Abstract: A method for preventing overload conditions in a communication system. The communication system performs a call load analysis and admits a subscriber requesting admission (or responding to a page) to the system based on the result of the call load analysis. The call load analysis is based on the signal to noise power ratios of all subscribers already admitted to the communication system. External jammer signals that interfere with subscriber signals thus reducing the coverage of the communication system do not affect the call load analysis. The jammer signals therefore, do not hinder an efficient use of the capacity of the communication system. A threshold value is established and such threshold value is compared to an average call load value calculated from a plurality of instantaneous call load values.

Abstract: A dilated N×N optical cross-connect switch suitable for large N exhibits good efficiency (element count) without a significant increase in and reduced small depth (low loss) and crosstalk. The present arrangement consists of six levels of binary trees of 1×2 and 2×1 elements. The first two levels form the input stage, the third and fourth levels form the center stage, and the fifth and sixth levels form the output stage. In each of the input, center, and output stages, the odd number level is formed as a binary tree of 1×2 elements and the even numbered level is formed as a binary tree of 2×1 elements. Each stage is formed by directly joining together the 1×2 element binary tree with the 2×1 element binary tree. In one embodiment, depth is substantially reduced by using a symmetric arrangement of one or more 2×2 elements located in the vicinity of each junction between adjacent stages.

Abstract: A terrestrial wireless telecommunication system is disclosed that uses an electronic scanning antenna to rotate a beam that carries communication messages between a base station and a plurality of wireless terminals. A base station transmitter transmits the communication messages to each wireless terminal, via the electronic scanning antenna, in a time-division multiplexed (“TDM”) data stream that is synchronized with the rotation of the beam, and a base station receiver receives the communication messages from each wireless terminal in a time-division multiple access (“TDMA”) data stream that is also synchronized with the rotation of the beam.

Abstract: A fault monitoring, performance monitoring and fault tolerance apparatus and method for target target application programs is realized in an application supervisor by employing a supervisor agent, modified application programming interfaces (APIs), a generic application wrapper and a shell script that operate interactively to detect and automatically resolve reliability and performance problems occurring in executing the target application program. This is realized, in accordance with the invention, without the need to access, modify or have knowledge of the source code of the target application program to be supervised. In a specific embodiment of the invention, Java™ programming language target application programs are supervised. This is realized by employing the supervisor agent that attaches to a Java virtual machine through two virtual machine native interfaces. One interface is the Java Virtual Machine Profiler Interface (JVMPI) and the other is the Java Native Interface (JNI).

Abstract: In accordance with the invention, a modulated RZ pulse source comprises a modulated light source optically coupled to a stabilized Bragg grating filter and one or more optical taps. The light source is preferably modulated in power and frequency and has an adjustable channel wavelength &lgr;. The Bragg grating filter has a reflectivity bandwidth having a high slope reflectivity cutoff and is preferably tunable. A feedback arrangement responsive to the taps keeps the source channel wavelength &lgr; on the edge of the reflectivity bandwidth for shaping RZ pulses. When the Bragg grating is stabilized, the feedback system maintains &lgr; at a value linked to the grating reflectivity edge and, by overlapping at least part of the optical spectrum of the source, converts the modulated source light into RZ pulses with high extinction ratio (≧12 dB). The result is a high power, jitter-free RZ pulse source that is compact, inexpensive and power efficient.

Abstract: A system and method of performing financial management tracking comprising entering, on a mobile control device, data associated with a financial transaction; storing said entered financial transaction data in a database within said mobile control device; periodically synchronizing said mobile control device database with a base station database via a communications link such that budgetary and financial transaction data is update. In one embodiment of the invention, each member of a household utilizes a separate mobile control device, each of the mobile control devices is synchronized with the base device such that all mobile control devices are synchronized with each other.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for communicating between Customer Premises Equipment, (CPE) alarm sensing devices, and alarm monitoring stations. The sensing devices communicate with an end office switch by transmitting a message, such as a string of Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency, (DTMF) digits to that switch. At the switch, the message is processed and a determination is made which of a plurality of alarm monitoring stations should receive the alarm indication. One or more data packets are sent to the selected alarm monitoring stations with the packets identifying the source of the alarm indication, and the type of alarm indication. Advantageously, the packetized communication between the end office switch and the alarm monitoring system allows a high volume of alarm indications to be sent to an alarm monitoring station, because individual telephone connections are not required for each such alarm message.

Abstract: An optical fiber organizer includes a plurality of optical fiber trays. Each tray has a top side for holding a fiber. Each tray has a hinge portion. The tray carrier has a plurality of sockets. Each socket is capable of receiving the hinge portion of a respective tray. Each tray has a first position on the tray carrier. The trays are stacked parallel to each other when the trays are in the first position. Each socket has an associated first detent, including a first boss below the socket, for maintaining its respective tray in the first position. Each socket has a second-position detent, including a second boss above the socket, for maintaining its respective tray in a second position about 90 degrees from the first position. The top side of one of the trays is exposed when at least one of the trays is in the second position. The hinge portion of the tray has a hole capable of receiving either the first boss or the second boss.

Abstract: A method is described to reduce the time required to assign the burst transmission parameters in a wireless communication system by autonomously sharing transmission and reception information among the components of the network. Information is autonomously provided from a remote subnetwork element to a controlling network element so the controlling network element may use the information to dynamically assign and update burst transmission parameters.

Abstract: The specification describes a thin film transistor device in which the semiconductor layer is a fluorene oligomer having a molecular weight of less than 2000, and comprising from 1 to 10 fluorene ring units. These oligomers can be deposited by simple evaporation to give desirable semiconductor properties, e.g. high mobility.

Abstract: A method of shrinking an existing mixed signal IC containing analog and digital circuitry includes the step of first enlarging (growing) the analog circuitry by a first ratio, followed by the step of recombining the enlarged analog circuitry with the existing digital circuitry and, then, optically shrinking the recombined analog and digital circuits by a second ratio. In one embodiment the analog circuits are enlarged by a factor that will offset the subsequent optical shrink. As a result, the analog circuitry is essentially unchanged on silicon, while the digital circuitry will be smaller, thereby making the overall chip smaller.

Abstract: An architecture for communicating with telemetering interface units (TIUs). The system comprises an application controller which interfaces with service vendors who make requests for telemetering metering actions and/or control actions; or network server for communicating via UTTs, (Utility Telemetry Trunks), with an end office switch for accessing TIUs, using a suppressed ringing connection to distinguish between telemetering connections and telephone connections; a service control point (SCP), for providing data about the telecommunications network, the data being necessary in order to allow the network server to access the correct TIU, and a data network for interconnecting the application controller, network server and switching control point. Advantageously, using this arrangement, the functions of the application controller which interfaces with the service vendor are segregated from the functions for controlling the telecommunication network to access the TIU.

Abstract: Apparatus for routing packets in a communication network comprises a plurality of per-connection queues, each queue established for receiving packets from a respective source and temporarily storing received packets before routing to a particular destination; a weighted fair-queuing scheduler for servicing packets from each of the plurality of per-connection queues at guaranteed pre-allocated rates; a sensing device for sensing a presence or absence of packets in queues, the absence of packets in queues indicating availability of excess bandwidth; and, a state dependent scheduler for redistributing excess bandwidth upon sensing of queues absent packets, the state dependent scheduler servicing those queues in accordance with a state variable corresponding to a performance property of the queues, wherein delay and isolation properties for routing packets of respective queues in weighted fair-queuing is preserved.

Abstract: We describe a method for CDMA transmission of sets of data symbols to users that are organized into one or more user groups. Each user group is paired with a group of spreading codes, referred to as a “code group.” Each set of data symbols that are destined for respective users of a given user group is transmitted in the form of two or more distinct signal sequences. Each such signal sequence is transmitted from a respective one of two or more transmitting antennas. Each signal sequence is a linear combination of spreading code sequences belonging to the corresponding code group. Within each of these linear combinations, each spreading code sequence that appears has a scalar coefficient. Each of these scalar coefficients is a linear combination of pertinent data symbols (i.e., data symbols destined for users in the given user group) or of complex conjugates of pertinent data symbols.

Abstract: In an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Loop (ADSL) Discrete Multi-Tone (DMT) system, a DMT receiver uses, during start-up, an automatic gain control (AGC) element and a rotator element in place of a one-tap complex finite impulse response (FIR) filter.

Abstract: In accordance with the invention, a packaged electronic device comprises at least one electronic device and leads sealed within a protective package. The leads comprise a conductive metal substrate having a composite metal finish with a total thickness of 1000 Å or less. The finish comprises, in succession from the substrate, 25-750 Å of palladium alloy and 5-250 Å of wirebondable and solderable material. The substrate is advantageously nickel-plated copper alloy or Fe—Ni alloy. The content of palladium in the palladium alloy coating can range from 10-95 weight percent. This finish meets requirements of wirebonding and solderability at a thickness surprisingly lower than previously used packaging finishes.

Abstract: In a CMOS integrated circuit card configuration operating upon a received data input stream and having a common power buss for the individual integrated circuits thereof, the invention comprises the connection of a power pin of all such individual integrated circuits directly to the power buss, except for the integrated circuit to which the data input stream is applied, wherein a diode of predetermined forward voltage drop is employed—having its anode connected to the power buss and its cathode connected to its associated power pin.

Abstract: An intermetal dielectric structure for integrated circuits and a manufacturing method therefore is provided having a premetal dielectric and a metal line thereon, with a SRO liner on the premetal dielectric layer and the metal lines, a FGS dielectric layer over the SRO liner, a SRO film over the FGS dielectric layer, and a TEOS dielectric layer over the SRO film. Vias through the FGS dielectric layer are treated to have fluorine-free regions around the vias. The structure is not subject to fluorine attack on the metal lines or vias while having a stable FGS dielectric layer with less fluorine out-gassing and out-diffusion.

Abstract: A dynamic traffic management method and apparatus is provided for intelligent network (IN) systems. This invention provides for dynamic, real-time Traffic Management of the SSP by the SCP in an IN without manual intervention by telecommunications system technicians. The traffic management issues are moved from the switch to an intelligent network node, thereby furthering the spirit of intelligent networks.

Abstract: A integrated circuit cooling system includes a thermally conductive element sandwiched between two integrated circuits. The thermally conductive element of this thermal sandwich conducts heat away from both of the attached integrated circuits. The thermally conductive element may be a solid slab of thermally conductive material, such as copper, it may be a hollow, substantially planar thermal conductor with an internally circulating cooling fluid, or it may be a substantially planar heat pipe for example.