Abstract: The specification describes electrical testing strategies for multi-chip modules (MCMs). The MCMs are fabricated on double sided substrates, which are then solder bump bonded to a motherboard to form a BGA package. Untested chips are attached permanently to one side of the substrate to form a partially completed MCM package (PCMP), and the PCMPs are tested. PCMPs that pass are then completed by assembling known good die on the other side of the substrate.

Abstract: There is disclosed a network architecture comprising a first set of N serially connected power splitting centers connected at one end to receive a power signal and at another end to a termination point, each splitting center having an output associated with a sub-network for delivering a portion of the power signal to that sub-network, wherein the power splitting factor in each power splitting center is variable such that the portion of the power signal delivered to each sub-network is variable. The invention is described with particular relation to a double fiber ring optical network.

Abstract: A number of protocols are disclosed for providing simplified security for a series of low-cost transactions carried out between a client and a server within an on-going client-server relationship. A key establishment protocol is used to generate a shared key which will be used by the client and server for the series of transactions. The client generates the shared key as a function of a client identifier, a server identifier and secret client information, encrypts the shared key using a public key of the server, and sends the encrypted shared key to the server. The server responds by incorporating server information into a response which is encrypted using the shared key and sent to the client. The client decrypts the response, verifies that the server has accepted the shared key, and then sends additional client information, such as a credit card number, to the server, using the shared key for encryption. The client may then use the shared key in a series of subsequent transactions with the server.

Abstract: Unequal channel error protection is provided for a bit stream, e.g., a progressive source coded bit stream, by puncturing of a channel code. The channel code has a specified rate associated with a corresponding level of error protection, and is used to code a first portion of the bit stream. The channel code is subsequently punctured for at least a second portion of the bit stream so as to provide a rate higher than that of the designated rate. Commencement of the puncturing is deliberately delayed by an amount determined based at least in part on a memory of the channel code. Advantageously, the delay prevents propagation of errors in a channel decoder used to decode the channel coded bit stream. The progressive bit stream may be a progressive source coded video or audio bit stream, any other type of progressive information bit stream, or a partitioned source coded bit stream.

Abstract: A method of insuring the accuracy of transmitted or stored digital data involves the use of a cyclical redundancy check (CRC) code. The method is particularly useful for ensuring the accuracy of frames transmitted between multi-mode vocoders. The method allows a different CRC code to be used for each mode of a transmitting multi-mode vocoder. A receiving multi-mode vocoder checks the CRC code against the CRC coding formulas of the various modes. If the CRC code is satisfied under any one of the modes, the frame is labeled as “good”. If the CRC code fails under all the modes, the frame is labeled as “bad”. If the bit frame includes bits for indicating the mode of the transmitting multi-mode vocoder, the receiving multi-mode vocoder checks the CRC code against the CRC coding formula for the indicated mode only. If the CRC code passes for the indicated mode, the frame is labeled as “good”, otherwise, the frame is labeled as “bad”.

Abstract: This invention presents a new “Hit-or-Jump” system and method for embedded testing of components of communication systems that can be modeled by communicating extended finite state machines. It constructs test sequences efficiently with a high fault coverage. It does not have state space explosion, as is often encountered in exhaustive search, and it quickly covers the system components under test without being “trapped”, as is experienced by random walks. The algorithm has been implemented and applied to embedded testing of telephone services in an IN architecture, including the Basic Call Service (ECS) as well as other supplementary services.

Abstract: Platform and/or application software on all online, machine/servers in a cluster is updated without manually taking each machine/server offline. Initially, platform and/or application software for updating is stored in respective directories in an APPLY phase. Next, the new platform and/or application software is activated with or without a trial/test phase in an ACTIVATE phase. Where the new platform and/or application software is activated with a trial/test phase, a ROLLBACK phase is either automatically or manually invoked by the application in the event of a failure of the new software for backing out the new platform and/or application software and reactivating the previous platform and/or application software. An OFFICLAL phase then transitions the new platform and/or application software to the official state followed by a REACTIVATE phase for reactivating the backup copy of the previous/old platform and/or application software after the new software has been made official.

Abstract: A system and method for determining whether a set of message sequence charts (MSCs) is realizable or safely realizable in an implementation is provided. The determination is made by analyzing the set of MSCs for the existence of unspecified, implied MSCs. If the set of MSCs can be realized in a deadlock-free automaton, then the set of MSCs is safely realizable. If the set of MSCs is realizable (no implied MSCs exist), a state machine can be synthesized from the set of MSCs. If the set of MSCs is not realizable, then implied, unspecified (partial) MSCs are produced. Also, given an undesirable MSC, the system determines whether the set of required MSCs implies the given undesired MSC.

Abstract: A system for, and method of, filtering an XML document with XPath expressions and a selective data dissemination system incorporating the system or the method. In one embodiment, the filtering system includes: (1) a tree builder that builds a document data tree for the XML document and an XPath expression tree based on substrings in the XPath expressions and (2) a tree prober, associated with the tree builder, that employs the XPath expression tree to probe the document data tree and obtain matches with the substrings.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical waveguide device, a method for manufacturing an optical waveguide device, and a method for manufacturing an optical communications device. In an advantageous embodiment, the optical waveguide device includes a contrasting material located within an optical substrate. The contrasting material, thus, forms at least a portion of the optical core.

Abstract: A quantum cryptographic receiver, a method of achieving unambiguous state discrimination measurement of a coherent light state and a quantum cryptographic system incorporating the quantum cryptographic receiver or the method. In one embodiment, the quantum cryptographic receiver includes: (1) a beamsplitter that receives an incoming coherent state from a sender and splits the incoming coherent state into at least first and second separate coherent states and (2) at least one photodetector, associated with the beamsplitter, that is positionable with respect to the first and second separate coherent states to detect a presence of a photon therein at a particular phase, the presence revealing information originated by the sender.

Abstract: For use with a user communication device (UCD) that communicates over a packet network by alternately transmitting and receiving streams of associated continuous media communication data packets, systems and methods for providing call processing features, such as call forwarding and call blocking, to the communication device. In one advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the call processing system: (1) determines that a call composed of a stream of continuous media communication packets and associated with the UCD requires a specified alternative processing and (2) causes the continuous media communication data packets associated with the call to be processed in accordance with the specified alternative processing.

Abstract: For use in a wireless communication network that includes a transmitter having a multi-element transmit antenna array, an information hiding system and a method of hiding information. In one embodiment, the information hiding system includes an information spreading subsystem that is configured to scramble the information across the multi-element transmit antenna array. The information hiding system further includes a coherence modification subsystem that is configured to reduce channel coherence randomly during transmission of the scrambled information via the multi-element transmit antenna array. By hiding the information, the information hiding system advantageously reduces an unauthorized eavesdropper's ability to determine the contents of the transmitted information.

Abstract: Methods of a reducing the complexity of Trellis-Based Scalar-Vector Quantizer (TB-SVQ) includes the initial step of defining an unbounded set of reproduction symbols in which neighboring symbols are distanced from each other by a predetermined factor. The set of the representation symbols is grouped into a region and a norm value is assigned to the region. A threshold value for the norm is then determined and the region is bound to an element in the region with respect to the norm of the region. A region parameter is then determined as a function of the norm of the region to minimize the shape gain of the region and to thereby reduce the complexity of the TB-SVQ for the source and optimally shape a constellation associated with the region. The inventive methods achieve a shaping gain of substantially 1.53 dB which is the theoretical limit of shaping gain. Thus, these methods optimally shape the constellation and achieve highly efficient data transmission.

Abstract: Techniques for predicting RF signal propagation in indoor environments are disclosed. A typical technique comprises six distinct phases. In one phase, the mean wall separation, {overscore (d)}, of one floor of a building is estimated. In a second phase, a reflection coefficient, s, is estimated for the floor in general. In a third phase, a number of trial RF propagation measurements are made to gather empirical data about the RF propagation characteristics of the floor.

Abstract: A hardware configuration, a general packet radio services support node (GSN) and method for implementing general packet radio services over a global system for mobile communications network is provided. The hardware configuration comprises a plurality of electronic boards which provide the GPRS functionality. An internal bus, preferably CPCI, provides intra-configuration communications while a ATM bus provides communications to an external circuit. The GSN comprises a single board computer for providing general packet radio services functionality which is required for each call being serviced and a line card processor for providing general packet radio services functionality which is required for each packet being serviced. The GSN may function as a SGSN, GGSN or both.

Abstract: A method for assigning a color symbol to an image pixel comprises selecting a luminance value from a discrete set of quantized luminance values; selecting a chrominance value from an ordered discrete set of quantized chrominance values; and composing a color symbol from an index of the selected luminance value and an index of an ordinal position of the selected chrominance value. In particular embodiments of the invention, each discrete chrominance value is selected from a Fibonacci lattice on a constant-luminance plane in a perceptually uniform color space such as Lab or Luv.

Abstract: An internetworking device having a set of network interface cards, where each network interface card is able to address and send data to any of the other network interface cards. According to one embodiment, when one of the network interface cards receives a network layer packet that should be forwarded to another one of the network interface cards, a process running on the network interface card that received the network layer packet determines a destination address of the network layer packet and determines whether the destination address matches a network layer address of the internetworking device. If the destination address does not match a network layer address of the internetworking device, the process further determines, based on the destination address of the network layer packet, the network interface card to which the network layer packet should be forwarded.

Abstract: A receiver receives analog signals at radio frequency (RF), and the RF analog signals are converted into the digital domain. As such, the receiver does not require frequency conversion stage(s) prior to analog to digital conversion. For example, the receiver can comprise at least one antenna(s) which receives radio frequency (RF) analog signals at different frequency bands. The analog RF signals are provided to a single analog to digital (A/D) converter, and the A/D converter converts the analog RF signals at the different frequency bands into digital signals within the Nyquist bandwidth. By properly selecting the sampling rate of the A/D converter for the RF analog signals, the A/D converter can produce replicas of the different frequency bands of the analog signals in non-overlapping portions of the Nyquist bandwidth.

Abstract: An electrical connecting element is disclosed comprised of a dielectric substrate having two conductor paths disposed on opposite sides and being substantially aligned with one another. The electrical connecting element employs differential-mode signaling such that the first conductor path carries a signal of opposite polarity to the second conductor path. A virtual ground exists between the differential + and − lines that permits an otherwise “groundless” differential transmission line. The substantial alignment of the first and second conductor paths improves the space constraints, relative to conventional electrical connecting elements. The characteristic impedance of the disclosed differential transmission line depends on the width of the trace lines the thickness of the dielectric substrate.