Abstract: Data signals from two or more different communication networks conforming to one or more different transmission protocols are re-formatted into an internal data format for purposes of routing the data signals. The internal format has one or more fields corresponding to terminated overhead data for storing payload data. In one embodiment, a switching system has a network-independent switch and two or more network-dependent port units. Each port unit is configured to interface with a different communication network and to convert data signals between the transmission protocol of the corresponding communication network and the internal format. The switch receives and routes the data signals in the internal format and transmits the routed data signals back to the appropriate port units for re-formatting for transmission to the corresponding communication networks.

Abstract: A high-channel-count add/drop filter for use in an optical data communications network. The filter is implemented as an integrated planar lightwave circuit. The filter provides flat-top passbands with negligible chromatic dispersion but without excessive loss. Furthermore, multiple adjacent “through” channels are used to make up a wider flat-top passband that is suitable for passing future generation traffic such as ≧100 Gb/s data streams.

Abstract: Fabricating graded index plastic optical fiber by diffusing a high molecular weight dopant within a step index plastic optical fiber after the step index plastic optical fiber has been drawn from a preform using a conventional draw tower in a first embodiment. Also, the step index plastic optical fiber may be fabricated by extruding one material circumferentially around another material, e.g., by use of a concentric nozzle. The dopant is diffused after the drawing or extruding of the step index plastic optical fiber by heating the plastic optical fiber to a temperature that causes a high rate of diffusion state while measuring the transmission bandwidth of the plastic optical fiber. When the predetermined specified transmission bandwidth is measured, the plastic optical fiber is immediately returned to an ambient temperature. In addition, the plastic optical fiber may be gradually heated to an equilibrium temperature that is just below the temperature required to produce the high rate of diffusion state.

Abstract: A mounting assembly allows a wireless interface device to be connected to a fixed object, such as house or building's exterior wall. The mounting assembly includes three interconnected brackets. The three brackets allow the wireless interface device to be selectively positioned horizontally and vertically relative to the exterior wall. By adjustment of the bracket, the wireless interface device can be accurately aimed toward a master transmitter/receiver. Once the wireless interface device is properly sighted or aimed, the wireless interface device can communicate with the master transmitter/receiver to establish internet access, telephone service, and/or television service to the house or building.

Abstract: An application module (A) running on a host computer in a computer network is failure-protected with one or more backup copies that are operative on other host computers in the network. In order to effect fault protection, the application module registers itself with a ReplicaManager daemon process (112) by sending a registration message, which message, in addition to identifying the registering application module and the host computer on which it is running, includes the particular replication strategy (cold backup, warm backup, or hot backup) and the degree of replication associated with that application module. The backup copies are then maintained in a fail-over state according to the registered replication strategy. A WatchDog daemon (113), running on the same host computer as the registered application periodically monitors the registered application to detect failures.

Abstract: An integrated cooling device for use in cooling an electronic component or an integrated circuit and a method of manufacturing the same. In one embodiment, the device includes: (1) a plate couplable to and supportable by the electronic component, the plate having at least one channel therein, (2) a closed-circuit circulation pipe having a heat-receiving portion disposed in the at least one channel to place the heat-receiving portion in thermal communication with the plate, the circulation pipe further having a heat-removing portion distal from the heat receiving portion, (3) a coolant located within the circulation pipe and (4) a pump coupled to the circulation pipe, supported by the plate and operable to cause the coolant to circulate through the circulation pipe.

Abstract: Advantageous error rate performance, high bandwidth efficiency, low delay and reduced error floor are achieved at an acceptable level of decoding complexity via the use of serial concatenated turbo codes. These are codes for which at least some of the output bits, including at least one redundant bit, provided by a first, outer encoder are, after interleaving, further processed by a second, inner encoder. The resulting data and redundant bits then select a symbol from a predetermined constellation for transmission. In the receiver, the turbo code is decoded using a corresponding number of soft output decoders which operates iteratively in such a way that improved performance as compared to a single encoding can be achieved. The turbo codes can be of various dimensionalities and can be used as a component of a multilevel code to achieve a desired level of bandwidth efficiency.

Abstract: An ATM network element receives a stream of data associated with a particular user. This data stream is further partitioned into frames and ATM cells. A predefined traffic set is associated with the user. The ATM network element evaluates the received data stream for conformance to the user's traffic set at every frame boundary. The Payload Type Indicator (PTI) of an ATM cell header is used to indicate whether that cell belongs to a non-conforming frame or a conforming frame. In particular, if a frame is determined to be non-conforming, the ATM network element sets the PTI field of at least the end-of-frame cell (i.e., the cell with the UUI bit set to one in AAL5), to a predefined code representative of non-conforming (hereafter referred to as an NCF code). As a result, downstream network elements are able to determine which of the currently buffered cells belong to a non-conforming frame by looking at both the PTI field and the frame boundary marker (UUI bit).

Abstract: A method for pivoting an optical device about one or more axes thereof is disclosed. Springs couple the optical device to the micro-electro-mechanical structure. A portion of the springs are fastened on the micro-electro-mechanical structure. Fastening the portion of each spring on the electromechanical structure prevents the springs from moving the optical device in a translational direction when such optical device pivots about the one or more axes.

Abstract: A non-destructive method for evaluating a topographical feature 16 of an integrated circuit 42, such as a photoresist runner, includes core sectioning the feature to remove a small section 22, without damage to the remainder of the wafer 36 on which the integrated circuit is formed. A tool having fine adjustment, such as a micromanipulator with a rod-shaped probe 24 in the form of a glass needle, is used to remove the section for examination and metrology. The section is separated from the underlying substrate surface 14 and can be examined from all sides. Variations in a critical dimension, such as line width W, along the length L of the section, as well as average measurements of the dimension, can be obtained.

Abstract: An enhanced CMEA encryption system suitable for use in wireless telephony. A plaintext message is introduced into the system and subjected to a first iteration of a CMEA process, using a first CMEA key to produce an intermediate ciphertext. The intermediate ciphertext is then subjected to a second iteration of the CMEA process using a second CMEA key to produce a final ciphertext. Additional security is achieved by subjecting the plaintext and intermediate ciphertext to input and output transformations before and after each iteration of the CMEA process. The CMEA iterations may be performed using an improved use of a tbox function which adds permutations to a message or intermediate crypto-processed data. Decryption is achieved by subjecting a ciphertext message to the reverse order of the steps used for encryption, replacing the input and output transformations by inverse output and inverse input transformations, respectively, as appropriate.

Abstract: Disclosed is an encrypting speech processor architecture that provides enhanced security without the use of external cryptosync and with minimal speech degradation. This is accomplished by incorporating a block encryptor and a keystream generator (instead of a fixed secret mask encryption scheme, such as those implemented in voice ciphers) for encrypting blocks of encoded speech bits at a transmitter side. The block encryptor employs an invertible cryptographic algorithm and internal cryptosync to convert a first block of encoded speech bits into a first ciphertext block. The first ciphertext block is used to generate a keystream, which is then used to encrypt a second ciphertext block.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for passively aligning an optical element on an optical die wherein multiple potential mounting pads are supplied for potential mounting of the optical component. Appropriate tables are generated for 1) the response of the optical detecting component for a given light power level as a function of the mounting position of the optical detecting component, and 2) the asymmetry of the light generating component. Given the two tables an algorithm is prepared for automatically determining the appropriate mounting position to provide desired detection device response characteristics for any given light generating component to be mounted on the die.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for freeing laser bars stuck in a facet coating fixture. A roller device is provided that rolls into a facet coating fixture channel and applies a downward force to a stuck laser bar. The roller device provides an uncomplicated and reliable system for handling the bars.

Abstract: A system and method have been described for operating on URZ and URZd coded representations of source data, as transmitted via an optical transmission system and received at a receiving location in an optical communications system, to substantially remove the effect of interference from unwanted optical and signal energy in the transmission path. After applying a subtraction operation and complementary mono-shot pulse generators to the resultant difference waveform, regenerated URZ and URZd coded representations of the source data are obtained which are substantially free of the effects of such unwanted optical and signal energy in the transmission path. The URZ and URZd coded data are then combined in an addition operation to produce a UNRZ coded representation of the source data.

Abstract: A method for making an integrated circuit capacitor which in one embodiment preferably comprises the steps of: forming, adjacent a semiconductor substrate, a first metal electrode comprising a metal nitride surface portion; forming a tantalum pentoxide layer on the metal nitride surface portion while maintaining a temperature below an oxidizing temperature of the metal; remote plasma annealing the tantalum pentoxide layer; and forming a second electrode adjacent the tantalum pentoxide layer. The step of forming the tantalum pentoxide layer preferably comprises chemical vapor deposition of the tantalum pentoxide at a temperature below about 500° C. Accordingly, oxidation of the metal is avoided and a high quality tantalum pentoxide is produced. The metal of the first metal electrode may comprise at least one of titanium, tungsten, tantalum, and alloys thereof.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an improved PLL which produces an output signal that is in-phase with a reference clock input despite switching of the reference clock. A quadrature signal is generated using a quadrature decoder having a counter, a state decoder and a flip flop. A local oscillator having a local clock output having a frequency which is a multiple of the reference clock frequency is provided. The local clock output is divided down with a binary counter to match the reference signal frequency. The counter state is decoded using an AND in combination with a flip flop. The divided clock output is then re-synchronized with the reference clock using the local clock output coupled to the clock input of the flip flop. The output of the flip flop is an quadrature copy of the reference clock, and this quadrature signal is fed back to the phase detector.

Abstract: The present invention provides a test access path (TAP) concentration function. The apparatus supports subscriber loop testing for special access configurations (e.g., fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC)), where network units are physically clustered together into two or more non-collocated clusters. The apparatus supports test access to twisted wire pair subscriber loops, the lengths of which vary over a wide range. In one embodiment, the apparatus is a TAP expander that connects the TAP of an integrated digital terminal of a local digital switch with a derived TAP corresponding to one of the ONU clusters. The present invention allows an integrated digital terminal with as few as one test access path to be configured in a network having two or more non-collocated network unit clusters (e.g., ONU clusters), thereby supporting loop testing for all of the subscriber loops served by the integrated digital terminal without unnecessarily limiting the number of those subscriber loops.

Abstract: A driver for a controllable switch, a method of driving the controllable switch and a power converter employing the driver or the method. The driver receives a control signal and operates the controllable switch. In one embodiment, the driver includes a switching network coupled to the controllable switch and including first and second complementary drive switches. The driver also includes a capacitor coupled between control terminals of the first and second complementary drive switches, and a diode coupled between a bias energy source and the capacitor. The first and second complementary switches cooperate to produce a drive signal as a function of the control signal and a level of the bias energy source.

Abstract: An improved ergonomic computer mouse provides comfortable and efficient usage by maintaining the hand of a user at a large acute angle to the horizontal. This is accomplished by a device that includes a base having an upstanding pedestal structure about which the palm and hands of the user extends in a more natural handshake manner at a large acute angle to the horizontal whereby the users wrist remains straight while grasping the mouse. Control means in the base and upstanding structure within easy reach of the users fingers allow the user to efficiently and comfortably control the computer operations. Indentations and an enlarged upper head portion provide for comfortable grasping and easy lifting of the mouse. The pedestal may be rotated 180 degrees to accommodate both right and left handed use. Add-on OEM, and custom fitted embodiments are also disclosed.