Abstract: A dishwasher includes a plurality of electrical wash system components connected to a control system constituted by a user interface controller and a main controller. The user interface controller includes a plurality of user input selectors for establishing model dependent operational parameters for a washing operation. The main controller broadcasts an information packet regarding a desired washing operation in the form of a first set of instructions associated the model dependent operational parameters and a second set of instructions associated with other dishwasher models. The dishwasher is then operated based upon the first set of instructions, while the second set of instructions are automatically filtered out.

Abstract: The application of compliance results from at least a portion of one policy to one or more additional policies that are different from the first policy without having to run compliance checks for the one or more additional policies. The policies consist of compliance checks that each have one or more arguments indicating compliance conditions associated with them. When data is subjected to the compliance checks of the first policy, compliance results are produced corresponding to each compliance check and its associated arguments. A unique identifier is created that represents a combination of both a compliance check and its associated arguments of the first policy. The unique identifier is then associated with the compliance result corresponding to the compliance check and its associated arguments that make up the unique identifier. The compliance result associated with the unique identifier is then applied to a second policy.

Abstract: A structure for an optical packet for transmission over an optical network comprises a packet header (30) and a packet payload (32). The header comprises first and second sections (34, 36). The first section (34) comprises a series of clock pulses (40) at the data rate of the second section of the packet header, or a multiple or sub-multiple thereof. This header structure enables the clock pulses in the first section (34) to be used to control the timing instants when the header information in the second section (36) is read. The header information can thus be read using the data in the header alone, without needing to alter the structure of the packet payload. The clock pulses can be delayed in order to enable them to be used to control the reading of data in the second section of the packet header. The invention ca be used in optical communications networks.

Abstract: A structure for an optical packet for transmission over an optical network comprises a packet header (30) and a packet payload (32). The header comprises first and second sections (34,36). The first section (34) comprises a series of clock pulses (40) at the data rate of the second section of the packet header, or a multiple or sub-multiple thereof. This header structure enables the clock pulses in the first section (34) to be used to control the timing instants when the header information in the second section (36) is read. The header information can thus be read using the data in the header alone, without needing to alter the structure of the packet payload. The clock pulses can be delayed in order to enable them to be used to control the reading of data in the second section of the packet header. The invention ca be used in optical communications networks.

Abstract: An optical amplifier comprises a doped fiber core and a cladding layer surrounding the core. The mode field diameter of the fiber is greater than 8 ?m and the refractive index difference between the core and the cladding layer is selected such that the cut-off wavelength at which the fiber becomes single mode lies in the range 1000-1550 nm. This amplifier uses a large made field diameter fiber, which reduces the intensity for a specified output power. This results in reduced filtering of the low frequency components of the signal. The refractive index difference between the core and cladding is selected such that the fiber is multi-mode at 980 nm, which enables bend performance to be improved.

Abstract: A structure for an optical packet has a packet header (30) and a digitally encoded packet payload (32). Information is encoded in the header by modulation of a signal comprising a plurality of pulses aligned with regularly occurring timing instants, the payload digits also being aligned with the regularly occurring timing instants. The header information is encoded at a rate lower than the frequency of the timing instants. This structure enables simplified opto-electric circuitry to be used to read the packet header, and also enables the packet header to be used to derive the clock information required to read the high data rate information from the packet payload. This avoids the need for the initial bits of the packet payload to be used to synchronize the clock. The structure is used in an optical communications network.

Abstract: A method of reading and updating a packet header of an optical packet for transmission over an optical network involves dividing the input signal into two paths. The signal in one path (46) is converted into an electrical signal and the header information is read. The data stored in the packet header is removed optically in the other path (44) by constraining the packet header signal to have a constant amplitude. Updated header information is used to modify the constant amplitude signal using a modulator (60). An apparatus is provided for implementing the method. The header is thus read in the electrical domain, but it is updated optically.

Abstract: An apparatus for reshaping optical pulses comprises an N×N optical coupler having N ports on each side of the coupler, where N≦3. An input and an output of the apparatus are defined by two of the N ports on one side of the optical coupler, and a length of optical fibre connects two of the N ports on the other side of the optical coupler. The function of transmission versus input power has a negative gradient at the power level of the optical pulses. By virtue of phase shifts within the coupler, the transmission function is selected such that higher power pulses are attenuated more than lower power pulses, which tends to even out pulse powers to a constant level. This helps maintain a constant signal to noise ratio within a system and can extend the number of optical spans of an optical signal before it requires full electrical regeneration.

Abstract: A mechanism for maintaining information variety in an information receiving system which receives a stream of incoming objects each corresponding to one or more content categories. The information receiving system includes an object store for holding a set of cached objects for access by a consumer of information. The information receiving system includes an object store manager that determines which of the incoming objects are to be added to the object store and which of the cached objects are to be evicted from the object store such that a variety of information according to a set of consumer interests in the content categories is maintained in the object store.

Abstract: An optical fiber amplifier or laser comprises an optical housing having a diffusive reflective inner surface and at least one opening for receiving pump light. An optical fiber having a doped core is at least partially contained within the optical housing. The optical fiber can be pumped by an optical source without the need for any complex or expensive optical couplers. Lateral illumination of the fiber core with pump light enables many fibers to be pumped by the same pump source, so that a separate dedicated coupler is no longer required to couple the pump light into each optical cable.

Abstract: A hybrid optical fiber comprises a first fiber section comprising a fiber or a concatenation of fibers having first dispersion characteristics at a predetermined operating wavelength and a second fiber section coupled to the first fiber section to form the hybrid fiber. The first fiber dispersion characteristics are selected to maintain the signal dispersion within desired limits, whereas the second fiber is optimised for low loss. Dispersion compensation is provided in the first section of the fiber span where the signal intensity is highest, and therefore the region of the fiber span where these non-linearities have greatest effect. In the second section of the fiber span, the non-linear effects can be ignored, so it is optimised for low loss rather than for dispersion compensation.

Abstract: An apparatus, system and method for managing supply chain risk are provided. The apparatus, system and method identify which components are most critical to the assembly of the final product, in terms of placing the largest amount of revenue or profit at risk. The impact on profit and revenue of the failure to effectively deliver one or more of these critical products along one or more of the dimensions of quantity, time, space, or quality, is then quantified. The revenue and profit distribution from the supply chain is characterized given a projected distribution supply uncertainty, taking into consideration that input products are only useful if all of the BOM components are present. The revenue at risk is then determined. From the set of possible final products that can be produced, the portfolio of final products with the best risk-return characteristics are determined. Efficient hedges may then be developed.

Abstract: A pulse interleaver splits an input pulse train into at least two optical branches (20,22). A first one of the branches (20) carries a first signal, and is terminated with a mirror (24) and a device (26) for manipulating the state of polarization. The reflected signal is re-combined at a combiner (18) with a second signal on a second one of the branches (22). The effective path lengths for the first and second signals between the input and the combiner are selected such that the input pulse train is interleaved with itself thereby providing an output with increased frequency. The mirror (24) and the device for manipulating the state of polarization (26) provide a predetermined relationship between the polarization of pulses in the output pulse train derived from an individual pulse of the input pulse train.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining control signals of a filter for optimization of the gain profile of an amplifier, particularly though not exclusively for use in optical communications systems, and a system incorporating the same. The method is for calculating at least one control signal for at least one periodic filter arranged to alter the output gain profile of an amplifier, in which at least one of the phase and amplitude of the filter response are tuneable.