Abstract: A method is disclosed for generating unitary space-time signals for wireless communication using an array of M transmitting antennas. Each unitary space-time signal comprises T symbols. The method can be used to generate arbitrarily large signal constellations. The resulting unitary space-time signals have statistical properties that are favorable for reliable use in communication, and they can lead to very high data transmission rates. The disclosed method involves the mapping of binary strings of data to matrix products of the kind obtained by left-multiplying an initial T×M matrix by an ordered multiplicative sequence of exponentiated T×T unitary matrices, referred to as generator matrices. The result of each such multiplication is a unitary space-time signal matrix that may be transmitted. Each generator matrix corresponds to a single bit or a collection of bits of a binary string that is to be mapped.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a dielectric layer formed between a first and a second conductive layer. The dielectric layer comprising a layer of silicon oxide, SiOX≦2, having a dielectric constant greater than about 3.9 and less than or equal to about 12.

Abstract: A packet-based inteligent telecommunications network that adheres to a call control model currently used for circuit-switched intelligent networks. Messages defined in the GR-1129 specification are exchanged between a service switching point and service node intelligent peripheral within the facility information element of H.225 commands on a H.323 network.

Abstract: An electronics cooling system in accordance with the principles of the present invention includes an electronics cabinet that is thermally connected with the ground in the vicinity of the cabinet. The cabinet may or may not sit directly on the earth, but the thermal connection is made with the earth below, and in the near vicinity of, the cabinet, thereby employing the earth as a heat sink. In an illustrative embodiment, an enclosed cabinet includes a heat pipe that makes thermal contact with the ground in the immediate vicinity of the electronics cabinet. An electronics cabinet in accordance with the principles of the present invention is particularly suited for use in uncontrolled environments, such as may be encountered by remote telecommunications switches and wireless telecommunications equipment, for example.

Abstract: A program file or other type of information file for use in an embedded system is partially compressed in a host device and subsequently transferred to a non-volatile memory of the embedded system. The compressed portion of the file may include non-relocation data such as data sections, text sections, symbol tables, etc. The uncompressed portion includes relocation data such as section headers or a file header which identify one or more destination locations for corresponding parts of the file in a random access memory of the embedded system. A loading program running on a processor of the embedded system determines a destination location for at least part of the file within the embedded system without decompressing the compressed portion of the file. The invention advantageously eliminates the need for multiple file copy operations in transferring data between non-volatile memory and random access memory in an embedded system.

Abstract: An optical device comprises a body of ferroelectric material exhibiting an effective electro-optic coefficient (reff) and an optical loss (&agr;), with the body being adapted for the propagation of optical radiation at a wavelength &lgr;o through it, and means for applying an electric field to the body in order to alter the refractive index therein, characterized in that the body is polycrystalline and has an average grain size such that reff is relatively high and &agr; is relatively low, both at &lgr;o. In a preferred embodiment the body has an average grain size that is less than about &lgr;o/10, preferably in the range of approximately 8-20 nm, which is especially well suited for devices operating at near infrared wavelengths in the range of about 1000-1600 nm. Illustratively, the ferroelectric body is a perovskite material such as barium titanate or lithium niobate.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser includes first and second laser cavities. The first and second cavities share a common optical gain medium and lase at different wavelengths.

Abstract: An electronic system for networking, switching or computing includes a backplane-based interconnection system (100). The system includes a backplane (102) with a plurality of traces coupled to slots for receiving circuit packs (104a-d). The backplane traces are configured to form point-to-point connections (106a-f) from one slot of the backplane to every other slot of the backplane. A hub circuit (110) is provided on each circuit pack for coupling the circuit pack to the point-to-point connections in the backplane. Circuit packs communicate via direct connections over the point-to-point connections or indirectly by sending traffic through point-to-point connections and hub circuits.

Abstract: A unique trace word is assigned to each incoming signal routed by a sliced switch fabric having two or more parallel switches. The unique trace word is encoded into each incoming signal following an overall format that ensures that each sliced trace word (i.e., the subset of bits in the overall format routed by each parallel switch) also uniquely identifies each incoming signal. In this way, the present invention ensures that the switch configuration of each and every parallel switch can always be verified. As such, any improper switch configuration can be detected, including those misconfigurations in which all but one of the parallel switches are correctly configured as well as those misconfigurations in which all of the parallel switches are identically, but incorrectly configured.

Abstract: Station apparatus used at a Local Serving Office (LSO) and at one or more stations reduces contention for communication access over time slots and/or wavelengths and/or fibers of an optical facility. The station apparatus enables Space-Wavelength-Time Division Multiple Access (SWT-DMA) communications using a combination of two or more different communication modes selected from a group including (1) a space division multiplexed access (SDMA) mode which selects a fiber(s) of the optical facility, (2) a wavelength division multiplexed access (WDMA) mode which selects a wavelength(s) on a fibers, and (3) a time division multiplexed access (TDMA) mode which selects time slot(s) of a wavelength. Communication mode selection may utilize (1) out-of-band signaling, (2) optical tag signaling, or (3) time marker signaling over a wavelength of one or more of the optical fibers.

Abstract: An encryption system for restricted-access television systems. Multiple decryption keys are used to decrypt encrypted material which is transmitted to customers of a restricted-access television system.

Abstract: A method for communicating from a source port (i) to a destination port (j) is employed within a switching system that has m ports, each of the ports being coupled to a local area network via a Hub. The connectivity between the inputs and outputs of the m ports forms a matrix of cross points having m rows and m columns. Each port has a transmit line coupled to a row of the matrix and a receive line coupled to a column of the matrix. A transmission operation from the source port (i) to the destination port (j) involves a first control circuit for unilaterally connecting the port (i) to the port (j), a second control circuit for unilaterally connecting the port (j) to the port (i). The method includes the use of a third control circuit, and a column control bus that couples the third control circuit to a plurality of control circuits including the second control circuit.

Abstract: An optical crossconnect constructed of micro -electromechanical systems (MEMS) tilt mirror arrays for selectively routing optical signals to optic fibers. The crossconnect includes a lens array for directing optical signals from a fiber array to the MEMS mirror array. Individual mirror elements in the mirror array reflect the optic signals to additional optic elements such as a planar mirror, a transmissive/reflective optical element or a second MEMS mirror array for routing the optical signals to output optic fibers.

Abstract: A system for data transmission and communication receives a plurality of Gigabit Ethernet data packets from multiple Gigabit Ethernet links. The system bit multiplexes the data packets, on a bit by bit basis, together onto a fiber optic link. At the output of the fiber optic link, the bits are demultiplexed into data packets and transmitted onto multiple Gigabit Ethernet links. The high speed fiber optic link transmits the data at higher speed than is possible over each individual Gigabit Ethernet link.

Abstract: Enhanced system operation is realized with a method, and apparatus for carrying out the method, which negotiates with a customer for a Quality-of-Service level that the customer gets in a connection for a price that the customer is willing to pay. The negotiation is repeated throughout the time the connection exists. In a cellular environment, the QoS is negotiated when a mobile unit initiates a call, at regular intervals during the call (when changes in traffic conditions call for a renegotiation), and when the mobile unit is handed off from one cell to another cell. To prepare for its end of the negotiations, the service provider collects information concerning the level at which its resources are being utilized and determines its ability to guarantee a particular QoS level. This information is continuously updated and combined with historical data to calculate price data.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a method for controlling the number of mobile-telephones transmitting acknowledgments to broadcast short messages (BSM) over a same set of random access channels at a same time. In this embodiment, the transmissions of BSM acknowledgments is controlled by the wireless communication system using random access channel restrictions and random access techniques. Specifically, the random access channel restrictions reduce collisions among acknowledging mobile-telephones and call processing mobile-telephones by allocating one or more specific random access channels over which a BSM acknowledgment can be transmitted, and the random access techniques reduce collisions among acknowledging mobile-telephones by distributing transmissions of the BSM acknowledgments over a period of time.

Abstract: A method is provided for monitoring the progress of a software upgrade or retrofit on a telecommunications switch (110). A report stream of text messages relating to the state of, and events occurring on, the telecommunications switch is received by a server (102). Predetermined messages are detected in the report stream, including messages indicating entry into a stage of the retrofit, exit from a stage of the retrofit, a failure of a stage of the retrofit, alarms and errors. The time spent in a stage of the retrofit is determined and compared against an expected time (206, 210, 212). A visual portion (300, 400) of a user interface on a client (104) is updated to reflect entry and exit from a stage of the retrofit, and whether the time spent in a stage exceeds an expected time. The user interface reflects occurrences of alarms and errors visually and in some cases audibly.

Abstract: A system for providing language translation services among a call taker at a call receiving station speaking a first language, a caller placing a request call from a call origin speaking a second language, and a translation service comprises: (a) a call distribution facility at the receiving station that transfers the call to a second-language call taker at the receiving station according to distribution rules; and (b) an information store coupled with the receiving station that contains information relating to selected call origins. The distribution rules are applied according to information received from the information store. The system may further comprise: (c) a translation agency remote from the receiving station that includes a second-language-proficient translator; and (d) a call-initiating facility at the receiving station for contacting the translation agency in selected circumstances.

Abstract: A tracking circuit fine tunes the sampling time to a resolution of ⅛ Tc, where Tc is a chip duration after the searcher circuit finds the timing to within 0.5 Tc. Depending on the prior art tracking circuit that is being used, the input signals are early and late sampled PN despread pilot symbols or early, late and ontime sampled PN despread pilot symbols. Early and late samples are plus or minus one tick or Tt (one tick is ⅛ Tc) away from the ontime samples. The basic principle is that if early and late samples have about the same energy, then the timing is correct. If not, then the sampling time is changed to obtain a balance. In this invention, improved performance of the prior art tracking circuit is obtained by using pilot estimation results, not ontime pilot symbols. In one embodiment, pilot estimation results are low pass filtered signals of ontime symbols which are normally generated upstream of the tracking circuit.

Abstract: An array of movable reflective elements provides wavelength independent performance in spectral equalizers and other optical devices. Each movable reflective element comprises a reflective plate that is suspended by rod-like supports that have a width of less than 2 microns and as small as about 0.25 to 0.35 microns. Semiconductor processing techniques are used to form the rod-like supports. An improved spectral equalizer incorporates the array of movable reflective elements, a controller, collimating/focusing optics and a diffraction element that optically communicate in a free-space optics arrangement.