Abstract: A face plate assembly includes a ground clip that is mounted to a face plate which is coupled to a circuit pack. The ground clip includes a base member, a contact surface and a free end. The ground clip is mounted to a flange provided on the faceplate. The flange includes a cutout, wherein the free end of the ground clip is received in the cutout for preventing rotation of the ground clip. The ground clip may include a first elbow connecting the base to the contact surface and a second elbow connecting the contact surface to the free end. A Z-bend may also be provided in the contact surface of ground clip.

Abstract: An electroplating solution for plating bright tin, lead, or tin-lead alloy solder coatings in high speed electroplating applications. The electroplating solution includes an alkane or alkanol sulfonic acid electrolyte, a non-ionic surfactant, a grain refiner and two brightening agents: an aromatic aldehyde and a carboxylic acid. In one embodiment of the electroplating solution, the sulfonic acid electrolyte is methane sulfonic acid, the non-ionic surfactant is octylphenoxy(10)polyethoxy ethanol, the grain refiner is phenolphthalein, the aromatic aldehyde is chlorobenzaldehyde, and the carboxylic acid is methacrylic acid.

Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) includes a dither signal generator configured to add an analog dither signal to the analog input signal of the ADC prior to digitization (i.e., quantization). The amplitude of the dither signal is selected based upon the power levels of one or more carriers present in the bandwidth for which the ADC is designed to operate. Addition of the dither signal to the input signal in the analog domain reduces quantization noise such as conversion spurs that result from non-linearities in the ADC transfer function.

Abstract: An automatic call routing system for directing a call to a desired destination. The routing system poses questions to a caller and uses the caller's responses create a query which is used to direct the call to a destination associated with one of a plurality of documents created during a training phase. The documents are created by receiving calls, collecting caller contributions to each call, directing each call to a destination by a human operator, and storing and processing the caller contributions to each call directed to a particular destination. If a caller's responses do not permit a call to be unambiguously routed to a destination, the routing system poses clarifying questions and receives caller responses. The caller responses are used to create a refined query for use in a subsequent attempt to route the call.

Abstract: An automated telecommunication testing system and method in which a test computer automatically performs a test suite that is robust due to the individual robustness of the individual procedures of which the suite of tests is selectively composed that are stored in a library procedure repository and selectively used pursuant to the running of a test suite program to test a complex telecommunication system and test resources through system test interfaces. The high cost of robustness of each of the individual procedures is amortized over the repeated use of the same procedures in different suites for different applications and different types of test suites.

Abstract: A portable electronic device having a travel mode for use when demonstrating operability of the device to security personnel, for instance at airport security check points. The travel mode allows the portable device, such as a portable computer, to be turned-on and thereafter turned-off without delay. The travel mode also permits the portable device to simulate attributes of the computer device when the computer device is functioning in a mode other than said travel mode. For instance, the travel mode permits the portable device to make a sound, activate an LED and/or activate a display screen of the device to sufficiently satisfy security concerns without the need to launch application software. The travel mode helps to protect the integrity of firmware/software configurations stored in portable computers, when the computer is powered-down shortly after being turned-on.

Abstract: A conductive soft-durometer fire-retardant mixture comprises a thermoplastic base elastomer material, a fire-retardant material and metal-coated graphite fibers. The resulting mixture is easily molded, relatively low-cost and recyclable.

Abstract: An electronic isolation shield mounts on a circuit board, around an electronic component to provide a minimum amount of shielding over a set period of time. The shield has a body made from a shielding material that is sized and shaped to fit around and cover the electronic component. The body has a sealing edge that is adapted to contact an upper surface of the circuit board and surround the electronic component. Resilient downwardly projecting tabs are attached to the body and each includes a securing end that extends past the sealing edge. The tab is securable to the circuit board along a securing axis. The sealing edge of the body is forced into sealing engagement with the upper surface of circuit board. The tab is laterally displaced with respect to the securing axis continuously over the set period of time so that the sealing edge is forced into the circuit board sufficiently to provide the minimum amount of shielding to the electronic component over the set period of time.

Abstract: A rotatable latch is provided for securing an object to a holder and for preventing unintended removal of the object. In a preferred embodiment, the rotatable latch has at least two actuators flexibly mounted to a body. Each actuator has a hooked portion which engages a portion of the holder. A lever portion may be provided for releasing the hooked portion. The hooked portion is rotated about a pivot point to release the object from the holder. Rotation occurs when actuators are released through use of at least two lever portions. To prevent accidental removal of the object, the second actuator cannot be released until the first actuator has been released. The latch requires at least two actions, pressing the levers in succession, to release the object. The invention is applicable, for example, to circuit packs for electronic circuit boards.

Abstract: The cellular call processor having concurrent instances of call models supports mixed media communication connections. The cellular call processor processes each of the media components of the mixed media communication connection in an independent, yet coordinated manner. Thus, each of the media components of the mixed media communication connection can be processed in an efficient media-specific manner and even directed to different destinations. The cellular call processor can implement this capability in a plurality of ways, one of which is to maintain the existing voice call model and create a new call model for each of the other call components in a media-specific manner. Alternatively, multiple instances of the same call model can be used, with each call component being served by a separate instance of the call processing code.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a device for generating multiple spreading sequences efficiently. In a preferred embodiment, the eight different spreading sequences are generated in parallel. In this embodiment, the spreading sequence generator comprises a master sequence generator and eight secondary sequence generators. The spreading sequence generator also comprises eight different modulo-2 adders which are used for generating parity check sum outputs. The master sequence generator is responsible for creating a master output from the first subgroup. The secondary sequence generators create eight different secondary outputs. Each of the secondary outputs is combined with the master output through one of the eight modulo-2 adders to create eight different spreading sequences. In an alternative embodiment, the principles of the present invention may be used to generate such spreading sequences in a sequential manner.

Abstract: A protection facility is provided for use in an optical communications node that communicates with another optical communications node via first and second bidirectional communications paths respectively serving as a service path and protection path, in which a filter filters signals respectively received over the service and protection paths and generates a main signal and a complementary signal for each of the paths. A control unit then generates a Loss of Signal (LOS_A) indication for the service path if a SUM signal or DIFF signal respectively derived as a function of a sum of the main and complementary signals generated for the service path and difference between the main and complementary signals generated for the service path is less than a respective threshold value. A switch then invokes protection switching responsive to the presence of the LOS_A indication.

Abstract: A furlable keyboard apparatus includes a generally cylindrical housing and a flexible keyboard mounted to the housing such that the keyboard is furlable around the housing when the keyboard apparatus is not in use. The keyboard has keyboard indicia formed thereon providing a plurality of visual key representations arranged in a plurality of generally horizontal key rows and partially diagonal key columns. A plurality of keystroke signal generators underly the keyboard indicia and are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the key representions forming the key columns and key rows. The keystroke signal generators are responsive to finger pressure and are interconnected by logical ORing to form key groups providing key group signals whenever a keystroke signal generator underlying one of the key groups is pressed or released. An imaging device is mounted on the housing and is positionable over the keyboard.

Abstract: A grip block for holding and immobilizing elongated cylindrical members, such as cables, has a base member having a central axis and first and second pivot arms, one mounted on each side of the axis. An actuating member has a body which has two or more cable receiving channels therein which are oriented parallel to the central axis and depending actuating pins for actuating the pivot arms to force one or more cables into the discrete channels. The base and actuating member are held together by means of studs within a splice closure or by both in conjunction with a mounting bracket.

Abstract: A lockable latch and switch actuator assembly for a circuit card includes a spring clip having a slot cooperating with a tab on a latch handle to lock the latch in its closed position. A release portion on the spring clip may be pushed to release the tab from the slot and unlock the latch. The other end of the spring clip is formed with an actuating portion which engages the actuator of a proximity switch mounted to the circuit card when the latch is in its locked position. This actuating portion is spring loaded so that when the latch is released from the locked position, the latch is pushed to an ajar position from which it can be moved to its fully open position.

Abstract: A method for detecting fraudulent use of a communications system detects and prevents fraud by assigning codes or randomly generated codes for communication access between a subscriber station and a fixed end and updating the codes upon the occurrence of one or more key events associated with subscriber activity in the communications system. The method permits detection and monitoring of fraudulent activity by permitting a legitimate subscriber station and an illegitimate subscriber station to have two different codes or dynamic codes after the legitimate subscriber station's identity has been misappropriated.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for in-line, non-contact depletion capacitance measurement of a semiconductor wafer using non-contact voltage measurement and non-contact surface photovoltage response.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing and testing a laser device that facilitates in-wafer testing of the laser device includes forming the laser device on a wafer and forming a light detecting device on the wafer adjacent to the laser device. The laser device should include a grating. The method further includes causing the laser device to lase while in the wafer and detecting light generated from the laser device with the light detecting device. Finally, the method includes obtaining an electro-optic parameter of the laser device from the detected light.

Abstract: An organic semiconductor film is fabricated by applying a solution containing an organic semiconductor material and a solvent to a substrate, e.g., by solution casting, and evaporating the solvent. The characteristics of the substrate surface, the organic semiconductor material, and the process parameters are selected to provide desirable nucleation and crystal growth. The resultant organic semiconductor film contains a large area, e.g., a continuous area greater than 1 cm2, that exhibits a relatively high charge carrier mobility of at least about 10−4 cm2V−s−1 at room temperature.

Abstract: A technique for reducing corrosion over a steel platen used during semiconductor wafer polishing. An anodic metal plate is attached to the steel platen to cathodically protect the surface of the steel platen via an electrochemical process. This cathodic protection inhibits the formation of localized anodic sections formed on the steel platen. Since the steel platen now has fewer, if any, localized anodic sections present in the prior art, the steel platen is less likely to corrode. The anodic metal may be made of an inexpensive metal material such as magnesium, aluminum, or some other appropriate metal. The metal plate is also replaceable in nature, i.e., it may be replaced after the metal plate has been corroded.