Abstract: A Quality of Service (QoS) provision for voice and other delay sensitive call connections established over the Internet and other packet-based networks is achieved by generating a QoS performance parameter value corresponding to the performance of one or more packet-based call connections utilizing common packet network resources, comparing the QoS performance parameter value to an acceptable range of QoS values, and terminating one or more call connections utilizing common packet network resources if the QoS performance parameter value does not fall within the acceptable range of QoS values.

Abstract: A cooling system that can be used, for example, for cooling electrical circuit boards housed in an equipment cabinet. The cooling system includes a flow-rate-amplifying pump configured to introduce ambient air into the cabinet. The flow-rate-amplifying pump is a passive device, which has a primary intake and a secondary intake and is designed to produce a large flow of relatively cool ambient air into the cabinet through the primary intake using a small volume of compressed air applied to the secondary intake. In one embodiment, the cooling system has an auxiliary pump driven by a windmill device. Rotation of a propeller in the windmill device is converted into piston oscillation in the auxiliary pump, which oscillation is used to compress air and apply it to the secondary intake of the flow-rate-amplifying pump. A cooling system of the invention can provide efficient cooling while being self-sustaining and generating less noise and/or electrical interference than prior art cooling systems.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling administration of Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) queues of an ACD or network of ACDs by a caller, and of communicating data to an ACD Agent. The caller receives information concerning the status of queues in one or a plurality of ACDs. If the caller wishes to communicate with a particular Agent, wait time for that Agent is provided to the caller. The caller can select a particular Agent, and will be connected when that Agent becomes available subject to other restrictions of the ACD queue. The caller can prepare information for transmission to an answering Agent while the caller waits. Advantageously, the caller can control which Agent or which sub-group of Agents should respond to his/her call, taking into account the different waiting times associated with a particular Agent or the first available Agent when the caller reaches the top of the queue.

Abstract: Error flags are generated for use in source decoding of a source-coded bit stream transmitted through a channel of a communication system. The source-coded bit stream is channel coded using at least one channel code, and the channel code is decoded in a soft-decision channel decoder to generate a received version of the source-coded bit stream and one or more reliability measures associated with a designated portion of the received version of the source-coded bit stream. The reliability measures are processed to generate one or more error flags indicative of the presence of an error in the corresponding portion of the received version of the source-coded bit stream. The invention allows different detection capabilities to be used for different portions of the received version of the source-coded bit stream, and further allows these detection capabilities to be changed dynamically at the receiver. The error flags may be used to trigger an error mitigation/concealment algorithm in the source decoder.

Abstract: A unique optical encoder is employed that utilizes an optical phase modulator, in which an arbitrary phase shift can be realized. The phase modulator is driven by an electrical signal, where the voltage amplitude is proportional to a desired arbitrary phase shift. However, any amplitude noise or poor rise and fall times of the driving voltage translates directly into phase errors. These problems are eliminated by employing a digital phase switch. One encoder, in accordance with the invention, employs an optical phase modulator that can switch the optical phase in a binary manner, wherein the two phase states of the modulator can be chosen to differ by any desired arbitrary angle depending on the splitting ratio of the optical signal to be modulated.

Abstract: An architecture for a turbo decoder performs a faster max* computation. In this architecture, one or more lookup tables begin processing a digital signal prior to the most significant bit of the digital signal stabilizes. This technique allows processing in the lookup table to be accomplished during a period of time in which processing could not be accomplished previously. As a result, the architecture performs the max* computations at a faster rate than previous architectures.

Abstract: Method and system for authenticating a remote device are disclosed by an arrangement in which the remote device and an authentication center each contain an identical key code index, which includes a plurality of key code numbers. When a remote device identifies itself to the authentication center by sending identification information, the authentication center generates a first key using a portion of the received identification information and a first random number that specifies a first key code number. The remote device determines the first key code number from the first key. If the remote device recognizes the first key code number from among the stored plurality of key code numbers, the remote device generates a second key, which includes a second random number that specifies a second key code number, and a portion of the identification information. From the second key, the authentication center determines a second key code number.

Abstract: An integrated broadband polarization controller is based on planar waveguide technology. The integrated broadband polarization controller emulates the polarization control function of an existing single channel polarization controller in a device that can be built in planar waveguide technology, and is expanded from single channel operation to broadband channel operation by designing the control degrees of freedom to be wavelength selectively addressable.

Abstract: Network design techniques are disclosed for optimally placing OXCs and OADMs in an optical mesh network to minimize network cost by using cheaper OADMs wherever possible and only using more expensive OXCs where required. In one aspect, the techniques are provided for determining the optimal configuration of each OXC in terms of each OXC's switch size and port configuration. In another aspect, the present invention provides network analysis transformation techniques which enable Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm to account for the degree of each network node and determine optimal placement of the OXCs and OADMs.

Abstract: A method is provided for administering a game over a wireless telecommunications network (30) serving a number of mobile terminals (20). The wireless telecommunications network (30) includes a number of base stations (32) providing wireless communication coverage for corresponding geographically defined cells (34). The method includes: establishing a game offering in response to a triggering event; designating a region in response to the established game offering; locating mobile terminals (20) within the designated region; sending over the wireless telecommunications network (30), to mobile terminals (20) within the designated region, an invitation to participate in a game in accordance with the established game offering; and, collecting over the wireless telecommunications network (30), from mobile terminals (20) to which the invitation was sent, responses to the invitation, the responses indicating that the invitation to participate in the game has been accepted or declined.

Abstract: A portable wireless network gateway aggregates bandwidth demand of different devices operating under different communications protocols. Network connectivity is provided by encapsulating data from the different devices to make the data appear to be data native to a single network. For example, the single network is a cellular wireless network. The different communications protocols include but are not limited to IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.3, USB, cellular wireless protocols, Bluetooth, RS-232, and IEEE 11.1R.

Abstract: Apparatus comprising a first polymer layer carrying positively charged moieties and a net positive charge; a second polymer layer carrying negatively charged moieties and a net negative charge; and a dielectric substrate; the first and second polymer layers constituting a multilayer coating on the dielectric substrate. Method for fabrication of an electrostatic charge dissipation coating comprising steps of providing a dielectric substrate susceptible to electrostatic charge accumulation; coating the dielectric substrate with a first polymer carrying charged moieties and a net charge having a first sign; and then coating the dielectric substrate with a second polymer carrying charged moieties and a net charge having a second sign opposite to the first sign.

Abstract: An optical device including a microstructured fiber pumped by an external pulsed-light source. In one embodiment, the microstructured fiber includes two waist regions functioning as a tunable attenuator and a wavelength shifter, respectively. Output wavelength of the optical device is selected by attenuating the pump light in the first waist region and then passing the light through the second waist region to shift the pump energy to a new spectral band. An optical device of the invention configured with two or more microstructured fibers generates two or more synchronized pulsed beams, each at a different characteristic wavelength. Certain embodiments of the invention provide an inexpensive, compact, energy-efficient multi-wavelength synchronized pulsed-light source.

Abstract: A signal is predistorted by producing a first set of sample values using a first predistortion technique, producing a second set of sample values using a second predistortion technique different than the first predistortion technique, and combining the first and second sets of sample values to produce a predistorted signal. At least one of the first and second predistortion techniques produce the corresponding set of sample values based at least in part on a plurality of past time spaced input samples relative to a current time spaced input sample.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for designing IP networks with substantially improved performance as compared to existing IP networks such as, for example, those networks designed under best-effort criteria. Particularly, the invention includes methods and apparatus for: computing worst-case and optimistic link capacity requirements; optimizing network topology; and determining router placement within a network.

Abstract: The measurement of intersubband electroluminescence (ISB-EL) in unipolar quantum cascade lasers is achieved by forming a longitudinal cleave through the active region and waveguide of the QC laser device, exposing a complete side face of the device, including the active region. The conventional laser facets at the entrance and exit of the active region are coated with a highly reflective material and the emission from the exposed side face is measured. In theory, the sideface emission would comprise only the ISB-EL spontaneous emission, but some additional laser emission (due to scattering in the imperfect waveguide structure) also exits along this sideface. Spatial filtering and/or polarization monitoring can be used to differentiate the laser emission from the ISB-EL spontaneous emission.

Abstract: A predistortion system compensates or equalizes the phase and/or amplitude response over frequency of at least a portion of a signal path prior to the distortion generating circuitry, such as an amplifier, and/or of at least a portion of a feedback path after the distortion generating circuitry. For example, in a power amplification system using predistortion, an equalizer on the signal path adjusts the phase and amplitude of a predistorted signal across frequency to compensate for the amplitude and phase response of circuitry on the signal path, such as the amplitude and phase response of analog filters in the up-conversion process. After amplification, an equalizer on a feedback path adjusts the phase and amplitude across frequency of the signal representing the output of the amplifier to compensate for the amplitude and phase response of circuitry, such as analog filters in the down-conversion process, on the feedback path.

Abstract: Disclosed is a side-lobe-modification antenna system comprising: an antenna including a base plate and an RF radiating arrangement attached to the base plate; and a side-lobe modifier bracket having a first planar surface and a second planar surface intersecting the first planar surface. The second planar surface can extend aside the base plate at an angle relative to the first planar surface. The first planar surface can be parallel to and abut the base plate.

Abstract: A laser includes an optical cavity resonator having first and second reflectors and an active region interposed between the reflectors. The second reflector includes a resonant optical reflector having an optical gain medium.

Abstract: A wireless communications system and method is disclosed. A cell has a plurality of allocated sectors and a base station that communicates with mobile units contained within the cell. The base station has a transmitter that transmits communication signals along at least two carriers per sector within a cell. Each carrier within a sector is assigned a zone spaced from the base station, such as from an inner zone to an outer zone. The power per carrier is reduced successively from the outer to the inner zone.