Abstract: An automatic call distribution system routes calls from a communications network that provides call arrival data and a controllable routing capability. The system includes several agent stations, a call server, and a routing controller. Each agent station has a processor and a communication element to receive calls routed thereto. The call server uses telephony lines to receive the call arrival data and to direct the routing capability of the network. The call server has a caller prompting unit to request and receive information from a caller. The call server generates call information from the information from the caller and/or the call arrival data. The routing controller receives agent status data from the agent stations and the call information and selects an agent station from the call information and the agent status data. The routing controller causes the call server to direct the network to route the call to the selected agent station.

Abstract: A system for establishing a telephone call between an outside telephone and an agent station, the outside telephone is associated with an outside computer that is connected to a public computer network and is used to request a call with an agent. The request is received at a server connected to the public computer network and is communicated by the server to a call router that is connected to a telephone network and monitors the status of agent stations connected to the telephone network. The call router identifies an available agent station, and signals are sent to establish a telephone call from the outside telephone to the available agent.

Abstract: An orthopaedic brace for a joint includes a support mechanism attached to limb members on either side of the joint for providing support to the joint and for permitting a predetermined range of movement of the joint. The support mechanism defines a void space substantially surrounding the joint between the support mechanism and the joint. An inflatable air bag that preferably includes several air cells substantially surrounds the joint in the void space. At least one sensor attached to the support mechanism provides a trigger signal in response to a predetermined, potentially injurious condition, such as a severe force, stress, strain or acceleration. An inflation mechanism operatively connected to the air bag and the sensor inflates the air bag in response to the trigger signal, thereby providing additional support to the joint before the joint is injured.

Abstract: A control system for processing calls comprising a call handling device and a device controller that are each connected to a network via a call connection interface that permits establishing and releasing a network connection, participation with another call connection interface in the same network connection, and either control over a network connection when the interface is the sole interface participating in that connection or control over a network connection to drop the last leg added to a network connection, the device controller and call handling device sending messages to each other over a message transfer interface. Also disclosed are a system for shifting control of a network connection and a system for monitoring the state of a network connection from a network interface that is not actively engaged in the network connection.

Abstract: A system for external control of call processing including a network controller that is connected to receive a third party control message regarding a call operation to be executed by one or more line controllers and is programmed to determine what first party steps need to be taken by the line controller or controllers to execute the call operation, to generate first party control messages to carry out the steps, and to send the first party control messages over a network via a message transfer interface to one or more line controllers, the line controllers being connected to the network via message transfer interfaces to receive the first party control messages and being programmed to execute the first party messages on the network.

Abstract: A method of rerouting of telephone calls from a call receiver device to a call destination device using incoming call notification messages sent from the call receiver device to the call destination device, respond signals sent from the call destination device to the call receiver device, and calling line identification of the incoming call.

Abstract: An automatic call distributing system for automatically distributing telephone calls placed over a network to one of a plurality of agent stations connected to the network via network service interfaces and providing agent status messages to the network, the system including receiving circuitry connected via a network service interface to the network for receiving the agent status messages and a call arrival message from the network indicating that an incoming call has been made on the network, and routing circuitry responsive to the receiving circuitry for generating a routing signal provided to the network to connect the incoming call to an agent station through the network.

Abstract: A knee brace has an adjustable rigid posterior strut with an arcuate member which extends through the popliteal space behind the knee joint and is made of two halves which can be extended or retracted axially or rotated with respect to one another. Terminal portions of the strut, to which supports secured to the leg and thigh are hinged, are adjustably secured by ball and socket connections to mounting members which in turn are adjustably attached to the arcuate member by stems which telescope into and rotate within bores in the ends of the two halves of the arcuate member. With these adjustments the components of the posterior strut can be locked in a myriad of configurations to accommodate for various sizes and deformities of protected joints.

Abstract: An automatic call distributing system for automatically distributing telephone calls placed over a network to one of a plurality of agent stations connecting the network via network service interfaces and providing agent status messages to the network, the system including receiving circuit connected via a network service interface to the network for receiving the agent status messages and a call arrival message from the network indicating that an incoming call has been made on the network, and routing circuit responsive to the receiving means for generating a routing signal provided to the network to connect the incoming call to an agent station through the network. Also disclosed are handling transitions of agent stations using transition notifications, transition requests and forced response signals.

Abstract: A locking circuit for controlling access to locked segments of a shared memory includes a content-addressable memory for storing addresses of the locked memory segments and for simultaneously comparing a target address with the addresses of the locked memory segments and providing a match signal when the target address matches one of the addresses of the locked memory segments. During a memory access cycle, a target address is supplied to the content-addressable memory, and a control circuit is responsive to the match signal to inhibit completion of the memory access cycle. A locking ID, which identifies the processor or process that locked the memory segment, is stored in a second memory. During a memory access cycle, a requesting ID is compared with the locking ID of the locked segment which produced the match signal. When the locking ID and the requesting ID match, the memory access cycle is enabled.

Abstract: A knee brace has a rigid posterior strut behind the knee joint in the popliteal area with terminal portions adjacent, but spaced from the lateral and medial sides of the knee. A prophylactic embodiment of the invention has a lateral inferior rigid support member pivoted on the lateral terminal portion of the strut and secured to the leg, and a medial superior rigid support member pivoted on the medial terminal portion of the strut and secured to the thigh. Stiff anterior, generally triangular, cuff members each have one edge secured to one of the rigid support members and an opposite vertex detachably, pivotally secured to the opposite terminal portion of the strut. A functional brace in accordance with the invention has both lateral and medial rigid support members pivoted on the terminal portions on the posterior strut, additional stiff anterior generally triangular cuffs criss-crossing above and below the knee join and stiff posterior cuffs between the pairs of rigid support members.

Abstract: An automatic call distributing system for automatically distributing telephone calls placed over a network to one of a plurality of agent stations connected the network via network service interfaces and providing agent status messages to the network, the system including receiving means connected via a network service interface to the network for receiving the agent status messages and a call arrival message from the network indicating that an incoming call has been made on the network, and routing means responsive to the receiving means for generating a routing signal provided to the network to connect the incoming call to an agent station through the network. Also disclosed are handling transitions of agent stations using transition notifications, transition requests and forced response signals; and rerouting of telephone calls using incoming call notification signals, response signals, pre-notification signals, and calling line identification of the incoming call.

Abstract: A content-addressable memory (CAM) consisting of an array of memory cells arranged in a matrix by rows and columns is disclosed in which each memory cell includes a pair of cross-coupled CMOS inverters for storing a representation of a single bit. The bits in each row of memory cells constitute a keyword. Keywords are entered into the memory one row at a time. All of the stored keywords are compared to a single search word simultaneously during a match operation. The CAM is prepared for a match operation by placing a charge on a match line associated with each row. If all the bits of the search word match the bits of the stored keyword, the associated match line remains charged producing a match signal for the row of memory cells. If any bit of the search word does not match the corresponding bit of the stored keyword, the associated match line is discharged producing a no-match signal for the row of memory cells.

Abstract: A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is described which comprises a plurality of inverter stages of odd number connected in a ring with the output of each stage connected to the input of the next stage via a voltage controlled impedance provided by the transconductance of pass transistors. In one embodiment, this VCO is incorporated into a Phase-Lock Loop circuit, in which the gates of the pass transistors are connected to a control circuit which provides a variable biasing voltage to the gates inresponse to speed-up or slow-down signals provided by a phase detector. The bias on the gates adjusts the frequency of the voltage controlled oscillator, in accordance with the speed-up or slow-down signal. The phase detector is coupled to a stream of input data pulses and to a reference train of clock pulses provided by the voltage controlled oscillator.