Abstract: A telecommunication system includes a communication network having a plurality of switches that are coupled between at least one transaction server, a plurality of receiver premises and a plurality of marketer premises. The transaction server includes memory for storing receiver data corresponding to a receiver identifier and a processor unit. The transaction server further includes a control mechanism to operate the switches to establish communication pathways between any marketer premises and any receiver premises. In the operation of the invention, the transaction server receives a receiver identifier and offer terms from a marketer premises, establishes a communication pathway with a receiver premises corresponding to the receiver identifier and asks if the receiver premises wishes to receive information from the marketer premises. Upon an acceptance, the transaction server enables provision of the information.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing a telephone communication system incorporating pager features are described. In accordance with the present invention, when a call to a system subscriber is received, the subscriber is contacted by the telephone switch which receives the call via the use of a pager message, e.g., using a conventional pager system. If the subscriber has a pager module of the present invention, which receives the pager message directed to the subscriber inserted into an enhanced telephone of the present invention, the pager module will automatically initiate a call to the switch where the waiting call is being held or “parked”. The automatically placed call will result in a connection between the switch and called party being established over conventional telephone lines. The connection with the switch is thus established automatically in a manner that is transparent to the subscriber.

Abstract: There is provided a video conferencing system for enabling multiple, remotely located transceivers to communicate with each other, including transceiver that utilize different communication formats or protocols. The video conferencing system includes a telecommunications interface unit and a plurality of transceiver that may connect to the telecommunications unit through telephone or network links. The telecommunications interface unit includes a gateway block corresponding to each transceiver connected to the unit and a switching subsystem for directing communications, particularly video and audio information, between the gateway blocks. The transceivers communicate with their respective gateway blocks using their own communication formats, but the gateway blocks communicate to the switching subsystem using a single common language, such as a standard television signal using the NTSC standard.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing operator services to callers in a fully or partially automated manner are disclosed. In addition, the present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for providing new telephone services, e.g., the forwarding of messages to non-published telephone number customers. It is also directed to methods and apparatus that can be used to detect, report and correct operator input errors. Automated, e.g., unmanned, apparatus of the present invention are capable of interfacing with conventional telephone switches using known operator protocols. This allows automated devices of the present invention to appear to existing telephone switches as manned operator positions capable of servicing telephone calls. In accordance with the present invention, the unmanned apparatus of the present invention is assigned one or more operator position identifiers conventionally used to identify manned operator positions.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for generating and using both speaker dependent and speaker independent garbage models in speaker dependent speech recognition applications are described. The present invention recognizes that in some speech recognition systems, e.g., systems where multiple speech recognition operations are performed on the same signal, it may be desirable to recognize and treat words or phrases in one part of the speech recognition system as garbage or out of vocabulary utterances with the understanding that the very same words or phrases will be recognized and treated as in-vocabulary by another portion of the system. In accordance with the present invention, in systems where both speaker independent and speaker dependent speech recognition operations are performed independently, e.g.

Abstract: A system which permits regional bell operating companies (RBOCs) and other telephone service providers to offer service to high usage customers (such as Internet service providers for example) without adversely and appreciably degrading the telephone service of other customers served by the same central office. The system provides D4 formatted DS1 signals to the high usage customers. The system also allows data to be transmitted to and from the high usage customers at the maximum possible line rate. Finally, the system permits the high usage customers to test individual lines or numbers within a hunt group.

Abstract: System for distributing multimedia information from a central office to multiple subscriber premises includes an optical backbone for transmitting a plurality of optical bands from the central office into a vicinity of the subscriber premises. A controllable switch, positioned outside the subscriber premises, selects a subset of the plurality of optical bands and blocks others that are not contained within the subset, inducing the subset onto an optical transmission pathway. A receiver positioned within the subscriber premises receives at least one optical band of the subset. The controllable switch, in various embodiments, limits the information received at a subscriber premises to only the information to which the subscriber subscribes. In this manner, the need to scramble signals to prevent theft of services is eliminated, since subscribers only receive the services to which they subscribe.

Abstract: A pipelined system for removing the contents of sealed coin-collection boxes, wherein each box requires a set of different operations to be performed in seriatim to remove the box contents. The operations include removing a seal, opening a box lid, removing the box contents, resetting the lid and resealing the box. The pipelined system comprises a rotary surface for supporting a plurality of the boxes at spaced locations. Stationary surfaces mount a plurality of box-processing units, including pneumatic actuators and processing tools, at spaced stations to form a pipeline. The processing units each perform a different one of the processing operations during each processing cycle. A motor assembly pivots the rotary surface for stepwise positioning the boxes at different ones of the stations. A control system, including computer and pneumatic systems, causes the box-processing units to perform the different processing operations simultaneously on all boxes in the pipeline.

Abstract: A method for use in an environment having a service provider, a subscribed terminal, and a remote terminal, for activating a service for the subscribed terminal. The method processes an order from a terminal and processes an authorization request from a terminal. However, the service order is activated only upon an authorization request from the subscribed terminal. The subscribed terminal may be a telephone in which case a caller ID value provided by a central office switch serving the requesting terminal is used to determine whether a requesting telephone is the subscribed telephone.

Abstract: Converting speech recognition templates or models from a first format to a second format improves the recognition rate achieved using the converted templates or models. Storing source and/or scoring information for templates or models so that converted models or templates can be scored differently than original models or templates reflects the effect the conversion process has on recognition scores. In order to enhance recognition results in one embodiment, an available compressed voice recording is used in the conversion process. The conversion process of the present invention is described using the conversion of dynamic time warping templates into Hidden Markov Models. Generating garbage models are also described. In one embodiment, a garbage model is generated dynamically at recognition time using a period of silence in the utterance upon which the recognition operation is to be performed as the source of the data required to generate the garbage model.

Abstract: A transmultiplexer is connected between digital facilities and analog facilities for translating information between TDM and FDM formats on the digital and analog facilities, respectively. Information in the TDM format is representative of a plurality of digital telephone signal channels and information in the FDM format is representative of a plurality of analog telephone signal channels. The total capacity of the digital facilities is smaller than the total capacity of the analog facilities. Any one of the digital channels can be selectively coupled to any one of the analog channels. The transmultiplexer is installed at a telephone central office facility as an interface between a cable telephony transmission system and a digital telephone switch. A host computer controls both the transmultiplexer and the digital telephone switch.

Abstract: In a noise reduction communications system, where hands-free operations are utilized, a method and system are described for capturing the ambient noise immediately following speech, and using this sample as the basis for noise cancellation of the speech signal, either in a post-processing or real time processing mode.

Abstract: A telephone wire pair is qualified for digital signal transmission by central office testing. The tip-to-ring capacitance of the wire pair is measured while applying to the wire pair an AC test signal at 600 Hz. The test signal at this frequency minimizes errors due to line inductance and/or a ringing device connected to the wire pair. Reliable measurement of the length of the wire pair is achieved. Flaws in cable sheathing can also be detected based on measurement of tip-to-ground capacitance and/or ring-to-ground capacitance.

Abstract: A method for designing a telecom network includes retrieving data corresponding to a plurality of network node locations, a plurality of subscriber locations and other relevant information such as associated street blocks and distance values. Each network node location and subscriber location combination having a distance value therebetween greater than a maximum distance is initially eliminated. Thereafter, each network node location and subscriber location combination is assigned a priority value, based on constraints such as the proximity between their associated street blocks and/or the maximum capacity of each network node location. The total sum of priority values and total number of subscriber locations are then calculated for those sets of network node locations and corresponding subscriber locations that are selected by the algorithm.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for producing efficiently sized models suitable for pattern recognition purposes are described. Various embodiments are directed to the automated generation, evaluation, and selection of reduced size models from an initial model having a relatively large number of components, e.g., more components than can be stored for a particular intended application. To achieve model size reduction in an automated iterative manner, expectation maximization (EM) model training techniques are combined, in accordance with the present invention, with model size constraints. In one embodiment, a new reduced size model is generated using a LaGrange multiplier from an input model and input size constraints during each iteration of the size reducing model training process. The reduced size model generated during one iteration of the process serves as the input to the next iteration. Scoring, e.g.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for producing efficiently sized models suitable for pattern recognition purposes are described. Various embodiments are directed to the automated generation, evaluation, and selection of reduced size models from an initial model having a relatively large number of components, e.g., more components than can be stored for a particular intended application. To achieve model size reduction in an automated iterative manner, expectation maximization (EM) model training techniques are combined, in accordance with the present invention, with model size constraints. In one embodiment, a plurality of reduced size models are generated using a LaGrange multiplier from an input model and input size constraints. The plurality of reduced size models are stored in a buffer and scored using a likelihood scoring technique.

Abstract: There is provided a method for detecting horizontal and vertical lines of an encoded run length image to identify cells of the image that are formed by the lines. Initially, the method comprises the steps of filtering excess details, such as text, from the image and grouping a portion of the image for analysis. A top profile of the image is generated and, then, points along the top profile are determined where substantial changes in the profile position occur. A horizontal section of the top profile which corresponds to a line completely visible from the top is then extracted from between the points. By repeating the above steps, each horizontal line of the image is detected and extracted from the image. In addition, in order to detect the vertical lines of the image, the image is simply rotated 90.degree. and processed with the vertical lines being positioned horizontally.

Abstract: A holder holds a plurality of cross-connect cables between two structures. The holder comprises an enclosure that includes at least a first portion and a second portion. Each portion has a plurality of slots. A portion of at least one cross-connect cable coupled between the two structures, is maintained in the enclosure between a slot on the first portion and a slot on the second portion. Accordingly the holder provides for neat and orderly holding of the otherwise loose cables.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for generating and using both speaker dependent and speaker independent garbage models in speaker dependent speech recognition applications are described. The present invention recognizes that in some speech recognition systems, e.g., systems where multiple speech recognition operations are performed on the same signal, it may be desirable to recognize and treat words or phrases in one part of the speech recognition system as garbage or out of vocabulary utterances with the understanding that the very same words or phrases will be recognized and treated as in-vocabulary by another portion of the system. In accordance with the present invention, in systems where both speaker independent and speaker dependent speech recognition operations are performed independently, e.g.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for transitioning from one speech recognition system to another and for reusing existing speech recognition data are described. In particular, various methods of converting speech recognition templates or models from a first format to a second format are described. Methods for improving the recognition rate achieved using converted templates or models are also described. These methods involve storing source and/or scoring information for templates or models so that converted models or templates can be scored differently than original models or templates to thereby reflect the effect the conversion process has on recognition scores. In order to enhance recognition results in one embodiment an available compressed voice recording is used in the conversion process. The methods and apparatus of the present invention can be applied to a wide variety of speech recognition template and model conversion applications. Methods and apparatus for generating garbage models are also described.