Patents Examined by Marcus R. Smith
  • Patent number: 8462813
    Abstract: An Ethernet network comprising multi-rate link partners that may be operable to communicate symmetrically and/or asymmetrically via any of a plurality of channels. The multi-rate link partners may monitor one or more factors that may affect their power consumption and/or energy efficiency. During operation, an uplink and/or downlink communication rate may be configured, based on the monitoring, to enable asymmetrical data rate operation. The monitored factors may comprise prior or current data rates, bit error rate, packet error rate, latency, queued data and/or tasks, for example. The multi-rate link partners may comprise a twisted pair PHY, an optical PHY or a backplane PHY. In order to reduce power consumption and/or improve energy efficiency, one or more of the uplink communication rate and/or the downlink communication rate may be lowered. The power consumption may be reduced for a multi-rate PHY, a host computer and/or a MAC controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Wael William Diab, Kevin Clyde Brown
  • Patent number: 8451814
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems that may help a WiMAX base station function without a GPS signal by providing a high-stability reference signal via a subcarrier of a broadcast signal, such as an FM radio signal. An exemplary broadcast station may therefore be configured to phase-lock a subcarrier signal to a GPS signal, and include this subcarrier in its broadcast signal, thereby providing the subcarrier signal for use by a base station as a high-stability reference signal for local-oscillator stabilization at the base station. The broadcast station may further modulate a timing signal onto the subcarrier signal. An exemplary base station may therefore receive the broadcast signal, decode the broadcast signal to acquire the subcarrier signal, and use the subcarrier signal to stabilize its local oscillator, rather than using a GPS signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Clearwire IP Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Walter Rausch, Harry Perlow
  • Patent number: 8442044
    Abstract: A digital broadcasting system and a method of processing data are disclosed. Herein, additional encoding is performed on mobile service data, which are then transmitted, thereby providing robustness in the processed mobile service data, so that the mobile service data can respond more strongly against fast and frequent channel changes. The method of processing data in a transmitting system includes receiving mobile service data, encapsulating the received mobile service data to a transport stream (TS) packet, and outputting the encapsulated mobile service data as a mobile service data packet, and multiplexing a main service data packet including main service data and the encapsulated mobile service data packet, thereby transmitting the multiplexed data packets to at least one transmitter located in a remote site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Byoung Gill Kim, In Hwan Choi, Jin Woo Kim, Jong Moon Kim, Won Gyu Song, Hyoung Gon Lee, Kook Yeon Kwak
  • Patent number: 8432824
    Abstract: A method of selecting a receiving apparatus for co-channel operation, the method comprising: transmitting a first and a second data at predetermined respective power levels on a single first channel comprising a single frequency and time slot; receiving the data; measuring a characteristic of the data; transmitting a signal indicating the measured characteristic; receiving the indicating signal; and responding to the received indicating signal by selecting the receiving apparatus for co-channel operation depending on the measured characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Zhi-Zhong Yu
  • Patent number: 8427944
    Abstract: Different bitloading may be applied to different subsets of an Multicast (MC) group. Alternatively, the same bitloading may be applied to several or all of the subsets of an MC group. Such subset, or MC subgroup, may be formed as a result of considering bitloading capabilities of nodes of an MC group. In one embodiment, information is transmitted multiple times, once for each MC subgroup, each subgroup with a different bitloading. Such a process may improve overall throughput and efficiency for delivering packets to nodes of a network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Entropic Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth Chu, Ronald Lee
  • Patent number: 8422516
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides a communication device (500, 800) which comprises a communication entity (502, 802) and a further communication entity (504, 804) communicatively coupled to the communication entity (502, 802) in accordance with a Digital Radio Frequency protocol. The communication entity (502, 802) comprises a protocol layer (516), the further communication entity (504, 804) comprises a protocol layer (514), and the protocol layers (516, 514) of the communication entity (502, 802) and of the further communication entity (504, 804) are connected via a protocol-physical interface (512, 513) which provides for a parallel bidirectional signal interfacing. The protocol-physical interface (512, 513) is adapted for selectively connecting the protocol layers (516, 514) directly or via physical layers (503, 508).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Steffen Reinhardt, Sharon Graif
  • Patent number: 8422380
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a dynamically reconfigurable network comprising a plurality of nodes having respective transmitters and receivers for transmitting and receiving respective signals to and from one another. In one embodiment, the network is adapted to determine whether a first maximum power can be found at which a first node can transmit a first signal that provides a minimum signal-to-noise ratio at a second node without exceeding a maximum signal-to-noise ratio that a third node requires to simultaneously receive a second signal from a fourth node. If the first maximum power cannot be found, the network is further adapted to cause the first, second, third, and fourth nodes to share a single sub-network. Alternatively, if the first maximum power can be found, the network is adapted to cause the first and second nodes to share a single sub-network that the third node is not permitted to share.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Garold B. Gaskill
  • Patent number: 8422494
    Abstract: A digital broadcasting system and a method of processing data are disclosed. Herein, additional encoding is performed on mobile service data, which are then transmitted, thereby providing robustness in the processed mobile service data, so that the mobile service data can respond more strongly against fast and frequent channel changes. The method of processing data in a transmitting system includes receiving mobile service data, encapsulating the received mobile service data to a transport stream (TS) packet, and outputting the encapsulated mobile service data as a mobile service data packet, and multiplexing a main service data packet including main service data and the encapsulated mobile service data packet, thereby transmitting the multiplexed data packets to at least one transmitter located in a remote site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Byoung Gill Kim, In Hwan Choi, Jin Woo Kim, Jong Moon Kim, Won Gyu Song, Hyoung Gon Lee, Kook Yeon Kwak
  • Patent number: 8406296
    Abstract: In general, this disclosure relates to techniques for adaptively determining a rate for intra-coding segments (e.g., macro-blocks) of video data within a sequence of video units (e.g., frames) in response to the receipt of error feedback that is provided by a video decoder. One example method includes receiving feedback from a video decoder that indicates an error associated with coded video data, and, upon receipt of the feedback, determining a rate for intra-coding a specified number of segments of video data for each video unit within a sequence of video units, wherein an intra-coding of segments of video data within one video unit is independent of a coding of segments of video data within other video units within the sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Nikolai Konrad NepomucenoLeung, Gurneen Kaur Khanuja
  • Patent number: 8400915
    Abstract: A packet switch includes a pipeline scheduler for scheduling packets according to a credit-based flow control protocol. A credit update pipeline stage initializes available credits for egress ports of the packet switch. A request pipeline stage generates packet requests for packets based on the available credits. A grant pipeline stage selects packets based on the ports requests and the available credits, and generates port grants for the selected packets. Additionally, the credit update stage updates the available credits based on the port grants. The packet switch routes the selected packets from ingress ports of the packet switch to the egress ports based on the port grants. In some embodiments, ingress ports generate enqueue requests based on the packets, an enqueue pipeline stage generates enqueue states based on the enqueue requests, and the request pipeline stage selects packets for routing based on the enqueue states and the available credits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Integrated Device Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: David Alan Brown, Raghunath Reddy Kommidi, Sanjay T. Karambale
  • Patent number: 8355313
    Abstract: A MIMO system supports multiple spatial multiplexing modes for improved performance and greater flexibility. These modes may include (1) a single-user steered mode that transmits multiple data streams on orthogonal spatial channels to a single receiver, (2) a single-user non-steered mode that transmits multiple data streams from multiple antennas to a single receiver without spatial processing at a transmitter, (3) a multi-user steered mode that transmits multiple data streams simultaneously to multiple receivers with spatial processing at a transmitter, and (4) a multi-user non-steered mode that transmits multiple data streams from multiple antennas (co-located or non co-located) without spatial processing at the transmitter(s) to receiver(s) having multiple antennas. For each set of user terminal(s) selected for data transmission on the downlink and/or uplink, a spatial multiplexing mode is selected for the user terminal set from among the multiple spatial multiplexing modes supported by the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: J. Rodney Walton, John W. Ketchum, Mark S. Wallace, Steven J. Howard
  • Patent number: 8351348
    Abstract: A network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a message comprising a node's data value from the node, determining whether a local data value has been assigned, and adopting the node's data value as the local data value when the local data value has not been assigned. Also disclosed is a network component comprising a plurality of ports each configured to couple to a node via a link, a memory configured to store a port data value associated with at least some of the ports, and a processor coupled to the memory and the ports, wherein the processor is configured to access a node's data value in a message and adopt the node's data value as the port data value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Futurewei Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: T. Benjamin Mack-Crane, Linda Dunbar, Lucy Yong, Robert Sultan
  • Patent number: 8331337
    Abstract: Session management means holds session information concerning sessions for fixed terminals and sessions for mobile terminals including type information indicating a terminal type and status information indicating the status of communication. Session clear-out means disconnects a session the type information for which indicates a mobile terminal and in which communication has not been performed for a time period longer than or equal to a first monitoring time period, on the basis of the session information held in the session management means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kambe, Akira Yanagisawa
  • Patent number: 8320301
    Abstract: A multiple-access MIMO WLAN system that employs MIMO, OFDM, and TDD. The system (1) uses a channel structure with a number of configurable transport channels, (2) supports multiple rates and transmission modes, which are configurable based on channel conditions and user terminal capabilities, (3) employs a pilot structure with several types of pilot (e.g., beacon, MIMO, steered reference, and carrier pilots) for different functions, (4) implements rate, timing, and power control loops for proper system operation, and (5) employs random access for system access by the user terminals, fast acknowledgment, and quick resource assignments. Calibration may be performed to account for differences in the frequency responses of transmit/receive chains at the access point and user terminals. The spatial processing may then be simplified by taking advantage of the reciprocal nature of the downlink and uplink and the calibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: J. Rodney Walton, Mark S. Wallace, John W. Ketchum, Steven J. Howard
  • Patent number: 8320248
    Abstract: A method and system for communicating data in an xDSL data retransmission mode is disclosed. A data transmission unit (DTU) is defined. The DTU is sent in an xDSL data stream. A retransmit container is further defined a as a time slot that corresponds to a sent DTU. A copy of the sent DTUs and an index of corresponding retransmit containers is maintained. The DTUs are transmitted the in the xDSL data stream. A determination is made on whether a transmitted DTU was corrupted during transmission. Each corrupted DTU is identified by its corresponding retransmit container. An uncorrupted copy of the DTU is then retransmitted as identified by the corresponding retransmit container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Benoit Christiaens, Miguel Peeters, Raphael Cassiers
  • Patent number: 8305976
    Abstract: What is disclosed is a method of operating a wireless communication device. The method includes, when in a first mode of operation, transmitting an access request to a wireless access node at a first transmit power, starting a first countdown timer, and awaiting an access request acknowledge from the wireless access node. In the first mode of operation, if the access request acknowledge is received within the first countdown timer, the method includes halting the first countdown timer and awaiting a resource assignment message from the wireless access node, and if the access request acknowledge is not received within the first countdown timer, the method includes retransmitting the access request to the wireless access node at a second transmit power and restarting the first countdown timer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Sprint Communications Company L.P.
    Inventors: Sachin R. Vargantwar, Deveshkumar Narendrapratap Rai, Ashish Bhan, Bhagwan Singh Khanka, Jasinder Pal Singh
  • Patent number: 8300571
    Abstract: Systems, devices, processors, and methods are described which may be used for the reception of a wireless broadband signal at a user terminal from a gateway via a satellite. A wireless signal may include a series of physical layer frames, each frame including a physical layer header and payload. The received signal is digitized and processed using various novel physical layer headers and related techniques to synchronize the physical layer frames and recover data from physical layer headers for purposes of demodulation and decoding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: ViaSat, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald W. Becker, Matthew D. Nimon, William H. Thesling
  • Patent number: 8300532
    Abstract: A method may include receiving a packet at an ingress line interface in a forwarding plane of a network element, the packet including header information. The method may also include conducting a flow table lookup in the forwarding plane to identify an existing flow for the packet and determining, in the forwarding plane and based on the header information, whether a predicted flow can be identified for the packet if an existing flow can not be identified. The method may further include performing a service access control list (ACL) lookup in the forwarding plane if a predicted flow can not be identified; and forwarding the packet to one of a services plane or an egress line interface in the forwarding plane based on one of the existing flow, the predicted flow, or the service ACL lookup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Juniper Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: Anjan Venkatramani, Kannan Varadhan, Jean-Marc Frailong, Sanjay Gupta, Linda Sun, Sankar Ramamoorthi, Pradeep Sindhu, Anand S. Athreya, Chih-Wei Chao, Shuhua Ge
  • Patent number: 8295301
    Abstract: Communication systems that use different physical layer (PHY) protocols can coexist on a communication medium (e.g., a powerline medium) by using an Inter-PHY Protocol (IPP). The different protocols may use different signal modulation schemes but still may have some features in common. The IPP includes a resource sharing mechanism that regulates access to the communication medium by devices functioning as communication devices (for example, devices communicating over a power line). A subset of devices that communicate among each other form a logical network that shares the medium with other logical networks that use either the same PHY protocol or a different PHY protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Qualcomm Atheros, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence W. Yonge, III, Srinivas Katar, William E. Earnshaw, Stefano Galli, Akio Kurobe, Hisao Koga, Nobutaka Kodama, Jose Abad Molina, Oleg Logvinov, Paul Dixon, Olivier Isson
  • Patent number: 8270339
    Abstract: In mobile communication between a base station and a mobile station, reception quality is prevented from being degraded even when transmission power supplied from a base station is remarkably changed. A code generated in accordance with an amount of change in transmission power is transmitted from the base station to the mobile station. In the mobile station, the code generated by the base station is detected by a detector (25), a receiving gain which amplifies or attenuates the signal transmitted from the base station is changed and set by an amplifier controlling section (26) in accordance with the code detected by the detector (25), and the signal transmitted from the base station is amplified or attenuated by an amplifier (21) with the set receiving gain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Shinya Shimobayashi