Abstract: In one aspect of the invention, an automated system for managing a virtual private network comprises one or more processing devices operative to: (i) generate a service order based on a request from a user for at least one of a new service, a modification of an existing service and a termination of an existing service associated with the virtual private network; (ii) cause a determination of design requirements associated with implementing the user's request; (iii) cause provisioning of one or more virtual private network elements, when necessary, to implement the design requirements; (iv) cause the virtual private network to be configured to satisfy one or more conditions associated with the user's request; and (v) cause at least a portion of the virtual private network to be tested to determine whether the user's request has been satisfied; and a memory, coupled to the one or more processing devices, which stores at least a portion of data associated with the generating, design, provisioning,

Abstract: A system and method enabling a remote customer station (server, CPE or end user) to control, or modify, selected functional capabilities of a telephone switch via control messages sent after cell setup and during the course of a data stream. The customer station receives back from the telephone switch indications of modifications in status of the switch occurring in response to the control messages. The functional capabilities which may be modified include both software and hardware configurations of the telephone switch.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing unified conferencing services in a telecommunications system is described. A DSP chip in the system contains an internal CPU and on-chip memory storage device. The CPU is programmed such that when a conference has been established, the time slots or channels of PCM information are collected and stored. Channels are sub-sampled at a pre-determined optimal time interval. The energy for each sub-sample, which is a mathematical summation over time utilizing a sum of squares equation, is calculated for each channel. These calculated energies are stored in an associated array. The energies are surveyed to select the N loudest channels. The input signals (the voice information) for those N loudest channels are used to form the conference. More specifically, the sum of the N loudest channels is generated. This sum forms the basis for a broadcast output.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for performance testing of an analog cordless telephone are addressed herein. A telephone base station is connected to a test controller which directs the base station to initiate a test. The test controller signals the telephone handset to transmit a plurality of test packets to the base station, each test packet being similar to an opcode used in signaling between the handset and the base station. For each test packet received, the base station passes a signal to the test controller. The test controller computes an error rate based on a difference between the number or packets received and the number of packets expected and computes communication performance between the handset and the base station based on the error rate.

Abstract: A method for predicting the percentage of real-time a processor in a base station is being utilized (i.e., processor occupancy) based only on calling rates, given measured call control event (i.e., origination, termination, handoff, paging, registration, and locate rates) data for the base station. Constant ratios between the various call control events and the calling rates (e.g., originations+terminations) are determined for the base station. Given the actual time spent by the processor on each type of call control event and the constant ratios, the processor occupancy is accurately predicted using call originations+terminations or call origination rates as variables. The processor occupancy may be fixed at some value (e.g., 90%) and the calling capacity of the base station (i.e., the total number of call originations and terminations which will result in such processor occupancy) is determined from the determined relationship between processor occupancy and calling rates.

Abstract: A hot-electron bolometric mixer/detector, which uses the nonlinearities of the heated two-dimensional electron gas medium, is described. Electrons in the illustrative embodiment of the present invention are “velocity-cooled” rather than “diffusion-cooled” or “phonon-cooled” like hot-electron bolometric mixer/detectors in the prior art. The illustrative embodiment is velocity-cooled when the elastic mean-free path of the electrons is greater than the channel length, L, of the mixer/detector. In this case, the motion of the hot electrons is more accurately modeled by their speed rather than in accordance with diffusion models. This leads to a mixer/detector with a wider modulation bandwidth at a lower power than is exhibited by mixer/detectors in the prior art.

Abstract: A network architecture comprised of nodes and a transport network capable of recovering from failures within the network. The network architecture incorporates select functions into the nodes for managing the data flow between individual edge routers and their connection through core routers to the transport network. The select function allows an individual node to recover independently without signaling other nodes over the transport network. Utilizing the select function, the failure of a single core router can be recovered locally without recovery signaling over the transport network.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an object and one or more sensors located adjacent to or in the object. The object is formed of a material whose dielectric constant or magnetic permeability has a negative real part at microwave-frequencies. The one or more sensors are located adjacent to or in the object and measure an intensity of an electric or a magnetic field therein.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for estimating the initial power level and transmission rate of a burst on a secondary channel when the secondary channel is on fewer legs of a handoff, such as a soft or softer handoff, than the primary channel. In accordance with the present invention, the initial power level of the burst transmitted over a current secondary channel on a particular leg(s) is a function of a power level of a previous burst transmitted over a previous secondary channel on the identical leg(s) as the current secondary channel. For example, the initial power level of the burst can be based on the power level at the end of the previous burst shortly prior to the termination of the previous burst, where the termination of the previous burst was within a predetermined time interval of the start of the burst.

Abstract: An IP sub-network includes a gateway and a plurality of sub-network processors in communication with the gateway. An IP address is associated with each sub-network processor, the IP address having a sub-network address portion corresponding to the sub-network and a host address portion corresponding to the sub-network processor. Each sub-network processor generates a transaction identifier for each signaling message that is communicated by the gateway to the signaling network. The transaction identifier is based on the IP address and can be generated by separating the sub-network address portion of the IP address and concatenating the host address portion with a numerical value, which corresponds to a predetermined, non-random ordering scheme. A signaling message can be routed to a sub-network processor by concatenating the sub-network address portion with the host address portion used as part of the transaction identifier.

Abstract: Techniques for fast and robust data object classifier training are described. A process of classifier training creates a set of Gaussian mixture models, one model for each class to which data objects are to be assigned. Initial estimates of model parameters are made using training data. The model parameters are then optimized to maximize an aggregate a posteriori probability that data objects in the set of training data will be correctly classified. Optimization of parameters for each model is performed through the process of a number of iterations in which the closed form solutions are computed for the model parameters of each model, the model performance is tested to determine if the newly computed parameters improve the model performance and the model is updated with the newly computed parameters if performance has improved. At each new iteration, the parameters computed in the previous iteration are used as initial estimates.

Abstract: In the method, scheduling of a plurality of users for receiving transmitted data is prioritized within a communications system. A next data transmission among the plurality of users is allocated based on the prioritized scheduling.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for optical performance monitoring that provides for multi-rate and multi-protocol monitoring includes, identifying a protocol associated with each of a plurality of communication signals using respective data rates extracted therefrom, determining, for each of the plurality of communication signals, a respective bit-error rate (BER), and generating an alarm indicative of BER excursions beyond a protocol appropriate BER threshold level

Abstract: A method, architecture and service of providing a multiple tiered pricing structure for providing a first service level to priority traffic where the priority traffic is protected via a 1:1 protection system, and a second service level for non-priority or extra traffic, wherein the extra traffic is normally propagated via the protection path, and is protected using a mesh restoration technique in the event of failure of the protection path or use of the protection path by the priority traffic.

Abstract: An apparatus and technique to allow internal bus activity of a system on a chip to be monitored external to the integrated circuit, but without requiring additional external pins. A snooping pass through device on the internal bus, e.g., a snooping external memory interface (EMI) includes operability to directly pass through activity on the internal bus to the external memory bus. One or more snoop cycles are inserted into a memory access of an internal bus of a system on a chip. The snooping pass through device preferably includes an external bus already having pins routed external to the integrated circuit. The external bus leading from the snooping pass through device (e.g., from the EMI) may be multiplexed for use both for its otherwise conventional function while not in a snoop cycle, and for use in directly observing activity on the internal bus when during a snoop cycle. Additional signals may be multiplexed into the EMI for pass through during snoop cycles.

Abstract: A thermo-optic interferometer switch is arranged to operate in a Push-pull mode by placing approximately a quarter-wavelength effective path-length difference (90 degree bias) between the arms of an interferometer switch in the zero-drive state, and then driving one arm to activate the switch to one state (e.g., the bar state), and driving the other arm to go to the other state (e.g. the cross state).

Abstract: The invention involves providing a microstructured fiber having a core region, a cladding region, and one or more axially oriented elements (e.g., capillary air holes) in the cladding region. A portion of the microstructured fiber is then treated, e.g., by heating and stretching the fiber, such that at least one feature of the fiber microstructure is modified along the propagation direction, e.g., the outer diameter of the fiber gets smaller, the axially oriented elements get smaller, or the axially oriented elements collapse. The treatment is selected to provide a resultant fiber length that exhibits particular properties, e.g., mode contraction leading to soliton generation, or mode expansion. Advantageously, the overall fiber length is designed to readily couple to a standard transmission fiber, i.e., the core sizes at the ends of the length are similar to a standard fiber, which allows efficient coupling of light into the microstructured fiber length.

Abstract: A free space optical communication system is disclosed whereby a transmit telescope and a receive telescope are aligned such that the point of maximum power of the received light beam is incident upon the optical fiber located at a specific point on the focal plane of the receive telescope. Such incidence is achieved by causing the transmitted beam to diverge by moving the transmit optical fiber to a point in front of the focal plane of the transmit telescope until at least a portion of the beam is incident upon the receive optical fiber. The transmit telescope and/or the receive telescope (or, alternatively, only the respective optical fibers of those telescopes) are then moved such that the point of maximum received power for that degree of divergence is incident upon the receive optical fiber.

Abstract: A programmable optical demultiplexer can independently assign every input optical channel in a WDM optical communications signal to depart from any desired output port. The demultiplexer device can also be operated in the reverse direction, and thus achieve programmable optical multiplexer functionality, by accepting different wavelengths at each of multiple input ports and efficiently combining the wavelength channels at the multiplexer output port. The programmable multiplexer/demultiplexer device has an optical arrangement for spatially dispersing the optical wavelengths, and tunable micro-mirrors for beam steering each channel independently. Controlling the beam reflection direction determines the connectivity between the input and output ports at the wavelength level.

Abstract: A method for transferring an inked feature pattern from a stamp to a substrate is disclosed wherein the stamp and/or substrate is flexed into a cylindrical or approximately cylindrical surface before being contacted with each other. The stamp and substrate are contacted and at least one line of contact is advanced across the surface of the stamp in order to transfer the feature pattern from the stamp to the substrate.