Abstract: The IP filter, embodying the present invention, is a communications device designed to provide public network or Internet access to nodes of private networks, advantageously without requiring the private nodes on such networks to register public Internet addresses. The IP filter presents a single IP address to the Internet and uses a plurality of IP ports to solve the problem of IP address conservation. It initiates sessions by assigning private side IP sessions to a unique port of the IP filter's public address. The IP filter effects a translation between a source port number for the private network and a destination port number for the public network for communication therebetween. Benefits of the IP filter include private node security and conservation of Internet-registered addresses.

Abstract: An optical transmission system comprises a number of optical terminals connected by optical waveguides such as optical fibers. Nonlinear processes occurring within an optical transmission medium of the waveguide or within the optical terminals is detected by a monitor which outputs monitored data representative of the products of nonlinearity. The data is used to control the power of the optical signal such that power is regulated to avoid the onset of the nonlinear process. The data may also be used to indicate an alarm condition to an operator. A monitor for four wave mixing detection utilizes dither signals applied to respective frequency components of a wavelength division multiplexed signal, products of the four wave mixing process being detected in the monitor by correlation between a sample of a received optical signal and reference data representative of dither induced modulation in the four wave mixing product.

Abstract: Telecommunications system in which an outside antenna is positioned to direct radio signals in a divergent beam towards a predetermined wall surface area of a building. The outside antenna is sufficiently close to the building to require constancy of the radio signals to noise ratio of radio signals transmitted by the outside antenna. The signals transmitted at the building are received by patch antennas located on the wall surface area (e.g. in practice upon windows) for connection of the outside antenna to individual terminal outlets in the building. These terminal outlets are preferably connected by cable to the patch antennas, but the terminal outlets may be radio receivers.

Abstract: A novel system and apparatus for transmitting data between the two nodes of a network is provided. The transmission is effected by using an error recovery protocol featuring a positive group acknowledgement. A sender unit on one node receives the user data and groups the data into consecutive cells, the cells being clustered into groups, each cell in a group being assigned a unique sequence number. The groups of cells are transmitted over a physical channel to a receiver unit on a different node. The receiver unit examines the cell stream and issues an acknowledgment message to the sender unit only when all of the cells in a group have been received. Once the sender unit has completed the transmission of a group of cells, it starts observing the physical channel for an acknowledgement message from the receiver unit. If after a predetermined time period the acknowledgement message has not been received, the sender unit transmits the group of cells again.

Abstract: The present invention relates to two modules containing electronic equipment, one relatively small, and one relatively large, that will be physically connected and used for extended operation in an environment where the ambient atmosphere contains moisture filled air or some other specified environmental contaminant. An absorber such as desiccant of a prescribed amount is contained within at least the relatively large module to control the absolute humidity and/or environmental contaminants within each module during extended operation in the ambient environment. Permeable wall portions are placed in the region between the relatively small module and the relative large module to allow for moisture and/or other specified environmental contaminants to pass from the relatively small module to the relatively large module. As such, the lifespan of the small module can be extended.

Abstract: A method of predicting at least one future value of a time series of data using a neural network comprising the steps of:(I) inputting a plurality of values of the time series into the neural network;(ii) inputting information about a time into the neural network; and(iii) obtaining outputs from the neural network said outputs comprising predicted future value(s) of the time series.

Abstract: Enhanced signaling and call routing is provided in a telephone communications network that includes a local telephone central office having a POTS line connection between a subscriber station and an access junction of the office. A voice path interfaces the access junction with a circuit switch for conventional dial-up voice call placement. Modem data calls, however, follow an access path from the junction as a physical switched connection terminated in layer 1 of a network data-switching matrix. The access path continues therefrom to a data switch which interfaces an Internet service provider. Interfacing the data and circuit switches, a network controller functions to selectively configure communications paths within the central office and between the office and network in response to commands originating at the subscriber station or incoming from other networks.

Abstract: A speech recognition system having multiple recognition vocabularies, and a method of selecting an optimal working vocabulary used by the system are disclosed. Each vocabulary is particulary suited for recognizing speech in a particular language, or with a particular accent or dialect. The system prompts a speaker for an initial spoken response; receives the initial spoken response; compares the response to each of a set of possible responses in an initial speech recognition vocabulary to determine a response best matched in the initial vocabulary. A working speech recognition vocabulary is selected from a plurality of speech recognition vocabularies, based on the best matched response.

Abstract: The disclosure describes a multi-stage phase comparator and a phase-locked loop incorporating such a comparator. The comparator measures a phase difference between a reference signal and an output signal using a periodic clock. The comparator is a two stage comparator comprising a fine and coarse comparator. The coarse comparator measures the number of full clock periods between a transition of the reference signal and the output signal. The fine comparator comprises a delay line generator that generates a plurality of delayed clocks. The delayed clocks are used to over sample the reference signal to determine a fine phase difference representing a remaining fraction of the clock period, between transitions of the reference and output signals. A phase locked loop using the multi-stage comparator allows for more accurate phase locking.

Abstract: An architecture for a modular communications system is disclosed. The modular communications system comprises at least one control module; a plurality of resource modules for receipt of external payload data provided to said system or for manipulation of the payload data; a plurality of resource module links, one link connecting each resource module to the control module and each resource module. The control module comprises a switch for switching payload data between the plurality of resource modules; and a bandwidth allocator comprising a bandwidth selector and a distributor each connected to the switch and to the resource module links. The bandwidth selector allows the selection of the bandwidth of payload data passed from any of the resource modules to the time switch. Similarly, the bandwidth distributor allows for the selection of the bandwidth of payload data switched through the switch and provided to any of the resource modules from the control module.

Abstract: In system having a plurality of telephones coupled to a communications controller which is connected to an integrated services digital network (ISDN) line of a telecommunications network, the ISDN line having two bearer channels of predetermined bandwidth and a data channel and the plurality of telephones being represented by a plurality of identifiers, a method for convenient incoming call acceptance comprises the communications controller associating each identifier for the plurality of telephones with a distinctive ring pattern. The controller receives, on the data channel, a dialed identifier of the plurality of identiers which was dialed in connection with an incoming call and rings all idle telephones of the plurality of telephones according to the distinctive ring pattern associated with the dialed identifier. The controller connects a first telephone of the idle telephones which goes off-hook, through a voice subchannel extracted from the bandwidth of the two bearer channels, to the incoming call.

Abstract: The present invention provides a junction form which may be used to provide junctions in split tube used to protect optical fibers. The form consists of a base with multiple arms extending therefrom, with retainers at the base and at the ends of the arms. These retainers engage edges in the split tubes formed by the split found initially in the split tubes, and by a second split formed at the ends of the split tubes opposite the original split. The junction created by the junction form protects the optical fibers against being bent at a sharp angle, while allowing the optical fiber to be installed therein by simply pushing the fibers into the junction and the split tube. The present invention also provides methods of creating junctions from split tubes.

Abstract: A method for reducing the paging load in a cellular communication system is described. The cell C with the largest paging load L is first identified. Since this cell is usually included in more than one paging zone, the paging zones including cell C are identified. Thereafter, cell C is removed tentatively from each identified zone and a ratio R calculated which represents the decrease in loading on cell C due to being removed from zone z divided by the maximum increase in loading on any other cell in the network. The zone for which the ratio R is the largest is the best candidate for removing cell C therefrom. After doing so tentatively, the cell C' with the largest paging load L' thereon is identified. If the loading L is greater than L', cell G is removed permanently from the zone having the highest ratio R therefor and the process is repeated until L' is greater than L at which point the process is stopped without removing cell C from the zone with the highest ratio R.

Abstract: The invention relates to an automated directory assistance system that utilizes a priori advisor for predicting the most likely requested locality. The automated directory assistance system includes a speech recognition dictionary containing a plurality of orthographies, each orthography corresponding to a locality name in which a subscriber whose telephone number is sought by the user of the automated directory assistance system may be residing. Upon reception of the spoken utterance, the system performs a first pass search scores on the basis of acoustics characteristics of the orthographies in the speech recognition dictionary, each orthography having a certain likelihood of being a match to the spoken utterances. The orthographies are then weighed on the basis of information indicative of the geographical location of the user. A final re-scoring operation may then be performed on the top N candidates in the weighed list.

Abstract: The present invention is an ADSI download system. The system comprises at least one ADSI device, like a screen-display terminal, and one or more remote sites, like computer network site locations, wherein at least one of the remote sites contains ADSI feature files. The ADSI device stores ADSI download feature files in a storage location, receives and stores a downloaded ADSI feature file from the remote site, and uses the ADSI feature. The telephony network connects the ADSI device to the remote site. A network application server connects the remote site comprising of at least one ADSI feature file with the ADSI device. The user of the ADSI device selects the ADSI feature file on the remote site and the ADSI feature file is then retrieved from the remote site and is downloaded into the storage location.

Abstract: A call servicing system permits service agents to service customer calls over a data network. The call servicing system includes customer switches that direct calls to and from the customers, agent terminals for use by the service agents in servicing the customer calls, a network switch, a call translation unit, and an Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) server. The network switch receives the customer calls and transfers the calls to the call translation unit under direction of the ACD server. The call translation unit routes the calls to selected service agents. The ACD server selects the service agents to service the calls, and controls the call translation unit to forward the calls to the agent terminals associated with the selected service agents over the data network.

Abstract: A system includes a plurality of content addressable memory (CAM) arrays and a plurality of logic circuits. The logic circuits are connected to a commonly shared bus. Each of the logic circuits is associated with the respective CAM array. Each of the CAM arrays provides search results (hit, match address and multiple match) in a search operation in response to a clock signal. The hit signals provided from the CAM arrays to the respective logic circuits. Each logic circuit provides an OR logic output signal from a hit signal input from an upstream logic circuit and the hit signal provided by the CAM array associated with that logic circuit, in response to a self-timed signal which is delayed in time from the clock signal. The OR logic output signal provided by the logic circuit is provided to a downstream logic circuit. Thus, the furthest downstream logic circuit provides a hit result of the system in a search operation.

Abstract: A system and method for providing multisensory signaling capabilities enables a user to manage the receipt of incoming communication events, after an initial notification sequence, using multiple media options. Specifically, a remote device notifies a user of incoming communication events and offers real-time coupling of the notifications with communication management options. The message is delivered or otherwise processed according to the option selected.

Abstract: A method for extending hard-handoff boundaries within a mobile telephone communications network is disclosed. There are multiple cells within a CDMA cellular/PCS telephone communications network, in which some of the cells operate under two separate carrier frequencies. In order to extend the hard-handoff boundary of a boundary cell that operates under two carrier frequencies, a neighboring cell adjacent to the boundary cell but operating under only one of the two carrier frequencies of the boundary cell must first be located. Then, a repeater with a fixed or adjustable delay is placed between the boundary cell and the neighboring cell such that the hard-handoff boundary of the boundary cell is extended.