At+t Corp.

Other

Elkay Manufacturing Company

Lucent Technologies Inc.

AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP

Alan Edward Kaplan

Kadangode K Ramakrishnan

Charles Robert Kalmanek, Jr

Peter Onufryk

William Todd Marshall

Vaidyanathan Ramaswami

Thomas Joseph Killian

Richard Vandervoort Cox

Gagan Choudhury

Alexander Gibson Fraser

Steven Michael Bellovin

Norman Loren Schryer

Joseph Henry Condon

Edward M Ulicki

Nicholas C Korinis, Ii

Partho Pratim Mishra

Kenneth R Jones

Ward Whitt

Cormac John Sreenan

Raman Gopalakrishnan

Nikolaos Anerousis

Daniel Paul Heyman

David John Poole

James Amato

A vehicle video control system is provided comprising a video camera unit having a wide angle (preferably a fisheye) lens mounted atop a column, wherein the column is attached to a manned or robotic vehicle, and an operator control unit in communication with the video camera unit. A continuous video image produced by the video camera unit is transmitted to the operator control unit. Such vehicle video control system provides a vehicle operator with an approximately hemispherical view from above the vehicle, providing the human operator with a continuous view of most of the area surrounding the vehicle. This video control system eliminates the burden of video camera control during simultaneous operation of the vehicle using the present system.

Vehicle video control system

A system and method for providing telephony and high-speed data access over a broadband access network, comprising a network interface unit (NIU) coupled to a backup local exchange carrier (LEC) line, the broadband access network coupled to the NIU, an intermediate point-of-presence (IPOP) coupled to the broadband access network, and at least one external access network coupled to the IPOP. The system also provides for a fail-safe mode in which the NIU supports the LEC line for lifeline services.

Method and system for telephony and high-speed data access on a broadband access network

A switching apparatus distributes incoming calls to end point terminals that belong to a service group and that interact with the switching apparatus via messages. The messages query the end point terminals by specifying a range and asking those end point terminals that meet a criterion associated with the range to respond. By iteratively narrowing the range, for example, in a binary search fashion, one of the end point terminals is selected. In one embodiment, the range relates to fixed sequence IDs of the end point terminals and the criterion relates to whether an end point terminal is idle or not. In another embodiment, the range incorporates the idle/not idle state of the end point terminals by specifying idle time durations.

Method for distributing calls to a group of end points

An encapsulated self-balancing remote video camera system is provided, which is capable of righting itself into an upright, balanced position. The encapsulated self-balancing remote video camera system has a video camera, wireless communication means and balancing mass disposed within an internal, self-righting, inner structure. The inner structure is disposed within a transparent outer container, such that the inner structure may rotate within the outer container when resting upon a surface, such that the video camera rotates into an upright position by gravitational forces acting upon the balancing mass disposed with the inner structure. In addition, a remote operation means is provided, which enables a user of the present system to view video images transmitted from the video camera, and to remotely control movement of the lens and/or video camera.

Encapsulated self-balancing remote video camera system

An arrangement is employed where a switching unit that conferences a remote telephone with other telephones pursuant to requests that originate via a digital connection from a site that includes the remote telephone. In one illustrative embodiment, the switching unit is an ISDN telephone coupled to a PBX. The remote telephone is connected to a conference point within the PBX via the PSTN. The requests from the remote site originate from a computer, and the digital connection comprises a packet network. Advantageously, the communication through the packet network is encrypted. Conferencing is initiated and controlled by the computer at the remote site, by communicating with the PBX via the ISDN telephone. In another embodiment the switching unit is adapted to create and maintain a plurality of conference calls, pursuant to control signals arriving at a port of the arrangement that is part of the digital connection.

Secure method for conferencing through a remote PBX

A method for alleviating congestion problems in prior art networks delays provision of dial tone signals to terminals that are, likely, carrying out a re-dial attempt in excess of a preselected number of re-dial attempts. A determination that the terminal seeking to establish a connection is likely carrying out a re-dial attempt may be based on numerous factors, such as the time since the last time the terminal desired to establish a call, the duration of the last call, etc. The delay that is imposed is, advantageously, sensitive to the number of times the terminal has attempted a re-dial, and on other conditions, such as the cause of the failure to establish a connection, network congestion conditions, etc. In imposing the dial tone delay, identities of the terminals that are to receive a delayed dial tone are placed in a FIFO queue.

Method for preventing overload condition in a circuit switched arrangement

An arrangement that includes at least two PBXs interconnected by a network employs CTI ports to control operation of the PBXs. Through such control, a user can set up a telephonic presence in a visited PBX such that, to the user and to all others who interact with the user, it appears that the user is at the user's office, rather than at an office that is served by the visited PBX. This is effected by forwarding calls that are destined to the user at the user's office to the visited PBX, and by translating all dialing commands of the user at the visited PBX, and acting upon the translated commands, so as to provide the user with the features available to the user at the user's office while presenting an appearance to called parties that the user is at the user's office.

System for working at a remote office PBX

A coupler includes an analog port for interfacing with a telephone answering system a network port that is adapted for connection to an insecure network. The security problem associated with eavesdropping over insecure network is overcome by encrypting the messages that exit through the coupler's network port. In one embodiment, the coupler and the telephone answering system are distinct hardware elements and the coupler is connected to the TAD. In another embodiment, a single processor and associated memory perform the functions of the coupler's controller and of the telephone answering system, thus forming a single device that has an analog port for connecting to the public switched telephone network, as well as a port for connection to the insecure network. In yet another embodiment, the coupler/TAD combination includes a control port to allow connection to the control port of an ISDN telephone.

Secure remote access to voice mail

A capability for routing calls that are destined to different called numbers to a single customer line is provided by including apparatus at the customer's line that detects called number ID signals. The detecting of called number ID signals is enabled by installing one or more called numbers ID signals in a memory of a customer premises instrument, or a coupler, that is connected to the customer's line. The installing is carried out in a process that first places the customer premises instrument, or the coupler, in a program mode, and then providing the one or more called number ID signals, for storing in the customer premises instrument, or the coupler. In one embodiment, the service provider provides the one or more called number ID signals.

Process for assigning a called number to customer premises equipment

Congestion problems in networks are alleviated with a method that works toward insuring the unused capacity will always exist in elements of a network that are resources which are shared by a plurality of users and which, consequently, can be overloaded. In response to each a request to establish a connection over a path in the network, pursuant to a predetermined algorithm method either services the request, declines to service the request, or services the request after dropping an established connection. In one embodiment, when unused cavity on the path is above a preselected level, all requests are services. What unused capacity falls below a preselected threshold, a probabilistic approach is taken as to service the request or not, and as whether to drop an existing call in order to service the request.

Service is authorized through a process that employs a randomly sequenced table lookup that is based on predetermined information that was randomly assigned. In one embodiment, a calling card is issued with a table having a plurality of entries, with each entry comprising one or more digits. When wishing to make a call, the customer enters his/her ID. That ID is communicated to the service provider, based on that ID the provider retrieves from a database a table of the information that the customer has, and proceeds to request that the customer enter information pursuant to a random selection by the service provider.

Secure calling card and authentication process

A method that alleviates congestion problems in prior art networks by insuring that selected classes of calls have a reserved capacity, thus insuring a capability to service at least the selected level of traffic. In an illustrated embodiment, a selected capacity is reserved for voice calls, in contrast to data calls. When a connection request is made and there is unoccupied capacity, a voice call is always serviced, but a data call is serviced only if the number of established data connections is less than capacity of the path required for establishing a connection for the request, minus the capacity reserved for voice call.

A method and apparatus for reducing delay distortion of upstream transmissions in a cable television (CATV) distribution plant. Upstream transmission in a CATV distribution plant, i.e., from the customer premises toward the head-end, is made difficult by delay distortion caused by diplexing filters used in bi-directional amplifiers and other components in the CATV distribution plant. A database storing information relating to each cable modem (CM) in the CATV distribution plant is maintained, and the delay distortion for each upstream transmission is calculated using information queried from the database. Delay distortion in the upper portion of the upstream bandwidth in a CATV distribution plant is preferably minimized by assigning CMs having a transmission path that causes relatively minimal delay distortion to the upper portion of the upstream bandwidth. Alternatively, the upper portion of the upstream bandwidth is preferably assigned to the largest number of CMs that have the same number of bi-directional amplifiers in their respective transmission paths. For either frequency assigning technique, a fixed equalizer may be used to further minimize delay distortion. Alternatively, delay distortion for upstream transmissions transmitted on any frequency in the upstream bandwidth may be minimized using a variable equalizer. The delay distortion for an upstream path is calculated using information queried from the database. The tap weights for the variable equalizer are adjusted depending on the calculated distortion for each upstream transmission.

Growing community of inventors

Morris Township, NJ, United States of America

Alan Edward Kaplan