Abstract: The present invention provides a method for scheduling mobile units in a wireless telecommunications network including first and second wireless connection points having a wireless communication link therebetween. The method includes determining a first number of mobile units having a wireless communication link with the first wireless connection point, determining a second number of mobile units having a wireless communication link with the second wireless connection point, and scheduling the mobile units based upon the first and second numbers.

Abstract: A technique for avoiding spurious TCP timeouts through delay injection which requires no modification of, or access to, the TCP protocol itself. More particularly, injection of additional random delay or jitter at some point in a packet's roundtrip path across a wireless communications network is employed so as to increase the variance in round trip times, without significantly increasing the average value thereof. Spurious TCP timeouts are avoided through the artificial delay injection which occurs at a network element along the communications path and without modification of, or requiring access to, the TCP protocol. Further, the injection of artificial delay is applied on a transaction-by-transaction basis. That is, the decision to inject, or not inject, the artificial delay as well as the value of the injected delay are applied to each TCP connection or TCP flow.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of wireless communication in a distributed network comprised of a mobile unit, a plurality of gateways, and a plurality of base stations associated with the gateways. The method includes receiving information indicative of a first base station from a first gateway associated with the first base station in response to the mobile unit handing off from a second base station to the first base station. The mobile unit may be inactive.

Abstract: A method for locating a mobile device in a wireless communications system comprised of a plurality of base stations is provided. The method comprises associating the mobile device with a first base station of the plurality of base stations. Thereafter, a paging signal is delivered from a subset of base stations associated with the first base station to the mobile device. The subset of base stations may correspond to a network active set of base stations associated with the mobile device. Thereafter, when a signal from one of the base stations in the subset of base stations is received, indicating that the mobile device responded to the paging signal from the one base station, then the mobile device is located and may be associated with the one base station for future paging attempts.

Abstract: A method for controlling a communications session with a mobile device in a wireless communications system comprised of a plurality of base stations is provided. The method comprises selecting a plurality of base stations, where at least a portion of the base stations are adapted to operate as a secondary agent, and wherein the secondary agent is capable of communicating with a mobile device. Substantially similar control information regarding the communications session is maintained in a plurality of the secondary agents. A first one of the secondary agents is selected as a first serving secondary agent to communicate with the mobile device. The first serving secondary agent uses the control information during the communications session with the mobile device. In this manner, each of the secondary agents is capable of quickly and efficiently taking over the role of communicating with the mobile device.

Abstract: A method for controlling a wireless communications system is provided. A plurality of substantially identical base stations, each capable of being operated as both a primary agent and a secondary agent are deployed. The secondary agent is capable of communicating with a mobile device and the primary agent is capable of communicating with a network. A network active set associated with a mobile device is formed from a plurality of the base stations. One of the base stations in the network active set is selected to operate as the primary agent, and it communicates to the other base stations that the selected base station is operating as the primary agent. Thus, communications between the network and the mobile device are routed through the primary agent and the selected secondary agent.

Abstract: A system for, and method of, determining channel throughput achievable under superposition coding given a finite, predetermined set of allowed transmission rates and a related system for, and method of, maximizing channel throughput. In one embodiment, the system includes: (1) a noise level calculator configured to calculate associated optimal noise levels for at least some rate subsets of the set of allowed transmission rates and (2) a code feasibility calculator associated with the noise level calculator and configured to determine whether feasible superposition codes exist for the at least some rate subsets given the associated optimal noise levels and thereby identify ones of the at least some rate subsets that are suitable for subsequent wireless transmissions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for scheduling data transmissions is disclosed that reduces the delay variability in transmissions of data. A scheduling metric is calculated as a function of a TCP throughput rate for each mobile terminal in the system. The relative value of this metric for a user is used to schedule data transmissions from that user. As a result, TCP time-outs are reduced or avoided and the throughput and the predictability of system performance are increased.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for calculating a threshold used to assign a data transmission from a user to one layer in a plurality of layers in a wireless communications network. A balancing metric is calculated for one layer in the network as a function of a characteristic of the user's data transmission. This balancing metric is then calculated for a second layer in the network, also as a function of the characteristic of the user's transmission. A threshold is then adjusted in response to the value of the first balancing metric relative to the second balancing metric. Data users are then assigned to a layer in the network based on a comparison of the threshold to the value of the characteristic for that user.

Abstract: A thermoacoustic refrigerator having a relatively small size which utilizes one or more piezoelectric drivers to generate high frequency sound within a resonator at a frequency of between about 4000 Hz and ultrasonic frequencies. The interaction of the high frequency sound with one or more stacks create a temperature gradient across the stack which is conducted through a pair of heat exchangers located on opposite sides of each stack. The stack is comprised of an open-celled material that allows axial, radial, and azimuthal resonance modes of the resonator within the stack resulting in enhanced cooling power of the thermoacoustic refrigerator.

Abstract: Various articles of manufacture, such as electrosurgical scalpels, razor blades, electronic components and mechanical components having a quasicrystalline AlCuFe alloy film less than about 10,000 Å thick. Such articles of manufacture may be formed by depositing (in sequence) on a substrate through radio frequency sputtering a stoichiometric amount of each respective alloy material and then annealing those layers to form the film through solid state diffusion.

Abstract: A thermoacoustic refrigerator having a relatively small size which utilizes one or more piezoelectric drivers to generate high frequency sound within a resonator at a frequency of between about 4000 Hz and ultrasonic frequencies. The interaction of the high frequency sound with one or more stacks create a temperature gradient across the stack which is conducted through a pair of heat exchangers located on opposite sides of each stack. The stack is comprised of an open-celled material that allows axial, radial, and azimuthal resonance modes of the resonator within the stack resulting in enhanced cooling power of the thermoacoustic refrigerator.

Abstract: A thermoacoustic refrigerator having a relatively small size which utilizes one or more piezoelectric drivers to generate high frequency sound within a resonator at a frequency of between about 4000 Hz and ultrasonic frequencies. The interaction of the high frequency sound with one or more stacks create a temperature gradient across the stack which is conducted through a pair of heat exchangers located on opposite sides of each stack. The stack is comprised of an open-celled material that allows axial, radial, and azimuthal resonance modes of the resonator within the stack resulting in enhanced cooling power of the thermoacoustic refrigerator.

Abstract: Various articles of manufacture, such as electrosurgical scalpels, razor blades, electronic components and mechanical components having a quasicrystalline AlCuFe alloy film less than about 10,000 Å thick. Such articles of manufacture may be formed by depositing (in sequence) on a substrate through radio frequency sputtering a stoichiometric amount of each respective alloy material and then annealing those layers to form the film through solid state diffusion.

Abstract: Various articles of manufacture, such as electrosurgical scalpels, razor blades, and electronic components, comprise a quasicrystalline AlCuFe alloy film less than about 3000 Å thick, formed by depositing in sequence on a substrate through radio frequency sputtering a stoichiometric amount of each respective alloy material and then annealing those layers to form the film through solid state diffusion.