Abstract: One embodiment of a shock and launch apparatus comprises a first carriage and a second carriage adapted to move along a carriage guide, wherein the first carriage has a mass M1 greater than a mass M2 of the second carriage; the carriage guide, associated with a substantially linear path of movement of the first and second carriages; and a carriage stop, capable of being positioned at a first position and a second position, wherein the carriage stop in the first position is at least partially in the path of movement of the second carriage. In one embodiment, the carriage stop in the second position is not in the path of movement of the second carriage.

Abstract: A composite electroactive material having a plurality of particle cores, each particle core surrounded by a polymer covering having one or more strands of an electroactive polymer. In one embodiment, the particle cores have a relatively small size, e.g., between about 10 and 50 nm, and include a material having a relatively large dielectric constant, e.g., greater than about 30. Each polymer strand includes an electroactive elastomer that is bonded to the surface of the corresponding particle core by a linker. Representative examples of the particle core material, elastomer, and linker are titanium dioxide, polybutadiene, and a phosphonate group, respectively.

Abstract: A monolithically integrated tunable wavelength converter and variable optical delay device(s) that is capable of providing optical delay(s) of any length. Advantageously, our devices are both compact and readily realized as a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) on a semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: The invention operates to determine a measure of one or more input data parameters, such as input data rate and input data buffer fill at the beginning of a data burst. The invention then proceeds to the selection of an operating data rate for the data burst as a function of the input data parameter measures. In a further step, the invention proceeds to a selection of a duration for the data burst as a function of the selected operating data rate and an end-of-burst data residue parameter.

Abstract: One embodiment of a shock apparatus comprises at least one linear impact object capable of movement along a first substantially linear path; a rotational impact object capable of rotation about an axis of rotation and movement along a second substantially linear path parallel to the first substantially linear path, a mass of the linear impact object being greater than an effective mass of the rotational impact object; and a guide to guide the movement of the linear and rotational impact objects along the first and second substantially linear parallel paths. In one embodiment, the linear impact object comprises an impact portion for impacting the rotational impact object, the impact portion having a selectable position, and selecting the position determining the relative proportion of rotational and linear shock accelerations which an impact between the linear impact object and the rotational impact object provides to the rotational impact object.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention a dispersion compensator is provided for use in a dense wavelength division multiplexed optical communication system. The dispersion compensator comprises a periodic-group-delay dispersion compensation module which provides a portion of the dispersion compensation for a dispersion managed span of the optical communication system. A remaining portion of the dispersion compensation for the dispersion managed span is provided by dispersion compensating fiber. The portions of the dispersion compensation provided by each of the periodic-group-delay dispersion compensation module and the dispersion compensating fiber is selected such that the collision-induced timing jitter is reduced.

Abstract: An object-focused workflow system for processing a received object in accordance with a declarative workflow specification. The specification includes modules and attributes, where module execution results in the evaluation of attributes, and may include the initiation of a side-effect action performed by an external component. Whether modules are to be executed for a particular received object is determined by associated enabling conditions. Attributes may be evaluated in accordance with computation rules and a combining policy, where the computation rules specify how values are to be contributed to an attribute, and the combining policy indicates how those contributed values are combined in order to assign a value to the attribute. Tasks in the workflow system may be executed eagerly in order to improve the performance of the workflow system.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for alerting a mobile unit of a missed call. A mobile unit receives a call request. If the mobile unit does not answer the call request and the mobile unit is stationary, the mobile unit waits for the mobile unit to move. Upon movement, the mobile unit notifies, via an audible tone, vibration, or a visual indicator, that the mobile unit had a call while it was stationary.

Abstract: Time-scaled, sound signals (i.e. sounds output at differing speeds) are generated by mixing weighted time-and frequency-domain processed signals, the former signal generally representing speech-based signals while the latter representing music-based signals. The weights applied to each type of signal may be determined by a scaling factor, which in turn is related to the desired speed at which a listener desires to hear a sound signal. In one example of the invention, only stationary signal portions of an input sound signal are used to generate time-scaled processed signals. An adaptive frame-size may also be used to pre-process the separate signals prior to being weighted, which at least decreases the amount of unwanted reverberative sound qualities in a resulting sound signal. Together, techniques envisioned by the present invention produce improved, speed adjusted sound signals.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for scheduling the transmission of data packets over a multihop wireless backhaul network in which delay guarantees through the network may be advantageously ensured. Illustratively, a novel packet scheduling scheme is provided which is advantageously based on an existing scheduling policy for wireline networks and for which a delay guarantee (based on the delay characteristics of the existing scheduling policy) can be advantageously ensured. In one embodiment, an even-odd link activation framework is defined for a given multihop wireless backhaul network, and an associated scheduling policy based on an arbitrary existing scheduling policy for wireline networks is derived and adopted. In such a case, the derived scheduling policy, when applied to the given multihop wireless backhaul network, advantageously ensures a worst-case delay guarantee of approximately twice that of the existing scheduling policy for wireline networks.

Abstract: Rules for classifying traffic in a communications network are set by collecting traffic data related to traffic that is input into a network node, processing the traffic data that is collected, and setting classification rules in response to the processed traffic data, wherein the set classification rules are used to classify subsequent input traffic. In an embodiment, subsequent traffic is classified according to the set classification rules. In another embodiment, traffic conditioning rules are also set in response to the processed traffic data and subsequent input traffic is conditioned according to the set traffic conditioning rules.

Abstract: This technique is applied in the circumstances where an intersystem page message, e.g. an IS-41 ISPAGE2 message, is received in a first border switching module. The intersystem page message may originate from a second border switching module. In this case, the network determines whether the second border switching module is manufactured by a different network provider than the first border switching module. If so, a routine to address inconsistencies in the location area parameter is implemented so that an efficient paging strategy can be invoked.

Abstract: By obtaining the address of a circuit switching controller in a network with which a mobile station is registered, a packet call controller instructs the circuit switching controller to send notification of when a handoff request is received for a mobile station by the circuit switching controller. The handoff request is for transferring a packet switched call to the circuit switching controller as a circuit switched call. The notification request includes an identifier, which the circuit switching controller uses in notifying the packet call controller of the handoff request. In response to the notification, the packet call controller re-establishes call control and bearer paths between the call endpoints.

Abstract: A distributed software application comprises a plurality of software components within a plurality of executables. A manager component for the distributed software application performs a recovery of two or more software components, of the plurality of software components, in an ordered sequence based on one or more dependency relationships among the plurality of software components.

Abstract: A multipath processing architecture that allows multipath packets to be distributed across multiple paths using a hash function and a modulo-arithmetic-based mapping function is disclosed. In one embodiment, the multipath processing architecture is implemented as part of a packet classification engine of a network node.

Abstract: An out-of-band ranging technique is automatically initiated at a customer premises equipment unit when the equipment is installed, when power is restored after a power failure or interruption, upon verification of the equipment, upon reconnection after a disconnection of the equipment or the like. To this end, an out-of-band tone is employed that is automatically transmitted when the customer premises equipment that transmits the TDMA signal is powered ON, or transmitted in response to a specific command generated locally or remotely. Specifically, when ranging is being effected the customer premises equipment generates and transmits the out-of-band ranging tone until a message is received from a remote terminal indicating that the transmission of the ranging tone be terminated. The loop delay being determined is the delay interval between transmission of the termination message and detection that transmission of the ranging tone has terminated.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for utilizing SCH resources more efficiently for supplemental channels (SCH) by minimizing gaps between data bursts due to overhead delays. Such gaps are minimized using a supplemental channel sharing algorithm to prospectively assign SCH resources supporting existing SCHs and to schedule future issuance of DNRs such that currently unavailable SCH resources may be prospectively assigned based on states of the SCH resources, wherein an existing SCH is a SCH over which a data burst is currently being transmitted.

Abstract: Apparatus for creating a communication signal, comprising a modulator adapted to: modulate a first and a second beam of continuous wave electromagnetic radiation with a source signal, assemble modulated portions of the first and second beams into a first electromagnetic radiation signal of interposed regular and alternate data bit sequences comprising asserted non return to zero coded data bits, each of the data bit sequences being interposed by unasserted data bits, in which mutually adjacent asserted data bits are conjoined, and assemble modulated portions of the first and second beams into a second electromagnetic radiation signal of interposed regular and alternate data bar bit sequences comprising asserted non return to zero coded data bar bits representing the unasserted data bits, each of the data bar bit sequences being interposed by unasserted data bar bits representing the asserted data bits, in which mutually adjacent asserted data bar bits are conjoined.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for generation of secure and efficient digital signatures in an information processing system. The system includes one or more user devices, a signing aid or other intermediary device, and a verifier. A given user device has associated therewith key pairs (s, p) and (s?, p?) corresponding to respective first and second digital signature protocols. As part of a setup process, an agreement relating to the public keys p and p? is signed by both the user device and the intermediary device, and the resulting twice-signed agreement is stored by both the user device and the intermediary device. A first digital signature s1 is then generated on a message m or a hash h(m) thereof in the user device using the secret key s? and is sent to the verifier. The verifier in turn sends s1 to the intermediary, and the intermediary checks that s1 is a valid digital signature for the user device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for quantizing audio signals is disclosed which advantageously produces a quantized audio signal which can be encoded within an acceptable range. Advantageously, the quantizer uses a scale factor which is interpolated between a threshold based on the calculated threshold of hearing at a given frequency and the absolute threshold of hearing at the same frequency.