Abstract: A call priority management system is implemented on or as part of one or more communication networks, for allowing authorized calling parties to control call disposition when the party being called is already on another call. In operation, when a first terminal initiates communication with a second terminal that is already in communication with a third terminal, the system determines if the newly initiated communication is a priority communication. By “priority” communication, it is meant a communication associated with a user and/or terminal having a designated or assigned privilege to interrupt ongoing communications at the second terminal. If so, the ongoing communication between the second and third terminals is interrupted, and a communication link is established between the first and second terminals. Prior to interruption, the calling party may be informed that the second/called terminal is already engaged in another call, for optionally interrupting the ongoing call.

Abstract: A packet-based traffic shaping system including a scheduler that forwards packets in accordance with a scheduling algorithm from queues that have at least a minimum good credit rating. The minimum good credit rating is not dependent on the size of a packet that is to be forwarded. Rate shapers associated with the queues reduce credit by transmission costs associated with the packets and restore credit incrementally over time. When a queue is empty, credit does not accumulate above an idle credit value at the associated rate shaper. When a packet is enqueued in a queue that has been idle for a period of time, the packet is forwarded without undue delay.

Abstract: In a packet switch for communicating packet switched data to and from a plurality of wireless mobile stations, a method and apparatus for automatically releasing resources tied up for communicating with dormant mobile stations. If the station has been dormant for a sufficiently long time, an alerting message is sent to the user of that mobile station. The user can then respond by requesting a release of the packet switched data (PSD) call currently connected to that mobile station or can request that the connection remain up. Advantageously, if the user of the station does not respond, then following a timeout the PSD call is released and the resources required for keeping the dormant call in existence are made available for new calls.

Abstract: A TDM comprising: (a) at least two wavelength-tunable devices for outputting a signal, each wavelength-tunable device being adapted to change signal wavelength in response to a change signal; (b) a plurality of on-off gates, one on-off gate being coupled to the output of each wavelength-tunable device such that, when a gate is on, the signal of its respective wavelength-tunable device passes through, and, when it is off, the signal of its respective wavelength-tunable device does not pass through, the gates being configured such that a gate is switched off when its respective wavelength-tunable device receives a change signal, and, when one gate is turned off, another gate is turned on; and (c) a combiner coupled to the outputs of all the gates for combining the outputs on a single transmission line.

Abstract: An optical receiver adapted to apply multiple-sampling processing to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal generated based on heterodyne detection of an optical communication signal. In one embodiment, the receiver has an optical-to-electrical signal converter coupled to a signal decoder adapted to process the IF signal generated by the converter to generate a bit sequence corresponding to the optical communication signal. To generate a bit value, the signal decoder first obtains two or more sample-bit values by sampling the IF signal two or more times per signaling interval. The decoder then applies a logical function to the sample-bit values, which produces the corresponding bit value for the bit sequence. Due to the multiple-sampling processing, a receiver of the invention does not require the time-consuming fine wavelength tuning of its local oscillator, which advantageously reduces the channel switching time achieved in the receiver compared to that in prior-art heterodyne receivers.

Abstract: A wavelength filter, for filtering a WDM signal, comprises a demultiplexer, a multiplexer, and a control array connecting the demultiplexer and the multiplexer, where the demultiplexer and the multiplexer have a free spectral range (FSR) smaller than their wavelength channel span.

Abstract: An improved waveguide structure employing blocks of waveguide core material positioned sufficiently close to a waveguide core thereby eliminating strain effects and its resulting undesirable polarization crosstalk. The improved structures are applicable to a variety of optical components including bent waveguides, directional and star couplers.

Abstract: A wireless system and method for providing informative broadcast services includes a plurality of base stations, each serving a plurality of wireless communications device users via a plurality of communications channels. An alert message is first transmitted to wireless communications devices advising of the availability of a broadcast message and identifying an associated communications channel. The base station then transmits the broadcast message to the plurality of users on the identified channel. The wireless communications devices may automatically switch to the broadcast channel, for example, when there is a weather or other emergency, or may offer the user the opportunity to change channels. Also, a user may initiate a request to access a broadcast channel for services such as news, sports, or stock reports on a subscription basis.

Abstract: Method for multicasting messages to users of a wireless communication system includes the steps of establishing a power ratio threshold for transmitting the messages, measuring respective power ratios of the users, comparing the established power ratio threshold to the measured power ratios, determining a first subset of the users and a second subset of the users based upon the measured power ratios and delivering the messages to the first subset of the plurality of users via a first transmission scheme. The first transmission scheme delivers the messages to all of the users of the first subset via a broadcast channel. The method also has a step of delivering the messages to the second subset of the users via a second transmission scheme. The second transmission scheme delivers the messages to each of the users of the second subset via respective dedicated channels.

Abstract: A multi-channel (e.g. WDM) receiver, in which l PMD compensators are time-shared by n (n>1) communication channels, where 1?l?n?1. The receiver implements PMD monitoring to identify channels exhibiting relatively high amounts of PMD. Some or all of the identified channels are then subjected, before decoding, to PMD-reduction processing, while the remaining channels are decoded without such processing. Channel allocation for the processing may be changed dynamically depending on the current amounts of PMD exhibited by various channels. Due to efficient utilization of PMD compensators, multi-channel receivers of the invention are capable of performance comparable to that of the corresponding fully compensated (i.e., having a dedicated PMD compensator for each channel) receivers, but at appreciably lower cost.

Abstract: An effusion source comprises a vitreous C filament and a heater to increase the temperature of the filament to produce a C vapor. Also described is a deposition method comprising (a) depositing a layer of material on a substrate, and (b) during step (a), heating a body of material that includes vitreous carbon so that carbon from the body is vaporized and incorporated into the deposited layer.

Abstract: A method of provisioning a gateway (80) is provided in a telecommunications network including a circuit-switched network (90) and a packet-switched network (70). The gateway (80) bridges calls between the circuit-switched network (90) and the packet-switched network (70). The method includes: receiving a registration message from consumer premises equipment (CPE) (60), the message including an address for the CPE (60) on the packet-switched network (70); determining a directory number (DN) for the CPE (60); placing a probe call to the determined DN over the circuit-switched network (90); receiving a call from the circuit-switched network (90), the call being terminated at a call reference value (CRV); recognizing the received call received from the circuit-switched network (90) as the probe call; capturing the CRV at which the probe call is terminated; and, associating the captured CRV with the address for the CPE (60).

Abstract: The invention comprises a system and method for transmitting and receiving multiplexed Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) traffic. The invention advantageously provides efficient gateway-to-gateway communication by reducing overhead where at least two conversations are transmitted between VoIP gateways. Additionally, signal degradation is avoided since there is no transcoding of signals.

Abstract: In the method of erasure decoding of acknowledgement (ACK)/negative acknowledgement (NACK) feedback information, a state of received ACK/NACK feedback information for associated sent data is detected based on at least one threshold derived using an objective function. The objective function includes at least a first term representing an affect on data throughput for at least one possible type of error in detecting a state of the received ACK/NACK feedback information.

Abstract: A system and a method for charging for directed provisioning and using of dynamic content to limited resource devices, through an integrated platform which handles all aspects of aggregation and management of such dynamic content. The integrated platform features a billing system for performing billing actions. The billing system of the present invention interacts with other components of the integrated platform in order to be able to determine the charge for particular triggering events, such as downloading dynamic content, and/or events which are actually triggered by the application itself. The charge is preferably determined according to one of a plurality of rules, as applied by a rules engine of the billing system. These rules are part of a charging policy, which may optionally be determined by the content provider.

Abstract: A method is provided to accurately predict the probability of successfully recovering frames of (coded) information received over a wireless link, without having to decode the frame. This method includes receiving a first encoded signal and predicting link errors based on characteristics of the first encoded signal and variations in these characteristics before decoding the first encoded signal.

Abstract: A secondary directory telephone number (SDN) is assigned either to each voice over IP (VOIP) IP port utilized by subscribers or to each public safety access point (PSAP). The SDN, MAC address of the IP port accessed by a subscriber, and geographic location of the SDN or MAC address are stored in a database. This information is accessed by the PSAP based on SDN or MAC address to obtain the location of a VOIP subscriber to facilitate providing emergency services in response to a 911 call by a VOIP subscriber.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for mitigating intersymbol interference (ISI) from narrow-band optical filtering and improving transmission performance by filtering multichannel optical signals using an optical filter device that exhibits a desired loss ripple in the transmittance profile of the filter passband.

Abstract: A channel-growth plan for an optical transmission system selects channels such that the transients that result in the channels that survive a network failure, such as an upstream fiber cut, are either minimized or effectively handled by some transient-control technique. In one embodiment, the growth plan may try to keep post-transient surviving channel total power gain equal to the pre-transient total power gain. Alternatively, the growth plan may try to distribute the surviving channels uniformly over the pre-transient channel-frequency range. Other manifestations are to keep (1) the average power of the surviving channels substantially equal to the average power of the pre-transient channels or (2) the average power of the post-transient surviving channels substantially equal to the power level of a specified channel. Transient-control can be balanced with conventional low-cost and high-performance goals to provide an effective hybrid channel-growth plan.

Abstract: A system and method of vehicle delay notification. The method includes determining a vehicle delay, determining that the vehicle delay meets or exceeds a delay threshold, determining one or more affected mobile telecommunications subscribers, and sending a message to one or more mobile telecommunications phones notifying the one or more affected mobile telecommunications subscribers that the vehicle is delayed. The system determines the vehicle delay and sends a message to one or more mobile telecommunications phones notifying one or more affected subscribers that the vehicle is delayed.