Abstract: A method and apparatus for accessing data of a telecommunications interface control RAM to meet the two different requirements of the two types of devices accessing the control RAM. Data for output ports are typically aligned such that time-slot 0 for each port leaves the network at the same time. The hardware therefore requests that the control RAM be organized such that the first N locations correspond to time-slot 0 of all output ports, the next N locations to time-slot 1 of all ports, and so on with the final N locations corresponding to the last time-slot of all ports. The software addressing under processor control, on the other hand, uses data structure groups which are a function of the communication ports.

Abstract: A bracket includes a mounting flange for mounting the bracket to a structure, an elastically deformable, cable-retaining member for engaging a cable passing therethrough, and a plurality of arms connecting the flange to the member for permitting the cable to pass through the member in a first direction, but for preventing the cable from being withdrawn from the ring in a direction substantially opposite the first direction.

Abstract: A thin film capacitor for use in semiconductor integrated circuit devices such as analog circuits, rf circuits, and dynamic random access memories (DRAMs), and a method for its fabrication, is disclosed. The capacitor has a dielectric thickness less than about 50 nm, a capacitance density of at least about 15 fF/.mu.m.sup.2, and a breakdown field of at least about 1 MV/cm. The dielectric material is a metal oxide of either titanium, niobium, or tantalum. The metal oxide can also contain silicon or nitrogen. The dielectric material is formed over a first electrode by depositing the metal onto the substrate or onto a first electrode formed on the substrate. The metal is then anodically oxidized to form the dielectric material of the desired thickness. A top electrode is then formed over the dielectric layer. The top electrode is a metal that does not degrade the electrical characteristics (e.g. the leakage current or the breakdown voltage) of the dielectric layer.

Abstract: A self aligning connector to engage with a tapered surface of a body to be connected, having a head with a tapered surface capable of engaging the tapered surface of the body to be connected to the receiving body, a shaft portion having threads capable of threadingly engaging threads of the receiving body, a retainer sized and shaped to engage the shaft portion and to seat against a retaining surface of the body to be connected, and a substantially conical spring having an end portion engaging the head and/or shaft portion and another end engaging a surface of the body to be connected opposing the retaining surface and biasing the head and/or shaft portion away from the receiving body.

Abstract: An MCM including a resonator made using conventional MCM fabrication techniques. The MCM's resonator is constructed with overlapping first and second spiral-shaped regions of metallic material separated by a layer of dielectric material. A via disposed in the layer of dielectric material, couples the spiral-shaped regions of metallic material together, thereby utilizing self winding and internal capacitance to gain resonance at frequencies between 500 MHz to 3GHz. The internal capacitance is increased by controlling the overlap between the first and second spiral-shaped regions of metallic material. On a high-resistivity substrate, the monolithic resonator achieves a Q of at least 19 at approximately 900MHz and at least 24 at approximately 2GHz.

Abstract: An IF sampling receiver for use in a wireless communication system includes first and second channels, with one channel generating an in-phase (I) component of an incoming analog IF signal, and the other channel generating a quadrature (Q) component of the analog IF signal. Each of the two channels of the IF sampling receiver includes a corresponding sigma-delta modulator channel. Each of the two sigma-delta modulator channels may be separated into m parallel branches by applying a polyphase decomposition technique to one or more resonators associated with the sigma-delta modulator. The invention thus provides a general framework for configuring a given channel of a sigma-delta modulator to include m parallel branches. The invention also provides a technique for separating a given sigma-delta modulator into n parallel channels, where n is greater than 2. Each of the n parallel channels may then be separated into m parallel branches.

Abstract: A phase shifter including a phase-shifting slab having a phase-shifting member is used in conjunction with a quasi-TEM transmission line having at least one active line and one ground. In some embodiments, the phase-shifting slab is inserted between the active line and the ground. The phase-shifting member is advantageously configured so that as it is advanced between the active line and the ground plane, a varying amount of dielectric material passes therebetween. Varying the amount of dielectric material between the active line and the ground changes the effective dielectric constant of the transmission line. Such a change in the effective dielectric constant causes a change in the propagation velocity of a signal traveling through the transmission line. In that manner, a phase shift is introduced in the signal relative to other signals.

Abstract: An optical monitoring system for III-V integrated circuit wafers utilizes an optical transmitter/receiver assembly formed in the wafer at an early stage in the fabrication process. The optical transmitter is then activated and the optical output signal is monitored during subsequent processing steps, such as ion implantation and layer deposition to assess the quality of the process. In one embodiment, the monitoring system is useful as an endpoint detection process.

Abstract: A blind convergence technique is restricted to using a subset of equalizer output samples. Illustratively, a receiver implements a windowed MMA approach. In this windowed MMA approach, a sample window overlays the two-dimensional plane representing the set of equalizer output samples. Only those equalizer output samples appearing within the sample window are used during filter adaptation.

Abstract: The proposed model aims at finding an optimal linear transformation on the Mel-warped DFT features according to the minimum classification error (MCE) criterion. This linear transformation, along with the (NSHMM) parameters, are automatically trained using the gradient descent method. An advantageous error rate reduction can be realized on a standard 39-class TIMIT phone classification task in comparison with the MCE-trained NSHMM using conventional preprocessing techniques.

Abstract: A videoconferencing network of audiovisual communication terminals is interconnected by a telephone network. Each terminal is activated only when the balance in a user account has been read and the account has been made available for debiting. The terminal includes a monitor system for playing out and receiving voice and picture information, an interface system for conditioning signals passing between the monitor system and the telephone network, and a database which contains the locations and telephone numbers of other terminals of the videoconferencing network. The terminal firer includes a display of information from the database, a pointing device by means of which a user can make a selection from the display by indicating the relevant position in the display, and a device for automatically dialing up the selected remote terminal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for automated cleaving of semiconductor laser bars into laser devices. The structures to be cleaved are sandwiched between two sheets of plastic film and, while supported on a stabilizing surface, are transported between the sheets in a direction perpendicular to scribe marks defining the sides of the laser devices. At one point, the film sheets with the structures between them pass over a raised breaker assembly on the stabilizing surface. A high pressure air source above the breaker assembly provides a blast of air towards each film sheet enclosed structure as it passes over the breaker assembly. This causes the structure to fracture or cleave along the scribe line. As the film sheet pass over the breaker assembly, the structure is cleaved at each successive scribe line. Thus, downstream of the breaker assembly, there are provided a series of separated devices between the two film sheets.

Abstract: A method for in-set evaluation of critical characteristics and parameters of components utilized in various devices. A component in a device to be evaluated is installed in the actual complex device using a socket for easy placement and removal of multiple components. Additional modifications are made to the device to permit logical evaluation of the critical component parameters of the component in the device. In an exemplary embodiment, evaluation of duplexers utilized in cordless and cellular telephones requires the placement of a desense switch to permit taking measurements in isolation and measurements affected by transmitter interference.

Abstract: A calibration sample for a particle analyzer comprises a deposition tube containing a known distribution of submicron size particles. The sample is produced using a microwave discharge in a microwave chamber to generate particles from a feedstock gas at subambient pressure, transporting the particles downstream from the microwave chamber and depositing them on the tube. The downstream tubing can then be removed, stored, transported and used as a calibration sample. In subsequent use, gas flowing through the tube entrains particles from the inner wall, producing a particle-laden gas whose particle size distribution and composition are identical to that produced originally--even after storage for months. The sample, requiring no special equipment, can be used at remote sites to prove-in and calibrate particle analyzers.

Abstract: In one embodiment according to the invention, a method is provided for handling a flash-hook signal from a telephone engaged in a first telephone call with a first distant party when a second telephone call with a second distant party is in a hold status. The method includes the steps of placing the first telephone call with the first distant party in the hold status, connecting the second telephone call, and providing a Caller ID indication to the telephone. In an alternative embodiment, a telephone according to the invention includes a flash-hook, and a Caller ID display. The telephone is adapted to display Caller ID data associated with a first call, and to be updated upon connection of a second call, in response to activation of the flash-hook, to display Caller ID data associated with the second call.

Abstract: The invention relates to a phase detector, especially for a Phase Locked Loop of a desynchronizer of a digital transmission system for the transmission of signals of the synchronous digital hierarchy with a difference former (subtractor) connected to a comparator, to which can be conducted at the input side, via a first accumulator, a first input signal, and via a second accumulator a second input signal with the comparator being connected at the output side via a coder to a control input of the second accumulator.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a method for controlling the number of mobile-telephones transmitting acknowledgments to broadcast short messages (BSM) over a same set of random access channels at a same time. In this embodiment, the transmissions of BSM acknowledgments is controlled by the wireless communication system using random access channel restrictions and random access techniques. Specifically, the random access channel restrictions reduce collisions among acknowledging mobile-telephones and call processing mobile-telephones by allocating one or more specific random access channels over which a BSM acknowledgment can be transmitted, and the random access techniques reduce collisions among acknowledging mobile-telephones by distributing transmissions of the BSM acknowledgments over a period of time.

Abstract: A system is disclosed which services a plurality of queues associated with respective data connections such that the system guarantees data transfer rates and data transfer delays to the data connections. This is achieved by associating each connection having at least one data packet waiting in its associated queue (such a connection called a backlogged connection) with a timestamp generated as a function of system parameters including (a) the number of queues that are backlogged, (b) the data transfer rate guaranteed to each connection, (c) the sum of data transfer rates guaranteed to all backlogged connections, (d) the previous timestamp of the connection, and (e) the weighted sum of the timestamps of all backlogged connections, each timestamp weighted by the data transfer rate guaranteed to the corresponding connection.

Abstract: The specification relates to a broadband multiple access protocol for bi-directional hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks and other shared media networks. The protocol supports downstream broadcast transmission from headend to cable modem, and also provides for allocation of bandwidth for cable modems to transmit back to the headend. The HE transmits and receives control messages in either ATM or VL format, depending upon CM capability, the determination of CM capability ascertained by the HE during the message flows interchanged between HE and CM while establishing a data link. Although the present invention is described in relation to an HFC network, it is also equally applicable to other shared media networks. The protocol supports different data access modes such as STM, ATM, and VL; within each subframe of a subframe/frame/masterframe structure.

Abstract: Communication apparatus is disclosed that comprises a handset 100 that has an opening 182 in its lower end 180 and a base 200 that has a recess 220 that is shaped to accommodate the handset parallel to the base in either a face in or face out position, the recess having a securing element 300 in its lower end 225. The location of the opening in the lower end of the handset and the location of the securing element in the lower end of the recess is such that the securing element is in juxtaposition with the opening in the handset when the handset is placed in the recess in either the face in or face out positions.