Abstract: An apparatus comprising a substrate having a surface with at least one crystallization nucleation site located thereon. The apparatus further comprises a second substrate having a second surface. The second surface is configured to maintain a crystallization starting material in an amorphous state or an initial crystalline state.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for increasing the capacity of a system that use four transmit antennas and that employs conventional channel coding by performing space-time coding in a particular way. Each of two pairs of symbol sub-streams is space-time coded to form a respective pair of transmit-sequence chains, where at least one of the formed pairs of the transmit-sequence chains is a function of symbols of the respective symbol-sub-stream pair and not a function of the symbols of the other symbol-sub-stream pair.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed wherein a battery comprises an electrode having at least one nanostructured surface. The nanostructured surface is disposed in a way such that an electrolyte fluid of the battery is prevented from contacting the electrode, thus preventing discharge of the battery when the battery is not in use. When a voltage is passed over the nanostructured surface, the electrolyte fluid is caused to penetrate the nanostructured surface and to contact the electrode, thus activating the battery. In one illustrative embodiment, the battery is an integrated part of an electronics package. In another embodiment, the battery is manufactured as a separate device and is then brought into contact with the electronics package. In yet another embodiment, the electronics package and an attached battery are disposed in a projectile that is used as a military targeting device.

Abstract: An optical device for changing polarization comprises a waveguide having a waveguide end facet coupled to a quarter-wave plate/reflector combination to rotate the polarization of incident light to the waveguide by 90 degrees. In one embodiment, a polarization beam splitter/rotator combination (PBSR) uses a quarter-wave plate in reflection at the end facet of the waveguide. The polarization beam splitter/rotator combination and variations of that structure are applied in various useful topologies as polarization mode dispersion (PMD) compensators and polarimeters.

Abstract: The present invention provides for background calibration of a time-interleaved analog-to-digital converter (TIADC). In one embodiment, a background calibrator includes a TIADC having a parallel array of time-interleaved main signal processors, each main signal processor including an ADC connected to a corresponding output FIR filter. The background calibrator also includes an auxiliary signal processor having an ADC connected to at least one corresponding output FIR filter. Additionally, the background calibrator further includes a timing calibration circuit, wherein the timing calibration circuit is configured to select one of the main signal processors, exchange the auxiliary signal processor with the selected main signal processor in the TIADC and connect the selected main signal processor to the timing calibration circuit. In an alternative embodiment, the timing calibration circuit is further configured to reduce a timing mismatch of the selected main signal processor.

Abstract: A transport channel multiplexing system provides improved use of wireless resources in a shared data channel system. For example, the transport channel system reduces the amount of transport format information required for using a shared data channel, such as the actual number of packet data units in a transport channel of the shared data channel. Additionally, by scheduling or multiplexing coded sub-blocks from one or more transport channels over the shared data channel, the transport channel multiplexing system can provide improved integration with other important features, such as incremental redundancy, fast adaptation to channel conditions and transport channel dependent quality of service (QOS) control, to provide improved system performance.

Abstract: Error bursts are randomized by an interleaver which makes use of “set leaders” to generate permutation indices. The permutation indices are used to route bits from initial positions in an input bit stream to re-arranged or randomized positions in an output bit stream. When the output bit stream is then transmitted and subsequently received by a de-interleaver which returns the received bits to their initial, pre-randomized positions, the resulting received signal has an acceptable bit error rate.

Abstract: A processing unit of an analysis system comprises a processor coupled to a memory, and is configured to generate a structure-preserving reduced-order model of a circuit, device or system. The reduced-order model in one embodiment is generated by projection of input matrices characterizing the circuit, device or system onto at least one block Krylov subspace, the block Krylov subspace having a corresponding basis matrix. The projection utilizes at least one matrix that has a column range which includes a corresponding portion of the block Krylov subspace but is not itself the basis matrix of the block Krylov subspace. The processing unit generates a frequency response or other signal characterizing the circuit, device or system, based at least in part on the reduced-order model, and an associated output unit presents the generated signal in a user-perceptible format.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for updating inter-server communication software in a network are provided. More particularly, the invention is directed to a technique for software updating of servers that reduces the unavailability of network resources due to the update process. In this regard, the method includes the implementation of proxy software in servers that are to be updated. The servers are then selectively updated (e.g. one server at a time) in a manner, using the proxy software, to allow the servers to communicate with one another during the entire update process.

Abstract: When an overload condition is determined to exist at a base station in a wireless communications system based on the number of unsuccessful access attempts to access the system relative to the successful access attempts to access the system, the base station broadcasts a message to each mobile terminal within its coverage area that changes at least one access probe-related parameter associated with at least one of: the number, the frequency, and the power intensity of the access probes made by these mobile terminals as they attempt to establish access to the wireless network. By so limiting these access probes in some manner when an overload condition is present, the interference caused on the reverse link by many mobile terminals attempting access is reduced.

Abstract: Method for displaying user-configurable data in a table in a web browser application includes obtaining a copy of a table template, creating a file that defines table properties, performing a customization subroutine. The customization subroutine includes the steps of instructing a DHTML table component to pass one or more entries of the table properties file, setting one or more customizable table properties, recognizing a browser application and drawing a browser application page with a customized table.

Abstract: A security bar providing improved security from breach is obtained with the use of a fiber optic cable longitudinally inserted in a hollowed out cavity thereof. Monitoring of the security bar to identify attempts at breach thereof may be achieved by connecting an optical light source to one end of the fiber optic cable and a light monitoring device (i.e., an optical receiver) at the other end. In this manner, a breach of the security bar is identified when the optical receiver fails to receive the light generated by the optical light source. In one embodiment, an isolator which consists of a material that is soft enough to absorb a potential shock but hard enough to break or splinter if the security bar is substantially deformed (e.g., wood) surrounds the fiber optic cable.

Abstract: The system for transferring a call connection to a call waiting party operates when an incoming call is directed to one of the parties on the existing call connection. The called party receives an indication of the incoming call and flashes the switch-hook on their terminal device to place the other party on the existing call connection on hold and also to pick up the incoming call After speaking with the calling party, the called party determines that the calling party should communicate with only the other party on the existing call connection, who is presently on hold. The called party then operates their terminal device by inputting specific digits or a code to activate the system for transferring a call connection to a call waiting party which responds by maintaining the existing call connection while adding the calling party to the existing call connection and disconnecting the called party from the existing call connection.

Abstract: A dispersion compensation apparatus providing both coarse and fine dispersion compensation employing a pair of slab waveguides, a grating interconnecting the two waveguides, a mirror disposed within the second slab waveguide and one or more thermooptic lense(s), positioned between the mirror and the grating.

Abstract: A communications system multiplexes voice communications signals onto one or more transport level connections established through a packetized network, such as the Internet. The invention supports the use of variable-length packets and accommodates variable jitter. The system conforms to real time protocol (RTP) and employs internet telephone gateways (ITGs) to bind users to channel identifiers, to indicate payload type and length, to provide channel identification and time stamps, and to indicate cessation and resumption of voice traffic from a particular user through use of, for example, marker bits.

Abstract: The system for adding a call waiting party to an existing call connection operates when an incoming call is directed to one of the parties on the existing call connection. The called party receives an indication of the incoming call and flashes to place the other party on the existing call connection on hold and also to pick up the incoming call. After speaking with the calling party, the called party determines that the calling party should communicate with both the called party and the other party on the existing call connection. The called party then operates their phone by inputting specific digits or a code to activate the system for adding the call waiting party to an existing call connection which responds by maintaining the existing call connection and also adding the calling party to the existing call connection.

Abstract: An improved waveguide structure employing blocks of waveguide core material positioned sufficiently close to a waveguide core thereby eliminating strain effects and its resulting undesirable polarization crosstalk. The improved structures are applicable to a variety of optical components including bent waveguides, directional and star couplers.

Abstract: The method of pre-configuring the optical protect paths in an agile photonic network establishes a protection trail for each optical working path that may be set-up in the network. The pre-configuration is based on building an electrical layer (EXC) graph that takes into account all the connection demands in the network, and finding on this EXC graph a plurality of cycles. Next, the EXC cycles are validated at the optical layer, and are further validated against constraints. The method attempts to find an optimal cycles solution, without exhausting all possible variants.

Abstract: A method of detecting DTX frames in frames received over a communication channel and a power control method are described, where radio link protocol (RLP) information received over the channel may be received, and one or more frames associated with the RLP information may be determined as an erasure or a DTX frame, based on the RLP information. Such determination may be incorporated into outer loop power control algorithms for adjusting a threshold related to a specified quality of service.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a system and method for channel coding data within a digital communication system. A data receiving circuit receives a digital input data sequence and periodically inserts known symbols, such as zeros, into the digital input data sequence as part of a convolutional zero code of the present invention. It forms an expanded digital input data sequence. An encoder is operatively connected to the data receiving circuit and trellis encodes the expanded sequence to produce a channel coded data stream such that the number of connections between trellis nodes in a trellis are reduced.