Abstract: The invention is directed to an apparatus for housing a linearized optical fiber amplifier (LOFA) circuit. The apparatus includes a body member, preferably made of foam plastic material, that defines cavities to receive the components of the LOFA circuit including a dispersion compensation fiber (DCF) reel. The apparatus includes opposing arcuate members about which optical fibers coupling components of the LOFA circuit are looped. Retaining rings fitted over the first and second arcuate members and supported by at least one surface defined in the body member, can be used to separate each optical fiber from others to provide organization and to prevent entanglement of the optical fibers. A reel receptacle member receives and holds an active fiber (AF) reel of the LOFA circuit. The reel receptacle member can be placed between the arcuate members to be held therebetween.

Abstract: An improved method of speech coding for use in conjunction with speech coding methods wherein speech is digitized into a plurality of temporally defined frames, each frame including a plurality of sub-frames, and the digitized speech is partitioned into periodic components and a residual signal. For each of a plurality of sub-frames of the residual signal, the improved method of speech coding selects and applies a time shift T to the sub-frame by applying a matching criterion to (a) the current sub-frame of the residual signal, and (b) a sample-to-sample (subframe-to-subframe) pitch delay determined by applying linear interpolation to known pitch delays occurring at or near frame-to-frame boundaries of previous frames.The matching criterion is applied by minimizing .epsilon.

Abstract: Integrated circuits embedded in cards are known in the industry as "Smart Cards". The present invention discloses a novel design for housing an integrated circuit(IC) within a card unit. The integrated circuit is first made thin and placed in the midplane of the card. This lessens the tensile stress in the IC when the Smart Card is subjected to bending. In addition, it is suggested that the IC chip is then placed in a relatively long and wide enclosure. This second measure reduces the stress on the IC by compromising between the competing objectives of making a rigid cavity for IC protection, versus making a more compliant cavity for overall card strength. Lastly, the cavity is made out of a material that typically has a Young's modulus that is higher than the Young's modulus of the card but lower than Young's modulus of the integrated circuit. This once again increases Smart Card reliability by utilizing a harder cavity material to protect the IC.

Abstract: A unitary housing made from an acoustically-opaque, resilient material is employed with a microphone element to form a directional microphone assembly. The microphone element includes a diaphragm which moves under the influence of sound pressure applied to its opposite surfaces to generate an electrical signal which is proportional to the differential sound pressure. The unitary housing includes a first acoustically-transparent channel for communicating sound pressure from a first port in the unitary housing to one surface of the diaphragm, and a second acoustically transparent channel for communicating sound pressure from a second port in the unitary housing to the other surface of the diaphragm. In an illustrative embodiment, the unitary housing comprises a unitary small "boot" having a surface including the ports for coupling acoustic energy to the acoustic channels, an inner chamber for housing the microphone element and a predetermined opening in a surface of the boot for accessing the inner chamber.

Abstract: A method for determining an optimum database query point during call delivery in a telecommunications network comprises a local number portability traffic analysis system (LNP-TAS) in communication with at least one originating central office switch and one standard terminating central office switch in the telecommunications network. The LNP-TAS receives LNP database-related query statistics from each central office switch at predetermined intervals to determine an optimum database query point based upon predefined optimization criteria. Upon determination of an optimum database query point, the LNP-TAS updates the appropriate switches with switch control update messages in accordance with the optimization determination.

Abstract: An optical waveguide for use in an optoelectronic integrated circuit and the associated method of manufacturing such a waveguide. The waveguide is formed by the successive layering of varied waveguide materials on a III-V semiconductor substrate, thereby producing a slab waveguide. The various layers within the slab waveguide are relatively thick, thereby producing a slab waveguide that is sized to be more compatible with an optical fiber and therefore more readily coupled to an optical fiber. The larger slab waveguide structure broadens the fundamental mode of the optical signal. However, multiple modes are also produced in the thicker slab waveguide that include higher order modes. A ridge structure is etched into the slab waveguide, wherein the width and height of the ridge structure are selected to impose lateral confinements on the higher order slab modes. The result is a waveguide that has a broadened fundamental mode yet is essentially single-mode.

Abstract: An optical integrated circuit (OIC) 10 and an optical fiber array 20 are joined using index matching material, and mounted on a planar bridging structure 30 to form a device which can be readily connected to other devices using conventional optical connectors. The OIC and the fiber array comprise a silicon substrates 100, 200 having bottom surfaces that include reference areas 14, 24, and top sides that include a number of optical paths 16, 50. These paths are positioned above each reference area by an exact distance. Additionally, the bottom sides of the OIC and the fiber array include alignment features 13, 23 which are etched into their substrates and bear a predetermined horizontal relation to the optical paths. The planar bridging structure also includes a reference surface 34 that interfaces the reference surfaces of the OIC and the fiber array to assure that the optical paths are in vertical alignment. The resulting device achieves excellent alignment (i.e., less than 0.

Abstract: This invention involves a fiber probe device and a method of making it. The probe includes a relatively thick upper cylindrical region, typically in the form of a solid right circular cylinder, terminating in a tapered region that terminates in a relatively thin lower cylindrical region (tip), typically also in the form of a solid right circular cylinder, the lower region having a width (diameter) in the approximate range 0.01 .mu.m to 150 .mu.m.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods and apparatus for completing calls to selected agents of an ACD (Automatic Call Distributor). In accordance with this invention, callers to the ACD are frequently assigned a preferred agent for handling their transactions. When these callers call the basic number of the ACD, they are identified and routed preferably, to the preferred agent if that agent is logged on. If the callers have not completed a transaction, the agent who is serving a call for that transaction provides a transaction number to the caller and the caller subsequently is connected to the agent associated with that transaction number. Advantageously, callers can normally be served by the same agent while still having the advantage of having their calls queued to any available agent of the ACD if the preferred agent for handling a caller or handling a transaction is not available.

Abstract: An optical package and methods for its use are disclosed. The optical package may suitably include a container and a rail that fit within the container for receiving a plurality of mounted optical components. The rail may be secured within the container so that neither the rail nor the received mounted optical components move within the container. The optical package may further have at least one optical fiber termination mounted to the end of the container that is in optical communication with the optical components within the container. In methods according to the present invention, the optical package may be used for the transportation, operation, manufacturing and rapid prototyping of optical systems.

Abstract: Optical fiber must be adequately protected during manufacturing, testing, and transportation from physical damage due to over-bending, crushing, and chafing. Prior art methods of packaging optical fiber have been ineffective in protecting against these forms of damage and have required manual assembly, thus their effectiveness being heavily dependent upon operator skill and training. The present invention provides an optical fiber spool that has open and closed positions which allow optical fiber to be loaded into and unloaded from the spool automatically. Furthermore, this spool protects loaded optical fiber from physical damage such as over-bending, crushing, and chafing. The spool of the present invention achieves these goals by providing a plurality of cavities which open and close to capture the optical fiber. These cavities are formed between a plurality of radial tabs positioned around the circumference of a spool lid and over a channel formed within a spool base.

Abstract: Only one or only a few channels are sent at a time from curbside circuitry located in a curbside box, via a link such as either a coaxial or a fiber cable, into a customer's home TV set or personal computer. However, many more than a few channels are delivered to the curbside box from a central office or a central bank of paid video-movies to be selected by the customers. The curbside box serves a multitude of homes, a separate (narrow-band) cable running to each home from the (same) curbside switch. Each channel can be a free radio or free TV channel, a stored or an on-line newspaper pay channel, or a pay TV channel, or a pay-per-view channel. Requests from each TV set in each home (e.g., initiated by a hand-held remote control infra-red sending device) can be sent to the curbside circuitry from the home along a link such as a wire or along the same curbside-to-home cable itself. Storage of billing information with respect to each customer is accomplished by a billing recorder located in the curbside box.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method and apparatus of projection lithography in which the contrast introduced into a radiation sensitive material caused by the proximity effect is effectively removed in a single exposure. Patterned radiation is transmitted through a lens system with at least one lens and a back focal plane filter. The back focal plane filter has at least two apertures, an image aperture and a proximity effect correction aperture. Patterned radiation is transmitted through the image aperture and introduces the desired image into the energy sensitive resist material. A portion of the inverse pattern radiation is transmitted through the proximity effect correction aperture and onto the energy sensitive resist material to effectively remove the contrast therein caused by the proximity effect.

Abstract: A cross-talk compensaring circuit member for use with communications systems connector arrays. The circuit member comprises a wiring board on which are printed conductive paths for each of the leads of the several (usually four) pairs in a connector jack, and the board may accommodate several such jacks. The conductive paths are routed in a manner to create facing inductive loop portions which are substantially mirror images of each other to produce inductive interaction among the different pair combinations. Capacitive coupling is also used in one embodiment.

Abstract: A circuit for driving light emitting diodes with a precise amount of current in response to an input pulse is disclosed. The input pulse drives a transistor into saturation, and the collector current of this transistor is increased in value through the use of two cascaded multiplying current mirrors. The second current mirror directly drives the light emitting diodes.

Abstract: Low optical loss and simplified fabrication are achieved by a nonlinear reflector which incorporates one or more semiconductor quantum wells within an n half-wavelengths strain relief layer (where n is an odd integer greater than zero) that is formed on a standard semiconductor quarter wave stack reflector. Growth of the half-wavelength layer is controlled so that dislocations are formed in sufficient concentration at the interface region to act effectively as non-radiative recombination sources. After saturation, these recombination sources remove carriers in the quantum well before the next round trip of the optical pulse arrives in the laser cavity. The nonlinear reflector is suitable for laser modelocking at the high wavelengths associated with many currently contemplated telecommunications applications and provides, at such wavelengths, an intensity dependent response that permits it to be used for saturable absorption directly in a main oscillating cavity of a laser.

Abstract: An improved apparatus and method for the manufacture of integrated circuits is disclosed. At least three protrusions extend from the wafer support susceptor. The protrusions slightly electrically decouple the wafer from the susceptor during plasma processing. The protrusions prevent gradual debris build-up on the susceptor from causing variation from lot-to-lot in plasma processing results.

Abstract: A technique is described for the preparation of conjugated arylene and heteroarylene vinylene polymers wherein conversion of the polymer precursor is effected at a temperature ranging from 150.degree.-300.degree. C. in the presence of forming gas. Studies have shown that the presence of the forming gas suppresses the formation of carbonyl groups, so resulting in an enhancement in photoluminescence and electroluminescence efficiency of the polymer.

Abstract: A method of encoding an audio signal is disclosed. The method comprises partitioning the audio signal into a first time block and a second time block. Next, a first time block first energy value and a first time block second energy value are calculated. Next, a second time block first energy value and a second time block second energy value are calculated. Next, the technique determines if an attack has occurred in the second time block by comparing the second time block first energy value and the second time block second energy value and also comparing the Erst time block and the second time block Advantageously, the method identifies attach such that the decoder can reproduce the attacks with little audible distortion and also affords the advantage of using long windows for portions of the audio signal that do not contain attacks.