Author: claimsbot

1. A method of communicating testing or maintenance related messages through a network to a component of a digital subscriber line, comprising:
sending a message addressed for the component in-band through at least one optioned communication channel unit of the network assigned to the digital subscriber line, the digital subscriber line providing ISDN and IDSL services;
disabling a data (D) channel associated with IDSL services;
detecting the in-band message in the at least one optioned communication channel unit assigned to the digital subscriber line at an edge of the network;
converting the detected in-band message to an addressed out-of-band message; and
sending the converted message over an embedded operations channel on the digital subscriber line from the edge of the network toward the component.
2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:
receiving the converted message at the component; and
in response, performing a testing or maintenance related operation.
3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the testing or maintenance related operation comprises establishing or tearing down a loop-back condition of the at least one optioned communication channel unit on the digital subscriber line through the component.
4. A method as in claim 2, further comprising:
sending an out-of-band response message over the embedded operations channel on the digital subscriber line from the component to the edge of the network;
detecting the response message at the edge of the network;
converting the detected response message to an in-band message; and
sending the converted response message over the at least one optioned communication channel unit assigned to the digital subscriber line.
5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the message addressed for the component uses a Digital Data Service (DDS) protocol and an embedded operations channel (EOC) protocol for Integrating Services Digital Network (ISDN).
6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the edge of the network comprises a line card coupled to the digital subscriber line.
7. A method as in claim 6, wherein the line card is a line card of a channel bank of a carrier system.
8. A method as in claim 6, wherein the line card is a basic rate interference terminal equipment (BRITE) card.
9. A method as in claim 1, wherein the digital subscriber line comprises an ISDN digital subscriber line.
10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the components is an ISDN compatible element selected from the group consisting of: a mid-span repeater, a central office terminal of a digital loop carrier system, a remote terminal of a digital loop carrier system, and a network termination at a customer premises.
11. A method as in claim 1, wherein the at least one optioned communication channel unit includes at least one pair of bearer channels (B-channels) that permits in-band test access at a payload data rate.
12. A method as in claim 11, wherein the at least one pair of B-channels is included in a circuit that comprises a maximum of 12 pairs of B-channels broken down into 24 discrete time slots such that each B-channel is associated with one time slot.
13. A method as in claim 12, wherein the payload data rate ranges from 64 kilobits per second to 1536 megabits per second.
14. A method of communicating testing or maintenance related messages through a network from a component of a digital subscriber line, comprising:
sending an out-of-band message over an embedded operation channel on the digital subscriber line, the digital subscriber line providing ISDN and ISDL services from the component to an edge of the network;
detecting the out-of-band message at the edge of the network;
disabling a data (D) channel associated with IDSL services;
converting the detected out of band message to an in-band message; and
sending the converted message together in-band through the network with upstream data from at least one optioned communication channel unit assigned to the digital subscriber line to a testing or maintenance device.
15. A method as in claim 14, wherein the out-of-band message uses an embedded operations channel (EOC) protocol for Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and a Digital Data Service (DDS) protocol.
16. A method as in claim 14, wherein the edge of the network comprises a line card coupled to the digital subscriber line.
17. A method as in claim 16, wherein the line card is a line card of a channel bank of a carrier system.
18. A method as in claim 16, wherein the line card is a basic rate interference terminal equipment (BRITE) card.
19. A method as in claim 14, wherein the digital subscriber line comprises an ISDN digital subscriber line.
20. A method as in claim 14, wherein the component is an ISDN compatible element selected from the group consisting of: a mid-span repeater, a central office terminal of digital loop carrier system, a remote terminal of a digital loop carrier system, and a network termination at a customer premises.
21. A method as in claim 14, wherein the at least one optioned communication channel unit includes at least one pair of bearer channels (B-channels) that permits in-band test access at a payload data rate.
22. A method as in claim 14, wherein the at least one pair of B-channels is included in a circuit that comprises a maximum of 12 pairs of B-channels broken down into 24 discrete time slots such that each B-channel is associated with one time slot.
23. A method as in claim 22, wherein the payload data rate ranges from 64 kilobits per second to 1536 megabits per second.
24. A line card for connection at an edge of a communication network to a digital subscriber line, the line card comprising:
a network interface for two-way digital communication of information for the digital subscriber line, the digital subscriber line providing ISDN and IDSL services through at least one optioned communication channel unit of the network assigned to the digital subscriber line;
a line interface in communication with the network interface for connection to the digital subscriber line and for two-way digital communication of information between the assigned at least one optioned communication channel unit, the line interface also providing two-way digital communications over an embedded operations channel on the digital subscriber line, the embedded operations channel being logically separate from the at least one optioned communication channel unit on the line; and
a processor, coupled to the interfaces, for converting maintenance or testing messages between an in-band protocol used on the assigned at least one optioned channel unit and a protocol used on the embedded operations channel, wherein the processor converts between Digital Data Service (DDS) protocol and embedded operations channel (EOC) protocol for Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN).
25. A line card as in claim 24, wherein the line interface is capable of providing an ISDN digital subscriber line service over the line.
26. A line card as in claim 24, wherein the network interface is compatible with multiplexing circuitry of a channel bank at the edge of the network.
27. A line card as in claim 24, wherein the at least one optioned communication channel includes at least one pair of bearer channels (B-channels) that permits in-band test access at a payload data rate.
28. A line card as in claim 27, wherein the at least one pair of b-channels is included in a circuit that comprises a maximum of 12 pairs of B-channels broken down into 24 discrete time slots such that each B-channel is associated with one time slot.
29. A line card as in claim 28, wherein the payload data rate ranges from 64 kilobits per second to 1536 megabits per second.
30. A communication network, comprising:
(a) a transport fabric for carrying digital communication channels assigned to subscriber lines;
(b) a test device for conducting tests relating to the subscriber lines and for communicating test related messages through the digital communication channels;
a digital subscriber line providing ISDN and IDSL services running from a customer premises to an edge of the transport fabric of the network and carrying at least one optioned communication channel unit and a logically separate embedded operations channel;
a communication component connected along the digital subscriber line for providing throughput of the at least one optioned communication channel unit on the digital subscriber line, a line component communicating test messages via the embedded operations channel on the line; and
a line card for connection to the digital subscriber line at the edge of transport fabric of the network for throughput between the at least one optioned communication channel unit assigned to the digital subscriber line in the transport fabric, said line card communicating test related messages with the test device via the assigned at least one optioned communication channel unit and communicating the test messages with the communication component via the embedded operations channel on the digital subscriber line.
31. A communication network as in claim 30, wherein the line card and the communication component support the ISDN and IDSL services over the digital subscriber line.
32. A communication network as in claim 30, wherein the communication component is a device selected from the group consisting of a mid-span repeater, a central office terminal of a digital loop carrier system, a remote terminal of a digital loop carrier system, and a network termination at the customer premises.
33. A communication network as in claim 30, wherein the at least one optioned communication channel unit includes at least one pair of bearer channels (B-channels) that permits in-band test access at a payload data rate.
34. A communication network as in claim 33, wherein the at least one pair of B-channels is included in a circuit that comprises a maximum of 12 pairs of B-channels broken down into 24 discrete time slots such that each B-channel is associated with one time slot.
35. A communication network as in claim 34, wherein the payload data rate ranges from 64 kilobits per second to 1536 megabits per second.
36. A method for communicating testing or maintenance related messages through a network to a component of a digital subscriber line, comprising:
sending a message addressed for the component in-band through at least one optioned communication channel unit of the network assigned to the digital subscriber line, the digital subscriber line providing ISDN and IDSL services;
detecting the in-band message in the at least one optioned communication channel unit assigned to the digital subscriber line at an edge of the network;
converting the detected in-band message to an addressed out-of-band message; and
sending the converted message over an embedded operations channel on the digital subscriber line from the edge of the network toward the component without utilizing a data (D) channel associated with said IDSL service.
37. A method of communicating testing or maintenance related messages through a network from a component of a digital subscriber line, comprising:
sending an out-of-band message over an embedded operations channel on the digital subscriber line, the digital subscriber line providing ISDN and IDSL services from the component to an edge of the network;
detecting the out-of-band message at the edge of the network;
disabling a data (D) channel associated with IDSL services;
converting the detected out of band message to an in-band message; and
sending the converted message together in-band through the network with upstream data from at least one optioned communication channel unit assigned to the digital subscriber line to a testing or maintenance device without utilizing a data (D) channel of said ISDL service.

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 wireless LAN access authentication system in a network system comprising a plurality of wireless LAN network systems and a center station that controls said plurality of wireless LAN network systems in a centralized manner,
each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems comprising at least two access point sections accessed by a radio terminal apparatus that transmitsreceives a radio signal through a radio section and a gateway apparatus which relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between said access point sections,
said center station comprising a center station gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between the gateway apparatuses of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems and an authentication server that performs access authentication on said radio terminal apparatus which has accessed said access point sections and distributes cryptographic keys used for encryption of a radio section through which said access-authenticated radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and said access point section,
said wireless LAN access authentication system comprising:
an access control section provided for each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems for controlling the situation of access of said radio terminal apparatus in the own communication area to said authentication server and checking the presenceabsence of access of said radio terminal apparatus to said authentication server when said radio terminal apparatus moves to a communication area of a new access point section; and
a cryptographic key control section provided for each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems for controlling cryptographic keys distributed from said authentication server and distributing, when said access control section confirms that said radio terminal apparatus which has moved to the communication area of the other access point section has already accessed said authentication server, the cryptographic key for said radio section through which said radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and said new access point section in the area to which said radio terminal apparatus has moved.
2. The wireless LAN access authentication system according to claim 1, wherein said access control section and said cryptographic key control section are arranged in said gateway apparatus.
3. The wireless LAN access authentication system according to claim 2, wherein said access control section comprises a control section that controls at least one access amount of an access time of said radio terminal apparatus or communication packet amount and requests said radio terminal apparatus for reauthentication when said access amount reaches a predetermined amount.
4. The wireless LAN access authentication system according to claim 1, wherein said radio terminal apparatus comprises an information card which records ID information and uses the ID information recorded in said information card as an authentication ID at the time of access authentication of said radio terminal apparatus.
5. A wireless LAN access authentication method in a network system comprising a plurality of wireless LAN network systems and a center station that controls said plurality of wireless LAN network systems in a centralized manner,
each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems comprising at least two access point sections accessed by a radio terminal apparatus that transmitsreceives a radio signal through a radio section and a gateway apparatus which relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between said access point sections, and
said center station comprising a center station gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between the gateway apparatuses of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems and an authentication server that performs access authentication on said radio terminal apparatus which has accessed said access point sections and distributes cryptographic keys used for encryption of a radio section through which said access-authenticated radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and said access point section,
said wireless LAN access authentication method comprising:
an access control step of controlling the situation of access of said radio terminal apparatus in each of said wireless LAN network systems to said authentication server and checking the presenceabsence of access of said radio terminal apparatus to said authentication server when said radio terminal apparatus moves to a communication area of a new access point section; and
a cryptographic key control step of controlling cryptographic keys distributed from said authentication server and distributing, when it is confirmed in said access control step that the radio terminal apparatus which has moved to the communication area of the other access point section has already accessed said authentication server, the cryptographic key for the radio section through which said radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and said new access point section in the area to which said radio terminal apparatus has moved.
6. An authentication server placed in a center station which carries out access authentication of a radio terminal apparatus in a wireless LAN access authentication system in a network system comprising a plurality of wireless LAN network systems and a center station that controls said plurality of wireless LAN network systems in a centralized manner,
each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems comprising at least two access point sections accessed by a radio terminal apparatus that transmitsreceives a radio signal through a radio section and a gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between said access point sections,
said center station comprising a center station gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between the gateway apparatuses of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems,
said authentication server comprising:
an access authentication section that performs access authentication when said radio terminal apparatus accesses a predetermined access point section of each of said wireless LAN networks; and
a cryptographic key distribution section that distributes cryptographic keys of a radio section through which said radio terminal apparatus accesses each gateway apparatus of each of said wireless LAN networks all together.
7. A gateway apparatus in each of wireless LAN networks in a wireless LAN access authentication system in a network system comprising a plurality of wireless LAN network systems and a center station that controls said plurality of wireless LAN network systems in a centralized manner,
each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems comprising at least two access point sections accessed by a radio terminal apparatus that transmitsreceives a radio signal through a radio section,
said center station comprising a center station gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between the gateway apparatuses of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems and an authentication server that performs access authentication on said radio terminal apparatus which has accessed said access point section and distributes cryptographic keys used for encryption of a radio section through which said access-authenticated radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and said access point section,
said gateway apparatus comprising:
a transmissionreception section that transmitsreceives said data signals and said control signals tofrom the center station gateway apparatus of said center station;
an access control section that controls the situation of access of said radio terminal apparatus to said authentication server within each of said wireless LAN networks and checks the presenceabsence of access of said radio terminal apparatus to said authentication server when said radio terminal apparatus moves to a communication area of a new access point section; and
a cryptographic key control section that controls said cryptographic keys distributed from said authentication server through said access control section and distributes, when it is confirmed that said radio terminal apparatus which has moved to the communication area of the other access point section has already accessed said authentication server, said cryptographic key for the radio section through which said radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and the new access point section in the area to which said radio terminal apparatus has moved.
8. The gateway apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said access control section comprises a control section that controls an access amount of at least one of an access time or communication packet amount of said radio terminal apparatus and requests said radio terminal apparatus for reauthentication at the time at which said access amount has reached a predetermined amount.
9. A radio terminal apparatus used in a wireless LAN access authentication system in a network system comprising a plurality of wireless LAN network systems and a center station which controls said plurality of wireless LAN network systems in a centralized manner,
each of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems comprising at least two access point sections accessed by a radio terminal apparatus transmittingreceiving a radio signal through a radio section and a gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between said access point sections,
said center station comprising a center station gateway apparatus that relays transmissionreception of data signals and control signals between the gateway apparatuses of said plurality of wireless LAN network systems and an authentication server that performs access authentication on said radio terminal apparatus which has accessed said access point section and distributes the cryptographic key used for encryption of the radio section through which said access-authenticated radio terminal apparatus carries out communication to said radio terminal apparatus and said access point section,
said radio terminal apparatus comprising an information card in which ID information is recorded when access authentication is performed by said authentication server of said center station.

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
a left image transforming unit for inputting a left image which is to be presented to a left eye and which is applied to display of a stereoscopic image, changing a phase of an image signal of a left image in a right direction or a left direction, and generating a left image-transformed image; and
a right image transforming unit for inputting a right image which is to be presented to a right eye and which is applied to display of a stereoscopic image, changing a phase of an image signal of a right image in the left direction or the right direction, and generating a right image-transformed image,
wherein the left image transforming unit and the right image transforming unit extract feature quantities of the image signals of the input images, and generate the left image-transformed image and the right image-transformed image using image transform processing to which the extracted feature quantities are applied.
2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the left image transforming unit includes:
a left image differentiating device for generating a differential signal of the image signal of the left image as the feature quantity; and
a left image combining unit for generating the left image-transformed image by executing combining processing in which the differential signal of the left image or a transformed signal of the differential signal is added to the left image signal, and
wherein the right image transforming unit includes:
a right image differentiating device for generating a differential signal of the image signal of the right image as the feature quantity; and
a right image combining unit for generating the right image-transformed image by executing combining processing in which the differential signal of the right image or a transformed signal of the differential signal is added to the right image signal.
3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the left image transforming unit includes a left image non-linear transforming unit for executing non-linear transform processing of the differential signal of the left image, and the left image combining unit generates the left image-transformed image by executing combining processing in which a transformed signal generated by the left image non-linear transforming unit is added to the left image signal, and
the right image transforming unit includes a right image non-linear transforming unit for executing non-linear transform processing of the differential signal of the right image, and the right image combining unit generates the right image-transformed image by executing combining processing in which a transformed signal generated by the right image non-linear transforming unit is added to the right image signal.
4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the left image differentiating device and the right image differentiating device execute differential processing to which first-order differentiation filters having differential filter coefficient series of opposite patterns are applied.
5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the left image differentiating device and the right image differentiating device execute differential processing according to a same differential mode, and
one of the left image combining unit and the right image combining unit adds the differential signal of each image or the transformed signal of the differential signal to the input image signal, and the other of them performs processing of deducting the differential signal of each image or the transformed signal of the differential signal from the input image signal.
6. The image processing apparatus according to anyone of claims 2 to 5, wherein the left image differentiating device and the right image differentiating device execute differential processing of a brightness signal of the input image signal.
7. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the image processing apparatus further includes a parallax detecting unit generating parallax information by analyzing arrangement of a corresponding point which corresponds to a same subject portion in the left image and the right image which are input into the image processing apparatus, and
the left image differentiating device and the right image differentiating device execute differential processing by changing a differential processing mode in accordance with the parallax information generated by the parallax detecting unit.
8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the parallax detecting unit generates disparity polarity information indicating that the arrangement of the corresponding point which corresponds to the same subject portion in the left image and the right image which are input into the image processing apparatus is any one of the following settings (a) and (b):
(a) a corresponding point of the left image is located at the left of a corresponding point of the right image; and
(b) the corresponding point of the left image is located at the right of the corresponding point of the right image, and
the left image differentiating device and the right image differentiating device execute differential processing to which first-order differentiation filters having differential filter coefficient series of opposite patterns are applied, in accordance with the disparity polarity information generated by the parallax detecting unit.
9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the parallax detecting unit generates parallax information by applying reduced images or decimated images of the left image and the right image which are input to the image processing apparatus.
10. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein the image processing apparatus further includes a control signal input unit for inputting a control signal for controlling change to at least one of a differential processing mode for the left image differentiating device and the right image differentiating device and a transform processing mode for the left image non-linear transforming unit and the right image non-linear transforming unit
11. An image processing method executed by an image processing apparatus, comprising:
a left image transforming step for causing a left image transforming unit to input a left image which is to be presented to a left eye and which is applied to display of a stereoscopic image, to change a phase of an image signal of a left image in a right direction or a left direction, and to generate a left image-transformed image; and
a right image transforming step for causing a right image transforming unit to input a right image which is to be presented to a right eye and which is applied to display of a stereoscopic image, to change a phase of an image signal of a right image in the left direction or the right direction, and to generate a right image-transformed image,
wherein the left image transforming step and the right image transforming step are steps for extracting feature quantities of the image signals of the input images, and generating the left image-transformed image and the right image-transformed image using image transform processing to which the extracted feature quantities are applied.
12. A program for causing an image processing apparatus to execute image processing, the program causing the image processing apparatus to execute:
a left image transforming step for causing a left image transforming unit to input a left image which is to be presented to a left eye and which is applied to display of a stereoscopic image, to change a phase of an image signal of a left image in a right direction or a left direction, and to generate a left image-transformed image; and
a right image transforming step for causing a right image transforming unit to input a right image which is to be presented to a right eye and which is applied to display of a stereoscopic image, to change a phase of an image signal of a right image in the left direction or the right direction, and to generate a right image-transformed image,
wherein in the left image transforming step and the right image transforming step, feature quantities of the image signals of the input images are extracted, and the left image-transformed image and the right image-transformed image are generated using image transform processing to which the extracted feature quantities are applied.

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 of optimizing a first access plan for a first database query, said method comprising:
querying a plan cache;
wherein said plan cache comprises one or more cached queries;
determining one or more cache-query database objects referenced by any of said one or more cached queries;
asynchronously querying, monitoring, and recording a first status for a first cache-query database object of said one or more cache-query database objects via a storage management interface;
wherein if said first cache-query database object is cached and accessing said first cache-query database object consumes a logical access to a cached data, then said first status is warm-status type;
wherein if said first cache-query database object is not cached and accessing said first cache-query database object consumes a physical disk drive access, then said first status is cold-status type;
cost-based optimizing said first access plan for said first database query;
wherein said first database query references one or more query-referenced database objects;
determining a second status of a first query-referenced database object of said one or more query-referenced database objects;
wherein, in said determining said second status, if said first query-referenced database object is the same as said first cache-query database object, then setting said second status to said first status;
wherein in said determining said second status step, if said first status is cold-status, then setting said second status to warm-status if there is a prior query optimization associated with an access plan for accessing said first query-referenced database object;
wherein said prior query optimization is one of a recently completed query optimization or an ongoing query optimization;
in said cost-based optimizing step, determining a cost of access to said first query-referenced database object based on said second status;
in said cost-based optimizing step, if a second cache query of said one or more cached queries is the same as said first database query, then validating a second access plan associated with said second cached query, and if said second access plan is validated, then reusing said second access plan for said first access plan;
wherein said validating said second access plan fails, if a cache status of any database object referenced by said second cached query is changed since said second cached query was executed; and
determining whether to remove said second access plan from said plan cache, if said validating said second access plan fails.