Abstract: A technique for searching for signals to assign to the fingers of a rake receiver is disclosed. In particular, some embodiments of the present invention identify signals with some PN sequence offsets as more likely to have signals appear at them than other offsets, and monitor the more promising offsets more closely than the less promising offsets, thus enabling signals to be more quickly discovered and assigned to a finger. One embodiment of the present invention comprises: assigning a signal to a finger of a rake receiver; de-assigning the signal from the finger; searching for the signal with the finger after the signal has been de-assigned from the finger; and re-assigning the signal to the finger, if a measure of signal quality of the signal crosses a threshold.

Abstract: A method of passivating copper interconnects is disclosed. A freshly electrodeposited copper interconnect such as formed as via/trench structures in semiconductor manufacturing is chemically converted to passivating surface of copper tungstate or copper chromate either through MOCVD reaction with vapors of tungsten or chromium alkoxides, or by pyrolytic reaction with tungsten or chromium carbonyl in the presence of O.sub.2. The copper interconnect having the formed passivation service is then chemically mechanically polished. The process can be used with various manufacturing processes, including single and dual damascene processes.

Abstract: A method and system for adaptively determining an operating point for a transmitter-receiver pair in a wireless communication network. The receiver receives data over an uplink and measures an average observed word error rate avg.sub.-- WER of the received data and transmits the average observed word error rate avg.sub.-- WER over a downlink to the transmitter when the average observed word error rate avg.sub.-- WER is not within an acceptable word error rate range. The transmitter receives the average observed word error rate avg.sub.-- WER over the downlink and determines a power-code pair (P,c) for the transmitter based on the average observed word error rate avg.sub.-- WER. The power code pair (P,c) defines an operating point of the transmitter, where P of the power-code pair is a selected transmit power level of the transmitter and c of the power-code pair is a selected forward error correcting code used for encoding the data. The receiver can also determine a predicted word error rate WER.sub.

Abstract: An aperture-coupled planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) including a radiating patch formed on one side of a ground plane and separated therefrom by a first dielectric which may be air, foam or another suitable material. A shorting strip connects a side of the radiating patch to the ground plane at a point corresponding to a dominant mode null, such that the size of the radiating patch may be reduced by a factor of two. A microstrip feedline is arranged on an opposite side of the ground plane and separated therefrom by a second dielectric which may be part of a substrate formed of printed wiring board material. Signals are coupled between the microstrip feedline and the radiating patch via an aperture formed in the ground plane. The use of aperture coupling avoids the excessive cost associated with conventional TEM transmission line or coaxial feeds, while providing improved manufacturability and ease of integration relative to PIFAs with conventional feeds.

Abstract: A composite image generator for generating a multi-image composite from a plurality of individual compressed images is disclosed. Multi-image composites are generated from static images or from a video stream with significantly reduced computation, reduced latency for video processing and reduced storage requirements. The individual images may be compressed with a JPEG image encoder or another suitable intraframe image encoder, such as those implementing the MPEG-II standard. In the illustrative embodiment, four (4) individual images of equal size, compressed using the JPEG standard, are combined into a multi-image composite with a single individual image in each quadrant of the composite image. Multi-image composites are created without fully decoding each individual compressed image, by partially decoding the individual compressed images and only fully decoding a small portion of each image.

Abstract: A frequency-domain analysis method computes noise power spectral densities (PSDs) in nonlinear circuits. The method uses harmonic components of the periodic time-varying PSD of cyclostationary noise, i.e., harmonic power spectral densities which are deterministic functions that describe the time-varying second-order statistics of cyclostationary noise. A block-structured matrix equation is used which relates output noise statistics to input noise statistics. By exploiting Toeplitz block structure, an efficient noise calculation method requires O(nN log N) computation time and O(nN) memory, where n is the circuit size and N is the number of significant harmonics in the circuit's steady state. The method successfully treats device noise sources with arbitrarily shaped PSDs (including thermal, shot, and flicker noises), handles noise input correlations and computes correlations between different outputs.

Abstract: An integrated DRAM cell comprises a DRAM capacitor and a transistor. The capacitor of the cell is formed in a first well in a dielectric layer overlying the cell transistor. The top electrode of the capacitor also serves as a barrier layer between an underlying plug in a second well in the dielectric layer. A method of forming the cell comprises the step of using a single mask for formation of the layer which acts as both the top electrode of the capacitor and the barrier layer of the second well.

Abstract: An apparatus and method pulses a broadband optical source such as an LED, and generates multiple optical wavelength signals channels which are time division multiplexed onto a single optical channel. The multiple optical wavelength signals may subsequently be modulated by low frequency data signals and then transmitted to a receiver as corresponding multiple independent optical wavelength channels over a single optical fiber. Both spectral slicing and time division multiplexing are accomplished by a wavelength channel defining assembly including a wavelength grating router (WGR) and optical delay lines by using the periodic routing characteristics of the WGR. The WGR separates the broadband optical signal appearing at one input port of the WGR into discrete wavelength bands constituting respective pulses defining the optical wavelength channels by spectrally slicing the broadband optical source frequency spectrum with a multiple channel filter.

Abstract: A system for restricting access to transmitted programming content is disclosed, which transmits the encryption key used to encrypt the program to the customer with the encrypted programming content. A set-top terminal or similar mechanism restricts access to the transmitted multimedia information using stored decryption keys. The set-top terminal preferably receives one or more package keys, S.sub.J, periodically from the service provider, each corresponding to a package of programs that the customer is entitled to for a given period. Each program is preferably encrypted by the head-end server prior to transmission using a program key, K.sub.P, which may be unique to the program. Header information is transmitted with the encrypted program to the customers, containing a package pair for each package to which the program belongs. A package pair preferably includes an identifier of the package, as well as the program key, K.sub.P, encrypted by the corresponding package key, S.sub.J.

Abstract: A computer main memory is divided into multiple physically-separated arrays of memory cells. Each array has associated with it an array of spare memory cells. The array of spare memory cells is located adjacent to its associated main memory cell array. The rows in the spare memory cell array are aligned with the rows in the associated main memory cell array. The main memory blocks are divided into subblocks. Within each subblock, all columns are addressed by a single multiplexer unique to that subblock. A data input bus and a data output bus is provided corresponding to each subblock in the main memory block. Each data input bus and data output bus is electrically coupled to a main memory bus, and each spare memory block. Data can therefore be readily directed either to one of the subblocks in the main memory or to one of the spare memory blocks.

Abstract: The invention is a semiconductor laser including a grating which is formed by regions of high impurity concentration surrounded by material having a lesser impurity concentration. The use of variations in doping concentration rather than different materials to provide reflection in the grating should simplify device fabrication.

Abstract: A modulo address generation circuit for generating multiple-word memory accesses for use in a computer system. The circuit includes an address pointer latch for retaining a current address pointer, an adder for receiving the current address pointer as a first input and a displacement as a second input. The adder for adding the inputs to provide an output. A comparator compares the current address pointer to an ending address of a circular buffer ignoring least significant bits thereof when the displacement is greater than one. The comparator provides an output that is a first state when the inputs are the same and an output that is a second state when the outputs are different. A control circuit is adapted to receive an indicator of the beginning address of the circular buffer, an indicator of the current address pointer, and an indicator of the ending address of the circular buffer.

Abstract: A method for increasing the success rate for soft handoffs, particularly under rapidly fluctuating fading conditions, using traffic channels of active set base stations. In one embodiment of the present invention, increased success rate for soft handoffs is achieved using a candidate base station, in addition to the active set base stations, to transmit a handoff command message to the mobile-telephone. Specifically, the handoff command message is transmitted by the active set base stations over the traffic channels assigned to mobile-telephone for communicating with the active set base stations, and by the candidate base station over the traffic channel assigned to the mobile-telephone for communicating with a primary base station. Additionally, a pilot signal may be transmitted by the candidate base station to enable the mobile-telephone to coherently demodulate the handoff direction message transmitted by the candidate base station.

Abstract: A parallel sampling receiver is disclosed that utilizes a sampled binary phase detector (SBPD) to achieve byte alignment. A parallel sampling receiver utilizes five parallel sampled phase detectors to sample incoming data and an additional edge-detecting sampled binary phase detector (SBPD) operating as a phase detector for sampling the incoming data signal between two data bits, such as data bits D.sub.4 and D.sub.5. The sampled binary phase detector (SBPD) should be either high or low if there is a binary transition from high to low between data bits D.sub.4 and D.sub.5, indicating whether the sampling is being done just before or just after the falling edge, respectively. Byte alignment is provided by the parallel sampling receiver.

Abstract: The specification relates to a method and apparatus for tracking object position during active segments of motion monitored from a plurality of video cameras, repetitively sampling object position, representing various object trajectories during active segments as equations, and synthesizing an animated version of the motion of the object from the representative equations. The present description is described in the context of synthesis of an animated version of a tennis game, although a representation of object motion of any sort is equally applicable, if the object motion is capable of being reduced to the form of an equation or series of equations. In a further enhancement, player position, player extremities, and player controlled objects (such as a racquet) are also tracked and sampled and utilized to provide an animation more faithfully reproducing player position, player motion and other game parameters.

Abstract: A technique for calling party definition and control of the contact information and sequencing used to reach a particular called party. A method and apparatus are provided wherein the calling party specifies a set of communications devices along with their respective contact numbers for use in contacting a particular called party. Thereafter, attempts are made to locate the called party in accordance with the set of communications devices and respective contact numbers as designated by the calling party. Advantageously, a significant amount of increased control is provided to the calling party in defining and controlling the sequence in which attempts are made to reach a particular called party.

Abstract: Distributed precomputation techniques for determining primary and/or restoration paths in an optical network. The invention provides a number of partially and fully asynchronous distributed precomputation algorithms which may be implemented, for example, by the nodes of an all-optical network, in which network links are constrained in terms of optical signal wavelength and failure isolation. A given distributed precomputation algorithm may include a first phase in which paths are allocated for capacity demands to the extent possible without resolving contentions, and a second phase in which contentions between demands for the same capacity are resolved.

Abstract: The linearity and noise performance of an inexpensive optical signal source are improved using either feedback or feedforward correction techniques. In a feedback embodiment of the invention, a modulation signal, such as a broadband analog CATV signal, is applied to the optical source along with an error signal. The error signal is generated in a feedback path using a high-speed photodiode to detect a portion of the output optical signal generated by the optical source. A delay compensation filter in the feedback path corrects for variations in error signal delay as a function of frequency, such that source nonlinearity and noise may be corrected over a broad bandwidth. In a feedforward embodiment of the invention, an error signal generated from a portion of the output of the optical source is converted to a frequency band outside of the modulation signal bandwidth before being applied to an input of the optical source.

Abstract: The invention presents a method of frame synchronization of Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) data using a temporary storage area (regfile) of substantially smaller dimension than the repetition rate of the sync pattern. Synchronization is achieved by detecting the sync pattern by correlation and determining if the pattern has a fixed repetitive separation. The synchronization scheme of the invention is simple and easily implementable as an integrated circuit, using software and a microprocessor, or as discrete circuitry.

Abstract: An electronically controlled main distributing frame (ECMDF) establishes main distributing frame (MDF) type connection in response to control signals without requiring a craftsperson to connect a jumper wire. In accordance with one application of such ECMDF, a local switch can receive signals from a customer requesting connection to a specials service provider such as the Internet. In response to the receipt of such signals, the connection in the ECMDF is altered to provide a more direct connection to the service provider bypassing the local switch. Advantageously, such an arrangement allows the long holding times of Internet connections to be established through a bypass network while allowing the customers who have requested such a connection to be provided with normal telephone service when they are not on the Internet.