing. In some embodiments negotiation is accomplished between routers at different points in the network based on the in-band routing data. Practice of the invention extends to intelligent telephony networks and as well to simulated telephone calls between computers in wide area data networks, such as the Internet and Intranets.

Abstract: A gettering layer in a silicon-on-insulator wafer. The gettering layer may be formed by implanting gas-forming particles or precipitate-forming particles beneath the active region of the silicon layer and thermally treating the gas-forming ions to produce microbubbles or precipitates within the silicon layer. The microbubbles an/or precipitates create trapping sites for mobile impurity species, thus gettering the impurities. In another embodiment, a polysilicon layer is formed on a donor silicon wafer prior to separating a thin layer of silicon from the donor wafer. The thin layer of silicon is bonded to a backing wafer, the polysilicon layer provides a gettering layer between the active silicon and the backing wafer.

Abstract: The performance of a disk cache subsystem is enhanced by dynamically sizing read requests based upon the current disk cache hit rate. Any data requested in the read request which is not the immediately requested data is located adjacent to the immediately requested data. Accordingly, the size of the read request depends upon at least one variable factor other than the size of the requested data. More specifically, the size of the read request is reduced as the disk cache hit rate declines, and the size of the read request is increased as the disk cache hit rate increases. Short-term and long-term disk cache hit rates are tracked. The short-term disk cache hit rate is used to determine the reduction in the size of the read request, and the long-term disk cache hit rate is used to determine the increase in the size of the read request.

Abstract: A telephony call-waiting system for clients having a computer with a video display unit (PCNDU) and a public-switched telephony network (PSTN) telephone connected to the PSTN by a single line, keeps a status indication of the client's Internet connection status and, during periods of time the PC/VDU is connected to the Internet, alerts the client by an alert signal over the Internet connection of any waiting PSTN calls. In a preferred embodiment the client's PC/VDU is adapted to provide an audio and/or visual alert event when an alert signal is received, and to provide for a user-initiated response to an alert, accepting or rejecting a call. In the event a call is accepted, provision is made for connecting the accepted call to the client's PC/VDU as an IP call. In some embodiments several calls may be dealt with at the PC/VDU, and features are provided such as caller-ID on the client's VDU. Several ways of accomplishing the call-waiting system are taught.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to novel chimeric proliferation receptor proteins and DNA sequences encoding these proteins where the chimeric proteins are characterized in three general categories. In one category, the novel chimeric proteins comprise at least three domains, namely, an extracellular inducer-responsive clustering domain capable of binding an extracellular inducer that transmits a signal to a proliferation signaling domain, a transmembrane domain and a proliferation signaling domain that signals a host cell to divide. In the second category, the novel chimeric proteins comprise at least two domains, namely, an intracellular inducer-responsive clustering domain capable of binding an intracellular inducer and a proliferation signaling domain that signals the cell to divide.

Abstract: A system for wireless communication included an architecture of routers connected to a network and having connected transceivers for wireless transmission and reception of data, and a plurality of hand-held communicators adapted for users to communicate with the network through the routers. The system is configured for data network telephony (DNT) in the wireless portion, wherein voice data is encoded and transmitted in real time in data packets, and also provides data exchange for document-type entities. In one aspect a unique mirroring of channels from the wireless portion to a hard-wired link provides for mutual access and sharing of overall bandwidth from and to individual transceivers.

Abstract: An interactive directory provided for a workstation having a connected video monitor and adapted for network access has an interactive display for displaying status for individual entities, being persons and organizations. Entities are listed in the display along with status for each entity. There may be multiple fields for status, and some fields display telephone numbers and/or IP addresses for Internet telephones, while others may provide alphanumeric display. A remote access contact address is stored and associated with each directory entity, and when the directory is active, the workstation accesses status information from network sources associated with individual directory listings. Status for entities in the directory is therefore updated in real time as the directory is used. In some embodiments multiple graphic indicia, such as underlining, shading, font choice and the like are used to provide status indication in various fields of the interactive display.

Abstract: A call re-directing system associated with a call center integrates an interface on a computer station at an agent station having a telephone, a CTI-application executing on a processor connected to a telephony switch, and an DSP-controller to operate with Transfer Connect protocols for re-directing misrouted telephone calls. In a preferred embodiment, data associated with a call is transferred to the new destination of a rerouted call and re-associated with the call.

Abstract: A call center management system comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) adapted for modeling call center behavior, and the behavior of objects within a call center, as Petri Net directed graphs. Once developed, the Petri Net graphs can be compiled as software modules for use in CTI management of a call center. In another aspect the composed Petri Nets are assembled into high-level Petri Nets, and a Petri Net engine is employed to manage a call center. Management techniques and concepts taught are extended to network management as well.

Abstract: A rerouting system for Internet Prootocol Telephony calls between call centers adapted for processing such calls incorporates sequential series of addresses for rerouting to any specific point, wherein calls rerouted to that point are addressed to each succeeding address in order, so no one address in the pool is used a second time until all other addresses in the pool are used at least once. This system prevents rerouted calls from being sent to the same address within a certain period of time, and the pool of addresses may be virtual addresses, allowing calls to be queued at the destination and distributed to connected workstations as agents become available.

Abstract: A blade stabilizer device for a heavy-duty material handling demolition tool for shearing and crushing scrap material which includes a lower jaw connected to the boom structure of a hydraulic system of an excavator and has an upper jaw pivotally connected and closeable upon the lower jaw at a pivot point. The blade stabilizing device consists of a wear guide pad supported by the lower jaw adjacent the pivot point slidably engaging the upper movable jaw to keep the upper jaw in close engagement with the lower jaw. The wear guide pad is mounted behind the pivot point. A second wear guide pad may be mounted in front of the pivot point on the opposite side of the upper jaw to cross-brace the upper jaw.

Abstract: A display unit receiving a display signal having source image frames encoded at an encoding rate (FR.sub.S). A display screen may be refreshed at a refresh rate which is less than the encoding rate. An actual refresh rate (FR.sub.D) is determined such that FR.sub.S /FR.sub.D =(N+1)/N. To satisfy this equation, the actual refresh rate (FR.sub.D) may be selected to be slightly different from the target refresh rate supported by the display screen. Pixel data elements representing source image frames (received at FR.sub.S) may be written into a frame buffer, and the pixel data elements may be retrieved at a frequency determined by refresh rate FR.sub.D. However, at least a part of every (N+1).sup.st source image frame is not written into the frame buffer to avoid image tearing problems.

Abstract: A method for a reporting application to flexibly report the status of an entity in a call center to a requesting application is provided. The entity could be in one or more states. Examples of an entity are a directory number, an agent, a group, a routing point, and an agent place. The requesting application sets the priority of these states belonging to the entity by sending a status priority table to the reporting application. The reporting application reports the status based on the active states of the entity and the priority table. As an example, the reported status could be the active state having the highest priority in the table. This state is reported back to the requesting application. Because different requesting applications could present different priority tables, the reporting application could report different states for the same entity.

Abstract: The invention provides a novel retroviral packaging system, in which retroviral packaging plasmids and packagable vector transcripts are produced from high expression plasmids after stable or transient transfection in mammalian cells. High titers of recombinant retrovirus are produced in these transfected mammalian cells and can then transduce a mammalian target cell by cocultivation or supernatant infection. The methods of the invention include the use of the novel retroviral packaging plasmids and vectors to transduce primary human cells, including T cells and human hematopoietic stem cells, with foreign genes by cocultivation or supernatant infection at high efficiencies. The invention is useful for the rapid production of high titer viral supernatants, and to transduce with high efficiency cells that are refractory to transduction by conventional means.

Abstract: A plasma treatment system (200) for implantation with a novel susceptor with a perforated shield (201). The system (200) has a variety of elements such as a chamber in which a plasma is generated in the chamber. The system (200) also has a susceptor disposed in the chamber to support a silicon substrate, which has a surface. The perforated shield (201) draws ions from the implantation toward and through the shield to improve implant uniformity in the substrate. In a specific embodiment, the chamber has a plurality of substantially planar rf transparent windows (26) on a surface of the chamber. The system (200) also has an rf generator (66) and at least two rf sources in other embodiments.

Abstract: A hybrid silicon-on-silicon substrate. A thin film (2101) of single-crystal silicon is bonded to a target wafer (46). A high-quality bond is formed between the thin film and the target wafer during a high-temperature annealing process. It is believed that the high-temperature annealing process forms covalent bonds between the layers at the interface (2305). The resulting hybrid wafer is suitable for use in integrated circuit manufacturing processes, similar to wafers with an epitaxial layer.