Abstract: A conference system is provided for connection in a digital audio signal transmission system (50), for receiving N encoded audio signals from N conferees, wherein N is a positive integer greater than or equal to three. The system comprises a decoding system (90, 91, 92) for decoding the N audio signals, a selection system (100, 130) for selecting one from the N decoded audio signals, and means for switching (160) the selected encoded audio signal from an input stage (80, 81, 82) of the conference circuit to an output (161) of the conference circuit, for transmission at least to the N−1 conferees from whom the selected audio signal did not originate. This arrangement enables the audio from one conferee to be provided as the conference signal, without undergoing decoding and subsequent re-encoding. A decision is made as to whether one signal is appropriate or whether multiple audio signals should be combined.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing multimedia conferencing services with selective performance parameters delivers a different representation of the same video signals to each of a plurality of users depending on the hardware limitations, software limitations, network limitations, and user preferences of each user device. Thus, each user can choose the quality of service he/she wants to receive in view of system limitations and cost considerations. The quality of service may be defined in terms of bandwidth, jitter, frame rate, and delay, for example. The apparatus includes a multimedia bridge that receives video signals from at least one of the plurality of users. The multimedia bridge scales-down the video signals as necessary before sending the video signals to the end users. The multimedia bridge also detects congestion occurring during the multimedia conference and scales-down the video signals, if necessary, to meet reduced network availability.

Abstract: A multipoint control unit coordinator (MCUC). The MCUC tracks all conferences in a telecommunications system and determines how they can be best configured and modified over time. The MCUC instructs multipoint control units (MCUs) to break down and reconfigure calls, if necessary. A MCUC according to an embodiment of the invention maintains a database of all the MCUs in the system, a measure of processing coding resources, and a geographical location. When two parties seek to add a third in a conference call, the MCUC determines coding resources, geographical locations, and determines the most appropriate media stream mixing location based on preferences, such as network cost or endpoint coding resources or quality. The MCUC then instructs the MCUs to handle the conference accordingly.

Abstract: The present invention provides a unique system and method for optimizing packet processing flow in a communications network by minimizing latency associated with packet-forwarding eligibility determinations. The present invention employs a speculative scheme with automatic recovery, including a two-way multithreaded implementation designed to overcome the aforementioned latency issue, including the functionality of enqueuing an incoming packet in both packet memory and a cut through buffer; determining the packet's eligibility for cutting through the buffer; and based on the determination, rolling back the unsuccessful process.

Abstract: A router device and a label switched path control method capable of reducing the number of label switched paths to be set up by using an upstream initiated procedure in which the label allocation starts from an ingress router are disclosed. In the router device, a router identification information of a target router to be set as an egress router if possible is stored in an egress router list at a time of setting up a label switched path from the router device as an ingress router, and a control to set up the label switched path to the target router stored in the egress router list is carried out.

Abstract: A method of monitoring the availability of a network on a monitor web page, includes the steps of: reading query information and depositing query requests into a corresponding one of a plurality of request queues; reading the query requests from the corresponding request queue and sending the query requests to at least one remote network device by sending calls over the IP or SNA network; receiving a reply to the calls from the at least one remote network device indicating an availability status of the at least one remote network device and processing the availability status; depositing the processed availability status in a Web Site Queue; and retrieving the processed availability status from the Web Site Queue and displaying status information for the at least one network device on the monitor web page, the status information being derived from the processed availability status.

Abstract: A system is provided for establishing a connection between a telephone agent and a computer user. A request is received from the user requesting a return call by an agent. The request is received through a web server and includes an identifier associated with the web page being viewed by the user. The identifier associated with the web page is transmitted to an agent that will contact the user. This allows the agent to view the web page that was being viewed by the user when the request was entered. A telephone connection is then established between the user and the agent. An agent can be selected based on the content of the web page being viewed by the user at the time the request for agent contact is entered. Additionally, for an incoming call, a web page can be generated that contains information about the incoming call. An identifier associated with the generated web page is transmitted to an agent that will answer the call. The agent then accesses the web page using the received identifier.

Abstract: A system and method of load balancing a network having a plurality of client systems and servers. The load balancing system and method distributes requests from the client systems to different servers on a wide area network by selecting the most optimal server for a specific client request. The client request for a server is received from a client system and the destination point of the client request is resolved in part by a load balancing server selector. The client request is sent to a load balancing server based on the resolved destination point and one server out of a subset of the plurality of servers is selected based on a predetermined criteria, such as network traffic congestion or server load, and a conduit to the client system and the selected server for transmission of the client request is provided.

Abstract: A broadband communication system including an Internet Protocol Telephony Network and public switched telephone network. The system may include one or more conference servers for combining IP packet streams in a conference call into a combined IP packet stream, such that the combined IP packet stream utilizes no more bandwidth than each of the original IP packet streams. This allows the traffic volume coming from, and arriving at, each party to a conference call to remain essentially the same no matter how many parties are connected to the conference call. A plurality of the conference servers may be configured to interwork with each other so as to allow for a much larger conference call.

Abstract: An element for an in home power line network is housed within the power supply of laptop computer. The element communicates with the power line and carries out network operations over that line. The device also includes logic therein which automatically detects the format of the network being communicated with so that a number of different network types can be automatically connected.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products are provided for accessing an alternative display from a data processing system by automatically discovering the accessibility of a display server operably associated with a network upon connection of the data processing system with the network. Display information corresponding to display content to be rendered by a display of the data processing system is generated and provided to the display server over the network so as to allow the corresponding display content to be rendered by the display server on a display associated with the display server.

Abstract: In a wireless video transmission method for transmitting a video stream on wireless communication networks, the video stream is classified into at least two classes of sensitivity, each corresponding to a sensitive class of data. Each sensitive class of data is optionally advanced an ahead time for starting transmission based on the corresponding class of sensitivity. Then, an automatic repeat of data is optionally applied on each sensitive class of data based on the corresponding class of sensitivity, thereby providing an enhanced error protective capability and reducing the transmission delay.

Abstract: A method (18) for scheduling packet data transmissions in a wireless communication system wherein a per-user Priority Function (PF) (24) is based on a channel condition indicated by a Rate Request Indicator (RRI). The method also considers fairness criteria dictated by predetermined Quality of Service (QOS) requirements. In one embodiment, the rate request indicator is a Data Rate Request (DRR). In another embodiment, the rate request indicator is Carrier-to-Interference (C/I) information. In the exemplary embodiment, the base station calculates a Priority Function (PF) for the multiple mobile users. Each PF is a function of the rate request indicator and the projected throughput of a given mobile user. In one embodiment, the predicted throughput is calculated by T′=(T′)&agr;.

Abstract: The invention relates to a switching fabric arrangement for a packet-switched telecommunications network. Packets arriving at the switching fabric are assigned a time stamp depending on their time of arrival. Time stamp information relating to the packets to be transported is transmitted to at least some of the switching elements, and in at least some of the switching elements, the relative order of the packets to be sent is established on the basis of the received time stamp information in such a way that on each outgoing link (IL) from the switching element, the packets are in the sequence indicated by the time stamps.

Abstract: A method for allowing a user PC (1702) to be controlled in order to effect a connection between the user PC (1702) and a destination node (1706) on a network (306). This is facilitated through an audio source (1700) wherein the content of a video tape recording media has embedded therein an audio signal. When the video tape media is played, the audio signal is extracted by an audio extractor (1600) and transmitted to the user PC, and detected by a program running in the background of the user PC (1702). Once the audible tone is detected, a web browser is launched and the tone or decoded product identifier information associated with the tone is transmitted to an ARS (308) on the network (306). The ARS (308) then compares the information received from the user PC (1702) using information from a relational database (1704). The relational database (1704) contains routing information for various destination nodes (1706) on the network.

Abstract: An option request protocol allows dynamic negotiation of options between a host computer and a control unit of a computer network. The protocol is manifested as an exchange of novel control messages over a control link used to establish logical data links for communication between the host and control unit. The options negotiated by the control message exchange generally pertain to additional functions performed by the control unit or host, or additional parameters for communication over the data links coupling the control unit and host.

Abstract: An electronic data-processing system for communicating with at least one other device wherein when a processing program and data are transmitted collectively from one electronic data-processing system to another electronic data-processing system.

Abstract: A bit error rate test (BERT) system is configured as a field programmable gate array that emulates multiple independent BERT generators. The BERT generators produce test frames containing test pattern codes associated with respectively different time division multiplexed (TDM) digital communication channels, that are not necessarily mutually contiguous within a plurality of TDM timeslots of a network communication frame serving digital communication circuits. A framing unit assembles the test code patterns into a test frame and transmits the test frame over a serial network interface to a plurality of digital channel units of a channel bank. The framing unit also interfaces contents of test code patterns within test frames returned from the channel units over the serial network interface with a plurality of data channel-specific virtual BERT receivers, associated with respective digital communication channels.

Abstract: This invention relates to a system for combining an electronic mail (email) address or addresses and/or facsimile telephone numbers into a fax message, so that when received by a server the fax document is processed and transmitted as an email attachment to the email addresses or a fax message to the telephone numbers of the intended fax recipients. This allows the user to be able to send faxes and emails from a conventional fax machine or personal computer without having an Internet connection.

Abstract: Measurement packets are sent at equi-intervals from a sending unit into a network path. The probing packets are received by a reception unit, which measures the packet transmission time to estimate an available bandwidth of a network path from a parameter Q indicative of a correlation in the packet transmission time between adjacent packets.