Abstract: A cable winding housing for a cable used to interconnect a computer and an external peripheral device. The housing includes a spring-operated, winding cylindrical shaft around which the cable is wound, a teeth wheel assembly superposed around the shaft, and a spring-loaded locking element configured for locking between two of the teeth on the teeth wheel, wherein the locking element is releasable from outside of the housing. When the locking element is locked into the teeth wheel, the shaft is prevented from rotating such that the cable can not be unwound from or wound into the housing. When the locking element is released from the teeth wheel, the shaft can rotate and the cable can alternatively be either wound into or unwound from the housing. The housing prevents a cable used to interconnect two devices from becoming entangled with other cables and ensures that each cable is taut and does not sag downward, thereby providing a neat connection.

Abstract: A multiple description (MD) joint source-channel (JSC) encoder in accordance with the invention encodes n components of an audio signal for transmission over m channels of a communication medium, where n and m may take on any desired values. In an illustrative embodiment, the encoder combines a multiple description transform coder with elements of a perceptual audio coder (PAC). The encoder is configured to select one or more transform parameters for a multiple description transform, based on a characteristic of the audio signal to be encoded. For example, the transform parameters may be selected such that the resulting transformed coefficients have a variance distribution of a type expected by a subsequent entropy coding operation. The components of the audio signal may be quantized coefficients separated into a number of factor bands, and the transform parameter for a given factor band may be set to a value determined based on a transform parameter from at least one other factor band, e.g.

Abstract: A modular communication plug for terminating communication cables has a housing having a connector end including a conductor alignment region having a plurality of parallel slots therein and a conductor organizing sled insertable into the housing. The sled is an elongated member having a connector end which fits within the conductor alignment region of the housing, and a cable termination end. A plurality of septa form channels or passages for twisted pairs of wires and lead to an array of parallel grooves at the connector end. The septa are insertable within the jacket of the cable, which is crimped thereto by means of a crimping ring. A split wedge collar surrounds the crimping ring and is, when in position, latched to the housing to hold the sled therewithin. A plurality of contact blades are insertable into the slots in the housing to make electrical contact with the wires in the grooves. The sled is provided with a cap or cover member for preventing the conductors in the sled from bellying up.

Abstract: Estimated Global Position System (GPS) navigation data is used to increase the signal integration interval. In one embodiment, a WAG (wireless assisted GPS) server receives GPS signals and demodulates the navigation data modulated onto the GPS signals. The WAG server utilizes known features of the demodulated navigation data to generate estimated navigation data for the satellite. This estimation can be made several seconds or even minutes ahead of time. The wireless terminal uses this estimated navigation data to perform a data wipe-off operation to enable the integration interval to be increased (e.g., beyond 20 ms), thereby increasing overall signal-detection sensitivity at the wireless terminal. In another embodiment, information from strong GPS signals is used to detect weak GPS signals from other satellites. In this embodiment, strong GPS signals are received directly by the wireless terminal from the satellites.

Abstract: A raised photodetector constructed to define an open channel extending between opposite edges of the photodetector and dimensioned for permitting light from laser to pass therethrough. The photodetector has a light-collecting region disposed in an outward facing wall recessed within the channel for collecting light from the laser.

Abstract: A beam splitter/combiner module for multiplexing and/or demultiplexing a plurality of optical signals having at least three different wavelengths &lgr;1, &lgr;2, and &lgr;3 traveling through the module. The module includes a first dichroic mirror having low loss transmission over a first preselected range of wavelengths including &lgr;1 and &lgr;2 so as to substantially transmit signals having wavelengths &lgr;1 and &lgr;2 through the first mirror and along an optical signal path of the module. The first dichroic mirror also has high reflectance over a second preselected range of wavelengths including &lgr;3 so as to substantially reflect from the first mirror signals having wavelength &lgr;3.

Abstract: Device for digitally slaving the position of a moving part, including: a digital sensor (20) which is intended to measure the actual position of the moving part (10) and delivers a digital effective position value, drive means comprising an electric motor (30) for driving the moving part into a setpoint position defined by a digital setpoint value, a digital control unit (50) delivering at least one signal for controlling a circuit (40) for supplying the motor as a function of the discrepancy between the said setpoint value and the said actual value, in which the digital sensor having a determined measuring interval, the motor supply circuit comprises timer means for maintaining the supply to the motor for the time which is necessary and sufficient for the sensor to be positioned at the middle of the interval corresponding to the setpoint value.

Abstract: The present invention provides a simple, reproducible electroless process for metalizing a non-hermetic optical fiber. The process of the present invention provides the optical fiber with a metalization layer suitable for solder bonding the optical fibers to other surfaces. The silica surface of the optical fiber is sensitized with a stannous fluoride solution, catalyzed with a catalyzing solution of stannous chloride and hydrochloric acid, and activated with an activator solution comprising palladium chloride. The sensitizing, catalyzing and activating steps are performed under ambient condition. Then nickel is plated on the silica surface through electroless plating and electrolytic plating. Finally, a gold layer is plated on the nickel layer. The process produces good adhesion properties and reliable optical fiber attachment for various applications.

Abstract: The system for wireless communication connection handoff service addresses the CDMA radio congestion problem from the mobile switching center point of view, thereby providing a unified approach to the problem of access failures for CDMA wireless communication service. In operation, the mobile subscriber station forms a message and forwards it to the mobile switching center to indicate the signal strength of the various base stations that have responded to the access probe. The mobile switching center saves this data for later use when the mobile subscriber station moves out of range of the initially selected base station. The mobile switching center reviews the stored data and, if a CIC is available to one of the identified base stations, the channel is allocated and the stored data is flushed. Thus, the need for another probe sequence is avoided and the initially provided base station signal strength data is reused to process a call handoff.

Abstract: An adaptive OCR technique for character classification and recognition without the input and use of ground truth derived from the image itself. A set of so-called stop words are employed for classifying symbols, e.g., characters, from any image. The stop words are identified independent of any particular image and are used for classification purposes across any set of images of the same language, e.g., English. Advantageously, an adaptive OCR method is realized without the requirement of the selection and inputting of ground truth from each individual image to be recognized.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for constructing a control system and a control system created thereby which is based on multiple finite state machines, each in turn based on a finite state machine with constant code (FSMcc). An input preprocessor module normalizes input signals as required by the finite state machine logical processing unit. An output postprocessor module changes the normalized finite state machine outputs to real signals required by the controlled process or apparatus. The input preprocessor allows for a different finite state machine required for an application to be executed by the same constant code contained in the FSMcc microcode storage. An application logic table for the FSMcc is constructed using a specific organization of data representing application logic conditions. The ability to control a process or apparatus with multiple finite state machines allows the designer to use the FSMcc technology more widely and in more complex situations.

Abstract: A receiver has a dual mode of operation—a carrierless amplitude modulation/phase modulation (CAP) mode and a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) mode-yet only requires a single equalizer structure for both the CAP mode of operation and the QAM mode of operation during blind start-up. The receiver uses the same blind equalization updating algorithm independent of the type of received signal for converging the equalizer structure. The blind equalization updating algorithm incorporates a constant R, whose value is a function of the type of received signal, e.g., a QAM signal or a CAP signal. The type of received signal is determined as a function of the in-phase component of the mean-squared error, E[e2n.

Abstract: The present invention provides N×N non-blocking switch modules using MMI-based switch elements. The arrangement requires a minimum of control elements to effect switching and uses no crossings of the signal waveguides. The switch control settings may be determined by following a simple and transparent algorithm for the setup procedure. Very high-order switch fabrics comprising a variety of the taught nonblocking N×N switch modules are envisaged. Determination of the appropriate values for ‘N’ is a practical consideration which trades-off the performance of the individual switch modules with the complexity required of the associated module interconnection fabric. The spatial switch fabrics that may by built from the non-blocking MMI-based switch arrangements may be combined with both wavelength-division switches and time-division switches to form any combination of higher order space-wavelength-time switch.

Abstract: A birefringent filter includes an input optical apparatus for receiving an input optical beam and producing therefrom parallel first and second optical beams offset in a first direction and having the same polarization. A birefringent filter unit receives the first and second polarized optical beams and produces a first and second elliptically polarized optical beams. An output optical apparatus combines predetermined components of the first and second elliptically polarized optical beams to form a first and second elliptical polarized output beams. The two output beams have intensities that vary inversely, in a periodic manner, as a function of frequency of the input optical beam.

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 and apparatus for separately transporting each monomedia stream of a composite multimedia signal across a network, such as an ATM network, is disclosed. The transport of monomedia traffic over different network segments, which may or may not support all multimedia components, is disclosed. Each monomedia component, n, such as video, voice and data, of the multimedia session is separately transmitted over a connection having a capacity, Cn. The capacity, Cn, is generally specified in number of units of information, such as the bandwidth that should be allocated to the respective monomedia component for the duration of the call, or the number of ATM cells per unit time for the duration of the call. In an illustrative ATM network implementation, individual connections can be established for each monomedia component by assigning separate VP/VC identifiers to each monomedia connection. Jitter, due to synchronization problems, is controlled by allocating appropriate bandwidth to each monomedia component.

Abstract: The present invention provides a heat transfer device for cooling an electronic component mounted to a substrate. The present invention also provides for a method to cool electronic components by using the heat transfer device and a method to manufacture the heat transfer device. In one embodiment, the heat transfer device comprises an elongated body having opposing first and second major surfaces and opposing first and second minor surfaces; a mounting recess extending along a length of the second minor surface; a first ledge extending from the first major surface and defining a first component mounting area of a first lateral dimension; and a second ledge extending from the second major surface and defining a second component mounting area of a second lateral dimension, the second dimension differing from the first dimension.

Abstract: A bin based method for determining a group size estimate for applications utilizing connectionless networks. The method places an indicator of group participants who match the key under a mask into bins, where each bin corresponding to the number of bits in the mask used to determine the match. When the number of bits in the mask is increased from m to m+1, all of the participant indicators in bin m are moved into bin m+1. When the number of bits in the mask decreases from m+1 to m, however, no participant indicators are moved. When a refresh packet is received from a particular participant whose indicator is in bin k, but the current mask is m bits, for k>m., the indicator for that particular participant is moved from bin k to bin m.

Abstract: The monitoring of regulated redundant power supplies is enhanced by returning to each power supply a feedback (sensed) voltage signal that is indicative of the voltage level that the respective power supply is outputting and the voltage level supplied to a system load. In one embodiment, a feedback signal that is supplied to a power supply as the sensed signal is derived using a voltage divider network across the output of the power supply and a common connection at which the outputs of the power supplies are “Ored” for delivery to the system load. In this way, each power supply regulates its output voltage as a function of the level of the feedback signal and the level of a respective preset signal.

Abstract: Interpolating filter banks are constructed for use with signals which may be represented as a lattice of arbitrary dimension d. The filter banks include M channels, where M is greater than or equal to two. A given filter bank is built by first computing a set of shifts &tgr;i as D−1ti, i=1, 2, . . . M−1, where ti is a set of coset representatives taken from a unit cell of the input signal lattice, and D is a dilation matrix having a determinant equal to M. A polynomial interpolation algorithm is then applied to determine weights for a set of M−1 predict filters Pi having the shifts &tgr;i. A corresponding set of update filters Ui are then selected as Ui=Pi*|M, where Pi* is the adjoint of the predict filter Pi. The resulting predict and update filters are arranged in a lifting structure such that each of the predict and update filters are associated with a pair of the M channels of the filter bank.