Abstract: Before a party is admitted into a conference call, the party's communication connection to the conference bridge is tested for quality. If the quality is acceptable, the party is admitted into the conference. If the quality is not acceptable, an attempt is made to improve the quality. If the attempt fails, the party is given the choice of either hanging up and calling back or being admitted into the conference in a restricted mode that limits the adverse effects of the poor connection on the conference.

Abstract: Method and apparatus provide in-band dynamic bandwidth management in a circuit-switched emulation service over Internet Protocol.

Abstract: A network monitor gets a (layer 7) media path bill of materials for a communication between two communication devices. The network monitor also gets a (layer 7) signaling path bill of materials. The media path bill of materials and the signaling path bill of materials comprise a plurality of items that are involved in the communication (e.g. hardware, software, links). The media path bill of materials and the signaling path bill of materials comprise a communication path bill of materials. The network monitor sends at least one configuration packet to a plurality of network analyzers to monitor packets that contain a status of the communication in relation one or more items in the communication path bill of materials. The status of the communication is output and displayed in relation to the items in the communication path bill of materials.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for allowing a troubleshooter to reuse existing indicators, such as displays, LEDs, or specialized indicators, for a purpose other than the indicator's usual purpose. In response to an initial occurrence of a problem, the troubleshooter modifies the indicator's behavior to indicate a later occurrence of a fault or a set of faults, which may be the cause of the problem. Upon the later occurrence of the problem, the indicator is monitored for simultaneous notification of occurrence of the fault. After the problem is triaged, the modified indicator is returned to its original use. The notification from the indicator can be sensory, i.e., auditory, visible, or tactile. The indicator's change in behavior can occur after the fault happens once or an administrable threshold number of times, or intermittently. Alternatively, the change in behavior may become semi-permanent if the fault continues to occur for some administrable number of times.

Abstract: A network monitor gets a (layer 7) media path bill of materials for a communication between two communication devices. The network monitor also gets a (layer 7) signaling path bill of materials. The media path bill of materials and the signaling path bill of materials comprise a plurality of items that are involved in the communication (e.g. hardware, software, links). The media path bill of materials and the signaling path bill of materials comprise a communication path bill of materials. The network monitor sends at least one configuration packet to a plurality of network analyzers to monitor packets that contain a status of the communication in relation one or more items in the communication path bill of materials. The status of the communication is output and displayed in relation to the items in the communication path bill of materials.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for reducing echo from a received signal. A suppression gain is applied to an output of an echo canceler that has processed the received signal. The suppression gain includes a region of sloping attenuation about a decision point. The echo canceler optionally estimates an echo path and subtracts then estimate from the received signal. The suppression gain includes a non-zero lower bound, gmin, on a maximum attenuation applied by a suppressor, that is based on operating conditions of the echo canceler. The region of sloping attenuation applies a variable amount of attenuation that depends on the size of an output error ?(n) of the echo canceler relative to the received signal, x(n).

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for reducing echo from a received signal. A suppression gain is applied to an output of an echo canceler that has processed the received signal. The suppression gain includes a region of sloping attenuation about a decision point. The echo canceler optionally estimates an echo path and subtracts then estimate from the received signal. The suppression gain includes a non-zero lower bound, gmin, on a maximum attenuation applied by a suppressor, that is based on operating conditions of the echo canceler. The region of sloping attenuation applies a variable amount of attenuation that depends on the size of an output error {overscore (e)}(n) of the echo canceler relative to the received signal, x(n).

Abstract: A variable-size jitter buffer is used to store information associated with a voice signal, facsimile signal or other received signal in a receiver of a packet-based communication system. The receiver determines an appropriate adjustment time for making an adjustment to the size of the buffer based at least in part on a result of a signal detection operation performed on the received signal. For example, in the case of a received voice signal, the determined adjustment time may be a time at which a state machine associated with a speech detector is in a “no speech” state. If the actual buffer size at the determined adjustment time is not within a designated range of a target computed at least in part based on one or more jitter measurements, the buffer size is adjusted at the determined adjustment time, e.g., by an amount representative of the difference between the actual buffer size and the target.

Abstract: A packet-based communication system includes a transmitter which configures multiple channels of encoded voice information for transmission through the system to a receiver. In an illustrative embodiment, the transmitter determines a total number of active channels to be coded at each of a number of different available code rates, within a specified bandwidth constraint. The transmitter assigns the code rates to the active channels in accordance with a code rate assignment technique, such that the bandwidth constraint is satisfied for a defined time period, e.g., a voice channel sample period. The code rate assignment technique may be, e.g., a random rate assignment technique, a round robin rate assignment technique, or an oldest talking channel to lowest rate assignment technique.

Abstract: A variable-size jitter buffer is used to store information associated with a voice signal, facsimile signal or other received signal in a receiver of a packet-based communication system. The receiver determines an appropriate adjustment time for making an adjustment to the size of the buffer based at least in part on a result of a signal detection operation performed on the received signal. For example, in the case of a received voice signal, the determined adjustment time may be a time at which a state machine associated with a speech detector is in a “no speech” state. If the actual buffer size at the determined adjustment time is not within a designated range of a target computed at least in part based on one or more jitter measurements, the buffer size is adjusted at the determined adjustment time, e.g., by an amount representative of the difference between the actual buffer size and the target.

Abstract: Information is communicated in an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) or other packet-based communication system using a service specific convergence layer which associates a holdover indicator with each of a number of packets generated in a voice and telephony service layer. The service specific convergence layer may be a Service Specific Convergence Sublayer (SSCS) of an ATM Adaptation Layer (AAL) Type 2 connection, and the holdover indicator may be a holdover bit in a user-to-user-indication (UUI) field of a Common Part Sublayer (CPS) header of the AAL 2 connection. The holdover indicator may specify, for example, whether a speech detector used for providing silence elimination in the transmitted information is in a holdover mode. The indicator can thus be used by a receiver to determine if a period of silence has begun in the transmitted information, so as to facilitate the generation of comfort noise. The holdover indicators can also be used to provide rate control in a CPS transmitter of an AAL 2 device.