Patents Examined by Thuan T. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 6374102
    Abstract: The instant invention discloses a method and system for providing a novel wireless centrex service that untethers subscribers from the immobility associated with traditional desktop telephones. Essentially, the present invention extends the benefits of wireless voice and data services to subscribers having a need to move within a plurality of localities such as business and hospital campuses. In accordance with the invention, a wireless telephone subscriber can use a standard cellular/PCS telephone as a wireless extension of their desktop phone, while in the proximity of a miniature radio base station capable of communicating with the PCS/cellular telephone. The advantage of such a system is that a subscriber can use the same cellular/PCS telephone that provides service in the public network in the wireless centrex environment. Additionally, the wireless centrex system provides services and features which are similar to those offered to regular centrex telephone subscribers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignee: AT+T Corp.
    Inventors: Ronald J. Brachman, Yue-Chuan Chu, Kenny Xiaojian Huang, Jesse Eugene Russell
  • Patent number: 6370385
    Abstract: The present invention refers to transferring of data in a mobile communication network. According to the invention, data is transferred between one or more mobile switching centers and one or more of a plurality of base stations via one or more controllers, each controlling a respective group of the plurality of base stations, at least in part using a Dynamic Synchronous Transfer Mode type network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: Net Insight A.B.
    Inventors: Christer Bohm, Lars Gauffin
  • Patent number: 6370396
    Abstract: A method and system for communication within an energy-transmission-limited environment. RF transceivers throughout the site are located site-wide such that areas within the site in which communications are desired are within range of at least one of the RF transceivers. At each location RF transceivers are connected to a control unit. The control unit provides power to the transceivers and allows bi-directional communication of audio/voice and/or digital information. The control units may be networked to each other using standard network type category-5 or equivalent cables and may communicate to one another via the network connection. The control units may also be networked via an alternating current powerline by using an alternating current modem. The transceiver of the present invention utilizes single sideband modulators to modulate voice and/or digital signals. The signals are demodulated and filtered at a receiving end of the transceiver. A comb filter attenuates noisy signals with drifting harmonics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: Transtek, Inc.
    Inventors: Zvi H. Meiksin, T. Brad Petrus, Robert J. Kilgore
  • Patent number: 6370398
    Abstract: A compact lightweight antenna for receiving microwave direct line of sight wireless data signals used in services such as Local Multipoint Distribution Services (LMDS). The antenna provides for precise control over isolation of polarized signals. The antenna consists of an external parabolically shaped dome formed of a suitably resilient material such as thermoplastic. A polarizing metal grid is formed on the interior surface of the dome and serves as a transreflector for initially passing received radiation having a vertical polarization. A twist reflector disposed at a point along an axis defined by the metal grid reflects the received radiation, back in the direction of the transreflector with a different polarization. The now differently polarized energy is reflected by the parabolically shaped metal grid at a feed point located in the center of the twist plate. Operation for transmitting energy is analogous.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: Telaxis Communications Corporation
    Inventors: Sridhar Kanamaluru, Kenneth R. Wood
  • Patent number: 6360083
    Abstract: A clamping/holding device for a mobile phone includes a main clamping device, an extension set and a speaker clamping set. The main clamping device has a main body with a stationary clamping part on one side and a moveable clamping part on the other side. A moveable part attached to the moveable clamping part has a saw-tooth portion and a notch with a spring coupled to the main body. A hooking part affixed on the main body is normally engaged with the saw-tooth portion to fix the moveable clamping part. A level having a longitudinal slot coupled to a convex extension of the hooking part is used to release the moveable part from the saw-tooth portion. The extension set is connected to the main clamping device by means of an extendable rod. A sound collector is attached on a rotatable link of the extension set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Inventor: Eagle Fan
  • Patent number: 6360105
    Abstract: A digital portable radio having a plane antenna, which minimizes the area of a board occupied by a built-in antenna without deteriorating gain. More specifically, a built-in antenna radiation element having a conductor capable of being electrically connected to a power feed circuit provided on the circuit substrate is fixed on the internal wall of the casing. A built-in antenna which accomplishes high gain and occupies a small area is obtained. Further, the antenna radiation element is formed from a metal plate and has a branch where one end of a longer radiation element formed from a thin metal plate is connected to one end of a shorter radiation element, and the other end of each of the radiation elements is open. Further, gap is formed by bringing the open end of the longer radiation element in close proximity to the open end of the shorter radiation element. Impedance matching is accomplished by utilization of coupling capacitance developed in the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Nakada, Mamoru Tsumuraya
  • Patent number: 6360094
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for creating and using a database containing automated measurements to pin point cell sites and sectors with antenna-related problems are disclosed. Each base station in a wireless communications network is equipped with a site test mobile (“STM”) connected to the antenna(s) for the cell site. A database contains information regarding the location (latitude and longitude) of every cell site, or base station, and the design type, orientation, patterns (vertical and horizontal), and gain for every antenna in the network by sector. Automated measurements of various transmission parameters are periodically taken using the respective STMs and compared with calibration data stored in the database to determine the location and type of antenna problems that exist in the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventor: Prasanna Jayaraj Satarasinghe
  • Patent number: 6353743
    Abstract: A positioning system includes the ability to receive GPS signals and to receive and transmit packet radio signals. The positioning system receives GPS transmissions to determine its pseudo position. The positioning system also receives differential corrections relative to its pseudo position using packet radio. By combining the GPS transmissions and the differential corrections, the positioning system calculates its actual position. A user has the ability to obtain information relevant to their actual position by transmitting a request to a reference station, using packet radio. The reference station maintains an information system and will transmit the requested information back to the user. The information system includes a data storage memory and retrieval system and a direct link to the internet. The user is able to provide information for storage within the information system or on the internet in order to compile the information available from the reference station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Clayton R. Karmel
  • Patent number: 6353747
    Abstract: When failure occurred to a part of the portable cellular phone base station, the part sends a failure information signal to a control section in order to inform the control section of the occurrence of the failure. The control section judges whether or not the portable cellular phone base station has lost its functions. If it is judged that the portable cellular phone base station has lost its functions, the control section sends a power supply interruption signal to a power supply of the portable cellular phone base station. When the power supply received the power supply interruption signal, relay circuits of the power supply are opened, and power supply from the power supply and a backup battery circuit to other parts of the portable cellular phone base station is interrupted, thereby wasteful power consumption (battery consumption) by the portable cellular phone base station after losing functions can be eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Toshio Honda
  • Patent number: 6351642
    Abstract: A system and method for improving soft hand-off in a CDMA system uses mobile station location and velocity information to maintain soft hand-off legs with those cells in which the mobile station is more likely to be located. The system and method of the present invention estimates the weighted probability of the mobile station arriving in neighboring cells and produces “bias” values for those cells that the mobile station is more likely to be entering or to be located in. These bias values are used for modifying signal quality values for those cells, and for determining whether the current cell or neighbor cells are to be placed in an active set so as to establish, or maintain, soft hand-off legs. The system and method of the present invention thus chooses those cells which are more likely to be retained as soft hand-off legs and therefore reduces the overall number of soft hand-offs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2002
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Eddie Corbett, Billy Hogan
  • Patent number: 6349196
    Abstract: A mobile communications device is arranged to receive a modulated signal having a predetermined frequency. A frequency demodulator of the device demodulates the modulated signal, and a frequency correction arrangement calibrates the demodulation frequency of the device to the predetermined frequency by providing a preliminary difference estimation between the predetermined frequency and the demodulation frequency using a broadband portion of the modulated signal, followed by a main difference estimation (between the predetermined frequency and the demodulation frequency) using a dedicated narrowband portion of the modulated signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2002
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Francois Bourzeix
  • Patent number: 6345179
    Abstract: A combined marine entertainment system and depth sounder (10) that more efficiently utilizes limited marine instrument panel space, that is more convenient and simple to operate, and that shares certain components and, therefore, is less expensive to manufacture and install. The apparatus includes a main unit (12) and a separate remote unit (14). The main unit includes a housing (16); an entertainment assembly including a display (20) and an entertainment component (18) positioned in the housing; and a depth sounder assembly including a depth display (48) positioned within the same housing as the entertainment assembly display and entertainment component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Garmin Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Richard Wiegers, Brian Poindexter
  • Patent number: 6345180
    Abstract: A mobile terminal with a reserve power system is provided herein, wherein if the mobile terminal has detected that the power level of the power supply connected to it has fallen below a predetermined emergency power reserve level it will restrict its activities related to the reception of transmissions, such as voice calls, and activities related to contacting the network during stand-by, in order to protect the capability to place and receive calls to/from a default or user-specified set of numbers (e.g., emergency numbers, number of spouse, number of parents etc.). The restriction on the reception of transmissions can be handled by the network, by the mobile terminal or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Ericsson Inc.
    Inventor: Martin Reichelt
  • Patent number: 6341216
    Abstract: A transmitter-receiver circuit for radio communication, comprising a low-noise receiver amplifier (20); a first matching circuit (40) which converts the input impedance of the amplifier (20); a transmitter amplifier (10) including a second matching circuit (50) and a third matching circuit (60) which convert the impedances to transmitting signals; and a mode switch (30) for changing from transmitting to receiving and vice versa. The transmitter amplifier (10) has a control terminal (14) connected to the gate electrode of a high-power FET (12), and the output terminal (15A) of the terminal (10) is connected to an antenna (80) not through the switch (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Junji Itoh
  • Patent number: 6339709
    Abstract: There is described a system and method for locating, and optionally monitoring the status of, a mobile entity in a given area fitted with a radio beacon. In one embodiment, the system features a network of bi-directional radio beacons which transmit on the same frequency at random intervals. A method for processing and relaying unique message identifiers throughout the system is disclosed which allows the vicinity of the mobile entity to be determined from any beacon in the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2002
    Assignee: Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation
    Inventors: Michael Gladwin, David Dekker
  • Patent number: 6339703
    Abstract: A diversity reception system used for a mobile radio communication system of a sector type is constructed using single-directivity transmitting-receiving antennas and a non-directivity receiving antenna, all of which are fixed to a support pole such as a steel pipe pole and a steel tower. The single-directivity transmitting-receiving antennas are fixed to a peripheral surface of the support pole and are arranged in directions corresponding to sectors respectively. The non-directivity receiving antenna is fixed to a head portion of the support pole and is arranged above the single-directivity transmitting-receiving antennas by a prescribed interval of distance, which corresponds to at least nine wavelengths of radio waves. The single-directivity transmitting-receiving antennas are connected to transceivers, each containing a diversity receiver, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2002
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Otsuka
  • Patent number: 6336030
    Abstract: A satellite-based communications system operating at high data rates includes a plurality of communications satellites each having an uplink and a downlink antenna for receiving and transmitting a plurality of spot beams which may be fixed or scanned. The fixed beams may be directed to areas of high satellite use. The scanned beams may be rapidly scanned between areas of use insufficient to support a dedicated beam. The scanned beam allows potentially nearly ubiquitous coverage by using high frequency beams. To rapidly scan, beam forming networks have a plurality of phase coefficients that may be changed so that the angle of the beam may change. A controller coupled to the beam forming network may be used to change the phase coefficients in response to beam inputs such as the desired beam and configurations of the other beams on the satellite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2002
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Sam W. Houston, Carl S. Anselmo, Daniel P. Sullivan
  • Patent number: 6330445
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for routing of a USSD message directly from an MSC/VLR to an external node. When a mobile station user enters a service code which the mobile station does not recognize as being associated with a known supplementary service, the mobile station forms a USSD message containing the service code which is sent to a MSC/VLR. If the MSC/VLR determines that the service code is one that is associated with an application residing in an external node, then the MSC/VLR routes the USSD message directly to the external node. Various methods and techniques can be used to provide the address of the external node to the MSC/VLR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Robert Bengt Skog, Bo Arne Valdemar Åström, Peter Hans Edlund
  • Patent number: 6327483
    Abstract: A level detector 81 detects and calculates a power value A1 of a d.c. component of a transmitting audio signal. A subtractor 82 calculates a difference between a transmitting power value A1 and a reference power value A0 written in a memory 14 to obtain an amplification degree A2 which is temporarily stored in a memory portion 11. When a receiving audio signal is inputted through an audio signal processing portion 5 to an amplifier 83 of a signal comparator portion 8 at a next timing, the amplification degree A2 of the receiving sound read out from the memory portion 11 is read out to variably control a gain of the amplifier 83 to thereby amplify the receiving audio signal A2 times. Thus, a receiving sound volume can be variably regulated according to a transmitting sound volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Keiichi Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 6327481
    Abstract: When demodulating data of each frame of a phase-modulated signal received by a selected one of antennas, a phase error detector detects a phase error as a deviation from an ideal phase, and an accumulator accumulates phase errors in the frames. If an accumulated value of the phase errors is greater than a predetermined value in a predetermined slot position in a frame, antenna switching is controlled for a next frame. In the antenna switching control process, the demodulated phase of a first antenna selected in a present frame is held in a phase holder. If the accumulated value of the phase errors becomes greater than the predetermined value, the first antenna is switched temporarily to a second antenna, and the demodulated phase of the second antenna is held in the phase holder. Based on reception statuses of the first and second antennas, either better one of the antennas is selected, one of the demodulated phases held in the phase holder is selected and provided to a demodulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Noriaki Nagashima