Abstract: A feed-forward amplifier having a signal cancellation loop including a cancellation node that includes a gain controller and a phase controller. Each controller provides a discrete tap steering signal and modulates the corresponding tap steering signal with a discrete tracer signal that takes on a preselected sequence of values. The sequence chosen so that the tracer signal is mutually orthogonal to each other tracer signal over a preselected period. A gain and phase adjuster connected to the outputs of the controllers provides a controlled gain change and phase shift in the signal cancellation loop, the magnitude of the gain change and phase shift controlled by the corresponding tap steering signals presented to the gain and phase adjuster by the controllers. A detector, the input of which is connected to the cancellation node and the output of which is connected to the controllers, outputs a measure of the envelope of the signal at the cancellation node.

Abstract: A feed-forward amplifier having a signal cancellation loop including a cancellation node that includes a gain controller and a phase controller. Each controller provides a discrete tap steering signal and modulates the corresponding tap steering signal with a discrete tracer signal that takes on a preselected sequence of values. The sequence chosen so that the tracer signal is mutually orthogonal to each other tracer signal over a preselected period. A gain and phase adjuster connected to the outputs of the controllers provides a controlled gain change and phase shift in the signal cancellation loop, the magnitude of the gain change and phase shift controlled by the corresponding tap steering signals presented to the gain and phase adjuster by the controllers. A detector, the input of which is connected to the cancellation node and the output of which is connected to the controllers, outputs a measure of the envelope of the signal at the cancellation node.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel telecommunication architecture. The architecture includes a subscriber agent for each subscriber within a telecommunication network. The subscriber agent includes the subscriber's telephone number and calling features. The network also includes terminal agents which are directly associated with one or more terminals such as telephones. The subscriber agent can be associated with one or more terminal agents within the network, so that the subscriber's telephone number and set of calling features can be carried to any terminal within the network. A wide variety of calling features and terminals are supported by the architecture.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing an electrically adjustable RF delay in which a splitter splits an input signal into two signal paths, one signal path providing a delay fixed at an integral number of wavelengths of a desired center frequency and both signal paths providing electrically adjustable attenuation. A combiner combines the signals passing through the signal paths, such that the sum of the electrically-adjustable attenuation provided by the signal paths adds to unity, whereby the input signal is delayed by an adjustable time depending upon the attenuations provided by the signal paths.

Abstract: A user control channel for a wireless digital subscriber line systems and the like, or other communications systems which can benefit from a control channel which provides a low data rate connection between stations on an ongoing basis, makes efficient use of transmission capacity in the communications systems. In one embodiment, the user control channel has a structure employing slotted frames, and a user can be assigned multiple slots, a single slot or less than a single slot (sharing slots with other users) to meet the data transmission needs of the user. Also, one or more slots can be designated as random access slots which users can access via an Aloha-like or other random access protocol as needed.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for determining a block format to be used to transmit a block of data over a channel to a receiver by collecting a series of reception-quality measurements, determining the rate of change of the reception-quality or the rate at which retransmission requests are being made, and, depending upon the magnitude of the rate of change or the rate of retransmission requests, either: averaging the lowest portion of the reception-quality measurements during the time-series and determining the block format based upon the average; or determining the block format based upon the most recent reception-quality measurements.

Abstract: A system and method for reliably transmitting a request from a client application (50) running on a client system (13)to a server application (52) running on a server system (15) and receiving a reply to the request, in which functions that provide parameters governing the reliable transport mechanism and message forming and parsing services are provided by the application processes to and called from application-layer protocol stacks (58, 60).

Abstract: A system and method of determining the maximum uplink transmit power of a subscriber station from a remote base station where the subscriber station reports incidents of foldback in its radio to the base station. When the base station receives the report, it reduces the maximum uplink transmit power of the subscriber station. After a period of time lapses without any reports of foldback occurring, the base station increases the maximum uplink transmit power of the subscriber station.

Abstract: A system, method and apparatus for managing uplink radio resources. The RRAM employs selective rate reduction to ensure resources for subscriber stations depending on individual QoS requirements. In response to a request for a new DDCH, the RRAM can drop a subscriber station at a low data rate and no media reservations. In response to traffic measurement reports from the subscriber stations, the RRAM attempts to increase or decrease the data rate of a subscriber station. When there are insufficient uplink resources, RRAM tries to lower the rate of a higher rate subscriber station. Searching for subscriber stations to lower, RRAM starts at the highest rate and continues to search lower data rates until a suitable candidate is found. RRAM also reserves resources for subscriber stations that will not be reallocated to other subscriber stations.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel feed forward amplifier (“FFA”) and a pilot tone generator-receiver therefor. In an embodiment of the invention, the feed forward amplifier only requires a single oscillator to operate both the pilot tone generator and pilot tone receiver used in conjunction with the amplifier circuitry of the FFA. In another embodiment of the invention, a method is provided of generating and detecting a pilot tone from a single oscillating signal.

Abstract: A subscriber station operable to communicate with a base station and provide telephony and data services to users. The subscriber station connects to telephony and data devices and preferably communicates with the base station using a wireless modem.

Abstract: A communication structure and method which allows connection-like and connectionless communications to be provided on a multiplexed link is provided. The structure and method can make efficient use of available transmission capacity and/or network resources while providing for both types of communication. Connection-like communications can be provided by a channel having allocated bandwidth dedicated to the communication while connectionless communication can be provided by a shared channel through which data can be transmitted to subscribers. In an embodiment, the shared channel transmits frames of packets addressed to one or more of the subscribers. The frames can have a robustly packaged header that can be received by all subscriber stations serviced by the base station while payload data in the frame can be packaged with a level of robustness appropriate for the intended subscriber station. Different packagings can include different encoding and/or modulation of the payload data.

Abstract: A wireless local loop system is provided that includes a wireless base station that communicates with a subscriber station via a wireless link. The wireless link can carry a voice service, such as telephone calls, or a data service, such as internet browsing. The subscriber station includes a steerable antenna. A presently preferred steerable antenna for use with the subscriber station includes a driven element mounted on a base plane that is surrounded by a plurality of parasitic elements also mounted to the base plane. The parasitic elements can be optionally grounded or floated in order to reflect the wireless link towards the driven element. The antenna can be oriented in a desired direction during the transception of a voice or data service. A method of transceiving between a wireless local loop subscriber station and a wireless local loop base station is also provided.

Abstract: A wireless local loop system manages radio data transmission capacity and network resources shared by a plurality of subscriber stations by considering the type of connections desired to be created to the subscriber stations and the radio data transmission capacity, and in some cases QoS parameters, and network resources required for those connections. The subscriber stations include data and telephony ports and can include a subscriber utilization client (SUC) to assist in the management process. The SUC in each subscriber station communicates with a network utilization manager (NUM) to request network resources from the base station. The NUM determines the requirements, in data transmission capacity and/or QoS levels, for the desired connection and considers the utilization of the network resources at the base station, or sector of the base station, in determining whether to establish the desired connection.

Abstract: A communication structure and method which allows connection-like and connectionless communications to be provided on a multiplexed link is provided. The structure and method can make efficient use of available transmission capacity and/or network resources while providing both types of communication and hybrids. Connection-like communications can be provided by a channel having allocated transmission capacity dedicated to the communication while connectionless communication can be provided by a shared channel through which data can be transmitted to subscribers. In an embodiment, the shared channel transmits frames of packets addressed to one or more of the subscribers. The allocation of transmission capacity between the dedicated channels and the shared channel can be fixed, or can be managed to meet network or network operator requirements. The structure and method can also be managed by the network operator to permit prioritization of some communications over others.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to telecommunications, and more specifically to a method and system of providing telecommunication services that is flexible and efficient. Existing Public Switched Telephone Network systems suffer from a number of problems including system complexity, access being proprietary and services being implemented on fixed hardware. As a result, new services are complex and costly to develop, so telcos only provide services that appeal very broadly. The invention provides an open and flexible system by describing communications in terms of graph packets which contain pointers to blocks of software code, rather than containing large blocks of executable code. In the preferred embodiment, these graphs identify software filters which are dedicated to particular tasks, and are based on a standard API. This allows third parties to create new filters and make them available, allowing new services to be provided quickly and easily.

Abstract: A method of, and system for applying frequency-domain equalization in a DS-CDMA system, either by augmenting the transmitted data block before it is scrambled by appending a prefix and a suffix known to or knowable by the receiver or by augmenting the transmitted data block after it is scrambled but prior to transmission so that it has a scrambled cyclic prefix. In the former case, the receiver synthesizes one of the prefix, the data block, or the suffix that would have been received if the augmented transmitted data block after scrambling had had a cyclic prefix.

Abstract: A novel apparatus, system and method for transmitting data flows having different quality of service (QoS) attributes over a network link structured in two or more channels is provided. The method classifies arriving packets to determine their required/assigned QOS attributes and places the classified packets into one of several logical channel queues, the selected logical channel queue having an appropriate corresponding set of QoS attributes defined. A radio link controller examines the available channels and, for each channel, selects a logical channel queue whose contents will be transmitted thereon. The radio link controller determines the data transmission capacity for each channel and segments the contents of the selected logical channel to fit within the determined capacity. The selection of the logical channel queue is performed in accordance with the set of QoS attributes and thus each flow can have different QoS characteristics including priorities, reliabilities (ARQ, no ARQ, etc.).

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel system, method and apparatus for answering a telephone call. In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for call answering that includes a switch for connecting a telephony device to incoming calls received from callers connected to the switch via a telephone network. The switch is also connected to a processing unit and a storage device that contains a plurality of pre-recorded messages. When a callee at the telephony device receives an incoming call during a meeting (or at some other inconvenient time) and yet the callee wishes to respond to the caller, then the callee can provide (via a keypad on the telephony device) message selection criteria to the processing unit. The processing unit can then assemble an outgoing message based on the message selection critiera. The message is assembled from from the plurality of messages saved on the storage device. Having assembled the message, the processing unit can then play that outgoing message to the caller.

Abstract: A novel power control system and method for CDMA telecommunications systems allows the rate of power control updates to be changed, adaptively, as needed on an on going basis. Up to date power control information is available, via a user control channel, to also establish a dedicated channel between stations in an efficient manner. In one embodiment, a pre-selected number of SNR levels, reported by a subscriber station to a base station, are considered and if the variation in these levels is less than a pre-selected lower amount, the rate at which power control information (including the reported SNR levels) is reduced. If the variation is greater than a pre-selected upper amount, the power control rate can be increased.