Abstract: A technique for maintaining a required value of power per optical communication channel in a chain of optical nodes (112, 114, 118, 116) connected by optical fiber spans (111, 119, 121), wherein at least some of the nodes include optical amplifiers (112, 114, 116) with controllable gains, the technique comprises performing automatic gain control at the optical amplifiers so that, in the frame of power gain of each particular optical amplifier (114, 116), to compensate a preceding span loss. The span loss is calculated as power loss on an optical fiber span (111, 121) incoming the particular amplifier.

Abstract: A method of enciphering information constituted by a finite sequence {S1,S2, . . . ,SN} of N symbols (S1,S2, . . . ,SN) selected from an alphabet A. There are defined both a secret convention of p key symbols K1, . . . ,Kp selected form a second alphabet B, and a multivariate function M having m+1 variables (m<=N): M(Xi1, . . . ,Xim,Y) operating Am□B in A, {i1, . . . ,im} being m distinct indices in the range [1,N] and the function M being bijective relative to at least one (Xi1) of the m variables of A. A succession of X permutations are performed on the sequences {S1,S2, . . . ,SN} such that where {S1,S2, . . . ,SN} is the sequence prior to the jth permutation, the sequence after the jth permutation is {S2,S3, . . . ,SN,Zj}, where Zj is equal to M(Si1, . . . ,Sim,Kj) the enciphered information being constituted by the sequence {S′1,S′2, . . . ,S′N} obtained after the Xth permutation.

Abstract: An oxygen ion process, Chemical Reactive-Ion Surface Planarization (CRISP), has been developed which enables planarization of thin film surfaces at the atomic level. Narrow/broad band filters produced with vacuum deposited multilayered thin films are designed to selectively reflect/transmit light at specific wavelengths. The optical performance is limited by the ability to control the individual layer thickness, the “roughness” of the individual layer surfaces and the stoichiometry of the layers. The process described herein will enable reduction of surface roughness at the interfaces of multilayered thin films to produce atomically smooth surfaces. The application of this process will result in the production of notch filters of less than 0.3 nm full width at half maximum (FWHM) centered at the desired wavelength.

Abstract: An Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing reception method and receiver for receiving a signal representing data symbols through a plurality of channels and for supplying an estimation of the data symbols. The receiver includes a plurality of branches of diversity processing blocks. Each block includes data and pilot symbols distributed within a bi-dimensional time-frequency block. The receiver includes a channel estimator which receives the output signals supplied from the various branches of diversity, and provides a flexible estimation of the data symbols. The channel estimator processes a finite number of iterations in accordance with an expectation-maximization algorithm taking into consideration the pilot symbols of a bi-dimensional time-frequency block, and the pilot and precedent flexible data symbols estimated for following iterations until the finite number of iterations is reached.

Abstract: A method for the collective production of microlenses at the end of a set of aligned optical fibers. The method consists in heating the end of all the fibers by means of an electric arc in order to form the microlenses, the plane in which the ends of the fibers are situated being distant from the line of the hottest points in the electric arc in order to round their end homogeneously. Useful for making optical and optoelectric modules.

Abstract: A method and an inter-chip communication port for supporting a concatenated type of a high order SDH/SONET signal, with processing Transport Overhead bytes (TOH) and Path Overhead bytes (POH) thereof, in a structure which comprises a group of chips, wherein each of the chips is capable of supporting a lower order SDH/SONET signal with processing its TOH and POH, while one of them named a master chip is operative to coordinate operation of the remaining chips named slaves so as to cause them working in accord as one unit.

Abstract: An optical fiber distribution frame including a first cross-connection panel (B1) and a second cross-connection panel (B2) facing each other, and a first support (7) in each panel for connection modules (12) thereof. Each module on the first panel is adapted to be connected to one end of an optical fiber (R) of a first group, each module on the second panel is adapted to be connected to one end of an optical fiber (E) of a second group, and an optical fiber of the first group is adapted to be connected to an optical fiber of the second group by a jumper fiber (FL) which has two ends (e1, 20; e2, 20) respectively received in a port of one of the modules on the first panel and in a port of one of the modules on the second panel. The first and second panels each include a second connection module support (7), with said second supports cooperating with each other to form a stowage area for jumper fibers (FL) that are not in use and awaiting connection.

Abstract: An optical switching apparatus in an optical communication network selectively combines and separates series of optical signal samples using OTDM and/or WDM. In upstream communication, the optical switching apparatus optically converts n series of upstream optical signal samples having the upstream optical signal samples carried over channel wavelengths &lgr;1, . . . ,&lgr;n at data rates DR1, . . . ,DRn respectively into a combined series of upstream optical signal samples having the upstream optical signal samples carried over a channel wavelength &lgr;D at a combined data rate DRc which is greater than any one of the data rates DR1, . . . ,DRn. The combined series of upstream optical signal samples is then routed to a destination route.

Abstract: Security systems for computers connected to networks transmitting packets are disclosed. One disclosed system includes a security agent and a local security device featuring a network hardware connector, a computer hardware connector, a flash memory and a microprocessor to perform a software instruction. The security agent closes the security device by altering a setting of a bit of the flash memory. Further disclosed is a firewall on a single chip for providing security to a network transmitting packets. The firewall includes a network hardware connector, a memory for storing a rule and a software instruction for examining each packet and a microprocessor. Preferably the rule is configurable by a user and the memory includes at least one displayable Web and Web server functionally for serving a Web page and accepting a command from a user such that said at least one rule is determined by the command.

Abstract: Equalizing and decoding apparatus including a module which comprises an equalizer and a weighted output decoder, the apparatus being characterized in that it comprises a plurality of modules of said type in series, in which each equalizer has at least one transversal filter for reducing noise power and in which each module of rank greater than 1 also receives a stream of channel samples that has been delayed by a quantity equal to the processing time of the preceding modules.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for measuring the quality of a reverse link and the load of a base station (BTS) in a CDMA mobile telecommunication system. The apparatus and method periodically detect the power of a receiving signal from a mobile station to a BTS, constructs a practical statistical distribution curve for a power ratio of signal to interference, compares the practical distribution curve with the theoretical distribution curve pre-constructed based upon the parameter condition of a BTS, and determines the quality of a reverse link based upon the difference between the distribution curves.

Abstract: A memory for data accumulation includes an input on which such data are entered as a stream of input data under the control of an input timing signal and an output starting from which the data entered in memory are read as a stream of output data under the control of a reconstructed timing signal. A phase-locked loop uses this input timing signal as an input signal to generate a corresponding phase-locked output signal. Of such phase-locked loop output. A device is provided to measure residual phase wander and act on the transfer function band of the phase of phase-locked loop output which is preferably without ring filters.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product that provides voice over the Internet communication. A Voice over the Internet (VoIP) system includes a gateway server that handles calls received from a public switched telephone network and a packet-switched network, a routing server, and a database server. Messages can be sent between the gateway server, routing server, and database server over the packet-switched network. A provisioning system is coupled to the database server. A management system is also coupled to the gateway server, routing server, database server, and management system over the packet-switched network. A network manager automatically queries a client database to determine an update, and sends a message representative of the update to at least one of the gateway server, routing server, database server, and management system over the packet-switched network. A licensing server supports licensing of the VoIP system.

Abstract: This invention discloses a wave division multiplexing communications system including a pluarity of optical transmitters, each of said optical transmitters further including a distributed feed back laser characterized in that it has a dispersion penalty of less than 2 dB when used for transmission into an optical fiber having chromatic dispersion of 1800 ps/nm, a driver operative for receiving a communications signal input and providing electrical power to said distributed feed back laser in accordance therewith and a wave division multiplexer receiving outputs from said plurality of optical transmitters comprising thin film dielectric layers and having a maximum power insertion loss of 4.5 dB.

Abstract: A method and system for automated annotation and retrieval of remote digital content is described. The image capture device of the present invention is configured to communicate with one or more external devices using a wired or wireless protocol. For example, Smart tag, 802.11, or Bluetooth protocols may be used to enable the camera to communicate with the external device, associated with an object of interest, to obtain metadata corresponding to a captured image of the object. The metadata collected using various forms of technology, as noted above for instance, can be used to automatically index a digital image and/or other digital content without any manual intervention.

Abstract: A switching core controller for controlling one or more Digital Cross-connect Systems (DCSs). A method for operating a switching core for pre-provisioning communication paths in anticipation of incoming calls. A method for routing a call to effect load balancing between mediation devices of a logical entity of at least two mediation devices.

Abstract: A monolithic thermal ink jet printhead (40) comprising a groove (45), a plurality of chambers (74) and nozzles (56) is manufactured by means of steps of: (203, 205) partially etching the groove (45) by means of a “dry” process and a “wet” process; (210) depositing a plurality of sacrificial layers (54); (212) obtaining a plurality of casts (156); (216) completing the etching of the groove (45) by means of an electrochemical process; and (220) removing the casts (156) and the sacrificial layers (54) in such a way as to obtain a plurality of nozzles (56) and chambers (74).

Abstract: The invention relates to a dispersion flattened fiber (DFF) with high negative dispersion and a manufacturing method thereof. The dispersion flattened fiber comprises a central core; ring-type cores and low refractive regions alternately formed outside the central core; a cladding surrounding outside the ring-type cores and low refractive regions; and a coating outside the cladding. Since the dispersion flattened fiber has the dispersion of −20 to −60, it has a wide range of application and can be used for various purposes in the field of optical telecommunication.

Abstract: Optimization of a cellular network is facilitated by an apparatus that performs drive test measurements of a cellular network to identify co-channel interference. The co-channel interference is identified by measuring the signal strengths at various locations within a cell sector and analyzing the recorded information. A key aspect of the invention is synthesizing the received signals to identify the cellular transmitters originating the signals. If signal energy is detected from more than one cellular transmitter on a single frequency, the co-channel interference is identified. This process is particular well suited within a GSM cellular system by detecting the transmission of forward control channel messages and using the information within the forward control channel messages to identify the origination cellular transmitters.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for detecting the movement of objects which consists in computing the differences in each pixel of image signals into n-ary signals and carrying out a step of region growth and breaking it down.