Abstract: A dongle adapter system is described that is configured to communicate in a first direction using a first communications protocol and to communicate in a second direction using a second communications protocol. Communications in the first direction employ a conventional communications protocol, such as the Universal Serial Bus (“USB”) protocol. Communications in the second direction employs an Auxiliary Interface Bus (“AIB”) protocol; in some embodiments, the employed AIB protocol may be proprietary. A translator associated with the dongle adapter translates communications between the first communications protocol and the second communications protocol. The dongle adapter allows a peripheral device organiclly configured for the second communications protocol to function without modification in computing networks whose communications operate on the first communications protocol.

Abstract: An automatic sidetone controller for a digital telecom device, such as a headset or head-set adapter having a transmit (TX) channel, a receive (RX) channel, and circuitry for generating a sidetone signal by coupling a portion of a signal on the TX channel onto the RX channel via a sidetone path, is operable to detect when the TX channel of the device is active and inactive and to respectively activate and deactivate the sidetone path in response thereto without need for manual intervention by the user.

Abstract: A dongle adapter system is described that is configured to communicate in a first direction using a first communications protocol and to communicate in a second direction using a second communications protocol. Communications in the first direction employ a conventional communications protocol, such as the Universal Serial Bus (“USB”) protocol. Communications in the second direction employs an Auxiliary Interface Bus (“AIB”) protocol; in some embodiments, the employed AIB protocol may be proprietary. A translator associated with the dongle adapter translates communications between the first communications protocol and the second communications protocol. The dongle adapter allows a peripheral device organiclly configured for the second communications protocol to function without modification in computing networks whose communications operate on the first communications protocol.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automatic detection and signaling of an on-line status of a headset or other audio transmit/receive system used with telephony and/or other multimedia application software running on personal computers or other processor-based hosts are disclosed. The system generally includes a headset to communicate with the host executing the application software such as a softphone utilizing the headset via a port of the host, an on-line status detector in communication with the host via the port to detect the on-line status based on detecting a request for transmit data at the port and based on a signaling protocol associated with the port and independent of the application software, and an on-line indicator selectively activated by the on-line status detector. The request for transmit data may be detected by the opening or presence of a transmit channel opened by the host on the port.

Abstract: A telecommunications device, system, and method for automatically controlling an audio processing mode are provided. In one embodiment, the device comprises a transmit (TX) channel; a receive (RX) channel; and a signal processor configured to detect when the TX channel of the device has been placed in an active state and to apply a telephony-specific or multimedia-specific audio processing algorithm to the RX channel depending upon a state of the TX channel.

Abstract: An automatic sidetone controller for a digital telecom device, such as a headset or headset adapter having a transmit (TX) channel, a receive (RX) channel, and circuitry for generating a sidetone signal by coupling a portion of a signal on the TX channel onto the RX channel via a sidetone path, is operable to detect when the TX channel of the device is active and inactive and to respectively activate and deactivate the sidetone path in response thereto without need for manual intervention by the user.

Abstract: Packaged surface mount (SMT) chips having matched top contacts and bottom contacts are stacked. Chip features are selected to provide the desired connectivity between chip layers with a greater ease of manufacture. In one embodiment, additional spacing and routing layers are optionally provided between layers. In another, chips are differentiated by optionally providing different conductor and/or nonvolatile cell configurations. In yet another, a minority of a substrate's contacts are configured for aligning with a dielectric region of a spacing layer or substrate to create very low capacitance signal paths between stacked chips.