Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling the timing of control bursts in a wireless communications network maps the timing of control bursts on a multiframe by multiframe basis. In one implementation, a method of controlling base station transmissions in a wireless network in accordance with a multi-frame timing structure is provided. The method is defined as a succession of y frames, each frame including a succession of x time-slots, and includes allocating a frame/time-slot number pair to set the timing of a first-type control burst for a first multi-frame, and changing at least one of the (i) frame number and (ii) frame number and time-slot number of the frame/time-slot number pair for a second multi-frame so that the timing of the first-type control burst is different during the second multi-frame relative to the first multi-frame.

Abstract: A packaging system includes a medium which transports energy in a first form away from a radiation point in a device to where the energy can be converted to a second form without damaging the device or effecting other devices. In certain embodiments, the medium can inhibit the propagation of energy in the second form. For example, in an optical coupling device, the medium includes a substrate adjacent to the radiation point which transports light energy away from the radiation point to a housing which converts the light energy into thermal energy away from the radiation point. In accordance with another aspect, the packaging system suspends at least a portion of the device, for example, to protect the device against a third form of energy. For example, in the optical coupling device, the medium includes an air gap which separates the radiation point from the substrate to suspend at least a portion of the device.

Abstract: The present invention provides an efficient mix network in which an initial list of encrypted inputs is duplicated to provide a plurality of list copies. Each list copy is then subjected to a chain of re-encryptions performed by a plurality of mix servers. There are a plurality of chains, one chain for each list copy. The final output of each chain of re-encryptions is sorted so that the outputs can be compared with one another. The outputs of each chains can be sorted using tag lists. The outputs can be compared with one another by applying difference or relative re-encryption factors. If the outputs are the same (after sorting) then further computations can be conducted. If not then one of the mix servers has cheated. A signed signal of acceptability is produced by a sorting and comparison module.

Abstract: A method and system for monitoring the traffic carrier performance of a CDMA carrier in a mobile communication system are provided. The method and system assign a preferred traffic carrier to each mobile station. During a drive-test, the preferred traffic carrier is assigned to the respective mobile station either originating or receiving a call. In the event of a dropped call, the system attempts to re-establish the call on the preferred traffic carrier to provide continuous monitoring on the same traffic carrier when the call is retried. If the preferred traffic carrier is not available when the BSC or base station assigns a traffic carrier, an alternate traffic carrier can be assigned at the call setup. After the call setup procedure is completed, a handoff procedure is initiated to transfer the call from the alternate traffic carrier to the preferred traffic carrier after a predetermined time if the preferred traffic carrier is available.

Abstract: On a transaction network that supports short-duration electronic transactions within multiple service classes between input terminals and host processors, such as for credit card purchases, a network anomaly detector monitors the network to determine a potential fault either on or off the network before an actual network failure occurs. The network anomaly detector is provided with current transaction data for ongoing transactions, which data for each transaction includes the service class of the transaction, the start time of the transaction and the duration of the transaction. The current transaction data is converted to a traffic intensity, which provides a temporal measure of the traffic on the network within each predetermined binning interval for each service class.

Abstract: The specification describes techniques for applying under bump metallization (UBM) for solder bump interconnections on IC chips with Al bonding sites. The UBM of the invention comprises a copper layer applied directly to the aluminum bonding sites. Reliable bonds are obtained if the Al surface is a nascent surface. Such a surface can be provided by back sputtering an aluminum bonding site, or by a freshly sputtered aluminum layer. The copper layer is deposited on the nascent aluminum surface in e.g. a cluster tool without breaking vacuum. The UBM can be patterned using subtractive techniques.

Abstract: The design of data network apparatus on an ASIC is enhanced using a parity bit extraction circuit and a parity bit insertion circuit which do such extraction and insertion using a single clock signal and without converting the incoming parallel data stream into a serial data stream.

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 electrolytes, 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: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for providing access priority in a MAC protocol of a communications system such as, for example, with respect to UMTS RACH. Particularly, the invention introduces several access priority methodologies including: (i) random chip delay access priority (RCDAP); (ii) random backoff based access priority (RBBAP); (iii) variable logical channel based access priority (VLCAP); (iv) UMTS-specific variable logical channel based access priority (VLCAP′); (v) probability based access priority (PBAP); and (vi) retransmission based access priority (REBAP). Each methodology associates some parameter or parameters to access priority classes in order to influence the likelihood of a remote terminal completing a successful access request to a base station.

Abstract: A packet network employs routers that determine network routing based on quality of service (QoS) provisioning parameters and network topology information. QoS provisioning parameters are provided to each router from a network management database, and the network topology information is determined from a link state database of the router. The link state database may include network topology information collected by the router in accordance with the open shortest path protocol (OSPF). A network link, router, or other node failure initiates a new path-selection process. First, a temporary set of provisioning entries may be determined with a shortest path first (SPF) routing method. Then, the network packet flows may be classified into packet flows, real-time and non-real-time, and then as packet flows that require reserved bandwidth or that may be multiplexed.

Abstract: In an optical telecommunications network in accordance with the principles of the present invention, a link connection undergoes an automatic port recognition process, whereby the port binding information for the link is detected, recorded and shared with the network elements connected by the link, before the link is used to transmit bearer traffic. One of a group of optical network elements that communicate through an out of band channel, such as a LAN, is “elected” a network element leader. After election, the leader network element coordinates the port discovery process; requests for port “recognition”, responses to requests, and other messages are passed through the network element leader on the out of band channel from one non-leader network element to another.

Abstract: A filtering system for eliminating dispersion caused by filtering an optical signal with a birefringent filter. Dispersion is eliminated by causing each signal to be passed twice through a birefringent filter. Dispersion created by the first pass is canceled out by dispersion created in the second pass. The same filter may be used for both passes with a polarization rotation applied between the two passes. Specifically, the first pass produces dispersion defined by transmission coefficients C and D. Because of the polarization rotation, the second pass creates dispersion defined by the complex conjugates of transmission coefficients C and D, which cancel out dispersion caused by the first pass. Mathematically, each transmission coefficient of the first pass is multiplied by its complex conjugate of the second pass, and the resulting transmission coefficients |C|2, |D|2 are entirely free of dispersion caused by the filter.

Abstract: Soft handoffs in an IS-95 CDMA system or other wireless communication system are controlled using an enhanced set of soft handoff parameters which allow the system to adapt more readily to changing radio frequency (RF) conditions. In an illustrative embodiment, values for particular ones of the soft handoff parameters are selected in accordance with a set of rules, including rules such as, e.g., select the minimum value of add threshold among the members of an active set of pilots for a given mobile station; select the maximum value of drop threshold among the members of the active set; select the minimum value of drop threshold timer among the members of the active set; and select the minimum value of comparison threshold among the members of the active set. A quality measure is then determined for each of the members of the active set, based on one or more of the selected soft handoff parameter values and values of one or more additional parameters, e.g.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for enhancing diversity gain without reducing data rate by increasing the number of antenna elements and configuring the antenna elements for improving signal-to-noise ratio at a receiver. The antenna array comprise a first antenna group with at least two antenna elements and a second antenna group with at least one antenna element. The first and second antenna groups are spaced approximately ten carrier wavelengths or more apart from each other, and the antenna elements belonging to the first antenna group are spaced approximately a half carrier wavelength or less apart from each other. A plurality of data streams is generated from a signal and used to produce a first and second plurality of representative data streams. Each of the first plurality of representative data streams is phase-shifted and encoded using different orthogonal codes.

Abstract: Paging areas aligned with wireless terminals are dynamically created. A first base station passes to the wireless terminal a list of all the base stations that it knows and are within a prescribed number of handoffs of the first base station. The wireless terminal uses this list to define its own “personal” paging area. Each time the wireless terminal emerges from a sleep state, it listens for the base station having the best signal and compares its identification against the list of base stations in its personal paging area. If the best signal base station is on the list, any paging messages for the wireless terminal are automatically broadcast by that base station. Otherwise, the wireless terminal must conduct a handoff to that base station to obtain a new personal paging area centered on that base station with that base station as paging agent. Messages originating elsewhere in the network are forwarded to the paging agent for delivery to the wireless terminal.

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: A lattice-structured multiple description vector quantization (LSMDVQ) encoder generates M descriptions of a signal to be encoded, each of the descriptions being transmittable over a corresponding one of M channels. The encoder is configured based at least in part on a distortion measure which is a function of a central distortion and at least one side distortion. For example, if M=2, the distortion measure may be an average mean-squared error (AMSE) function of the form ƒ(D0, D1, D2), where D0 is a central distortion resulting from reconstruction based on receipt of both a first and a second description, and D1 and D2 are side distortions resulting from reconstruction using only a first description and a second description, respectively. Further performance improvements may be obtained through perturbation of the lattice points.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for providing a multiple access isochronous network that is capable of accommodating isochronous and asynchronous traffic. In accordance with the present invention, a non-zero thresholding mechanism is utilized at the receivers of the receiver/transmitter pairs communicating over the network to determine whether a given sub-channel is idle, or whether the receive buffer of a receiver operating in the receive mode is to be updated with a binary 0 or a binary 1. Utilizing the non-zero thresholding mechanism allows for the possibility that nothing is being sent over a particular sub-channel during one or more symbol periods. Utilizing the non-zero thresholding mechanism enables asynchronous and isochronous transport to occur on an isochronous framework without the need for stuffing bits onto the channel. Signals received over a sub-channel are demodulated and correlated to generate correlation results.

Abstract: In all wireless systems, the first operation that must take place at the receiver is the acquisition of the carrier and timing. OFDM systems are particularly sensitive to carrier offsets since these can introduce inter-carrier interference and loss of signal power. An algorithm, termed modulo-sub-carrier (ModSC), which can estimate the local oscillator offset in a fast and efficient manner has been devised. The carrier offset can be brought to within one half the carrier spacing within 1 to 10 OFDM symbols. By inserting a null in the center carrier, carrier acquisition can be easily accomplished by locating this null in the FFT bins at the receiver. The offset of this null from the designed position indicates the local oscillator offset in units of number of sub-carriers. An additional carrier tracking algorithm is used to estimate the offset within one half the inter-carrier spacing. Together, the ModSC and carrier tracking algorithms completely estimate the local oscillator offset.

Abstract: A new type of multimode fiber is provided, capable of being constructed without the need for chemical doping. The fiber contains a core region comprising a first material and one or more axially oriented elements disposed in the first material. The axially oriented elements (which typically extend throughout the length of the fiber) are configured to provide a graded effective refractive index profile or to provide more focused interaction with selected modes. The fiber further contains a cladding region surrounding the core region, where the cladding region exhibits a refractive index less than the effective refractive index of the portion of the core immediately adjacent the cladding region, i.e., there exists an index step at the core/cladding interface.