Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc.

Verizon Services Corporation

Other

James E Curry

Robert D Farris

Alexander I McAllister

Eric Albin Voit

John P Hanle

Patricia V Hatton

Frank C Cheston, Iii

David John Simpson

Alex McAllister

Laird H Wise, Jr

Frank E Meador, Iii

Laird Wise

Frank Meador

James B Hayden, Iii

Robert C Tressler

Kathleen M Casey

Efstathios Mavrotheris

The present invention is a unique tire flap for use on off-road vehicle wheel assemblies utilizing standard safety rims, tires, rim locks, and inner tubes, so that the vehicles can operate in high performance off-road conditions under low or extremely low tire pressures (4psi-10psi), without incurring flats due to a pinched tube. The tire flap of the present invention is made from low density impact absorbent foam, such that the flap absorbs the energy of a first and second type pinch tire condition that prevents the inner tube from rupturing.

Foam tire flap for low pressure applications

The spatial sound conference system enables participants in a teleconference to distinguish between speakers even during periods of interruption and overtalk, identify speakers based on spatial location cues, understand low volume speech, and block out background noise using spatial sound information. Spatial sound information may be captured using microphones positioned at the ear locations of a dummy head at a conference table, or spatial sound information may be added to a participant's monaural audio signal using head-related transfer functions. Head-related transfer functions simulate the frequency response of audio signals across the head from one ear to the other ear to create a spatial location for a sound. Spatial sound is transmitted across a communication channel, such as ISDN, and reproduced using spatially disposed loudspeakers positioned at the ears of a participant. By inserting a spatial sound component in a teleconference, a speaker other than the loudest speaker may be heard during periods of interruption and overtalk. Additionally, speakers may be more readily identified when they have a spatial sound position, and the perception of background noise is reduced.

Spatial sound conference system and method

Long distance communications service between two communications systems is established by using a wide area packet switched network, for example the Internet, to transport signaling data and digitized communication traffic. Each communications system uses an interface server to encapsulate communication traffic and signaling data into data packets suitable for transport over the wide area packet switched network. The interface server accesses a routing and administration database to determine a destination address of a destination interface server based on the area code of the called number. Upon receiving the destination address and a prescribed bandwidth from the routing and administration database, the telephony server inserts the destination address to the data packets for a destination server for a second communications system. The packets are then output to the Internet, and subsequently routed to the destination server serving as an interface for the second communications system. Routing of packets is preferably performed using reserved virtual paths to guarantee quality of service.

Internet long distance telephone service

The advanced intelligent network (AIN) to determine routing of voice calls alternatively between the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and a data packet network, such as the Internet, in accordance with the quality of service existing in the data packet network at the times of call origination. The user's acceptable level of service may be predefined with a threshold quality level stored in the user's Call Processing Record (CPR) in the AIN Integrated Services Control Point (ISCP). On a per call basis, the caller linked to a first public switched network may indicate a preference to route through the Internet. This indication is recognized by the AIN system, in response to which the quality of service currently present on the Internet for completion of the call is measured. If the result exceeds the stored threshold, the call is setup and routed through the Internet to the switched network link to the destination party. If the quality of service on the Internet is not satisfactory, the call is alternatively routed through the PSTN, which may include an Interexchange Carrier link. The AIN system automatically controls the alternative routing of such calls.

Voice call alternative routing through PSTN and internet networks

A localized wireless gateway system provides wireless telephone communication, and for at least interexchange communication, provides voice telephone access to a public packet data network, such as the Internet. The wireless gateway system includes base station transceivers and a packet service gateway coupling the transceivers to the public packet data network. The packet service gateway also provides for signaling through the network to establish two-way voice communication sessions. In the preferred implementation, the localized wireless gateway system includes at least one radio port control unit coupled to the base station transceivers for controlling calls through the transceivers. The localized wireless gateway system also includes a telephone switch, such as a digital PBX, selectively providing telephone communication channels between the radio port control unit(s) and the packet service gateway. An access manager controls registration and validation of roaming wireless telephones to utilize the wireless gateway system.

Public wireless/cordless internet gateway

A server in a network gathers textual information, such as news items, E-mail and the like. From that information, the server develops or identifies messages for use by individual subscribers. The same server that accumulates the text messages or another server in the network converts the textual information in each message to a sequence of speech synthesizer instructions. The converted messages, containing the sequences of speech synthesizer instructions, are transmitted to each identified subscriber's terminal device. A synthesizer in the terminal generates an audio waveform signal, representing the speech information, in response to the instructions. In the preferred embodiment, the terminals utilize concatenative type speech synthesizers, each of which has an associated vocabulary of stored fundamental sound samples. The instructions identify the sound samples, in order. The instructions also provide parameters for controlling characteristics of the signal generated during waveform synthesis for each sound sample in each sequence. For example, the instructions may specify the pitch, duration, amplitude, attack envelope and decay envelope for each sample. The division of the text to speech synthesis processing between the server and the terminals places the cost of the front end processing in the server, which is a shared resource. As a result, the hardware and software of the terminal may be relatively simple and inexpensive. Also, it is possible to upgrade the quality of the synthesis by upgrading the server software, without modifying the terminals.

Personal message service with enhanced text to speech synthesis

Spatial sound conference system and apparatus

A system and method for controlling on a worldwide basis two or more telecommunications networks which are themselves capable of exercising a form of common channel signaling network control. The system uses an architecture in which a destination telecommunications network having common channel signaling control is connected to an originating telecommunications network having common signaling control through a call set up and control methodology which provides ad hoc connection between the two spaced telecommunication networks and common channel signaling networks via an unrelated world wide data network which preferably constitutes the Internet.

Telecommunications network

A localized wireless gateway system provides wireless telephone communication and provides access to a public packet data network, such as the Internet, for at least voice telephone type communications. The wireless gateway system includes a number of base stations, essentially built around computers with digital transceiver circuitry, which provide an air interface to a number of digital terminal devices. The terminal devices communicate audio information in a standard digitized and compressed data format. The base stations provide two-way communications of the audio data over a public packet switched data network, either directly or via a local area network and a server coupled to the public data network. A server and local area network provide local voice and data communications as well as voice and data communication access to the public packet data network.

A localized wireless gateway system provides wireless telephone communication, and for at least interexchange communication, provides voice telephone access to a public packet data network, such as the Internet. The wireless gateway system includes base station transceivers and a packet service gateway coupling the transceivers to the public packet data network. The packet service gateway compresses and decompresses voice frequency communication signals, and it sends and receives the compressed signals in packet form via the network. The packet service gateway also provides for signaling through the network to establish two-way voice communication sessions. In the preferred implementation, the localized wireless gateway system includes at least one radio port control unit coupled to the base station transceivers for controlling calls through the transceivers. The localized wireless gateway system also includes a telephone switch, such as a digital PBX, selectively providing telephone communication channels between the radio port control unit(s) and the packet service gateway. An access manager controls registration and validation of roaming wireless telephones to utilize the wireless gateway system. The access manager also transmits location information for registered wireless telephones to a home location register database via the network. The communications of the access manager to the home location register database permit telephone authentication as well as maintenance of accurate location information in the home location register identifying the current gateway through which a caller can reach the roaming user's wireless telephone.

A voice response unit (VRU) includes a library of content equivalent messages and prompts which may be substituted for one another to vary the presentation of messages provided to a user and thereby more closely simulate a human operator. Groups of content equivalent messages and prompts include multiple audio files, each with a slightly different wording or phraseology, but conveying substantially the same information. After a particular message content is selected, the corresponding group of messages is identified and a random number is generated and used to select one of the audio files of the group for playback. The VRU may be included as part of an automated dialer or auto attendant. In such a system, a calling party is greeted by the VRU and is prompted by a randomly selected prompt to speak the name of the called party. The system accesses a telephone directory, attempts to identify a name corresponding to the name spoken, and dials the number. The caller may interrupt or request alternative processing during a predetermined time period after the system has selected and read back a closest matching name or its corresponding telephone number. If processing is halted by the caller indicating that the name or telephone number selected by the system is incorrect, the system will attempt to identify a second closest guess, or if none is available, to ask the caller to reinput the name of the called party. Alternative processing includes hearing the telephone number without having it dialed, and diverting a call to voice mail.

Growing community of inventors

Herndon, VA, United States of America

James E Curry