Abstract: A smart card is used with a network based system to providing portable telecommunication and computing services. In an exemplary embodiment the smart card holds a user authentication code and user telephony account information. The smart card transfers the user authentication code and the account information to one of a plurality of geographically dispersed card readers which are each connected to a local telephony device. When the smart card is plugged into a first card reader, telephone calls directed to the smart card user's follow-me telephone number are received at a first local telephony device. When the smart card is plugged into a second smart card reader, telephone calls directed to the follow-me telephone number are received at a second telephony local device. Hence the user is enabled to receive and place calls using any of the geographically dispersed telephony devices as though they were his/her own personal landline or cellular telephone supplied by his/her telephony services provider.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a wireless mobile device comprising first and second wireless air interfaces that enable both circuit-switched and packet-switched wireless communications between the wireless mobile device and one or more remote stations that can be computer telephony integration servers, or peer devices such as smart telephones or wireless smart telephones, or wireless mobile devices.

Abstract: An improved mapping policy, signal mapper, transmitter, receiver, and communication system are introduced. The improved signal mapping policy alternates between standard and inverted bit mapping functions at selected phase states to reduce the error coefficient of MSK and other types of CPFSK signals. The proposed policy can more generally be applied to other types of signals with memory as well. Simulations show that the mapping policy can significantly improve performance particularly at lower to moderate SNR values.

Abstract: Two decoding algorithms are introduced for the decoding of multi-level coded modulation and other types of coded modulation involving component codes and interleaving operations. An improved hard iterative decoding (IHID) algorithm is presented that improves upon a hard iteration decoding technique by adding a stopping criterion. Also, a list Viterbi hard iteration decoding (LV-IHID) algorithm is presented that employs list decoding in conjunction with the IHID algorithm. Both of these decoding algorithms improve upon conventional multi-stage decoding by reducing the effective error multiplicity that is observed at the lowest coding level. It is demonstrated that the LV-IHID algorithm performs close to soft iterative decoding. The computational and delay complexity of the proposed decoding algorithms compare favorably with soft iterative decoding strategies. Also, a novel labeling strategy for MLC design is presented.

Abstract: Serially-concatenated codes are formed in accordance with the present invention using a constrained interleaver. The constrained interleaver cause the minimum distance of the serial concatenated code to increase above the minimum distance of the inner code alone by adding a constraint that forces some or all of the distance of the outer code onto the serially-concatenated code. This allows the serially-concatenated code to be jointly optimized in terms of both minimum distance and error coefficient to provide significant performance advantages.

Abstract: A network scanner, communication protocols, and client and server programs and are provided which provide an improved way to transmit legally binding documents, obviating the need for outmoded, legacy fax transmissions. Using the network scanner, a document may be scanned and transferred directly into any shared folder inbox residing on any computer attached to the Internet. Enhanced server systems and network communications and messaging protocols are provided that are more practical to use than email for sending documents such as executed legal documents or other documents requiring robust integrity and authenticatability. Similarly, the inventive network scanner, server systems and communication protocols provide improved ways to perform large file transfers and to manage bandwidth to minimize problems associated with uploading/downloading large files as attachments to/from email servers and for enabling user control over VoIP quality during file transmission sessions.

Abstract: A geographical web browser allows a user to navigate a network application such as the Word Wide Web by physically navigating in geographical coordinates. For example, a geographical web browser is implemented in a mobile unit such as a dashboard computer. The mobile unit includes one or more transducers such as antennas and is operative to receive locally broadcast signals or to operate a global positioning system (GPS) receiver. As the mobile unit navigates into different physical localities, different web pages are displayed by the geographical web browser. For example, a user desiring to buy a house can set the web browser to a real estate web page. Instead of clicking on a hyperlink to access web pages of properties in an area, the user drives into a first area and automatically receives web pages relating to homes in that area. When the mobile unit crosses town and enters a second area, a new set of web pages is downloaded relating to properties in the second area.

Abstract: A network scanner, communication protocols, and client and server programs and are provided which provide an improved way to transmit legally binding documents, obviating the need for outmoded, legacy fax transmissions. Using the network scanner, a document may be scanned and transferred directly into any shared folder inbox residing on any computer attached to the Internet. Enhanced server systems and network communications and messaging protocols are provided that are more practical to use than email for sending documents such as executed legal documents or other documents requiring robust integrity and authenticatability. Similarly, the inventive network scanner, server systems and communication protocols provide improved ways to perform large file transfers and to manage bandwidth to minimize problems associated with uploading/downloading large files as attachments to/from email servers and for enabling user control over VoIP quality during file transmission sessions.

Abstract: Apparatus and associated methods are provided which allow a remote user to maintain a virtual session with a server. A virtual session allows a remote and possibly mobile user to maintain a virtual presence in an office environment without actually being present. Using the present invention, a remote user can access a central application program such as an Internet service provider, a database system, an inventory system or billing system. Likewise, the remote user can receive calls and other forms of communications as though he or she were present in an office environment. A virtual session does not require a physical connection to be continuously present in order to provide a virtual connectivity. This is especially important for mobile applications where the remote user may incur long distance and/or wireless toll charges.

Abstract: Compact pulse shape partial response (CPS PR) signaling is developed for trellis based signals like QM-MSK, and for PAM/QAM type signals to improve the performance to bandwidth tradeoff. Compact pulse shaped signals are partial response signals that employ a very short pulse shaping filter and use Viterbi decoding to optimally detect the CPS signal in presence of its inherent inter-symbol interference. The CPS filters considered herein have much shorter impulse response than the well-known raised cosine (RC) filter. There is no need to equalize the received signal to eliminate ISI or to allow a fixed amount of ISI between received signal samples as sampled at the symbol rate as is common in partial response maximum likelihood (PRML) systems. Numerical results indicate that CPS QM-MSK and CPS QAM provides between several dB of gain, depending on constellation size, over PR-CPM and RC QAM, when compared at a given value of bandwidth, i.e., B99Tb.

Abstract: A network scanner, communication protocols, and client and server programs and are provided which provide an improved way to transmit legally binding documents, obviating the need for outmoded, legacy fax transmissions. Using the network scanner, a document may be scanned and transferred directly into any shared folder inbox residing on any computer attached to the Internet. Enhanced server systems and network communications and messaging protocols are provided that are more practical to use than email for sending documents such as executed legal documents or other documents requiring robust integrity and authenticatability. Similarly, the inventive network scanner, server systems and communication protocols provide improved ways to perform large file transfers and to manage bandwidth to minimize problems associated with uploading/downloading large files as attachments to/from email servers and for enabling user control over VoIP quality during file transmission sessions.

Abstract: Apparatus and associated methods are provided which allow a remote user to maintain a virtual session with a server. A virtual session allows a remote and possibly mobile user to maintain a virtual presence in an office environment without actually being present. Using the present invention, a remote user can access a central application program such as an Internet service provider, a database system, an inventory system or billing system. Likewise, the remote user can receive calls and other forms of communications as though he or she were present in an office environment. A virtual session does not require a physical connection to be continuously present in order to provide a virtual connectivity. This is especially important for mobile applications where the remote user may incur long distance and/or wireless toll charges.

Abstract: The present invention centers upon uplink communication protocols for use primarily with orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication systems. Aspects of the invention relate to narrow band frequency division multiplexed (NBFDM) modulation protocols primarily for uplink usage in asymmetric OFDMA communication systems. In particular, NBFDM uplinks that use quadrature multiplexed continuous phase modulation are detailed and noncoherent detection schemes are developed to process the uplink channel signals without the need to transmit uplink phase reference signals. Other aspects of the invention relate to burst mode uplink communications in OFDMA systems such as those involving opportunistic beamforming.

Abstract: Compact pulse shape partial response (CPS PR) signaling is developed for trellis based signals like QM-MSK, and for PAM/QAM type signals to improve the performance to bandwidth tradeoff. Compact pulse shaped signals are partial response signals that employ a very short pulse shaping filter and use Viterbi decoding to optimally detect the CPS signal in presence of its inherent inter-symbol interference. The CPS filters considered herein have much shorter impulse response than the well-known raised cosine (RC) filter. There is no need to equalize the received signal to eliminate ISI or to allow a fixed amount of ISI between received signal samples as sampled at the symbol rate as is common in partial response maximum likelihood (PRML) systems. Numerical results indicate that CPS QM-MSK and CPS QAM provides between several dB of gain, depending on constellation size, over PR-CPM and RC QAM, when compared at a given value of bandwidth, i.e., B99Tb.

Abstract: A geographical web browser allows a user to navigate a network application such as the Word Wide Web by physically navigating in geographical coordinates and roaming through coverage areas of cellular base stations, wireless LANs, microcells, and other such broadcast domains. A mobile unit communicates with a network server via an air interface that supports wireless packet data. Information is transmitted from the network server to the mobile unit based upon the mobile unit's current location. In some embodiments, the information is used to notify the user that further information is available for download.

Abstract: A reduced complexity precoder provides an efficient method and structure to precode a vector-signal-point sequence for transmission through a band-limited channel. The precoder enables a block-oriented receiver to recover an underlying data stream in the presence of inter-symbol interference and noise. The precoder structure is applicable to multicarrier systems such as DMT (discrete multitone) or related transform domain and vector communication systems. The inventive precoder reduces the cost of precoding by an order of magnitude and eliminates the need for a cyclic prefix in DMT and related communication systems. Related multicarrier transmitter and receiver structures and methods which reduce computation, increase transmission bandwidth and reduce transmission power are also developed.

Abstract: Serially-concatenated codes are formed in accordance with the present invention using a constrained interleaver. The constrained interleaver cause the minimum distance of the serial concatenated code to increase above the minimum distance of the inner code alone by adding a constraint that forces some or all of the distance of the outer code onto the serially-concatenated code. This allows the serially-concatenated code to be jointly optimized in terms of both minimum distance and error coefficient to provide significant performance advantages. These performance advantages allow a noise margin target to be achieved using simpler component codes and a much shorter interleaver than was needed when using prior art codes such as Turbo codes. Decoders are also provided. Both encoding and decoding complexity can be lowered, and interleavers can be made much shorter, thereby shortening the block lengths needed in receiver elements such as equalizers and other decision-directed loops.

Abstract: A network scanner, communication protocols, and client and server programs and are provided which provide an improved way to transmit legally binding documents, obviating the need for outmoded, legacy fax transmissions. Using the network scanner, a document may be scanned and transferred directly into any shared folder inbox residing on any computer attached to the Internet. Enhanced server systems and network communications and messaging protocols are provided that are more practical to use than email for sending documents such as executed legal documents or other documents requiring robust integrity and authenticatability. Similarly, the inventive network scanner, server systems and communication protocols provide improved ways to perform large file transfers and to manage bandwidth to minimize problems associated with uploading/downloading large files as attachments to/from email servers and for enabling user control over VoIP quality during file transmission sessions.

Abstract: A first convolutional coder (building-block trellis coder) is used to establish a minimum squared Euclidian distance (MSED) between signal points within a coded constellation building block. A second convolutional encoder (tiling encoder) is designed to ensure that the building block's MSED is maintained between building blocks once they are tiled onto an integer lattice. When this approach is applied to the trellis code of the WiMAX standard, a 3 dB coding is realized. Recall that Wei's 16-state 4D code suffered from a 1.36 dB due to constellation expansion, resulting in a net 4.66 dB coding gain. Our building block approach recovers 1.33 dB of this loss with only a minor increase in coding complexity. We then use the building block approach to derive simpler and more powerful higher dimensional codes that provide further gains still over the Wei family of multidimensional codes.

Abstract: A wind turbine includes a plurality of turbine blades, with each of the blades having a root flange that attaches to a flange of a rotor hub by a plurality of circumferentially spaced blade bolts. The blade bolts have opposite cylindrical end sections engaged within the rotor hub flange and blade root flange, respectively, and a non-cylindrical shank extending between the cylindrical end sections. At least one flattened side is defined in the shank along a longitudinal axis of the bolt.