Abstract: Telephony services are implemented using a media-control framework in which a media switch controls the mixing of multiple participant streams. A connection is established between the media switch and each of the participants in a given call or other communication. The media switch then implements a desired telephony service by controlling the mixing of media streams in accordance with multiple permit sets and multiple want sets, each of the permit sets and each of the want sets being associated with a given media stream of a given participant. A particular one of the permit sets specifies one or more additional participants that are permitted to receive a send flow of the given stream in conjunction with the telephony service, while the corresponding one of the want sets specifies one or more additional participants from which the given participant wants to receive a receive flow of the given stream in conjunction with the telephony service.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for conserving Communications Content Channels between a serving switching system and a Law Enforcement Agency premises. After a connection has been established between the serving switch and the Law Enforcement Agency premises using one of the Communications Content Channels, an Agent can transmit an indication that the communication is no-longer of interest; in response to receipt of that indication, the switch disconnects the call from the Communications Content Channel. Advantageously, this arrangement can reduce the number of Communications Content Channels required to monitor a particular target customer, and can overcome arrangements for flooding the Communications Content Channels with non-significant messages.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, an electroplating solution is provided for electroplating satin bright tin-bismuth alloy solder coatings in high speed electroplating applications. The solution comprises a sulfonic acid electrolyte, a soluble tin compound, a soluble bismuth compound, a non-ionic surfactant, a grain refiner and an antioxidant. The preferred non-ionic surfactant comprises a mixture of polyethylene glycol-block-polypropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol-ran-polypropylene glycol, and ethylenediamine tetrakis (polyethylene glycol-block-polypropylene glycol) tetrol.

Abstract: A wireless communications system includes at least one base station for communicating with a mobile unit. A mobile switching center is responsive to the base station and operative for switching calls with a calling party and a mobile unit via the base station. One of at least a mobile switching center or base station includes a processor that is operative for determining the speed of the mobile unit. In response to a call from a calling party to the mobile unit, when the calculated speed is above a threshold, the call is switched to a voice message indicating that a mobile unit operator is traveling and not receiving any calls.

Abstract: Routing information is exchanged between edge routers in different autonomous systems that independently define their routing policies. A Simple Path Vector Protocol extends the prior art Border Gateway Protocol in a manner that is guaranteed to converge by adding a new attribute to the routing messages sent by an edge router to its peers in the different systems. This attribute is a path history, which is dynamically computed at each router as the routing path to a particular destination is changed. The path history attribute is sent in a routing message by a router to its peers together with the sending router's path to that destination. By observing the dynamic path history that is computed at a router as a received routing message from a peer router that contains a history attribute is processed, a cycle can be identified in the newly computed history and associated with a policy conflict at that receiving router's associated autonomous system.

Abstract: An apparatus, method and system provide for caller input rate control for automatic speech recognition (ASR) components within interactive communication systems. The various embodiments provide a concentrator functionality to increase the capacity of ASR systems, and provide a delay functionality to continue to provide service to callers during congestion or overload conditions. The delay functionality provides various associated delay modes, including the insertion of silent periods within messages or prompts played to a caller, and providing increased message duration. The preferred method embodiment determines a usage level of a plurality of ASR input channels, and when the usage level is greater than a first predetermined threshold, provides an associated delay mode for a message output on an output channel of the plurality of output channels.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for vocoding an input signal comprising a linear predictive filter for generating a filtered signal with a first signal pulse and a second signal pulse in response to receiving the input signal and a processor having a lookup table with a plurality of track positions. The first signal pulse is associated with a first track position and the second signal pulse is associated with a second track position relative to the first signal pulse resulting in a plurality of excitation parameters. Additionally, the apparatus has a transmitter which transmits the plurality of excitation parameters in a transmission signal in response to receiving the plurality of excitation parameters from the processor.

Abstract: A network router is tested for operation according to a given network protocol, by coupling the router under test (RUT) to a test host device and arranging the device to simulate operative test network topologies which include router nodes, network nodes, and edges between the nodes. The device exchanges information packets with the RUT for each of a number of successive test network topologies. Each successive topology is determined randomly by inserting or deleting an edge or a node to or from a prior test network topology in a probabilistic manner. Operation of the RUT under the given protocol is evaluated based on the exchanged information packets. A judgment, e.g., a fault or a no-fault condition, is rendered by the host device.

Abstract: An optical device includes a stack of at least two different intersubband (ISB) optical sub-devices in which the gain/loss profiles of the individual ISB sub-devices are mutually adapted, or engineered, so as to generate a predetermined overall function for the combination. We define this combination device as being heterogeneous since not all of the individual ISB sub-devices are identical to one another. Illustratively, the parameters of each individual ISB sub-device that might be subject to this engineering process include: the peak energy of the ISB optical transitions (emission or absorption) associated with each RT region, the position of each sub-device in the stack; the oscillator strengths of these ISB transitions; the energy bandwidth of each transition; and the total length of the RT and I/R regions of each ISB sub-device.

Abstract: The method of differential communication for multiple transmitter antennas generalizes conventional coding of information in the phase shift between successive complex scalars signals used in single antenna communication to signals that are complex matrices. Each column of such a matrix represents a time sequence of signals emitted by a respective antenna of a multiple transmitter array. Preferably, the signal matrices are unitary matrices that form at least part of a finite group under multiplication. Data is encoded by making each transmitted signal the product of the previous signal and a selected one of the signal matrices.

Abstract: A wavelength-selective cross connect switch is disclosed that can selectively pass a multi-wavelength incoming signal received on a given incoming port to a corresponding output port in a bar state; or cross the received signal to an opposite output port in a cross state, using only two wavelength blockers and a number of optical circulators. Power splitters divide the power of each incoming signal in half and the half-power signals are applied to the two wavelength blockers surrounded by corresponding optical circulators. Each of the wavelength blockers control either the bar state or the cross state. The outputs of the two wavelength blockers are combined to produce an output signal at each of the output ports. Thus, the wavelength-selective cross connect can selectively pass or cross an incoming signal to an appropriate output port, as desired. The disclosed wavelength-selective cross connects can be serviced without interrupting traffic.

Abstract: A heat-dissipating device is disclosed for use in an electronic device. This heat dissipating device includes a reservoir for holding a substance in a liquid state (e.g., water) and at least one heat transfer point for transferring heat from a heat source, such as a component in the electronic device, to the liquid substance. Heat causes the substance to transform into a gaseous state due to the transfer of thermal energy from the heat source to the substance. A gas permeable membrane is used to permit the substance to escape the reservoir when it is in a gaseous state while, at the same time, preventing the substance from escaping when it is in a liquid state.

Abstract: A so-called digital “wrapper” is employed in conjunction with an optical channel client signal payload envelope to carry optical channel associated optical channel overhead. That is, the digital wrapper transports optical channel associated optical channel overhead and other monitoring information. This is realized by adding additional capacity, i.e., bandwidth, to the client signal payload envelope. The additional capacity is added “around” the payload envelope and the client signal floats in the payload envelope. This is effected in such a manner that the digital wrapper is independent of the type of client signal that is being transported on the optical channel. Indeed, as such the optical payload envelope is essentially a client optical signal independent, constant bit-rate channel. Moreover, in addition to the digital wrapper providing capacity for the optical channel overhead, it can also be employed to provide a forward error correction capability.

Abstract: Traffic demands are routed across links of an information network so as to avoid congestion and allow for future traffic growth. Traffic demands from a source node to a destination node of the network are monitored, including bandwidths associated with each of the demands. For each demand, and for a given link of the network, that portion of the bandwidth associated with each traffic demand which is provided by the given link, is determined. A maximum value of link utilization among all links of the network is then determined, wherein link utilization is defined as the amount of bandwidth used by all traffic demands routed through a given link with respect to a total capacity of the link. Traffic demands are then routed across the links of the network in such a manner as to minimize the maximum value of link utilization.

Abstract: Computers that exchange data over communication networks frequently wait for responses to messages and therefor use timers to control the amount of time that the computer will wait for a response to a command issued over a network. Communication network responsiveness varies as traffic loading on the network changes. Fixed-value timers that don't take network loading into account can inadvertently terminate communications if a response is not timely received. Varying or adjusting data communication timers according to data network responsiveness can prevent erroneous data communication session termination.

Abstract: A uniform application programming interface (API) provides efficient generation and control of resource reservations so as to ensure a desired quality of service (QoS) for applications running on an operating system of a computer system. The uniform API is based on a hierarchical file system which associates resource reservations with references to shared objects, rather than with the objects themselves. The uniform API permits the use of a variety of different proportional share schedulers for controlling access to physical resources, e.g., CPU, memory, disk, network interfaces, etc. of the computer system. The hierarchical file system includes a separate directory for each independently-scheduled physical resource of the computer system. A parent of the resource reservation in the hierarchical file system is either a root node of the file system or another reservation for the same resource.

Abstract: A novel Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Center allows an on-hold customer, upon learning of an unacceptable waiting time for service, to accept a date- and time-stamped “Priority Token,” and then end the current telephone call. If the customer calls the ACD Center back within a predefined Token Window (stored in the ACD system memory and announced to the customer as he/she is receiving the Priority Token), as indicated by the automatic presentation of the Priority Token, the customer is placed back into the queue position he/she had during the previous call, or if that queue position has already passed, the customer is placed at the top of the queue to be served by the next available agent. The Priority Token stored in the ACD system memory includes the Directory Number in the preferred embodiment for ease of detection of calls incoming to the ACD Center.

Abstract: A field-effect transistor (FET) includes a source electrode, a drain electrode, a gate electrode, a gate dielectric, and a semiconductor layer that functions as an active channel of the transistor. The active channel is configured to carry a current between the source and drain electrodes and has a conductivity responsive to voltages applied the gate electrode. The gate dielectric is located between the gate electrode and the semiconductor layer and includes a quasi-1D charge or spin density wave material.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for preparing groups of low duty cycle WDM transmission channels such that each group can be demultiplexed either via conventional WDM (e.g., by optically filtering each channel and receiving that channel at its line rate) or via TDM (e.g., directing an entire group of WDM channels onto a signal higher speed detector, receiving them all and demultiplexing the channels in a temporal (electronic) domain).

Abstract: Received symbols are decoded in a multiple-antenna communication system using lattice-based decoding. The symbols are generated using a modulation constellation, e.g., a diagonal modulation constellation, and the constellation is characterized as a lattice for decoding purposes. For example, if a given communication link of the multiple-antenna communication system includes M transmitter antennas and a single receiver antenna, the diagonal modulation constellation can be characterized as a lattice in M dimensions. A differential decoding operation for received differential symbols involves a determination of the closest point in the lattice corresponding to the constellation. This determination may be made in an efficient manner using a basis reduction algorithm which generates an approximately orthogonal basis for the lattice, and then utilizes component-wise rounding to determine the closest point.