Abstract: A WDM receiver that includes a single, delay interferometer coupled to an N-channel wavelength-demultiplexing filter provides for the simultaneous conversion of a multiplex of N differential-phase-shift-keyed modulated optical signals of different wavelengths into N intensity-modulated optical signal channels. The Nintensity-modulated optical signals may be individually detected by a bank of N photodiode circuits to recover the modulated data stream or used for optical amplification, regeneration, processing, control, or modulation.

Abstract: A free-space optical switch for switching light beams between waveguides of planar lightwave circuits (PLCs). Switching is accomplished using a combination of lenses and micromirrors. The lenses and the controlled tilt of the micromirrors can establish a one-to-one interconnection path between waveguides of the PLCs.

Abstract: Rate-limiting a traffic stream using a rate-limit hierarchy involves subjecting a packet to a first rate-limit check, the first rate-limit check corresponding to a first-level traffic classification, subjecting the packet to a second rate-limit check and an infinity rate-limit cheek, the second rate-limit check and the infinity rate-limit check corresponding to a second-level traffic classification, granting an automatic pass to the packet from the infinity rate-limit check regardless of whether or not the packet passes the second rate-limit check, and granting an overall pass of the rate-limit hierarchy if the packet passes the first rate-limit check. In an embodiment, the first-level traffic classification is a parent classification of the second-level traffic classification and the second-level traffic classification is a child classification of the first-level traffic classification.

Abstract: A power control system for a wireless communications system adjusts the transmit power of a wireless transmitter in relation to a number of acknowledgments expected for radio transmissions over a wireless link. For example, a wireless unit monitors the number of acknowledgments it receives (or fails to receive) for radio packets that the wireless unit transmitted over the wireless link. The wireless unit determines the number of acknowledgments lost in relation to the number of acknowledgments expected to be received by the wireless unit. The number of acknowledgments expected by the wireless unit can be based on the number of radio packets transmitted by the wireless unit. If the number of ACKs lost/number of ACKs expected is greater than a first threshold, the wireless unit increases the transmit power level. If the number of ACKs lost/the number of ACKs expected is below a second threshold, the wireless unit decreases the transmit power level.

Abstract: A working label switched path (LSP) between neighbor label switched routers (LSRs) in a ring network that utilizes label switching is protected by an LSP that connects the neighbor LSRs of the working LSP in an opposite direction to the working LSP. If the working LSP fails, then packets are switched to the protection LSP. Switched packets traverse the protection LSP until they reach the neighbor LSR that they would have reached had the packets traversed the working LSP. Time-to-live (TTL) values of packets that traverse the protection LSP are adjusted to account for the number of hops on the protection LSP so that the TTL values of the packets are the same after traversing the protection LSP as they would have been had they traversed the working LSP. After traversing the protection LSP packets can be switched back to the working LSP or switched to a next hop LSP.

Abstract: A personal digital assistant (PDA) stores a list of available phone features and policies and selects certain phone features and policies from the stored features and policies. When connected with an internet protocol (IP) phone device, the PDA downloads the selected phone features and policies to the IP phone device in a new location, so that the IP phone device can be operated as the user's personal phone. The PDA verifies the user's identity to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to the IP phone device or IP-PBX. Also, the PDA, with phone features and policies stored therein, visually displays phone configurations and mappings to an administrator of the IP-PBX for verifying the actual configuration of the phone system based on the stored configuration.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a liquid switch. The liquid switch comprises a substrate having a surface with first and second regions thereon and a fluid configured to contact both of the regions. The regions each comprise electrically connected fluid-support-structures, wherein each of the fluid-support-structures have at least one dimension of about 1 millimeter or less. The regions are electrically isolated from each other.

Abstract: An extension to a connection setup protocol for establishment of a restoration path for a service in a mesh network involves, at a transit node along the restoration path, the steps of (1) receiving a service data structure having an identification of each link and transit node in a primary path for the service, and (2) determining whether to reserve additional protection bandwidth on an outgoing link incident to the transit node using the service data structure, wherein the outgoing link is part of the restoration path. In one or more embodiments, the service data structure includes identification of the service, identification of the outgoing link, and bandwidth of the service. In some cases, the extension involves reserving the additional protection bandwidth on the outgoing link, if the transit node determines that the protection bandwidth is required, based upon knowledge of the protection bandwidth already reserved on the outgoing link.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a liquid switch. The liquid switch comprises a substrate having a surface with first and second regions thereon and a fluid configured to contact both of the regions. The regions each comprise electrically connected fluid-support-structures, wherein each of the fluid-support-structures have at least one dimension of about 1 millimeter or less. The regions are electrically isolated from each other.

Abstract: An infrared (IR) radiation detector adapted to detect IR radiation by measuring pneumatic expansion of a sense chamber that is caused by a temperature increase within that chamber due to the absorbed energy of the IR radiation. A reference chamber mechanically coupled to the sense chamber controls the pneumatic expansion of the sense-chamber. The expansion is detected either electrically or optically.

Abstract: A tone advisor, a tone assisting system and a method of associating tones with callers. In one embodiment the method includes: (1) monitoring calls to and from a user, (2) obtaining information based on the calls and (3) categorizing a caller associated with at least one of the calls into a contact group according to the information and (4) assigning a genre of tones to the contact group.

Abstract: A technique for managing the utilization of processing resources involves filtering packets that are sent to a CPU for learning before allowing the packets to reach the CPU. The filtering involves determining if related packets have already been allowed to reach the CPU for learning and using the knowledge about related packets to determine if a current packet should be allowed to reach the CPU. In one embodiment, the processing resources of the CPU are conserved by allowing only one packet per flow to reach the CPU for learning. The one packet is used by the CPU to generate the necessary forwarding information and to initiate programming of the hardware-based forwarding table so that subsequent packets of the same flow can be forwarded directly from the hardware-based forwarding engine.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for managing relocation of one or more scrambling codes in a spread spectrum wireless communications system. The method comprises detecting an indication for a serving radio network subsystem relocation that causes a user equipment to leave a first radio network controller and selectively transiting, through an intermediate transition, at least one scrambling code of the one or more scrambling codes associated with an uplink from the first radio network controller to a second radio network controller for the user equipment in response to the indication. The first radio network controller may maintain three pools of scrambling codes, namely, a first pool of one or more relocated scrambling codes (SCs), a second pool of one or more free scrambling codes and a third pool for each of one or more used scrambling codes. By avoiding an early reuse, an uplink scrambling code may be assigned to a particular UE because a target radio network controller, i.e.

Abstract: An apparatus in one example comprises one or more network controllers that serve to allow a second user agent to communicate with a first user agent through employment of a codec format unsupported by the first user agent.

Abstract: By approximating a packet network, such as the Internet, by an M/M/1 queuing model, the available bandwidth of the network can determined from the variance of the distribution of the sojourn times of packets transmitted through the network. In order to determine the variance of the distribution of sojourn times, and thus the bandwidth of the packet network that is available for transport of packets from an input to an output, a probe train of N packets with known inter-packet intervals is injected from an input on a sending side of the network. At the receiving side of the network, the packet arrival times are measured and the inter-packet intervals of each pair of received packets in the received train are calculated and compared with the known inter-packet interval times of the corresponding input packets.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for surveilling call terminations to a roaming mobile in a wireless telecommunications network in which Location Request Queries (LRQs) for the target mobile can be sent from any MSC in the network. The system and method include forcing the path of the target mobile's call terminations through a predetermined Target Intercept Access Point (TIAP) for surveillance while meeting CALEA constraints including the requirement that information about surveillance may not be shared over public interfaces.

Abstract: A representative embodiment of the invention provides an antenna having an electrically conducting ground plane and an array of electrically conducting strips located at an offset distance from the ground plane. Electrically conducting pathways, each attached to the middle portion of the corresponding strip, connect the strips to the ground plane. Electrically conducting lips, each attached to an edge of the corresponding conducting strip, extend about halfway toward the ground plane. The size of the array is smaller than the wavelength of the fundamental radiation mode supported by the antenna. Advantageously, the antenna has a bandwidth about three times larger than that of a comparably sized prior-art patch antenna.

Abstract: Techniques and systems for allocating bandwidth in a communication channel to devices using the communication channel are described. A communication system includes a central device and one or more remote devices. The central device may transmit information to and receive information from each of the remote devices and each of the remote devices may transmit information to and receive information from the base station. The central device receives information relating to the quality of the communication channel experienced by remote device and adjusts the bandwidth allocated to each remote device based on the communication channel quality experienced by that device. The total frequency range encompassed by the communication channel may also increase or decrease as the average quality of the communication channel for all remote devices increases or decreases.

Abstract: In a method of detecting whether a given node supports a given protocol version, a source node sends a request message to the destination mode based on a first protocol version. The source node receives an indication message in reply to the request, and may detect that the destination node does not support the first protocol version based on the indication message. Accordingly communications may be established between a user of the wireless network and an external network via the source and destination nodes.

Abstract: Optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) monitoring methods and apparatus are described. A tunable optical filter filters an optical channel containing an optical signal and noise. The total signal and noise power at the output of the filter is measured as the transmittance passband of the filter is varied and the maximum and minimum powers are determined. The ratio between the maximum and minimum powers is then used to determine the OSNR of the optical channel, which, for example, can be a wavelength channel in a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) system. The ratio of the maximum signal power to the minimum signal power and the ratio of the maximum noise power to the minimum noise power are pre-determined based on the signal modulation format type and filter passband characteristics.