Abstract: The dual registration system tracks two serving Mobile Switching Centers for each subscriber. The registrations are differentiated as IP Multimedia Subsystem for voice call delivery purposes and CDMA Mobile Switching Center for IP access and other non-voice services. The registration message from the IP Multimedia Subsystem is enhanced via protocol extensions to include an indication that this registration is from the IP Multimedia Subsystem and is to indicate the target Mobile Switching Center for IP Multimedia Subsystem services, such as VoIP. The Home Location Register is enhanced to store two Mobile Switching Centers as the serving Mobile Switching Centers for the dual mode subscriber. The Home Location Register logic is extended to route service to the appropriate Mobile Switching Center depending on service offered, subscriber preferences, and the registration status.

Abstract: The flexible through-connection process, operational in a Mobile Switch Center, that provides support for allowing the call routing processor of the Mobile Switch Center to independently perform a through-connection/switch-connection based on different types of calls so that the Mobile Switch Center can make a through-connection at different stages of the outgoing call leg. In operation, the present flexible through-connection process includes in the call control processor of the switching system a new parameter in the existing inter-process message which is sent to the call routing processor at call setup time. The values supported for this new parameter will be pre-defined in the Mobile Switch Center and used by the call routing processor to determine when to perform through-connection/switch-connection for an outgoing call leg.

Abstract: A washer for use with a fastener to join two components or plates includes a washer body having an inner portion and an outer portion joined by a connecting wall. The inner portion and the connecting wall form a cavity and the outer portion extends outwardly from the connecting wall to form a flange. The washer joins two plates fabricated from dissimilar material and minimizes stress in the joint. Additionally, the washer minimizes leakage through the joint and can be used with standard fasteners.

Abstract: An optical receiver is provided with inputs for receiving two fiber optic lines. The two fiber optic lines carry redundant data. An optical interface passes the respective signals therein to a comparison unit. The comparison unit compares the signals and determines which has the better quality and passes the better quality signal on to a processing interface. Clock data for operating the comparison unit is extracted from the optical signals.

Abstract: A method for managing wireless assets in a first coverage area based upon call activity in at least one second coverage area substantially adjacent with the first coverage area includes the steps of: (a) in no particular order: (1) selecting a parameter relating to the call activity; and (2) selecting at least one threshold value for the parameter relating to imminence of increased call activity in the first coverage area; (b) measuring the parameter in at least one region in the at least one second coverage area; and (c) when the parameter substantially meets the at least one threshold value, reserving a measure of call-handling capacity from call activity in the first coverage area for use in said at least one second coverage area.

Abstract: When a telecommunications network involves use of the Internet Protocol, signalling information is passed by providing between a user and the Internet Protocol an interface protocol (56) which interfaces with one or both of the Transport Control Protocol and the User Datagram Protocol. The interface protocol layer provides selected parts of SS7 facilities.

Abstract: A heterogeneous mix of traffic having one or more protocol formats and supplied by one or more users or sub-networks is transported in a communication network by using digital containers that are routed and processed in network nodes interconnecting the users or sub-networks. A digital container includes a frame structure comprising a header section and a payload section, the header section including information for routing the digital container and for identifying the type of payload being carried. The payload section is capable of carrying one or more different types of traffic formatted according to one or more protocols, e.g., IP, ATM, and so on. Processing of the individual payload remains a user or sub-network responsibility while the less processor-intensive routing and processing of digital containers occurs at the network node level.

Abstract: Failure protection is provided between two routers that are actively implementing load sharing using network address translation. Failure protection is achieved by generating state information at the two routers and then exchanging the state information between the two routers so that each router has a combined set of state information that can be used in the event of a failure of the other router.

Abstract: An apparatus that comprises a membrane having a plurality of fluid-support-structures and openings located between the fluid-support-structures. The fluid-support-structures have at least one dimension that that is about 1 millimeter or less. The apparatus also comprises a wicking material positioned adjacent to a surface of the membrane. When a fluid locatable on a surface of the fluid-support-structures penetrates the fluid-support-structures, at least a portion of the fluid passes through the openings and into the wicking material.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for management and negotiation of prices of goods purchased from a vendor. Pricing information is collected by a purchaser. This information reflects factors influencing pricing of components used by a vendor and intended for use in products sold to the purchaser. The pricing information is processed to develop models that can be used to compute expected prices for components. The models and other available information are then used to compute target prices for components. When a price quotation for a product is received from a vendor, the price quotation is analyzed, and the quoted price is compared against an overall target price generated by identifying the components making up the product and adding the target prices for components and elements making up the product. If the quoted price exceeds the target price, the price quotation is rejected. Negotiations may then be undertaken to resolve the pricing differences.

Abstract: Techniques for tracing the real-time operation of software for the purposes of testing, debugging, or performance analysis are disclosed. Diagnostic instrumentation for generating records containing details of software operation is incorporated in the software by inserting calls to diverse macros or inline functions. Each macro takes an argument specifying both a subsystem and a category of instrumentation within the subsystem. Based on the specified subsystem and category, the instrumentation can be included or excluded from the compiled object code and, if included, can be dynamically enabled at run-time. Disabled instrumentation does not result in a function call, but only a single, inline “if,” thereby reducing overhead. One macro accepts both software parameters and a custom format specifier describing how the parameters should be displayed. However, the parameters are not formatted during logging, nor is the format specifier included in the record. Instead, the formatting is performed when displayed.

Abstract: A wireless paging system allows a business to automatically page customers via the customers' existing mobile phones or other wireless devices, using an existing cellular telecommunications network, and without the need to provide a separate local-area paging network. The paging system includes a local, Internet-connected computer deployed at the business and a notification and scheduling program running on the computer. The notification program is directly or indirectly interfaced with the cellular network's short messaging service or the like, through the Internet or otherwise. If a customer has to wait upon arrival for a product and/or service, the customer's mobile phone number is entered into the notification program. Upon receiving data indicating that the product and/or service has become available, e.g., as entered into the local computer by employees, the notification program generates appropriate commands and/or instructions for having a notification message sent to the customer's wireless device.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for management and analysis of cost and savings information. Products sold by an enterprise, and the components used in the creation of those products are identified. Transaction data relating to purchases of components by the enterprise is gathered from various sources and used to generate cost information for the components. The cost information is compared to baseline cost information to compute savings information for the components. Specifications of components used in products, information relating to the number of products created and sold and information categorizing components and products is used to generate cost and savings information for components, products and categories of products.

Abstract: A signal detection technique for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications systems embodied in a method and apparatus for detecting a plurality of transmitted signals with use of a plurality of receiving antennas. An iterative procedure decodes one of a plurality of transmitted signals at each iteration using an intermediate matrix at each iteration to determine the transmitted signal to be decoded. The intermediate matrix for each successive iteration is advantageously computed in a recursive manner with use of a Schur complement operation performed based on the inverse of a modified version of the intermediate matrix used in the previous iteration.

Abstract: An apparatus in one example comprises a call control component that sets a call category for a call to indicate that the call terminates at an announcement server component prior to connection with a called communication device. Upon receipt of an answer message from the announcement server component, the call control component drops the answer message based on the call category.

Abstract: A method for supporting VP/VC groups in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switching systems that implement ATM automatic protection switching (APS). A source (SA) transmits traffic substantially continuously on two paths and a destination (SB), or sink, selects at any time one of the traffic from only one of the paths for further processing. The method includes creating a groups table having an entry for each of the two instances of every active VP/VC group's member set. Each entry indicates whether the cells for that instance of the member circuits of that VP/VC group should be forwarded or discarded. Each entry references a corresponding entry in the groups table by means of a pointer. The method includes accessing a relevant entry in the groups table when a cell for that circuit arrives, discarding the cell if the accessed value is “discard,” and forwarding the cell as specified in the specific lookup table entry for that circuit if the accessed value is otherwise.

Abstract: A telecommunications system (100) includes network access devices (104) that couple user devices (102) to a telecommunications network (106). The user devices (102) include at least voice and preferably text display and text generation capability. A voicemail server (114) is coupled to the telecommunications network. The voicemail server (114) is also coupled to an application server (116). Selectively, speech traveling through the telecommunications network (100) from user devices (102) is converted into text, stored, and forwarded to a user device as a text message. The text message is for example a facsimile transmission, an e-mail, or a SMS message. The selectivity is based on a stored attribute, current status of the user device, attributes of the sending device and the like. Text can even be converted into speech as an option. Or, stored speech associated with a text message can be retrieved based on the text message.

Abstract: A class of superconductive materials containing copper-oxygen bonding and with mixed cation-occupancy designed with a view to size and valence consideration yield useful values of critical temperature and other properties. Uses entail all applications which involves superconducting materials such as magnets and transmission lines which require continuous superconductivity paths as well as detectors (e.g., which may rely on tunneling).

Abstract: A new and significantly improved approach for controlling the transmission power in the uplink direction of a CDMA-based radio system is disclosed, which provides a transmission power control even with regard to an overall link quality substantially involving a real time reaction on changes in the environment. A CDMA-based radio system is described which comprises an inner power control loop for adjusting the transmission power between a user equipment and at least one base station based on the signal to interference ratio to ensure that the signal to interference ratio is similar to a target signal to interference ratio at least within a predefined range and an outer power control loop for adjusting the target signal to interference ratio based on the link quality to ensure a target link quality necessary for fulfilling a predetermined quality of service in view of link quality at least within a predefined range.

Abstract: A network entry switch based statistical authenticating entity validation scheme wherein the level of IEPS call validation by authenticating entity is dependent on network load and the level of failed validations for a given authenticating entity.