Abstract: Multilink PPP is enhanced to provide for a more flexible quality of service (QoS) support in a wireless environment. In particular, multilink PPP is enhanced to enable a packet interface, or packet endpoint, to transmit a message to an opposite PPP peer, where the message identifies the number, and type, of classes on a particular PPP link. Two new messages are defined for use in the IP control protocol (IPCP) phase of a multilink PPP connection: a “non-Sharing QoS Negotiation” option message, and a “QoS-Enhanced Multilink Header Format” option message.

Abstract: A digital receiver for receiving an analog host signal with one or more digital sidebands includes a bandreject filter arranged at least in part in an intermediate frequency (IF) processing stage of the receiver. In an illustrative embodiment, first and second digital sidebands are transmitted on either side of a frequency modulated (FM) analog host signal in a hybrid in-band on-channel (HIBOC) digital audio broadcasting (DAB) system. The received composite signal is filtered in the IF processing stage of the receiver by the bandreject filter in order to substantially attenuate the analog host signal while passing the digital sidebands. The bandreject filter may be arranged in the IF processing stage so as to filter the analog host signal from the composite signal at a point prior to an input of an automatic gain control (AGC) circuit, such that the AGC operating point is determined primarily by the digital sidebands.

Abstract: A Message and communication system in a coupled data network is disclosed. The coupled data network includes a foreign network and a home network. The foreign network includes a foreign base station with a foreign access hub, the foreign access hub including a first serving inter-working function. The home network includes a first home inter-working function. A first mobile end system is a subscriber to the home network and operates within the foreign network. A first message is transportable between the first mobile end system and a first communications server through the first home inter-working function and through the first serving inter-working function of the foreign access hub in the foreign base station.

Abstract: A passive optical network is provided that integrates signals carrying broadcast CATV services into a FTTH/C network that also provides high-speed Internet access and telephony. Essentially all residential telecommunications services are provided in a single network, based on a single fiber and a single simple transceiver in an optical network unit. Multiple services (e.g., analog video, digital video, cable-modem based Internet access) are multiplexed using separate rf subcarriers (subcarrier multiplexing or SCM) and the delivered signals are compatible with existing consumer appliances (e.g., TVs, VCRs, cable modems, etc.).

Abstract: In a wireless communications service where the service area is divided into multiple cells, a common workstation (COWS) is connected to multiple cell workstations (CEWSs) in hierarchial relation to realize the service. The COWS performs call processing and other tasks common to all cells served by the CEWSs. The latter perform call setups, paging message distributions, and other cell specific operations. First and second central processing unit (CPU) overload control routines are run on the COWS and each CEWS, respectively, to manage their CPU loads. Specifically, different defense actions may be applied by the first and second routines to alleviate the CPU loads of the COWS and CEWS, respectively. These defense actions include COWS's dropping a fraction of paging messages to be processed thereby, and CEWS's dropping a fraction of paging messages, short message service (SMS) broadcast messages and radio frequency (RF) signal strength messages to be processed thereby.

Abstract: The secure management of encryption keys is obtained by preventing external access thereto and ensuring that the keys do not leave an encryption unit in their original form. This result is obtained via a facility which (a) generates a unique device encryption key and at least one program encryption key, (b) encrypts the program encryption key using the device encryption key, and (c) stores the result in local memory. Thereafter, responsive to receipt of an indication to encrypt data, the program encryption key is retrieved from memory and is decrypted using the unique device encryption key. The data is then encrypted using the decrypted program encryption key and the encrypted data is stored in a server for distribution to a user who enters a request for the data. When there is a need to transport the latter key to another element, then the program key is encrypted using a symmetrical encryption key that the facility shares with the other element and the result is supplied to that element.

Abstract: A method for data encapsulation in large scale legacy software code comprising the steps of: (a) generating a symbol table output from the legacy software code; (b) automatically scanning the symbol table to determine global variables therein; and (c) replacing the global variables with an object for use in one or more separate object instances.

Abstract: A method for managing a communications network comprising a plurality of nodes by representing the network as a plurality of areas comprising respective portions of the plurality of nodes, each of the areas coupled to at least one other area via a bridge comprising at least one communications link the representations used to provide imagery for a graphical user interface (GUI).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring optical power or insertion loss within an optical cross-connect system utilizing a plurality of parallel light beams sampled at switch fabric input and output portions via imaging devices.

Abstract: Robust, multi-faceted sub-word method for rapidly and reliably detecting a barge-in condition of a speaker talking while an automated audio prompt is being played. This sub-word method allows for rapid stopping of the prompt to improve automatic speech recognition and reduce speaker confusion and/or frustration. An automatic speech recognition system (ASR) that practices such a method is also presented.

Abstract: A receiver provides received analog signals to a plurality of channel branches, and on at least one of the channel branches, the frequency of the received analog signals is adjusted independent of the relative positions of the corresponding analog signals in the radio frequency (RF) spectrum. The analog signals on the channel branches are then combined, and the combined analog signals are converted into the digital domain. For example, the receiver comprises at least one antenna(s) which receives radio frequency (RF) analog signals. A channel branch arranger receives the analog RF signals from the antenna(s) and provides the RF analog signals to a plurality of channel branches.

Abstract: An adaptive endpointer system and method are used in speech recognition applications, such as telephone-based Internet browsers, to determine barge-in events during the processing of speech. The endpointer system includes a signal energy level estimator for estimating signal levels in speech data; a noise energy level estimator for estimating noise levels in the speech data; and a barge-in detector for increasing a threshold used in comparing the signal levels and the noise levels to detect the barge-in event in the speech data corresponding to a speech prompt during speech recognition.

Abstract: An apparatus, method and system are disclosed for providing call progress and status information for multiple leg telecommunication sessions, such as for flexible alerting, for intelligent network services. The preferred wireless system embodiment includes a home location register and a mobile switching center. The home location register stores a plurality of secondary directory numbers associated with a pilot directory number. The mobile switching center differentially processes and routes each outgoing call leg associated with each secondary directory number, to form a plurality of outgoing call legs. As the various outgoing call legs may be answered, not answered, released, have routing failures, or return busy signals, the mobile switching center generates corresponding call progress and status information.

Abstract: An arrangement having a service fiber and a protection fiber connected to different I/O modules that are connected to an ATM switch. The switching functions necessary for achieving protection are realized through cooperation between the CPUs on the I/O modules of the service and the protection lines and the ATM switch fabric. The line selected has its frame buffer open, while the line in the standby mode has its frame buffer closed. In the other direction, traffic is multi-cast onto both the service and the protection lines by the ATM processing unit. In this manner, the protection fiber always contains information, ready to be switched from standby mode into active mode.

Abstract: A hierarchial vector clock (HVC) providing a logical time system to a collection of distributed systems. HVC is not restricted to any fixed number of hierarchy levels and scals naturally when the number of levels increases. Unlike constant-size clocks, its storage and processing requirements grow gracefully at approximately a logarithmic rate with the number of distributed sites within the distributed system. HVC is well suited for modern, message-passing distributed systems which make use of highly hierarchical communication networks.

Abstract: A paging system in which a subscriber's telephone number is used as the PIN number to identify the subscriber's pager. When a caller places a call to the paging system, the caller enters the telephone number of the subscriber when prompted for a PIN. The paging system performs a database lookup to determine the address of the pager associated with the entered PIN. Alternatively, the entered PIN itself could be used as the address of the pager. Upon identification of the address of the pager, the paging system transmits a message including the address of the pager via radio transmission.

Abstract: In accordance with the invention, the component layer, the spacer and the actuator layer of a MEMs device are assembled at ambient temperature and held together in lateral alignment by upper and lower magnets. Such ambient temperature magnetic packaging greatly minimizes the undesirable exposure of the sensitive MEMs components to high temperatures. The resulting MEMs device exhibits the high dimensional accuracy and stability. In a preferred embodiment, the component layer comprises a layer of movable mirrors and a spacer aerodynamically and electrostatically isolates each mirror, minimizing cross-talk between adjacent mirrors.

Abstract: A wavelength slicer uses a waveguide grating router having a periodic arrangement of reflectors in the output circular boundary of the router, which causes each input signal to pass twice through the router. The slicer includes two interleaved sets of equally spaced reflectors. Each set is slightly displaced from the output curve, and their displacements are properly chosen so as to effectively produce a phase shift of &pgr;/2 between the reflected signals. The reflected signals again pass through the router to produce two separate signals, containing respectively the even and odd channels of the input signal. A second slicer embodiment is realized using two gratings that are coupled to elliptical and circular reflectors. A wavelength filter is realized by forming on the output curve a set of equally spaced reflectors with spacing equal to an integer fraction of the spacing of the images.

Abstract: An enhanced synchronization status messaging capability for synchronous networks is provided in a messaging format that is compatible with existing synchronization messaging standards. Additional messages, which are based on the same predefined code words used in existing synchronous status messages, are differentially coded and carried in available, but unused message positions, in the existing messaging scheme. In one illustrative embodiment, a two part message format is used for carrying information between network elements and between a network element and a co-located BITS clock in-a synchronous network. A first part of the message format carries the traditional quality level information of synchronization references using the set of code words predefined in the applicable standards. For example, the quality information of a synchronization reference is conveyed using 7 out of 10 “like” messages selected from the group of predefined code words set forth in the standards.

Abstract: A system and method for performing dynamic load balancing during system operation between a pair of APs (AP pair) serving at least one cell in common. A first RCS instance runs as an active RCS instance on one member of the AP pair and a second RCS instance runs as a standby RCS instance on the other member of the AP pair. The first RCS instance is redesignated as a standby RCS instance for the cell and the second RCS instance is redesignated as an active RCS instance for the cell. Active message processing is then transferred from the first RCS instance to the second RCS instance during network operation and without service interruption to the cell.