Abstract: In accordance with the invention, a modulated RZ pulse source comprises a modulated light source optically coupled to a stabilized Bragg grating filter and one or more optical taps. The light source is preferably modulated in power and frequency and has an adjustable channel wavelength ?. The Bragg grating filter has a reflectivity bandwidth having a high slope reflectivity cutoff and is preferably tunable. A feedback arrangement responsive to the taps keeps the source channel wavelength ? on the edge of the reflectivity bandwidth for shaping RZ pulses. When the Bragg grating is stabilized, the feedback system maintains ? at a value linked to the grating reflectivity edge and, by overlapping at least part of the optical spectrum of the source, converts the modulated source light into RZ pulses with high extinction ratio (?12 dB). The result is a high power, jitter-free RZ pulse source that is compact, inexpensive and power efficient.

Abstract: Participants on a conference call are managed by terminating incoming calls at a conference bridge and storing a record for each call entering the conference call, each record including identification of the caller and a corresponding port number of the conference bridge assigned to the call. A list of all callers currently connected to the conference call is maintained. Upon receiving a request from an administrative host of the conference call, the list of current conference call participants is communicated to the host. Upon receipt of a disconnect request from the host identifying a first record associated with a first conference call participant to be disconnected, the first record a corresponding first port number is located, and the call associated with the first port number is disconnected.

Abstract: A first content portion of a first disk partition is mirrored to a second content portion of a second disk partition. A first one of the first content portion and the second content portion that is modified contemporaneously with access by one or more client applications to one or more subportions of a second one of the first content portion and the second content portion.

Abstract: An optical device comprises a cavity resonator and an intracavity ridge waveguide. The ridge waveguide includes a monolithically integrated intersubband core region and a nonlinear mixing region (NMR). In response to external pumping energy the core region generates laser light at a first frequency and in a first transverse mode. In response to the laser light the NMR generates parametric light at a second frequency and in a second transverse mode. For phase matching the effective-refractive-index-versus-ridge-width characteristics of the modes of the laser and the parametric light intersect one another at a phase matching width and so that, at greater widths, the effective refractive index of the mode of the higher frequency light is less than that of the lower frequency light. For true phase matching the width of the ridge is made to be essentially equal to the phase matching width.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for transporting Asynchronous Transfer Mode protocol cells over an Internet Protocol backbone network is disclosed herein. ATM signaling cells are initially received at a source gateway interconnected to the IP backbone. The signaling message is converted to an H.323 message and transmitted to a controller which provides ATM to IP address translation. The corresponding IP address is received at the source gateway and ATM bearer cells of the same call as the original ATM signaling cell are encapsulated with IP headers which include the IP address to form an IP packet which keeps the ATM cells intact within the packet. The IP packet is transferred onto the IP backbone network and routed to the appropriate destination gateway where the IP packets are decapsulated to retrieve the original ATM bearer cell.

Abstract: A mobile telephone has a conventional wireless network call handling unit having a sound output for audibly outputting sound information received from a call in progress. In addition a wireless broadcast unit is provided for broadcasting information locally. The user can command the mobile telephone to broadcast the sound information from the call to one or more receivers in a neighborhood of the mobile telephone. Thus others can listen in on the call. Depending on commands by the users, the receivers may broadcast information back to the mobile telephone, for transmission via the call, together with sound information from the mobile telephone itself.

Abstract: Lasing of an optical channel at a particular wavelength is substantially prevented in an optical ring network by automatically verifying the presence of a break, e.g., termination, in the ring for an optical channel of a particular wavelength before allowing a node in the network to establish a “pass through” connection for that optical channel. More specifically, a node attempting to establish a “pass through” route for an optical channel received from another node is prevented from establishing the necessary connections to do so until it is confirmed that the optical channel of interest has been added to the ring or dropped from the ring at another node, thus indicating the presence of a “break” in the optical ring for that optical channel of interest.

Abstract: A hybrid network (100) includes a plurality of network elements (102, 106, 110, 114) that are coupled together by communication links (116, 118, 120, 122, 124). The network elements operate on different communications protocols. A loop back test message traverses a path (140) across network elements to test the integrity and quality of the path. Each network element that receives the loop back message modifies the message in a predetermined manner. The originator of the message verifies that the message was modified in an appropriate manner and in an appropriate time frame to determine integrity and quality.

Abstract: A method of predicting the electromagnetic noise emitted by a digital circuit on an integrated circuit is disclosed. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the output of each digital circuit element in the digital circuit is considered as a bit stream. All of these bits streams are, in aggregate, considered as a noise source that is characterized by a power spectral density, S(?). The effect of the noise source on an analog circuit can be modeled as a lumped circuit, wherein the lumped circuit contains a noise source that represents the digital circuit; a multi-port network, also referred to as a lumped element, that represents that portion of the substrate between the digital circuit and the analog circuit; and a multi-port network that represents the analog circuit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to compensate for interference between signals within a wireless communication system using dirty paper coding to compensate for interference on the downlink and multi-user detection to compensate for interference on uplink.

Abstract: Timing information, such as stratum 1 traceable synchronization information, is transmitted in a high-bit-rate digital subscriber line (HDSL) transport frame by timing the transport frame using a corresponding timing reference signal. In an illustrative embodiment, a central office modem maps a DS1 payload at 1.544 Mbps into HDSL transport frames at 1.552 Mbps, using a DS1 timing reference signal generated by, e.g., a building integrated timing supply (BITS) having global positioning system (GPS) capability. The transport frame is transmitted by the central office modem to a customer premises modem which demaps the transport frames to recover the DS1 payload and the DS1 timing reference signal. The recovered timing reference signal is then delivered to an external timing input of a computer, set-top box or other customer premises equipment (CPE). Synchronization status messages (SSMs) may be included in the timing information transmitted between the central office and customer premises modems.

Abstract: A microlens of the present invention may include a liquid droplet whose position and/or surface curvature may be changed (tuned), e.g., by selectively biasing one or more electrodes configured to said droplet. The droplet may then be solidified to fix a desired configuration (e.g., focal length) of the microlens. In one embodiment, the droplet has an optically curable liquid adhesive that is polymerized under exposure to UV light. Microlenses of the present invention may be used, for example, in optical devices to obtain and then maintain optimal coupling between various optical components.

Abstract: A method for creating, modifying, and terminating connections between Internet end systems, particularly, although not exclusively, for Internet telephony communication. The method relies on several request messages sent between a client and a server and the response messages sent back in response. Each request and response message may contain one or more header fields which modify or more uniquely link the messages with a given connection. On this basis, advanced telephony services, such as call forwarding, call transferring, and multiparty conferencing are provided.

Abstract: A method and communication network for transferring data is described. For the method, responsive to executing first code in a first node in a communication network, the first node establishes a communication channel with a second node, replicates itself to generate second code, and provides the second code to the second node over the communication channel. Responsive to executing the second code in the second node, the second node establishes a communication channel with a third node, replicates itself to generate third code, and provides the third code to the third node over the communication channel. The second node then receives data from the first node over the communication channel and executes the second code to handle the data. The third node then receives the data from the second node over the communication channel and executes the third code to handle the data.

Abstract: In the GPRS, a method of decoding uplink status having reduced interleaving depth in a RLC/MAC block is proposed; for RT-EGPRS users, all of the uplink flag bits are provided in the first burst of the four bursts; and for EGPRS users, nine bits of the uplink status flags are provided in the first burst of the RLC/MAC block and the remaining bits in the next three bursts. On receiving the first nine bits, a mobile performs an autocorrelation to identify the USF whether it belongs to the EGPRS or to the RT-EGPRS group.

Abstract: In accordance with the invention, a high-resolution variable optical delay line comprises an optical switch, such as an optical micromechanical mirror switch, and an array of delay fiber paths. Each delay fiber path in the array comprises a region where the fiber is curved differently from the other fibers in the region and a reflector. Each fiber path advantageously comprises other regions where the fiber is essentially parallel to the other fibers in the region. Each fiber is curved differently from the others in order that the fiber paths each provide a different delay.

Abstract: A system having a steerable antenna coupled to a temperature-dependent driver. The driver has a shape-memory element fabricated using a shape-memory alloy (SMA) and having the ability to change its shape as a function of temperature. The element is adapted to steer the antenna to improve signal reception and is controlled by a control circuit, which resistively heats the element while using the strength of the electrical signal generated by the antenna in response to a received radio-frequency signal as a feedback signal. The temperature of the element is adjusted to optimize the signal strength. Systems of the invention may enable customer-performed antenna alignment and are relatively simple and inexpensive to implement.

Abstract: An unique arrangement including a so-called timing control order and timing control signals is employed to identify whether wireless terminals are reachable within a base station cell coverage area in a wireless communications system. To this end, detection of a particular wireless terminal being alive and well, and within the cell coverage area associated with a base station is effected by the base station transmitting a timing control order in a timing control time slot reserved for the particular wireless terminal. If the particular wireless terminal receives the timing control order, it transmits a prescribed timing control message at a prescribed time. If the base station does not receive the timing control message, it is an indication that communication with the particular wireless terminal has been lost.

Abstract: Materials such as titanium are vapor-deposited to form a film on a substrate while the substrate is thermally coupled to a temperature-controlling thermal source. Varying the temperature conditions of the substrate when the film is deposited varies the intrinsic stress of the film, which varies the change in substrate shape caused by the presence of the film. A film having a desired intrinsic stress may be obtained by control of the substrate temperature when the film is deposited. A stress-controlled titanium film may be used, for example, as an adhesion layer between a silicon movable structure in an optical MEMS device and a gold layer serving as a reflecting surface.

Abstract: The invention is an improved planar waveguide device comprising a plurality of optical waveguides and one or more crossover regions where two waveguides intersect at an angle. In accordance with the invention, loss and crosstalk produced by the crossover are reduced by segmenting the waveguides across the region of intersection. Advantageously, the segments are also enlarged in width (as compared to transmission regions of the waveguide remote from the crossover) and offset with respect to the longitudinal axis of the waveguide. In regions where the segments intersect, they merge into a complex segment having a shape corresponding to the periphery of the segment intersection.