Abstract: A method of connecting a new end station to a ring communication system for connecting a number of end stations is constituted by the steps of: i) sensing an attempt by the new end station to attach to the ring; ii) determining whether there is a single end station only existing on the ring; and, iiia) if it is determined that there is more than one end station on the ring, allowing the new end station to attach to the ring and maintaining the ring communication configuration; or b) if it is determined that there is a single end station only on the ring, breaking the ring configuration and setting up two separate communication paths between the new end station and the existing end station.

Abstract: A subscriber unit (26) communicates with a satellite communication system (10) that projects cells. The satellites (12) and cells move relative to the earth. During every other TDMA frame, a subscriber unit (26) measures the signal strength of all candidate hand-off beams. The signal strength of the current beam is compared to the signal strength of the candidate hand-off beams. When the signal strength of the current beam is not the strongest, a counter is incremented (108). A hand-off is requested to the beam with the greatest signal level when the counter exceeds a predetermined threshold. Accordingly, only after the current antenna beam has not been the strongest beam for a certain period of time, is a hand-off requested. A different counter threshold is used for candidate hand-off beams from other satellites (12).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling data flow within a switching device are provided. The switching device includes a cell-switched backplane. Both packet switched and cell switched network interface cards may be coupled to the cell-switched backplane. A destination tag is created for each unique destination port and for each unique set of destination ports. The destination tags are used to index a master destination tag table. The entry of the master destination tag table that corresponds to a given destination tag includes a destination mask that indicates which ports are destination ports the given destination tag. Local tables are built and maintained within each network interface card based on the information contained in the master destination tag table. When a network interface receives data from an external device, the network interface determines the destination tag associated with the data.

Abstract: An ATM information system processes information at the frame level using a processor including a device driver; a system memory and an adapter for sorting data cells into partially completed frames stored in the system memory using control information provided by the device driver. A controller in the adapter determines when an end of frame indication is received in a cell and updates a pointer in system memory for a completed frame list to a recently completed frame. The device driver processes frames in a completed frame list according a priority of the list. The device driver processing is independent of the sorting and storing of completed frames received in the system memory which improves the performance of the driver and the ability to handle delay sensitive traffic.

Abstract: A method and system for placing an order charged to a credit card, over an unsecured network. The customer completing an order for goods or services enters information required for the order, such as the shipping and billing addresses and identification of the goods, but enters only a subset of the credit card account number to which the order is to be charged. The order is transmitted over the Internet or other network to a remote merchant location (32) from a customer's location (10). A computer (38) at the remote merchant location processes the order to extract the data provided by the customer for storage in a database (40). During a subsequent telephone call to the remote merchant location, the customer enters the complete credit card number, preferably on a touch-tone keypad (28). The touch-tone signals are processed by an automated attendant system (44) for input of the complete credit card number into the computer.

Abstract: A multicast switch for routing incoming cells having a multicast bit pattern and a priority value, arriving at a plurality of input ports, to one of a plurality of output ports, which includes input port controllers and routing modules. Each of the routing modules routes received cells to an associated one of a plurality of groups of output ports and provides a feedback priority value based on a priority value associated with a lowest priority cell passed to the associated group of output ports.

Abstract: An asynchronous transmission mode data cell header includes virtual channel and virtual path identifiers which are resolved into logical channel identifiers at the user interface by two table lookup operations. The virtual path identifier is used to access a virtual path table entry having a variable length pointer value buffered out to a fixed length field by zeros with a binary one at the boundary position. Using the binary one as a marker, the pointer field is extracted and concatenated with a base register value and the lower order bits of the virtual channel identifier, corresponding to the bit position of the binary one marker, to provide an index into a logical channel identifier table. The logical channel identifier is used to associate the data cell attached to that header with the appropriate user data stream.

Abstract: A plurality of packet data sources, e.g., packet application modules, and synchronous data sources, e.g., synchronous application modules, are coupled to the same TDM bus for communicating data to a network access module. A portion of the bandwidth, or time-slots, of the TDM bus is allocated as a multiple-access packet channel that is shared among the packet application modules. As a result, the network access module receives a single, continuously multiplexed, packet stream for transmission to an opposite endpoint. Packet application modules on the TDM bus contend for this multiple access packet channel when transmitting to the opposite endpoint. In the receiving direction, each packet application module accepts the entire received packet stream from the network access module and may either filter the packets using their address field or may transparently forward the data to a packet service.

Abstract: A method and system for securely indicating to a customer one or more credit card numbers that a merchant has on file for the customer when communicating with the customer over a non-secure network. The merchant sends a message to the customer that contains only a portion of each of the credit card numbers that are on file with the merchant. The message may also contain a notation explaining which portion of each of the credit card numbers has been extracted. A computer (38) retrieves the credit card numbers on file for the customer in a database (40), constructs the message, and transits the message to a customer location (10) over the Internet network (30) or other non-secure network. The customer can then confirm in a return message that a specific one of the credit card numbers on file with the merchant should be used in charging a transaction.

Abstract: A communication apparatus is disclosed which is capable of measuring levels of carrier signals used in adjacent zones during telecommunication with a small circuit scale, and capable of simultaneously transmitting/receiving to FDMA-system signals through a plurality of communication channels. All of transmission signals received through the communication channels under use are wholly converted into an intermediate signal by a mixer. The intermediate signal is quadrature-detected and then A/D-converted into digital I/Q-channel signals by A/D-converters. Thereafter, the digital I/Q-channel signals are frequency-converted by frequency converting circuits in such a manner that center frequencies of these I/Q-channel signals become zero, two sets of I/Q-channel signals may be demodulated by two sets of demodulating circuits. Otherwise, one of these I/Q-channel signals is demodulated by a single demodulating circuit, and the other is level-detected by a level detecting circuit.

Abstract: A single channel communication bus system has stations which communicate with each other via the bus. Each station must have a unique address which is initialized during a system initialization. In order to facilitate initialization, a manufacturer-determined address is stored in a non-volatile memory. Search for a unique address for each station begins with the address stored in the non-volatile memory.

Abstract: Competition between subscriber stations attempting to access reverse channels in response to Temporary Equipment Identifier (TEI) messages is limited by requiring the subscriber stations to wait for a predetermined amount of time. The time delay is selected on the basis of a random number and a factor based upon the number of TEI messages broadcast. The method for determining response opportunities for subscriber stations also includes a back-off phase at the first stage. The time delays to the defer phase is based upon a random period of time and a predetermined maximum based upon the time needed for the microslots containing a TEI message.

Abstract: A high bandwidth gateway comprises a source of packet traffic wherein received packets are stored in a buffer, a destination interface circuit for the packets, a microprocessor and a bus that interconnects the components. The microprocessor, which in the prior art controls data transfers, periodically gives up control to a hardware assist engine. The hardware assist engine detects the presence of packets in the source buffer and causes the source buffer to output one or more packets to the destination directly, thus by-passing the microprocessor completely. By this system, bandwidth is improved by the source and the destination working together directly, without having the overhead associated with microprocessor-based or initiated data transfers.

Abstract: The present invention is an improved switched antenna diversity transmission system for use with an ARQ error protection protocol. The transmitter of the present invention includes an error detection encoder for encoding information packets with an error detection code, a modulator for modulating the encoded information packets, and a first antenna for transmitting the modulated information packets over a first forward channel of a wireless communication medium to the receiver. The transmitter further includes a switch for switching from the first antenna to a second antenna for transmitting the information packets over a second forward channel of a wireless communication medium in response to a negative acknowledgment from the receiver transmitted over a feedback channel of the wireless communication medium.

Abstract: An interactive video system by which an operator is able to select an object moving in a video sequence and by which the interactive video system is notified which object was selected so as to take appropriate action. Interactive video is achieved through generation and use of video object descriptors which are synchronized to objects in the video sequence. Video object descriptors are generated by a generating tool which decomposes frames of video sequences and tracks movement of objects in those frames so as to generate a frame sequential file of video object descriptors. The file of video object descriptors are then used by an event interpreter which detects a match between the position of a pointing device on a display containing the video sequence and the position of a video object descriptor. When a match is detected, an interactive video operation is performed, such as jumping to a new video sequence, altering flow of the interactive video program or the like.

Abstract: An echo canceller system for performing echo cancelling processing on a plurality of cells on a transmission line includes a plurality of echo canceller units to which the cells applied to the echo canceller system are allocated according to an applied order of the cells regardless of channels of the cells.

Abstract: The communications processor includes an electronic network system which includes a total of 17 individual ports, four quad universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter devices, each of which serves four separate ports, and a microprocessor which processes and controls the flow of data under the control of stored control programs, command settings and command logic. Connected to a plurality of those ports referred to as IED ports are intelligent electronic devices IEDS, such as protective relays or meters, while connected to other ports, referred to as master ports, are remote terminal units or a local computer or terminal or a modem which can be connected to an external telephone line. The apparatus includes both buffer and long-term storage for development of a database, as well as an IRIG-B capability for synchronization of the time clocks of the connected devices.

Abstract: A high speed data transfer mechanism for transferring files from a transmission host across a data link to a receiver host. First, data is presented to a data splitter. The data splitter separates the input data stream into N separate substreams by packaging data into packets, which may be of different sizes. As data is packetized, each packet is sent and presented to a separate data transmitter. Data is sent to the array of transmitter in round-robin fashion such that the data is first presented to the first transmitter, then to the second transmitter, and so on until each transmitter has been sent a packet, then the first transmitter is sent another, and so on, until all data packets have been sent to a transmitter. A receiving side of the mechanism then initializes as many receivers as needed, or as many data receive substreams as are required using as many receivers as are available, ideally an equal number to the transmitters.

Abstract: An access subnetwork provides broadcast access transport as well as selective allocation of resources for interactive communications sessions dedicated to individual end users. The access subnetwork has specified broadcast and interactive service interfaces, both for communications to and from an information provider and for communication to and from customer premises equipment. An Access Subnetwork Controller provides a single point of control contact within the access subnetwork. Any other subnetwork (typically an element of a higher level control subnetwork) needing a control function in the access subnetwork always sends the request for that function to the Access Subnetwork Controller. The primary responsibility of the Access Subnetwork Controller is to control resources, provide requested resources and monitor the use of resources within in the realm of the access subnetwork.

Abstract: The present invention is an improved transmission system for JPEG images. The present invention may include a separator for separating the JPEG image into Type-I and Type-II information and a transmitter for transmitting the Type-I and Type-II information over a wire or wireless communication medium to a receiver with unequal error protection, wherein the more error sensitive Type-I information is provided with more powerful error protection than the less sensitive Type-II information which makes up the bulk of the JPEG image. The present invention may further include a combiner for combining the Type-I and Type-II information received by the receiver in a JPEG format suitable for the data sink.