Abstract: A method for reliably transmitting signaling information is provided. One type of signaling information is transmitted over a primary control channel. The signaling information that is to be transmitted over the primary control channel is defined as a set of particular information. Other signaling information are conveyed over a secondary control channel. Prior to transmission, the information to be conveyed over the secondary channel is scrambled in accordance with a particular scrambling procedure that indicates the information that is to be sent over the primary control channel. The scrambling is thus used to encode the information content of the primary control channel into the information of the secondary control channel thereby further protecting the integrity of the information being conveyed over both control channels.

Abstract: A system includes an optical interferometer, an interference detector, and a controller. The optical interferometer includes a measurement arm, a reference arm, and an optical splitter. The measurement arm has a probe. The arms are coupled to receive light from the optical splitter and to cause light outputted by the arms to interfere. The interference detector is coupled to receive a portion of the interfering light to determine information representative of a location, an orientation, or a velocity of a portion of the patient or animal from the received light. The controller is coupled to receive the information and to adjust data collection on the animal or patient in a manner responsive to a change in a relative location, orientation, or velocity between the probe and the portion of the animal or patient.

Abstract: A method and apparatus enhancing the security of an encrypted cryptographic key by storing its key re-transforming information in a decryption store that is separate from a cryptographic key store, which stores the encrypted cryptographic key, from which accessing circuitry is able to access the encrypted cryptographic key. The cryptographic key store may be a disk drive of a computer, the decryption store may be a network access card installed in that computer or a mobile terminal coupled to that computer, and the accessing circuitry may be the computer's controller. Decryption of the encrypted cryptographic key is carried out in the decryption store, as is the subsequent encryption or decryption using the decrypted cryptographic key.

Abstract: Apparatus and method is described for using a silicon photon-counting avalanche photodiode (APD) to detect at least two-photon absorption (TPA) of an optical signal, the optical signal having a wavelength range extending from 1.2 ?m to an upper wavelength region that increases as the number of photons simultaneously absorbed by the APD increases beyond two. In one embodiment, the TPA count is used by a signal compensation apparatus to reduce dispersion of a received optical pulse communication signal subjected to group velocity dispersion, polarization mode dispersion, or other signal impairment phenomena which effect the TPA count. Another embodiment, the TPA count is used to determine the optical signal-to-noise ratio of a received optical pulse communication signal. Another embodiment uses the TPA count to determine the autocorrelation between a first and second optical pulse signals as a function of the relative delay between the first and second optical pulse signals.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical waveguide device, a method for manufacturing an optical waveguide device, and a method for manufacturing an optical communications device. In an advantageous embodiment, the optical waveguide device includes a contrasting material located within an optical substrate. The contrasting material, thus, forms at least a portion of the optical core.

Abstract: The present invention focuses on the aggregation of flows belonging to different classes of non-guaranteed-delay traffic into a single FIFO queue in a downstream stage of the multi-stage switch. These include the guaranteed flows requiring bandwidth reservation, the best-effort flows that require a fair share of the excess bandwidth, and the flows that require both types of guarantee. We disclose a credit-based backpressure scheme which selectively controls the traffic originating from the previous stage of the system while achieving the goal of meeting the requirements of the individual flows. The credit function is maintained for each controlled traffic component in the aggregate session, and its objective is to balance the actual arrival rate of the component with the service rate dynamically granted by the downstream scheduler. The number of flows that can be aggregated is related to the complexity of maintaining the credit functions for the different traffic components.

Abstract: The Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) is to gather outgoing interface identification information (e.g., outgoing interface ID's or IP addresses) for each node in a primary path. This information is “recorded” in an opaque object (referred to herein as the “RECORD PRIMARY PATH” or “RPP” object). In accordance with the present invention, the information contained in the opaque object is stored in two databases for each node, with local interface information of a particular node being stored in its Local Links Database (LLDB), and information identifying the primary links that affect the backup bandwidth calculation for that node being stored in its External Links Database (ELDB). Each node has its own LLDB and ELDB (or has the LLDB and ELDB data stored in a larger database in such a way that it is can be separately accessible on a node-by-node basis) so that, for each node, the information can be obtained and used.

Abstract: Methods and systems to provide proximity based communication between users of proximity communication devices (“PCD”). A localized communication network is established by peer-to-peer communication between PCDs. Each PCD communicates with other PCDs in a localized, peer-to-peer network structure. Each PCD is identified to other PCDs in its own localized area by its geographical position (i.e., its relative proximity to each other PCD). A user may therefore establish communications with another user based upon the other user's proximity or location relative to the first user's PCD rather than a fixed ID code such as a phone number or address. No centralized server or telephony network system is required for each PCD to communicate with another PCD. Well known protocols for call connection may be adapted for use in establishing, operating, and terminating connections between PCDs.

Abstract: A timing circuit for a receiver adapted for receiving data packet transmissions, each packet having a particular data frequency, the timing circuit comprising: (a) a clock generating circuit for generating a clock signal derived from a local reference clock signal and not from received data packets; and (b) a phase shifter circuit for synchronizing the phase of the clock signal to that of the particular data frequency

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for prioritizing a store-and-forward message in a store-and-forward data communication system. A store-and-forward data communication system is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. The store-and-forward data communication system includes a priority system configured to generate a priority level for a store-and-forward message. The store-and-forward data communication system further includes a store-and-forward network that is configured to receive a request that requests priority processing and transmitting of the store-and-forward message, obtain the priority level from the priority system in response to the message request, and transmit the store-and-forward message according to the priority level.

Abstract: One example of symbol or bit error probability estimation in a communication system using soft decision information determines soft decision metric(s) for each symbol that is received over a communication channel and employs the soft decision metric(s) to obtain an estimate of symbol or bit error probability.

Abstract: A Packet Voice Gateway (PVG) system and related method are disclosed wherein a single ATM circuit emulation board performs conversion of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) formatted cells received from an ATM packet network to a Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) format for delivery to a circuit switched network, including AAL 1/2 bearer cells, AAL 3/4 data cells, AAL5 signaling cells, and raw AAL0 cells. In particular, as ATM cells are received from the ATM packet network, their cell headers are translated according to a predetermined translation scheme. The ATM cells are then processed according to their translated cell headers, which allows the cells to be handled according to their payload type.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for calculating in-place pat metric addressing far a trellis processing arrangement are provided. An arrangement of cascaded multiplexers and stores receives a known input sequence of path metrics. The input sequence of path metrics is manipulated such that certain of the path metrics are delayed in the stores by a clock cycle, whilst the remaining path metrics are presented to the cascaded banks of multiplexers. In this manner, the input sequence of path metrics is continuously processed to produce a desired output sequence of path metrics. Advantageously, embodiments of the apparatus and method may be practiced on either a forward trellis or a reverse trellis.

Abstract: A method of forward error control in which a transmitter receives data from an input device and creates one or more original codewords that are transmitted onto each of two physically distinct telecommunications channels. Two copies of the original codeword are transmitted to the receiver via physically distinct channels to increase the robustness of the telecommunications channel between the transmitter and the receiver and to minimize the elapsed time between when the transmitter transmits the original codeword and when receiver has a final estimate of the original codeword available for output.

Abstract: Telecommunication system, with a communication network (1), and a database (10), accessible through the network (1), the database (10) comprising telephone numbers (60), and associated with a telephone number a location identification (70), each location identification (70) comprising a primary geographical location identifier (71) and a secondary geographical location identifier (72), wherein the primary geographical location identifier (71) is an identifier of an area (I–VI) of the network (1), such as a postal code, and the secondary geographical location identifier (72) is an identifier of the geographical location associated with the corresponding telephone number (60), such as a geographical place name.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for alerting a plurality of groups of telephone stations in sequence in response to receipt of a pilot directory number in a first telephone switching system first switch alerting a group of telephones; if none of the first group of telephones answers establishing a connection via a second pilot directory number to a second switch for accessing a second group of telephones and alerting the members of the second group. Advantageously, this arrangement allows a telephone call to be completed to a first preferred group of telephones before attempting to complete the call to a second group of telephones.

Abstract: A scalable system and method for locating a closest server in response to a client request via an interactive distribution network, such as the Internet, are provided. A closest content server is defined as having the least round trip time for responding to a client request. The system including a plurality of content servers; and a local server in communication with a plurality of clients, the local server acting as a proxy for communicating client requests from clients to a redirection server. Client network distance and load information is periodically collected at each content server in the network from clients communicating with each of the respective content servers. The redirection server periodically aggregates the network distance and load information from each content server to create client clusters from both current and previously aggregated network distance and load information. Each client cluster represents a division or partition of the total IP address space.

Abstract: The Impedance Product Operator can be implemented in a number of embodiments to produce a new non-reciprocal (n+1)-port network element with the distinguishing property that if n 2-termial impedances, Z2, . . . Zn+1 are connected at ports 2, . . . , n+1 of an Impedance Product Operator, the input impedance offered by this loaded multi-port at port 1 is Z ( 1 ) = ? k = 2 n + 1 ? ? Z k . As a single network element, the Impedance Product Operator offers a direct yet general mechanism for multiplication of 2-terminal impedance functions. This network element allows simpler and more direct synthesis of driving point impedance functions.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for wireless communication in systems such as omni-beam and narrow-beam fixed wireless loop (FWL) systems. In a first technique in accordance with the invention, referred to as code division duplex (CDD) time-slotted CDMA, uplink and downlink portions of the system are separated using code division duplexing, while the users within a given cell are also separated using codes, e.g., using time-slotted CDMA. In a second technique in accordance with the invention, referred to as time division duplex (TDD) time-slotted CDMA, uplink and downlink portions of the system are separated using time division duplexing, e.g., time slots, while the users in a given cell are separated using codes, e.g., time-slotted CDMA. Both the CDD and TDD techniques may make use of an electronically-steered beam which is designed to provide simultaneous coverage within a given cell for two or more users separated by codes.

Abstract: A high power multi-frequency laser includes a laser cavity defined by reflective elements, a frequency routing device in the cavity comprising a plurality of frequency selective pathways, a first set of optical amplifiers optically coupled to a first end of the frequency routing device, and a second set of optical amplifiers optically coupling a second end of the frequency routing device and a first one of the reflective elements. The high power multi-frequency laser further includes a power combiner. The power combiner is optically coupled to the first set of optical amplifiers and a second one of the reflective elements and combines the outputs of the first set of optical amplifiers such that a common output for the multi-frequency laser is provided. The common output of the present invention provides a single output from the multi-frequency laser having a high output coupling efficiency.