1016results about "Hybrid switching systems" patented technology

A method and apparatus for efficiently managing the allocation of available data capacity on a physically shared digital network among devices connected to that network is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method and apparatus for managing the ongoing timely movement of data on the shared network such that precise long-term data rates are achieved between attached devices with minimal additional buffering. The invention further comprises a method and apparatus which allows the use of any remaining network capacity for non time-critical data movement without the need for centralized access management.

A communication system contains a protocol converting controller. The controller receives an upstream mobile terminal message from a mobile terminal and converts the upstream mobile terminal message into an upstream Internet message to be used by an Internet server. Also, the controller receives a downstream Internet message from the Internet server and converts the downstream Internet message into a downstream mobile terminal message to be used by the mobile terminal. In one implementation, the downstream Internet message is output by an Internet application and contains an Internet page having mobile terminal data for creating the downstream mobile terminal message. The Internet page contains potentially responsive mobile terminal messages and Internet addresses that respectively correspond to the potentially responsive mobile terminal messages.

An interconnectivity scheme for a PC Theatre system includes the use of compatible plug and display connectors on both the display and the host computer. Audio/video signals received by either the display or the computer may be processed by the computer and transmitted between these devices in a standardized signal format using the compatible connectors. The control scheme for facilitating master-slave control of the display by the computer includes the use of various standardized signals and formats as well to ensure compatibility between products manufactured by different companies.

Methods and systems are disclosed for setting up a universal remote control for operation with a system having devices to be controlled such as a TV, VCR, electronics appliances, wherein the devices are preferably interconnected. One method includes the steps of having the devices to be controlled provide a listing of the capabilities of each device, recognizing a single set of standard abstract feature indicators; processing said indicators; and, mapping said indicators into specific IR codes and keys according to said list of capabilities of said controlled device. One embodiment is optimized for use with a virtual remote control, wherein only icons corresponding to related capabilities is displayed on a touch screen of the virtual remote control. Such an embodiment is particularly well suited for controlling different families of function capability associated with correspondingly different entertainment devices to achieve an integrated entertainment, or task, grouping. Reduction of the icons displayed to the user perforce reduces the apparent complexity of the remote with which the devices are controlled.

A method for providing voice telephony services can include the step of receiving a call via a telephone gateway. The telephone gateway can convey call identifying data to a resource connector. A media port can be responsively established within a media converter that is communicatively linked to the telephone gateway through a port associated with the call. A call description object can be constructed that includes the call identifying data and an identifier for the media port. The call description object can be conveyed to a telephony application server that provides at least one speech service for the call. The telephony application server can initiate at least one programmatic action of a communicatively linked speech engine. The speech engine can convey results of the programmatic action to the media converter through the media port. The media converter can stream speech signals for the call based upon the results.

In a meeting system, supplied-data which is convertible using a virtual machine is transmitted and received among a plurality of processing apparatuses interconnected via a transmission line, and meeting data is reproduced. At least two of the plurality of processing apparatuses include a meeting data reproducing apparatus respectively. At least one meeting data reproducing apparatus includes converting means including a virtual machine for converting the supplied-data into a data format which allows the meeting data to be reproduced, a communication interface unit for receiving the supplied-data from other processing apparatuses, and storage means in which a generated image is stored and which is accessible by other processing apparatuses via the communication interface unit. Each of at least one meeting data reproducing apparatus described above and another meeting data reproducing apparatus including the converting means and the communication interface unit reads part of the meeting data from the storage means and reproduces meeting data in a task-distributed fashion.

A RAM-based interrupt-driven interface device is disclosed for establishing a communication link between a universal serial bus (USB) host and a microcontroller device for providing a control function, the interface device being operative to receive digital information in the form of command, data and control packets from the host and to process the packets and communicate the processed digital information to the microcontroller device, and in response thereto, the microcontroller device being operative to communicate digital information to the interface device for processing and transfer thereof to the host. The interface device includes means for receiving a command generated by the host through a USB bus, means for storing the host-generated command and for generating an interface device interrupt signal upon storage of said host-generated command for use by the microcontroller device in responding to the host-generated command, a microcontroller bus for transferring microcontroller information and the interface device interrupt signal between the interface device and the microcontroller device. The interface device further includes means for receiving a microcontroller command from the microcontroller device in response to said interface device interrupt signal and means for storing the microcontroller command and it is operative to generate a microcontroller device interrupt signal upon storage of the microcontroller command for use by the interface device in developing an address for identification of the interface device to the host during subsequent communications therebetween, wherein during communication between the host and the interface device, the interface device-developed address is used by the interface device to identify host-provided information in the form of packets, and upon processing of the host-provided information, to provide the microcontroller device with the necessary information to allow it to respond to the host thereby allowing a generic microcontroller device to be flexibly interfaced with a USB, host for communication therebetween.

A system and method for configuring a remote control to command the operation of appliances, to capture demographic data, and to provide services, such as automated warranty registration, instructions, viewing guides, etc., relevant to the appliances is provided. The system includes a database and associated server that are located remotely from the remote control and accessible via a network connection. Command codes, graphical user interface elements, and services are accessed and downloaded to the remote control, as appropriate, using data supplied to the server that identifies the appliances and/or functional capabilities of the appliances. This data can be supplied by the appliances directly or can be obtained from other sources such as barcode labels, network devices, etc.

A method for providing user interfaces in a first network including first devices interconnected via a communication medium and an interface device connecting the first network to a second network having interconnected second devices providing services. The user interfaces are for controlling the devices that are currently connected to the first network and communication with devices that are currently connected to the second network. The method includes: (a) obtaining information from first devices currently connected to the first network, the information including device information; (b) obtaining information from second devices via the interface device, about the services of second devices connected to the second network; (c) generating a user interface description in one or more of the first devices based on the obtained information. The user interface description in each first device includes: (1) a reference associated with the device information of each of the first devices, and (2) a reference associated with the service information of each of the second devices. A user interface is displayed based on each user interface description on a device connected to the first network capable of displaying a user interface, for user control of the first devices and communication with the second devices. Displaying each user interface is based on using each reference in the corresponding user interface description to access the associated information in each device; generating the user interface including device and service corresponding to each device using the accessed information in each device; and displaying the user interface.

The present invention is an Enterprise Contact Server that enables customers to submit call-back requests to agents located at any one of a plurality of call centers via the Internet, or virtually any other communications technology available. A call-back to the customer can be placed via any communications technology available. In its preferred embodiment, the Enterprise Contact Server first selects from skill level tables and agent status tables a qualified agent to whom a call-back request can be routed. The Enterprise Contact Server then enables the call-back request to be submitted by a customer directly from an HTML page on a Web site, and have that same HTML page be presented to the selected qualified agent located at one of the plurality of call-back contact centers. The agent can then place a telephone call to the number provided by the customer who submitted the call-back request, and at the same time, establish a TCP/IP communications session with the customer. This TCP/IP session can proceed between the agent's Web browser and the customer's Web browser, and the visible actions performed by the agent are transferred to the customer and displayed on the customer's browser. The TCP/IP session proceeds simultaneous with the telephone call between the agent and the customer.

A mobile application gateway for connecting devices on a cellular network with individual networks, such as enterprise voice and data networks and/or residential networks. The effects of the present invention are far reaching in terms of transferring effective call control from the cellular network into the control of the individual network such as the enterprise, and enabling new business models for the purchase of cellular service from a public cellular carrier by an enterprise. The invention may consist of a primarily of core network and services components based on the IMS network architecture, and is backward compatible to support legacy systems in place in current telecom and data networks.

A data Interface for transferring digital data between a host and a client over a communication path using packet structures linked together to form a communication protocol for communicating a pre-selected set of digital control and presentation data. The signal protocol is used by link controllers configured to generate, transmit, and receive packets forming the communications protocol, and to form digital data into one or more types of data packets, with at least one residing in the host device and being coupled to the client through the communications path. The interface provides a cost-effective, low power, bi-directional, high-speed data transfer mechanism over a short-range “serial” type data link, which lends itself to implementation with miniature connectors and thin flexible cables which are especially useful in connecting display elements such as wearable micro-displays to portable computers and wireless communication devices.

In a telecommunications network, a broken connection can be detected and located by the next-hop loopback technique. The next hop loopback technique involves generating, sending, and analyzing specific data packets attempting to traverse a telecommunications connection node by node. It is then possible to determine whether a connection has been disconnected based on the fact that data packets cannot properly traverse the link, notify the network management system of the location of the disconnected connection, and determine whether to authorize appropriate action so that the network operator can make the data Reroute to bypass that part of the network. In addition, the next-hop loopback technique can be initiated by the end user on an "as needed" basis rather than on a periodic basis, thereby saving network time and resources.

A system and method for configuring a remote control to command the operation of appliances, to capture demographic data, and to provide services, such as automated warranty registration, instructions, viewing guides, etc., relevant to the appliances is provided. The system includes a database and associated server that are located remotely from the remote control and accessible via a network connection. Command codes, graphical user interface elements, and services are accessed and downloaded to the remote control, as appropriate, using data supplied to the server that identifies the appliances and/or functional capabilities of the appliances. This data can be supplied by the appliances directly or can be obtained from other sources such as barcode labels, network devices, etc.

A video recording device includes the ability to record a video broadcast or video program while concurrently replaying a previously recorded video broadcast. This previously recorded video broadcast can be the same video broadcast that is recording or a different video broadcast. The record and playback operations are preferably triggered and controlled through a television on which the user can watch the playback of the recorded program. The viewer enters the data and commands for recording and playback preferably using a remote control device. Video programs are preferably recorded on a mass storage device. Preferably, the mass storage device is a hard disk drive coupled to the television through an IEEE 1394 serial bus network. Alternatively, any other appropriately configured memory device can be used to store the video programs. The television uses write commands to transmit to and record the program onto the mass storage device and read commands to retrieve previously recorded portions of a program to be replayed from the mass storage device. When playing back a previously recorded program or the recorded portions of a program which is still being recorded, the television will retrieve the packets of data from the mass storage device in sequence, using read commands to read from the appropriate locations where the appropriate packets have been stored. Each packet is then retrieved in sequence from the beginning of the program, even if the end portion of the program is still being recorded.

A loop carrier system includes a home local area network having plural telephone modules and a hub coupled to in-home telephone wiring. The telephone modules and the hub communicate voice signals over the in-home wiring in a dedicated frequency band above baseband POTS. The hub converts between voice signals and voice packets and is connected to a network access device for transferring the voice packets from the home local area network to a telecommunications network which routes the voice packets to a gateway. The gateway converts between the voice packets and a circuit format compatible with a local digital voice switch. The gateway includes an ATM switch and a call processing adjunct coupled to the ATM switch. The call processing adjunct controls the conversion between voice packets and the circuit format at the ATM switch. The call processing adjunct communicates with the home local area network using a first signaling protocol such as Media Gateway Control Protocol, Session Initiation Protocol or H.323, and with the local digital switch using a second signaling protocol such as GR-303 for controlling call processing in the communication system.

A message broadcast system is disclosed for quickly delivering a relatively large amount of content to customer premises devices. A dial-out voice server initiates a plurality of telephone calls to a plurality of telephone numbers associated with customer premises alerting devices. The dial-out server also transmits a control data signal to the alerting devices, which indicates an incoming voice message to the alerting devices. The customer premises devices are connected to the telecommunication network via a communication channel and are configured to continuously monitor the communication channel for the control data signal. In response to receipt of a control data signal, an alerting device automatically configures itself to receive the incoming voice message. After delivering the voice message to the alerting device, the dial-out voice server may disconnect and place another call.

According to the invention, a network interface device for processing a telephone call is disclosed. The network interface device includes a first and second communication interfaces, a telephone switch and a controller. The first communication interface is coupled to at least one of a wireless phone network, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and a voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) network. The first communication interface receives the telephone call from any of a number of callers that are remote to the network interface device. The second communication interface coupled to one or more phones at a user location where the one or more phones are associated with a telephone number that any of the callers can use to call the one or more phones. The telephone switch is coupled to both of the first communication interface and second communication interface and optionally routes an incoming phone call to the second communication interface if one or more access control rules permit routing the incoming phone call to the second communication interface. The controller analyzes the one or more access control rules and either routes the incoming phone call from the first communication interface to the second communication interface or prevents the incoming phone call from reaching the second communication interface. The one or more phones ring when the incoming call is routed to the second communication interface.

Disclosed is a method and system for communicating standardized telematic messages among a plurality of telematic devices. A telematic message is received by a message router from one of the telematic devices. The message router selects a destination device and transmits the message to the destination device, where the message is processed. In one embodiment, the message router determines whether the destination device is available to receive a message before transmitting the message. If the destination device is not available, the message is maintained in memory. In another embodiment, a time-to-live parameter is assigned to the message and the message is removed from memory of the time-to-live expires before the destination device becomes available. In a further embodiment, a priority parameter is assigned to the message and the processing of a prior message is interrupted if a new message is received that has a higher priority parameter than the previously received message.

In a system where a digital still camera 1101 is connected to a printer 1102 on a 1394 serial bus, when the digital still camera 1101 as a data transfer originator node transfers image data to the printer 1102 as a data transfer destination node, the printer 1102 sends information on the data processing capability of the printer 1102 to the digital still camera 1101 prior to data transfer. The digital still camera 1101 determines the block size of image data to be transferred in accordance with the data processing capability of the printer 1102, and sends image data of the block size to the printer 1102. The information indicates the capacity of a memory of the printer for storing print data, or the printing capability of a printer engine, i.e., printing resolution, printing speed and the like. Thus, data transfer is always efficiently performed regardless of the data processing capability of the printer 1102.

A system and method for sending a packet with a position address and line scan data from a first device over a 1394 interface to a second device. The present invention loads a camera, an illuminator, and a microprocessor with set-up instructions and a start pulse. The camera captures a line-by-line image of an object placed on the surface of a sliding prism. Position data, corresponding to the captured line-by-line image, is logged as the position address. The position address is combined with the line-by-line image to form a packet. The packet is sent to the second device for processing and viewing the image.

A method of setting up a call between first and second nodes of a communication system, said call extending across at least one circuit switched access network and a packet switched backbone network, the networks being interconnected by at least one Media Gateway. The method comprises, at a control node, obtaining ftoin a Home Subscriber Server the identity of a Media Gateway Control Function controlling that Media Gateway which will terminate the call within the circuit switched access network. The first node calls an access number notified to it by the Media Gateway Control Function, and as part of the call set-up procedure the identity of the Media Gateway selected to terminate the call is communicated to the Media Gateway Control Function.

An access aggregator may receive a data stream from a first computing device. The access aggregator may divide the data stream into a plurality of sub-streams. Then, the access aggregator may transmit the sub-streams over multiple wireless communication channels to a network interface. The network interface can then send the sub-streams to a second computing device. Similarly, the second computing device may send data to the network interface, where the data is divided into sub-streams. The sub-streams can be sent to the access aggregator over multiple wireless communication channels and then sent to the first computing device.