Abstract: The invention proposes a technique for measuring chromatic dispersion in an optical communication line transmitting an optical signal at a predetermined optical wavelength. The technique comprises determining the sign of chromatic dispersion and includes introducing controlled changes of wavelength around the predetermined wavelength, monitoring the optical signal that has passed said line, and obtaining a first and a second signals, wherein the first signal reflects changes of the carrier wavelength, and the second signal reflects changes of delay of the optical signal transmitted via the line. The two signals are compared and the chromatic dispersion sign is determined based on the phase difference there-between.

Abstract: A method for increasing bandwidth utilization of a transmission channel having a first bandwidth capacity and operative at a first transmission rate, the method including the steps of providing one or more input bit streams each having a transmission rate that does not exceed that of the first transmission rate, dividing the one or more input bit streams into a plurality of sub-streams, each having a bandwidth lower than the first bandwidth capacity, selecting a group of sub-streams out of the plurality of sub-streams which group has a combined bandwidth just lower than the first bandwidth capacity, carrying the selected group of sub-streams over the transmission channel, and assembling the selected group of sub-streams into an output bit stream.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a cable erection technique using a plastically deformable coil comprising a metal wire formed in a spiral shape and synthetic resin coated on a surface of the metal wire, wherein said coil is inserted outside around a tensile line drawn between utility poles, the coil is elongated until its plastic deformation for forming a series of cable arrangement spaces inside the spiral, and a cable is extended, added or extracted through the cable arrangement space.

Abstract: A method of providing a time stamping service for setting a client's system clock, wherein the client's system clock can be set to reliable standard time. Whether the client's system clock has been accurately set is one of the preconditions for the smooth provision of a public key infrastructure-based security service. A service provider providing the public key infrastructure-based security service safely receives reference time information from an objectively reliable third-party system, sets the client's system clock on the basis of the received reference time information and provides the security service on the basis of the set client's system clock. Therefore, the service provider can smoothly provide the security service while assuring the accuracy and reliability of the client's system clock. Further, the smooth provision of the security service can reduce the number of petitions from clients to the security service, thereby increasing the quality of the security service.

Abstract: A method for assessing the quality of service of telephone calls on a trunk includes identifying and counting telephone call sequences including a plurality of telephone calls placed on the trunk. Each of the telephone calls in the sequence has the same originating telephone number and the same destination telephone number and a start time and a stop time and an elapsed time between the stop time of a telephone call and the start time of the next telephone call in a sequence being less than a predetermined amount. Identifying and counting unanswered reattempted telephone calls or answered reattempted telephone calls. A ratio is calculated between the number of identified unanswered or answered reattempted telephone calls to the number of identified telephone call sequences, such that the ratio provides a measure of the quality of service of telephone calls on the trunk.

Abstract: A method of allocating a protection path in a communication network according to a maximum risk level allowed for affecting both main and protection paths by a single damaging event, is disclosed. The method is directed to ensure that for a required level of protection, derived from a maximum risk level allowed, no segments in the protection path, when taken together with any segment of the main path, presents a risk higher than the maximum risk level allowed.

Abstract: A method of detecting speech in an audio signal comprises a step of obtaining information on the energy of the audio signal, the energy information then being used to detect speech in the audio signal. The method further comprises a step of obtaining information on the voicing of the audio signal, the voicing information then being used in conjunction with the energy information to detect speech in the audio signal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to video conferencing and multimedia messaging, and takes advantage of the capabilities of the communication system to which the audio participants are connected, in order to increase the performance of all the participants in a mixed conference. In a preferred embodiment, the audio participants are provided with a MMS device, and a MMS Engine captures periodically, or at certain events, video conference data attached to MMS messages and addressed to the MMS device. In the opposite direction, the MMS device provides multimedia data to the conventional video conference participants by attaching the multimedia data to MMS messages, which are sent to the IP-addressable MMS Engine. The MMS Engine separates the multimedia data and converts it to a format compatible with the video conference. The converted multimedia data is then provided to video conference participants, and treated like any other multimedia stream included in the video conference.

Abstract: In a communication network, a caller selects a personalized notification to be sent together with his call. The personalized notification, for example a personalized ringtone, is sent as a message together with the call. The switching center sends the message to the recipient of the call when the call is routed. The recipient's device determines that the incoming caller matches the sender of the message, and the message is opened, causing the caller's personalized notification to be played on the recipient's device.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a configurable user-input device in the form of a keyboard input device. In one embodiment, a projection unit projects a dynamically configurable keyboard pattern onto a planar or non-planar surface. Interactions with that pattern are monitored by at least one motion sensor to identify how a user is using the pattern.

Abstract: The ATM equipment includes a voice circuit interfacing section connecting to voice devices, an interchange channel interfacing section connecting ATM lines, a cell composing and decomposing section celling voice signals from the voice circuit interfacing section and also decelling a cell received from the interchange channel interfacing section to produce voice signals, a SVC control section performing connecting/cutting control of a telephone call path in the ATM lines by a switch type virtual connection method, and a main control section connecting the interchange channel interfacing section to the voice circuit interfacing section when the voice devices are called in the case when the SVC control section performs the connecting and cutting control of the telephone call path in the ATM lines.

Abstract: A data signal for modifying a graphic scene displayed on at least one terminal, the graphic scene mode of a set of graphic objects and each object defined by at least one field. The data signal includes frames containing information for updating the graphic scene. Some of the frames also contain a command to completely replace the graphic scene with a new scene. Further, a method of transmitting a data signal to modify a graphic scene displayed on a terminal. Also, a terminal for displaying a graphic scene, the terminal processing a signal for modifying the graphic scene.

Abstract: The invention refers to a specialised mobile terminal (1) intended to be localised by means of a suitable equipped telecommunications network (2). The mobile device (1) only implements the functions required for location definition and can be activated both remotely and possibly locally by the user of the device (1). The device (1) may also comprise a display to view the localisation data determined by means of the network.

Abstract: A videoconferencing system breaks the isolation of teleworkers by recreating relational situations between the teleworkers and other employees from the same company as if the parties were conversing in the same office. Each person participating in the videoconferencing always receives animated images of all the other participants via a central server and can select the image of at least one other participant with whom an audioconference, within the videoconference, is to be established. The central server only retransmits audio data from each audioconference participant to the other audio conference participants, with an identifier for each participant.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for transmitting packets of data over a packet-switched network and for monitoring the transmission characteristics associated with the transmission is disclosed. In one configuration the method and apparatus is configured to interface with a telephone network, such as the public switched telephone network. In such a configuration, two or more interface devices located at different locations connect to a computer network, such as the Internet and to a telephone network. The interface devices receive information from the telephone and manipulate this information and transmits it over a computer network to another interface device. Also included is monitoring and routing software located on any of the interface devices or a separate monitoring and routing system. The monitoring and routing software is in communication with each interface device to obtain information regarding the communication characteristics between each of the one or more interface devices.

Abstract: A system and a method allowing simultaneous exchange of audio, video or data information between a plurality of units over a communication network, supported by a central unit, wherein the central unit is, based on knowledge regarding one or more of the units, adapted to instruct said one or more units to generate multimedia data streams adjusted to fit into certain restrictions to be presented on other units participating in a same session.

Abstract: The method for evaluating electrical field levels in the near-zone of transmitting antennas, particularly linear array antenna widely used in cellular telephony systems, provides accurate evaluation while requiring reduced processing times and a restricted set of input data, such as physical external dimensions of the antenna, its gain and its radiation patterns in the vertical plane and in the horizontal plane.

Abstract: There is proposed a technique for counting channels at a node of a multi-channel optical network, where the node is connected to a following node and a preceding node by an optical communication line carrying a plurality of information optical channels. The technique comprises exchanging of information structures between the nodes, such that each of the information structures specifies particular optical information channels which are currently in use at a predetermined network section or node.

Abstract: A method and system for transferring to a same client terminal at least a first flow with a first service quality and at least a second flow with a second service quality. The first flow is transmitted to the client terminal through an unconnected network, and the second flow is transmitted to the client terminal by a content server through a connected network after network resource booking with service quality by exchanging messages via the unconnected network. The method establishes a high throughput link between the client terminal and the content server, and transmits the second flow with the booked service quality to the client terminal through the high throughput link.

Abstract: A method for making uniform the colorimetric rendering of a display surface including several adjacent display screens (10a, 10b), comprising for each pair of adjacent screens (10a, 10b) steps of: periodically sampling (21) by a calculation device (5) image data in two corresponding screen (10a, 10b) areas (13a, 13b) in the pair of adjacent screens, analyzing (22, 23, 24) by the calculation device (5) image data sampled in each period to determine a difference in calorimetric rendering between the two screen areas, determining by a correction device (6) connected to the calculation device a process to be applied to the video stream to one of the two video systems controlling the two screens in the pair of adjacent screens, by applying a predetermined correction law to the difference in calorimetric rendering, and applying (26) by the correction device the process to said video system, in order to make the calorimetric rendering of the display surface uniform.