Abstract: The present invention relates to semiconductor devices packaged using overcasting. The overcast devices of the present invention incorporate encapsulative materials, such as ultraviolet-curing material, which are cast in open stencils at approximately ambient pressure (and potentially at approximately ambient temperature) over electronic components mechanically and electrically connected to the substrate. The overcast semiconductor devices of the present invention may incorporate new encapsulative materials, including UV-cured materials and longer shelf life materials, poorly suited for the pressures and temperatures of injection molding. The overcast devices also allow the incorporation of substrate materials which are not feasible for use with a higher pressure, higher temperature forming process.

Abstract: A set of reconfigurable hardware includes a number of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), a controller referred to as a page manager, and a RAM-based local memory. In an illustrative embodiment, each of the FPGAs is suitable for implementing any one of a number of different portions of a logic circuit. A netlist or other descriptive information characterizing the logic circuit is partitioned into a number of pages, each of the pages corresponding to one of the portions of the circuit. The page manager controls the loading and unloading of the pages from the local memory into the FPGAs of the reconfigurable hardware, and controls storage and transfer of inter-page signals. The page manager is configured to detect "page faults" such as, for example, an unloaded page with a full input buffer. The page manager responds to a given page fault by subsequently loading the previously unloaded page into one of the FPGAs.

Abstract: A telephone voice messaging system and method for accessing, selecting, and downloading a pre-recorded outgoing voice message from an external source. The pre-recorded outgoing greeting messages may be downloaded in digital format using a modem, or in audible, analog format. In digital format, the pre-recorded outgoing greeting messages may be selected from a server through the public switched telephone network, and/or using the Internet.

Abstract: A power factor controller, a method of controlling power factor and a power converter employing either the controller or the method. The controller includes: (1) a ramp circuit that senses an output voltage of a converter being controlled and generates an intermediate waveform that rises as a function of a magnitude of the output voltage and (2) a drive circuit, coupled to the ramp circuit, that senses a current in the converter and causes the intermediate waveform to fall at a time that is a function of a magnitude of the current, the drive circuit generating a drive signal for the converter from the intermediate waveform.

Abstract: An enclosure for telecommunications equipment (such as a building entrance protector) houses an assembly for terminating wires, such as twisted pairs, broken out from a multi-wire cable. The assembly is made by mounting two splicing connectors back-to-back with a specially designed bracket (e.g., a two-piece bracket). The assembly is mounted within the base of the enclosure. After terminating one or more wires at splicing contacts on one side of the assembly, the assembly can be removed from the base, rotated, and remounted within the base to expose splicing contacts on another side of the assembly in order to terminate additional wires from the cable. The present invention provides an efficient scheme for mounting splicing connectors within the limited volume provided within a building entrance protector.

Abstract: A circuit is described which maintains the current flowing toward a main circuit within a prescribed limit, regardless of instantaneous voltage or current changes. The circuit includes elements that maintain the current flow in a path toward a main circuit within a prescribed limit by selectively changing the impedance presented in response to any instantaneous change in the voltage flowing toward the main circuit and by introducing into the path a voltage which opposes any such instantaneous change in the current flowing toward the main circuit. Elements may also be provided to protect the main circuit by disconnecting same from a cable leading thereto after signals on the cable have been analyzed and a determination has been made that a signal outside of predetermined upper and lower limit values has been coupled to the cable, for example, from a high altitude electromagnetic pulse.

Abstract: A plurality of different wavelength semiconductor lasers are fabricated on a single semiconductor substrate by establishing a thermal gradient across the substrate during epitaxial growth. The result is a variation in composition which produces a corresponding variation of laser wavelength across the substrate. The thermal gradient is preferably achieved by disposing a patterned layer of material (heat reflecting or heat absorbing) on the back side of the substrate, radiatively heating the backside and growing the active layers on the front side. The backside layer is removed when the substrate is lapped to final thickness.

Abstract: There is disclosed, a converter for converting an input signal from one form to another includes a generator circuit for generating as a thermometer code a plurality of binary signals from the input signal. The converter includes one or more enhanced majority gate circuits for correcting a broken thermometer code to be a corrected thermometer code. The corrected thermometer code is decoded to provide a digital code corresponding to the input signal.

Abstract: Wireless communication paths between a PC and a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) are utilized to synchronize data files between the PC and the PDA. Example wireless communication paths include ) a one-way paging network, a two-way paging network, a Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) network, and a cordless telephone network. Automated updating of remote files is accomplished by invisibly updating using a paging or CDPD network, e.g., either after each change to the data file, after a series of changes to the data file, after exiting the scheduling application program, at predetermined intervals and/or even on-demand. A simple and efficient wireless way to synchronize data files on separate computers which do not require a fixed, direct connection to each other, such as a direct connection through the PSTN, infrared link, or wired or wireless LAN type connection. The synchronization of data files can be updated on a frequent, inconspicuous and convenient basis.

Abstract: The invention consists of speech compression and transmission devices (CTD) connected to one another for transmission of signals therebetween via any transmission media including the public switched telephone network, a cellular network, a satellite or submarine communications system or any combination of such existing networks and systems. Each CTD consists of a speech profile defining the coefficients of speech for any person that will be using that device, a means for converting speech to text, and a means for converting text to speech based on the speech profile. When a connection is established between the devices, the speech profiles of the calling party and the called parties are exchanged such that the calling party's CTD stores in RAM the called party's speech profile and the called party's CTD stores in RAM the calling party's speech profile. When either one of the parties speaks, that party's speech is converted into text.

Abstract: A method for performing fiber break-out in an optical fiber ribbon, which does not require shutting down the fibers in the ribbon while break-out is being performed, includes the step of placing the ribbon on a smooth surface that is either flat or curved with a radius much greater than the critical bend radius after the matrix material of the ribbon has been softened and swollen. The ribbon is temporarily affixed to the surface, and the softened matrix is then pulled away therefrom. The ribbon is then turned over and temporarily affixed to the surface and the remaining matrix is removed. The fibers that remain are then cleaned with an alcohol solution. In a variation of the method, the matrix is removed by rubbing or abrading it with a textured cloth or pad.

Abstract: An internally mounted retractable weather shield for protecting the interior of an outdoor structure from the elements, comprising a base panel; a mounting hinge for hingably mounting the base panel within the structure at a mounting point proximate an upper portion of the structure; the base panel being hingably movable between a stored position wherein the base panel is stored within the structure and overlying the interior and to a deployed position wherein the base panel extends from the mounting point substantially perpendicular to the interior so as to shield the interior from the elements; and wherein the base panel is alternately biased in at least one of a first and second directions via the mounting hinge.

Abstract: An adapter/converter circuit converts transmissions by a mobile telephone built for one standard (e.g., PCS) from the telephone transmit/base station receive frequency of that one standard to the telephone transmit/base station receive frequency of another standard (e.g., cellular), and converts transmissions by a base station or similar device (e.g., a base station simulator) from the telephone receive/base station transmit frequency of the one standard to the telephone receive/base station transmit frequency of the other standard. The two frequency conversions occur simultaneously on two parallel legs under the control of a PLL dual frequency synthesizer, which is in turn controlled by user input (in the case where the adapter is used to allow, e.g., PCS telephones to be tested on cellular test equipment) or by the base station (in the case where the adapter is used to allow, e.g., PCS telephones to be used with a cellular base station).

Abstract: A telecommunications protection unit includes a voltage unit having an electrically insulating base configured to house a diode module assembly and a voltage limiting cell therein. The voltage limiting cell and diode module assembly are retained within the housing by a bus clip. The housing includes structure for preventing damage to the voltage limiting cell and diode module assembly during placement of the bus clip thereon. The diode module assembly is a one-piece article including a bus bar and several diodes and terminals which can be used by itself or in a voltage unit to provide desired electrical effects and facilitate assembly of an electrical system such as a telecommunications protection unit.

Abstract: A method for designing an integrated circuit having optical inputs and outputs includes the step of selecting an integrated circuit design which includes at least one circuit cell design for processing electric signals. The circuit cell design has a predetermined number of electric inputs and electric outputs. The integrated circuit design also includes a plurality of layers of metalization for providing electric coupling. After the electronic integrated circuit design is selected, a predetermined number of optical input devices are located on the circuit cell design in a first prearranged orientation. The predetermined number of optical input devices is no greater than the predetermined number of electric inputs to the circuit cell. Also after the electronic circuit design is selected, a predetermined number of optical output devices are located on the circuit cell design in a second prearranged orientation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for enhancing, within a signal bandwidth, a corrupted audio-frequency signal. The signal which is to be enhanced is analyzed into plural sub-band signals, each occupying a frequency sub-band smaller than the signal bandwidth. A respective signal gain function is applied to each sub-band signal, and the respective sub-band signals are then synthesized into an enhanced signal of the signal bandwidth. The signal gain function is derived, in part, by measuring speech energy and noise energy, and from these determining a relative amount of speech energy, within the corresponding sub-band. In certain embodiments of the invention, the signal gain function is also derived, in part, by determining a relative amount of speech energy within a frequency range greater than, but centered on, the corresponding sub-band.

Abstract: An arrangement for paging mobile telephone units (MTU) in a cellular mobile system that conserves paging resources. If the elapsed time since the most recent registration of an MTU is small, then an initial page covering only the cell of the most recent cell location for the target MTU, and the neighboring cells for that cell, is used. Advantageously, since the likelihood that the MTU is still within that cell or its neighbors is high, so that paging resources are conserved by paging in only a small number of cells.

Abstract: A communications system (10) is provided which comprises a plurality of network hubs (12), (14), and (16). Network hubs (12), (14), and (16) are interconnected through a communications network (18). The system (10) interconnects messaging systems (24), (26), (28), (30), (32), (34), (36), (40), (42) and (44) having disparate capabilities and using disparate communications protocols. The network hubs use numbers of connection processors (52) and (54) to interact with the messaging systems. A hub database (68) and message store (58) are used to store control information and messaging information within the network hubs. A network processor (60) is used to interact with other hubs within the communications system (10). A message router (72), connection manager (74), data replicator (76), and an administrative event manager (78) are used to control the operations of the hub in processing a message.

Abstract: The switch circuit has a replica switch connected to a main switch to reduce feedthrough otherwise resulting from parasitic capacitance of the main switch. In operation, the replica switch is always open so as not to interfere with the signals generated by the main switch. A track-and-hold amplifier (TH amp) having both open-loop linearization and feedthrough reduction yet requiring low power supply voltage and low power consumption. In one embodiment of the TH amp, two input buffers each receive a differential input and both generate two output signals, where the output signals from one input buffer are out of phase with the output signals from the other input buffer. Two switch circuits each receive one signal from each input buffer and each switch circuit generates an output signal that is accumulated in one of two hold capacitors, when the switch circuit is closed (i.e., track mode). When the switch circuits are open (i.e.

Abstract: A method is provided for clients to access server-based telephony features in the Internet or other non-telephony client-server network, in a platform-independent and network-independent fashion and without modification of the clients. A user of a client (101) uses the client's World Wide Web (WWW) browser (113) to download from a WWW server (104) a page (115) that defines a blank feature form that has virtual actuators and associated parameters fields for the telephony features. The user marks up the downloaded page via the WWW browser to indicate feature selection and any feature parameters, and uploads the marked up page to the WWW server. A form-interpreting script (116) executed by the WWW server interprets the marked up page, and the WWW server sends a feature request that corresponds to the user's feature selection and user-specified parameters to a telephony feature server (105). The telephony feature server responds to the request by providing the requested feature to the user's client.