Abstract: A method of obtaining coarse synchronization in a frequency hopped/direct sequence spread spectrum (FH/DSS) time division multiple access (TDMA) data link network includes tuning the receiver to a first frequency used in the data link network. Then, signal strength of signals received on the first frequency during a sample time period is observed to obtain a sample energy pattern. An expected energy pattern during a time uncertainty window is determined based upon a known hopping pattern. Then, the sample energy pattern is compared to a first portion of the expected energy pattern, with the first portion of the expected energy pattern corresponding to a first time period within the time uncertainty window. A determination is then made as to whether the first time period is a coarse synchronization candidate based upon the comparison. If it is determined that the time period is a coarse synchronization candidate, one or more additional comparisons on different frequencies can be used to verify the hypothesis.

Abstract: A system for use by a computer to determine which network addresses are being used by other computers or other devices in a network includes an address inquiry message packet generator module configured to enable the computer to transmit address inquiry message packets over a network in one or more iterations. Each address inquiry message packet includes a network address. The address inquiry message packet generator module is configured to enable the computer to transmit address inquiry message packets for a selected number of network addresses during each iteration. An iteration control module is configured to control the timing of successive iterations of transmission of address inquiry message packets by the computer in relation to reception by the computer of response message packets responding to the address inquiry message packets.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for generating a set of restrictive costs associated with directional paths between selected nodes in a group of nodes of a network system wherein each node in the group is connected by a link to at least one other node in the group, and each link has a pair of directional costs associated therewith such that each link can be considered as a pair of oppositely-directed, unidirectional links each of which extends from a source node to a destination node and has a said directional cost associated therewith. The method allows asymmetric costs, rather than merely symmetric costs, to be considered, and can be applied, for example, to generate the transition matrix for a PNNI peer group.

Abstract: There is disclosed for use in a narrowband wireless messaging network, a subscriber communication unit that uses a miscellaneous ALOHA message to transmit predefined messages and/or formatted telemetry data to a base station. The subscriber communication unit comprises a transceiver for receiving messages from the base station in a forward channel and transmitting messages to the base station in a reverse channel. The reverse channel is divided into a plurality of scheduled transmission time slots and a plurality of unscheduled transmission time slots of the ALOHA type. A message controller receives input data generated by the subscriber communication unit and translates the input data into a reverse channel message capable of being transmitted in an available unscheduled time slot, such as a miscellaneous ALOHA message time slot.

Abstract: A variable delay circuit is formed by a fine delay circuit and a coarse delay circuit. The fine delay circuit adjusts the delay of a delayed clock signal in relatively small phase increments with respect to an input clock signal. The coarse delay circuit adjusts the timing of a digital signal in relatively large phase increments. The delayed clock signal is used to clock a register to which the digital signal is applied to control the timing a the digital signal clocked through the register responsive to adjusting the timing of the fine delay circuit and the coarse delay circuit. The timing relationship is initially adjusted by altering the delay of the fine delay circuit. Whenever the maximum or minimum delay of the fine delay circuit is reached, the coarse delay circuit is adjusted. The variable delay circuit may be used in a memory device to control the timing at which read data is applied to the data bus of the memory device.

Abstract: A method and system for providing services in communications networks. A gateway layer determines information about a communication session and responsively sends a signaling message to a session manager, providing the information. The session manager may then send a signaling message to a service agent, also providing the information. The service agent may in turn apply a set of service logic based at least in part on the information, so as to derive a service treatment, and the service agent may send a signaling message so as to cause an enforcement engine (such as the gateway or session manager) to carry out the service treatment. Advantageously, this arrangement may facilitate imposition of services across various types of communication sessions (such as voice sessions and/or data sessions) and access networks (such as circuit-switched and/or packet-switched), at session initiation and during the course of an ongoing session. A variety of useful services may thereby be provided.

Abstract: To detect network faults or congestion of traffic at an interface of a gateway system for connecting an IP network and a telephone network on the side of the IP network and to allow the IP network to control alternative routing at the telephone network, network faults and congestion of traffic on the side of the IP network are monitored by the gateway system having an interface function between the telephone network and the IP network. When a network fault or congestion of traffic is detected, the gateway system notifies the telephone network upstream thereof of the disabled line and instructs the same to perform alternative routing, which makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the quality of communication at the interface between the telephone network and IP network can not be maintained.

Abstract: A semi-transparent time division multiplexer/demultiplexer that transmits low rate tributaries from one location to another using a high rate aggregate connection, while preserving substantially all of the TOH and payload for each tributary signal. Transparency of the tributary TOH is accomplished by interleaving both the TOH and the Payload of each tributary into the high rate aggregate signal. Some TOH bytes may be tunneled or re-mapped into unused/undefined TOH locations in the aggregate signal to allow transparency of the TOH without corrupting the aggregate. Errors may be handled by tunneling BIP bytes into unused/undefined aggregate locations and updating the tunneled bytes with error masks calculated at each network elements. Alternatively errors may be forwarded by using an error mask generated from the tributary BIP locations and inserting the mask into the associated aggregate BIP locations. The mask in the aggregate BIP is updated with error masks calculated at each network elements.

Abstract: The communication system comprising a dedicated processing system, a call processing system, and an interworking system. The dedicated processing system is configured to generate and transfer a first call setup message. The call processing system is configured to receive and process the first call setup message to select a first identifier, generate and transfer a first instruction indicating the first identifier and a dedicated communication, receive and process a second call setup message to select a second identifier, and generate and transfer a second instruction indicating the second identifier and a switched communication. The interworking system is configured to receive the first instruction, the second instruction, and a bundled communication including the dedicated communication and the switched communication.

Abstract: Cells are discarded in conformity with the order of priority when congestion occurs by discarding cells of a traffic class without any special contract for a transfer rate at the time of setting up a connection. A node stores priority information concerning cell discard corresponding to a connection identifier and controls the cell discard in accordance with the discard condition determined by the accumulated number of cells for each connection in the node and cell priority.

Abstract: The invention relates to a receiving method and a receiver to be used in a cellular radio system. The received signal is FFT transformed and the spreading code of the receiver is FFT transformed in transform means (30). A transformed signal (36) and spreading code (37) are multiplied to provide a product (38) whose phase is shifted by the propagation delay of the signal in shift means (33). After this, a shifted product (39) is IFFT transformed in inverse transform means (34) at the same time as the components of the transmitted signals that have propagated on different paths are combined, whereby the information of the signal can be detected.

Abstract: A method of identifying a segment and end-to-end OAM flow VPC context table for one of a plurality of VCCs corresponding to the VPC. Each VCC has a context table. Each VCC context table has a pointer. The pointer contains the address of the context table for the segment and end-to-end OAM flow VPC. Provisioned connections supported by the ATM switching system are repeatedly scanned. If a VCC has an active F4-to-F5 OAM process, the pointer is extracted from that VCC's context table, identifying the context table of the corresponding segment and end-to-end OAM flow VPC. If the VPC is in the VP-AIS alarm state, the current VCC outputs a VCC-AIS cell. A continuity check is repeatedly performed by updating the appropriate F4 OAM connection context table whenever a VCC cell is received on a corresponding F5 connection, preventing the F4 connection from raising a continuity check alarm.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for protection of traffic in a mesh network are disclosed. A source node sends duplicate copies of data packets of the protected traffic on physically diverse paths through the network. The data packets include a sequence number for determining their position in the protected traffic. A destination node receives the data packets from the paths, selects the next data packet in the sequence and transfers that packet to a receiving queue, while duplicate packets are discarded, and later packets in the sequence are held in a holding queue for future selection. The method does not require a synchronization function between the paths to perform a switchover in the event of a fault, and therefore the method is simple to implement. The method is also scalable to provide multiple physically diverse paths in order to achieve greater degrees of protection.

Abstract: A packet switch identifies a communication flow carried across an IP network, observes the communication flow, and acquires statistics data thereof, such as the number of packets that passed through the switch, the number of discarded packets, time at which the packets arrived at the switch, and time at which the packets were sent out from the switch. The packet switch continues to acquire the statistics data on the communication flow while the communication flow continues. If the packet switch performs a relay function, it sends the locally obtained statistics data to the adjoining packet switch placed downstream. If the packet switch is a node placed on either end edge of the network, it gathers the statistics data obtained by and delivered from other switches in the network and sends the gathered statistics data to the network management system.

Abstract: The present invention is a communications protocol which provides for voice and data priority channels in order that both voice and data information have equal opportunity to transmit over a communications network. This is achieved by splitting the 25 millisecond FCC dwell time into two 12.5 millisecond halves, and dedicating one half to voice packets and the other half to data frames. In the voice priority channel, the frequency hopping interval is doubled. Additionally, both channels operate independently, each maintaining independent bidding, data transmission, acknowledgement and retransmission. Pad packets are used to insure voice channel connectivity.

Abstract: A network comprises routers, wherein at least some of the routers are configured to receive a number of datastreams and to output an aggregated datastream. Subject to the precondition that a limiting bit rate ri and a number of burst bits bi can be quoted for each datastream i supplied to a router from outside the network, such that the number Aiin(t1, t2) of data bits which are received at an input of the routers, between a time t1 and a later time t2, satisfies the relationship Aiin(t1, t2)?ri*(t2?t1)+bi, each router j controls the output of data packets in the aggregated datastream ia(j) such that, for a limiting bit rate Ria(j)ag and for a predeterminable burst bit number Bia(j), the number Aia(j)out(t1, t2) of data bits output in the aggregated datastream ia(j) satisfies the relationship Aia(j)out(t1, t2)?Ria(j)ag*(t2?t1)+Bia(j), wherein Ria(j)ag and Bia(j) are independent of the observation time period.

Abstract: An automatic repeat request mechanism (such as Type II/III hybrid ARQ) which includes (soft or hard) combining of initially transmitted and retransmitted versions of a packet, is provided for retransmission of erroneous packets. According to the present invention, in association with each retransmission, there is outband signaling from a transmitter to a receiver that unambiguously indicates when, e.g. the exact time or physical location, the first transmission of the packet was carried out, so that it is possible to combine the retransmitted version with the previous version(s) of the packet. Soft combining requires that the initial packet and the retransmitted packet be identical. In an embodiment of the invention, in order to overcome this problem, the information that needs to be changed between the initial transmission and the retransmission(s) of a packet is sent outband with other outband signaling information.

Abstract: A method of placing a first call to a designated number to retrieve a voice message over a packet switched network. The voice message is retrieved from a computer and a specific code is entered to prompt the computer to call an originator of the retrieved voice message. A second call is placed, via the computer, to the originator of the retrieved voice message. The call information of a packet carrying voice information of the first call is changed to correspond with call information of the second call when the packet is sent from the first call to the second call.

Abstract: A communication system includes a pair free space optical (FSO) terminals. The FSO terminals switch from a first operating mode to a second operating mode wherein the traffic is carried by an ad hoc network. The switching may be based upon a quality of service (QoS) parameter being exceeded. The first operating mode may be the primary operating mode, and the second operating mode may be the back-up operating mode.

Abstract: Data traffic such as cell streams in an ATM communication network frequently contain data destined for multiple output ports having different transmission data rates. In order to accurately schedule such traffic a clocking signal unique to each output data rate is required. This invention provides systems and methods for generating the necessary clock signals utilizing a single timing reference.