Abstract: A method for public key certification in a local network environment, wherein a personal certification authority associated with the local network environment is connected with a first device needing to be certified. Responsive to the connection, a certificate is provided to the device to be certified from the personal certification authority. The devices receiving a certificate may then use the certificate to carry out secure information exchange within the local network environment with other devices having a similar certificate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of establishing a secured peer-to-peer communication between two communications devices, each communications device having stored a respective set of previously established security associations with other communications devices. The method comprises determining whether the two communications devices have a common security association in their respective sets of established security associations; if the devices have determined a common security association, protecting the communications link between the two communications device based on the determined common security association; otherwise establishing a new security association between the two communications devices, and protecting the communications link based on the new security association; and extending the sets of previously established security associations of the two communications devices to the corresponding other exchanging corresponding key data.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for dynamically selecting a packet type based on the quality estimates of the channel are disclosed. From these channel quality estimates, specific properties of the packet may be selected including whether a coding scheme should be used, the packet length, and the modulation used. The packet type selection is then performed in a dynamic fashion based on updates or changes to the channel conditions.

Abstract: In a communication system, an authentication ciphering offset (ACO) is generated as a function of one or more parameters, wherein at least one of the one or more parameters is derived from earlier-computed values of the ACO. This enables each device to avoid generating an ACO value that is out of synchronization with a counterpart ACO value generated in another communication device.

Abstract: The present invention includes a method and device for calculating an encryption key, K?c, for use in the initialization of an encryption algorithm. The present invention discloses a method for calculating the encryption key, K?c(x), by obtaining a ciphering key, Kc(x), determining a maximum ciphering key length, L, based on the requirements of the two devices wishing to communicate, and determining a maximum usable encryption key length, Lmax. The ciphering key, Kc(x), is then manipulated through an addition function or an exclusively-or function with a polynomial g1(x). The result is multiplied with a polynomial g2(x), which spreads the starting points of said encryption key, K?c(x). The encryption key is thus determined according to K?c(x)=g2(L)(x)[Kc(x) mod g1(L)(x)]. The method of calculating the encryption key, K?c, ensures that a maximum ciphering key length is not exceeded. In addition, the method provides new possible starting points each time a new encryption key, K?c, is generated.

Abstract: A method for maintaining synchronization between a transmitter and a receiver is disclosed. The method offsets time drift which causes a degradation in the quality of communication between a transmitter and a receiver. The method comprises using a first sampling time to obtain a first sequence of hard decision symbols for decoding contents of a portion of a received packet, switching to a second sampling time upon degradation in a reliability of the symbols, and using the second sampling time to obtain a second sequence of hard decision symbols for decoding contents of a remaining portion of the received packet.

Abstract: A voice activity detector is disclosed for use with a radio transmitter to continuously sense the presence of speech in an audio signal. Initially, the audio signal is processed to produce a train of signal samples. Signal peaks are identified therefrom, which are used to compute respective values for a succession of quasi-pitch periods associated with the signal sample train. The quasi-pitch period values are then selectively compared with one another, in order to determine the presence or absence of a speech component.

Abstract: A side-tone control unit for a telecommunication instrument is configured to include a side-tone amplifier having a transfer function selectively controlled in accordance with a set of amplifier parameters, and a side-tone controller, coupled to the side-tone amplifier, for selectively applying the set of amplifier parameters to the side-tone amplifier based on the detected energy of an uplink signal and the detected energy of a downlink signal. The side tone controller can select a particular set of amplifier parameters by indexing a table in accordance with quantized values of the detected uplink signal energy and the detected downlink signal energy.

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for implementing a message authentication code (MAC) for transmitted digital information signals. Digital information signals typically include an error detecting code, such as a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code, to ensure reliable delivery of the information. In order to verify the identity of the sending node, the CRC code can be modulated by a sequence known only to the participating nodes. Thus, the CRC code not only provides an error detecting function, but also serves as a message authentication code.

Abstract: In a voice communication system having a transmitter and receiver on opposing sides of an interface, the transmitter is switched on to transmit speech components and is switched off during speech pauses. To provide comfort noise at the receiver, and thus avoid annoying effects caused by continual switching of the transmitter, a comfort noise generator disposed to produce comfort noise of an adjustable amplitude is located on the receiver side of the interface. A first subsystem responsive to operation of the transmitter provides a flag to the receiver to commence operation of the comfort noise generator, when the transmitter discontinues transmission in response to a speech pause. A second subsystem transmits a succession of amplitude parameters through the interface to selectively adjust the amplitude of the generator in corresponding relationship with a noise level at the transmitter.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for performing synchronization and DC-offset compensation in FM transmission systems significantly reduce the overhead associated with transmitting a conventional digital preamble at the start of each of a succession of transmitted digital data packets. According to exemplary embodiments, a multi-part digital preamble includes a short, substantially DC-free leading part followed by a code-protected synchronization part which is not necessarily substantially DC-free. The leading part provides for coarse DC offset estimation and synchronization, while the coded synchronization part carries timing and/or other useful information which can be unique for each packet. One or more substantially DC-free trailing parts follow the synchronization part, or are included in the synchronization part itself, and provide for fine tuning of the DC-offset estimate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improving bit error performance within a hard decision radio interface processing environment is provided, whereby a sampling unit collects a number of samples per channel symbol of an input signal to generate a number of sampling streams, and a correlator computes a correlation value of each of the number of sampling streams with a predetermined bit sequence. The correlation values are fed into a threshold comparator which utilizes a variable threshold value to generate threshold comparator values or trigger output values. By examining a set of trigger output values, a phase decision unit determines the optimum sampling timing or sampling phase.

Abstract: A method for public key certification in a local network environment, wherein a personal certification authority associated with the local network environment is connected with a first device needing to be certified. Responsive to the connection, a certificate is provided to the device to be certified from the personal certification authority. The devices receiving a certificate may then use the certificate to carry out secure information exchange within the local network environment with other devices having a similar certificate.

Abstract: A voice activity detector is disclosed for use with a radio transmitter to continuously sense the presence of speech in an audio signal. Initially, the audio signal is processed to produce a train of signal samples. Signal peaks are identified therefrom, which are used to compute respective values for a succession of quasi-pitch periods associated with the signal sample train. The quasi-pitch period values are then selectively compared with one another, in order to determine the presence or absence of a speech component.

Abstract: In a voice communication system having a transmitter and receiver on opposing sides of an interface, the transmitter is switched on to transmit speech components and is switched off during speech pauses. To provide comfort noise at the receiver, and thus avoid annoying effects caused by continual switching of the transmitter, a comfort noise generator disposed to produce comfort noise of an adjustable amplitude is located on the receiver side of the interface. A first subsystem responsive to operation of the transmitter provides a flag to the receiver to commence operation of the comfort noise generator, when the transmitter discontinues transmission in response to a speech pause. A second subsystem transmits a succession of amplitude parameters through the interface to selectively adjust the amplitude of the generator in corresponding relationship with a noise level at the transmitter.

Abstract: A method for maintaining synchronization between a transmitter and a receiver is disclosed. The method offsets time drift which causes a degradation in the quality of communication between a transmitter and a receiver. The method comprises using a first sampling time to obtain a first sequence of hard decision symbols for decoding contents of a portion of a received packet, switching to a second sampling time upon degradation in a reliability of the symbols, and using the second sampling time to obtain a second sequence of hard decision symbols for decoding contents of a remaining portion of the received packet.

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method for performing error detection on received data packets and error correction on only those data packets that were received in error without the need for retransmission of the data packets or parity checking bits. At the transmitter, the complete data packet is divided into a number of data units (DUs). The DUs are encoded for both error detection and error correction. Both the error correction and error detection parity check bits are separately combined into one or more blocks. Thereafter, the DUs and the block(s) containing the combined parity check bits are transmitted to the receiver. If the receiver determines that a received DU does not contain any errors, the error correction parity check bits for that DU are generated and their effect on the combined error correction parity check bits removed. Thereafter, the remaining error correction parity check bits, which now only contains information about the DUs actually in error, are used to correct the erroneous DUs.

Abstract: A side-tone control unit for a telecommunication instrument is configured to include a side-tone amplifier having a transfer function selectively controlled in accordance with a set of amplifier parameters, and a side-tone controller, coupled to the side-tone amplifier, for selectively applying the set of amplifier parameters to the side-tone amplifier based on the detected energy of an uplink signal and the detected energy of a downlink signal. The side tone controller can select a particular set of amplifier parameters by indexing a table in accordance with quantized values of the detected uplink signal energy and the detected downlink signal energy.

Abstract: A dynamic carrier selection method and system permit units operating on a first carrier to change to a second carrier when performance of the first carrier becomes unacceptable. Carrier quality measurements are taken in which carrier quality is a function of interference and multi-path fading and carrier-signal strength. The carriers are ranked according to measured quality in a carrier candidate list. The carrier candidate list is used to permit units to determine which carrier they should switch to when the carrier there currently operating on is determined to have unacceptable performance. Carrier measurements are retaken in response to a carrier change by unit or a predetermined time period having elapsed.