1. A method comprising:
controlling a gain of a mixer to provide a range of selected power output levels from the mixer using a first control scheme for a low portion of the range and using a second control scheme for a high portion of the range; and
upconverting incoming baseband signals in the mixer to a transmission frequency and outputting transmission signals from the mixer at the selected power output level, wherein the first control scheme comprises controlling a current density of the incoming baseband signals coupled to one or more mixer slices, and the second control scheme comprises coupling the incoming baseband signals to additional mixer slices at a fixed current density.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein using the first control scheme comprises:
digitally controlling a current density of the incoming baseband signals; and
coupling the controlled incoming baseband signals to at least one of a plurality of mixer slices for mixing with a local oscillator signal.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising digitally enabling the at least one of the plurality of mixer slices to receive the controlled incoming baseband signals to attain the gain at a selected power output level.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second control scheme comprises digitally enabling a selected number of a plurality of mixer slices to receive the incoming baseband signals at a fixed current density level.
5. An apparatus comprising:
a current density controller to receive an incoming baseband signal and to adjust a current density level of the incoming baseband signal under digital control;
a mixer coupled to the current density controller, the mixer including a plurality of slices each capable of receiving the incoming baseband signal at the current density level when enabled, wherein the plurality of slices are individually enabled under the digital control; and
a decoder coupled to receive control information and provide the digital control to the current density controller and the mixer.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the current density controller comprises a current mirror having a controllable gain to generate a tail current from the incoming baseband signal, the tail current having an adjustable current density level based on the controllable gain.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of slices includes enable circuitry to disable the slice under the digital control.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of slices includes a plurality of buffers coupled to receive a local oscillator output, a mixer circuit to modulate the local oscillator output with the tail current, and at least one cascode switch coupled between an output of the mixer circuit and an output of the slice, the cascode switch to disable a path to the output of the slice when the slice is disabled and provide isolation from a transmit output.
9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the mixer is to output a radio frequency (RF) signal at a selected power level, wherein the current density controller is to adjust the current density level if the selected power level is in a first range.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the decoder is to enable at least one of the plurality of slices to receive the incoming baseband signal at a fixed current density level if the selected power level is in a second range, the second range greater than the first range.
11. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the mixer is to receive an unmodulated carrier signal from a local oscillator and to mix the unmodulated carrier signal with the incoming baseband signal in a first mode of operation, the incoming baseband signal being modulated.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the mixer is to receive and buffer a modulated signal from the local oscillator and to mix the modulated signal with a DC current in a second mode of operation.
13. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the current density controller is to vary the current density level in a low range of power output levels and to fix the current density level at a maximum value in a high range of power output levels.
14. A mixer comprising:
a first slice having a first pair of buffers to receive local oscillator (LO) signals of different polarities, a first pair of switches to receive and pass tail currents of different polarities, and a first mixer circuit to mix the LO signals with the tail currents; and
a second slice having a second pair of buffers to receive the LO signals, a second pair of switches to receive and pass the tail currents, and a second mixer circuit to mix the LO signals with the tail currents, wherein the second slice comprises a mirror image of the first slice with respect to a first axis.
15. The mixer of claim 14, further comprising a third slice having a third pair of buffers to receive the LO signals, a third pair of switches to receive and pass the tail currents, and a third mixer circuit to mix the LO signals with the tail currents, wherein the third slice comprises a mirror image of the first slice with respect to a second axis.
16. The mixer of claim 14, wherein the first slice and the second slice comprise an in-phase portion of individual slices of the mixer and a quadrature-phase portion of the individual slices, wherein the quadrature-phase portion is substantially symmetric to the in-phase portion with respect to an axis.
17. The mixer of claim 14, wherein the second slice is to cancel a flux created in the first slice by an incoming LO signal of a first polarity and the first slice is to cancel a flux created in the second slice by an incoming LO signal of a second polarity.
18. The mixer of claim 14, wherein the first slice is to receive the tail currents corresponding to modulated baseband signals to mix with unmodulated LO signals in an 8-PSK mode.
19. The mixer of claim 18, wherein the first slice is to receive the tail currents corresponding to a DC current to mix with modulated LO signals in a GMSK mode.
20. The mixer of claim 14, wherein the first pair of switches and the second pair of switches are proximally located with respect to the first axis and the first pair of buffers and the second pair of buffers are distally located with respect to the first axis.
21. The mixer of claim 20, wherein the first mixer circuit is located between the first pair of switches and the first pair of buffers with respect to the first axis.
22. A system comprising:
a transceiver having an interface to receive a plurality of inputs including baseband data from a processor, the transceiver including a mixer to mix the baseband data with a radio frequency (RF) signal to provide a plurality of RF outputs, wherein the mixer is digitally controlled to provide the plurality of RF outputs with a variable gain;
a power amplifier coupled to the transceiver to receive the plurality of RF outputs;
an antenna switch to receive the plurality of RF outputs;
and an antenna coupled to an antenna switch and the power amplifier to transmit and receive information;
wherein the transceiver further comprises a current density controller to vary a current density level of the baseband data in a low range of the variable gain and to fix the current density level at a maximum value in a high range of the variable gain.
23. The system of claim 22, wherein the transceiver further comprises a decoder to enable at least one of a first plurality of slices of the mixer to receive baseband data at a variable current density level if the variable gain is in a first range and to enable at least one of a second plurality of slices to receive the baseband data at a fixed current density level if the variable gain is in a second range, the second range greater than the first range.
24. The system of claim 22, wherein the mixer includes a first plurality of slices having input components and mixer components arranged according to a first layout and a second plurality of slices having input components and mixer components arranged according to a second layout, the second layout comprising a mirror image of the first layout, wherein the first plurality of slices cancel a flux created in the second plurality of slices by an incoming local oscillator signal of a first polarity and the second plurality of slices cancel a flux created in the first plurality of slices by an incoming local oscillator signal of a second polarity.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for updating communications service parameters, comprising:
receiving, at a platform configured for speech recognition functionality and corresponding to a communications address associated with verbally updating communications service parameters, a voice instruction from a requester to update a communications service parameter; and
translating the voice instruction into digital command data and storing the digital command data and the update to the communications service parameter in a database,
wherein a change in a communications service corresponding to the update to the communications service parameter is implemented in near real-time.
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
playing, from the platform, a voice announcement to the subscriber identifying the communications service parameter prior to the update to the communications service parameter.
3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
retrieving, from the database, the communications service parameter prior to the update to the communications service parameter.
4. The method according to claim 3, in which the retrieving the communications service parameter comprises retrieving communication service data of an account for the requester from the database.
5. The method according to claim 4, in which the database comprises a service control point database.
6. The method according to claim 5, in which the change to the communications service is implemented by transmitting the update from the platform to a service control point, storing the update in the service control point database, and implementing the update in response to a trigger activating the communications service.
7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
establishing a connection for the requester in response to the requester providing the communications address associated with verbally updating communications service parameters.
8. The method according to claim 1,
wherein the requester provides the voice instruction via a web server in a packet switching network.
9. The method according to claim 8,
wherein the update to the communications service parameter is displayed to the requester at a graphical user interface.
10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
receiving voice information comprising identification information from the requester, translating the voice information into digital identification data and verifying the requester based on the digital identification data.
11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:
comparing the digital identification data to previously stored voice data of the requester.
12. The method according to claim 1,
wherein the platform is accessible by the requester through a telephony network and a packet-switching network.
13. A communications service parameter update platform, comprising:
a receiver that receives a voice instruction from a requester to update a communications service parameter;
a translator that translates the voice instruction into digital command data; and
a forwarder that forwards the digital command data and the update to the communications service parameter to a first database for storage,
wherein the platform corresponds to a communications address associated with verbally updating communications service parameters; and
wherein a change in a communications service corresponding to the update to the communications service parameter is implemented in near real-time.
14. The platform according to claim 13,
wherein the platform is configured to receive digital identification data from the requester through a graphical user interface of the requester.
15. The platform according to claim 14,
wherein the platform is accessible to the requester through a web server in a packet switching network.
16. The platform according to claim 14,
wherein the platform comprises an interactive voice response platform.
17. The platform according to claim 14,
wherein the platform comprises an intelligent peripheral.
18. The platform according to claim 14,
wherein the platform is configured to retrieve the communications service parameter prior to the update from a second database that caches the communications service parameter.
19. A computer readable medium for storing a computer program for updating communications service parameters, comprising:
a receiving code segment that receives, at a platform configured for speech recognition functionality and corresponding to a communications address associated with verbally updating communications service parameters, a voice instruction from a requester to update a communications service parameter;
a translating code segment that translates the voice instruction into digital command data; and
a storing code segment that stores the digital command data and the update to the communications service parameter in a database,
wherein a change in a communications service corresponding to the update to the communications service parameter is implemented in near real-time.
20. The computer readable medium of claim 19,
wherein the communications service comprises call waiting.
21. The computer readable medium of claim 19,
wherein the communications service comprises call forwarding.
22. The computer readable medium of claim 19,
wherein the communications service comprises call blocking.