Abstract: A data communication network includes a network access unit for coupling one or more computer devices to the network. The network typically has asymmetric upstream and downstream data transmission rates. The network access device implements a method for acknowledging data packets. When a new packet is received by the network access unit from one of the computer devices, the new packet is placed in an outbound queue in the network access unit. When the new packet contains an acknowledgment, previous acknowledgment packets in the outbound queue that have the same source and destination addresses as the new packet are identified and discarded. Remaining packets are transmitted from the outbound queue in the network access unit. By discarding acknowledgment packets in the network access unit, throughput is increased.

Abstract: An interference analyzing system and method analyze interference in a dual mode system having a digital network overlaid on an analog network. The digital network includes portable units operating within digital cell sites; whereas, the analog network includes mobile units operating within analog cell sites. The interference analyzing system measures the amount of interference caused by and to the portable units, and the amount of interference caused by and to the digital cell sites. The system individually compares these interference amounts to a predetermined threshold. If either of the interference amounts exceeds the predetermined threshold, the system selects one of the analog cell sites for spectrum clearing and determines the amount of spectrum to be cleared from the selected analog cell site.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for machine learning of a pattern sequence which is derived from a plurality of inputs. The pattern sequence is predicted from learning rate parameters that are exponentially related to an incrementally calculated gain parameter for each input. The gain parameter are increased or decreased in real time in correlation with the accuracy of the learning process. The disclosed apparatus are advantageously utilized in signal processing, adaptive control systems, and pattern recognition.

Abstract: A method for remotely detecting at a ground station failed multiplexors and radio transceivers in an airborne telephone system is disclosed. Usage activity of the devices is predicted using a normalized gaussian distribution. A three prong test examines actual usage activity of the multiplexors and radio transceivers which is normalized and compared with that predicted utilizing a chi-square analysis with a specified confidence interval to detect abnormalities in the usage activity.

Abstract: In a telephone system wherein a number of distant terminals are each connected to a remote terminal and in which a number of remote terminals are each connected to a central office, a distant terminal includes a drop testing circuit for making sequential measurements on a plurality of customer telephones. The drop test circuit is included in a measurement system for providing condition responsive signals describing parameters of the telephone system, The drop test circuit includes circuitry such as scaling resistors, voltage sources, switching elements, and a multiplexed analog to digital voltage-sensing converter for providing digital data for transmission to the remote terminal or other more central location. The remote terminal comprises a computer based analyzer for interpreting, processing, and storing the data transmitted to it.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for enhancing the security of a message sent through a network server from a client computer to a destination server. A secure connection for receiving and transmitting data is established between the client computer and the network server. Using client-identifying information and a secure authentication protocol, the network server may then obtain client-authentication information from a validation center. The client-authentication information is transmitted to the client and erased from the network server. The network server then receives the client-authenticating information back from the client with an accompanying message for the destination server. The network server may use the client-authenticating information to obtain permission data from the validation center for use in accessing the destination server.

Abstract: A video distribution system with an optical-to-radio frequency conversion device that can be configured to reduce the amount of insertion loss introduced into the system and the number of hardware connections needed for the system's operation. A jumper module replaces protection fuses within the conversion device and isolates two of the device's output signal ports from the internal low frequency supply used to operated the device. The isolation permits the use of a single power inserter apparatus that provides the electrical power to downstream signal driving devices receiving the converted signal from the device.

Abstract: A reconfigurable ring architecture for RF transport over fibers which eliminates the need for multiple pairs of fibers to serve multiple microcells and the need for backup communications lines as a result of system failure due to a fiber break. The ring architecture has a plurality of remote units which are interconnected to a host unit in a serial fashion. The host unit transmits signals to the plurality of remote units and receives signals from the plurality of remote units. Each of the remote units having photodetectors for receiving the transmitted signals and an antenna/transmitter for receiving other signals from another source; a splitter for splitting the transmitted signals into two parts, one part of the signals being output from the remote unit and the other part of the signals being transferred to adjacent remote units and then back to the host unit; and a transmitter for transferring the other signals from the remote unit to adjacent remote units and then back to the host unit.

Abstract: A personal video involving activities of a subscriber at an amusement park, which includes personal segments recorded by a plurality of video cameras, environ segments separately recorded and interleaved between the personal segments, and text. The organization of certain segments of the personal video is determined by a subscriber who registers identification and information data prior to activating the cameras. Upon completion of the recording, the personal segments, the text and environ segments are assembled, processed, and duplicated for delivery to the subscriber. The environ segments are selected to display weather conditions existing at the time of recording the personal video segments.

Abstract: A distributed switch buffer and method for switch buffer enlargement use standard switch chips as modules that are cascaded in multiples to provide arbitrarily large switch buffers for any number of inputs and outputs. Any type of packet switch chip may be used in any combination. A packet that enters the first switch chip in the cascade automatically gets transferred to other switch chips as part of an integrated buffering scheme. Every input of the switch is connected to all of the switch chips in the first stage of the distributed buffer. The queue of each output of the switch is then expanded by adding more stages of switch chips. All outputs of each switch chip go to the inputs of the same switch chip in the next stage of the distributed buffer so that all of the buffer space of all the cascaded switch chips is available to each input port. The queue may be expanded indefinitely by cascading more chips.

Abstract: An integrated network for connecting both telephones and personal computers within an organization, using a single wiring connection is disclosed. Telephones and personal computers within the organization are connected to the same local area network (LAN) which is in turn connected to a telephony-computer interface (TCI). The TCI is also connected to telephone lines. The TCI forms an interface between telephone line communications and data packets for real time communications. In this way, only one wiring connection, the local area network, need be installed to interconnect both telephones and personal computers, for both local and off-site communications.

Abstract: In a wavelength division multiplexed network having a plurality of nodes and having optical channels at wavelengths .lambda.i, where i=1 . . . N, for transmission of optical signals over optical interconnection means, control for informing the network of which nodes are transmitting at which frequencies and for token holding. Control is provided without the need for a second transmitter at each node and another control channel. Data signals are provided at baseband by keying the optical signal at a data repetition rate. Control signals are imposed on a wavelength .lambda.t of a transmitting node as a subcarrier. Receiver means at each node respond to a .lambda.t from another channel to receive information. The node also includes means for all wavelengths .lambda.i and demodulating the subcarrier therefrom to derive control information.

Abstract: A network (10) includes a broadband customer service module (B-CSM) (20). The B-CSM (20) includes a plurality of feeder interface cards (FICs) (36) and optical line cards (OLCS) (38) which are coupled together through a midplane assembly (34) so that each FIC (36) couples to all OLCs (38) and each OLC (38) couples to all FICs (36) through junctor groups (68). The B-CSM (20) interfaces many OC-12 SONET feeders to many OC-12 SONET lines. Within the B-CSM (20) circuit switching is performed electrically at an STS-1 rate. A reference clock which oscillates at a frequency lower than the data rate is routed with payload data so that it receives delays similar to those imposed on the payload data due to processing. At second stage switching fabrics (50) where data need to be extracted from signals flowing within the B-CSM (20), a clock regeneration circuit (32) generates a master clock signal oscillating at twice the data rate and phase synchronized to a delayed reference clock.

Abstract: Management packets are defined that are modified in the payload by each node along a virtual connection and are used to measure both end-to-end QoS and specific individual intermediate node performance parameters. Management packets are implemented by defining entirely new packets or by modifying ATM OAM cells. Switches or routers for use as intermediate nodes are defined that modify the payload of the management packet and locally measure packet delay and packet loss. An intermediate node measures and records the difference between the arrival and departure times of management packets at that switch utilizing delay-stamp fields within the management packets and either the switch internal routing header or timestamp fields within the packet. At the endpoint of the virtual connection, delay-stamp fields in the management packet indicate individual node delays and the cumulative delay.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for selecting a system for communication with a personal station, such as a cellular telephone or a PCS station, in a roaming area. The personal station transmits a system access message to a default system. When the default system that receives the system access message is a visited system in the roaming area and the personal station is not registered with the visited system, the visited system registers the presence of the personal station in the roaming area with a home system for the personal station. The home system sends a response including a selection indication to the personal station through the visited system. The selection indication contains selection information for controlling selection of a system for communication with the personal station in the roaming area. The personal station selects a system for communication in the roaming area in accordance with the selection information.

Abstract: A switching matrix routes each received input to a unique output port. Each input specifies an output port as a destination. For each output port, a set of inputs contending for the output port is determined. A control for correctly routing selects an input from each set of contending inputs and routes it to the correct output port of the switching matrix. If no input specifies an output port as a destination, that output port is designated as an available output port. A control for misrouting determines the set of available output ports and the set of inputs that have not been correctly routed by the control for correctly routing. The control for misrouting then misroutes each remaining input to one of the available output ports of the switching matrix. The switching matrix may provide status signals for use by the switch in tracking the location of the correctly routed and misrouted inputs.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for telecommunications network local number portability supports service provider portability, location portability, and service portability. A subscriber is assigned a nongeographic subscriber number that is uniquely mapped to a location-based geographic terminal location number. Different embodiments of the apparatus query different combinations of databases to obtain the nongeographic subscriber number to geographic terminal location number mapping that allows a call to a nongeographic subscriber number to be routed and delivered using existing network routing mechanisms. The originating switch determines whether a received called number is a geographic terminal location number or a nongeographic subscriber number that will require the originating switch to query a database to request that the number be mapped to a geographic terminal location number.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for measuring the radio signal (RF) transmission statistics of a communication channel. The apparatus is arranged to receive and process a wide bandwidth signal from which signal power is measured and from which fading or other such transmission problems can be measured for the wide bandwidth. In parallel with the wide bandwidth receiver there is a narrow bandwidth receiver arranged to receive the same RF signal but to process only a single tone or narrow bandwidth portion of the RF signal. From this narrow bandwidth processing the narrow bandwidth transmission statistical characteristics of the RF transmission channel can be measured simultaneously with the wide bandwidth statistical characteristics. The outputs of the spectrum analyzer are digitized and fed to a computer for storage and for other analysis.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for push-out of signals from switch buffers ensures that a high percentage of the highest priority input signals are accepted by the switch by using the switch resources to remove lower priority input signals from the switch buffer in order to accommodate higher priority input signals. Signals of any priority may be pushed out of the switch buffer. The apparatus requires a queue with simultaneous read and write capability and a switch that performs one read operation to N write operations, N being the number of input ports. It pushes signals out of the buffer by performing additional "dummy" read operations to read out signals of the specified priority, and then discards the signals by preventing them from entering the parallel-to-serial shift registers. A preferred embodiment of the invention utilizes an ATM CAM-controlled switch fabric, where the CAM receives the arrival number and priority of each cell in the buffer.

Abstract: A device placement or diebonding head for a diebonding apparatus including a chamber with openings in its end walls, a rod-and-piston combination extending through the chamber with the rod ends protruding through the openings, a gas inlet port into the chamber above or below the piston, and gas pressure resisting means to resist movement of said piston in response to gas pressure. The diebonding head rod has an axial bore therethrough. Its upper end is configured for connection to a vacuum source and its placement end is configured for mounting of a vacuum tool. Thus, force exerted by the rod placement end on a device being diebonded is adjustable by adjusting the gas pressure relative to the resisting means force. The gas inlet may be above or below the piston. The resisting means may be a helical spring in the same or the opposite end of the chamber as the gas inlet. Alternatively, the resisting means may be pressure from gas entering the opposite end of the chamber from the first gas inlet port.