La FFII France

Alcatel : rapports annuels et brevets

Gérald Sédrati-Dinet (gibus) — 2005-08-07T21:26:41Z

Dans ces rapports annuels, et notamment ceux qui, en tant que société cotée à Wall Street, ont l'obligation d'être remis à la Securities and Exchange Commission, Alcatel donne sa position globale en ce qui concerne les brevets. Il est intéressant d'analyser l'évolution de ces prises de position officielles.

Securities and Exchange Commission, Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1997 :

Patents and Licenses

Alcatel Alsthom considers patent protection to be important to its businesses, particularly its telecommunications business, due to the emphasis on research and development and to intense competition. Alcatel Alsthom's patent rights are, in the judgment of the Company, adequate for the conduct of its business. Management does not believe that any single patent or group of related patents is material to the
business of Alcatel Alsthom taken as a whole.

Alcatel Alsthom has, in a number of cases, granted patent and know-how licenses to non-affiliated companies to manufacture products designed by one of Alcatel Alsthom's companies. Conversely, affiliates of Alcatel Alsthom have acquired patent and know-how licenses within certain technology areas. Management does not believe
that any such patents or know-how licenses are material to the business of Alcatel Alsthom taken as a whole.

Alcatel 1997 Annual Report - Company statements :

Alcatel has an exceptional patent portfolio. In 1997, the company applied for over 750 patents for its innovative processes, making it France's leading patent holder and one of the top companies to extend its patent coverage across Europe, the U.S.A., and Asia.

Securities and Exchange Commission, Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1998 :

Patents and Licenses

Alcatel considers patent protection to be important to its businesses, particularly its telecommunications business, due to the emphasis on research and development and to intense competition. Alcatel files approximately 800 patent applications per year, and has a patent portfolio of approximately 5,000 patent families. Alcatel's patent rights are, in the judgment of the Company, adequate for the conduct of its business. Management does not believe that any single patent or group of related patents is material to the business of
Alcatel taken as a whole.

Alcatel has, in a number of cases, granted patent and know-how licenses to non-affiliated companies to manufacture products designed by one of Alcatel's companies. Conversely, affiliates of Alcatel have acquired patent and know-how licenses within certain technology areas. Management does not believe that any such patents or know-how licenses are material to the business of Alcatel taken as a whole.

Alcatel 1998 Annual Report - Alcatel worldwide :

Research and Development : At the Cutting Edge of Technology

Alcatel's research strategy focuses on three key areas : research, industrial and intellectual property, and standards. Amounting to EURO 2.8 billion in 1998, the R&D budget represented 13% of total sales.

Whereas 25 years ago, 80% of Alcatel's R&D work involved hardware and 20% software, today that proportion is reversed. The research effort targets eight major fields : software engineering, radio commu-
nications, network access, private networks, network architecture, space, optical systems and energy. Alcatel's opto-electronic components development and manufacturing unit is the world leader in lasers for wavelength division multiplexing.

Alcatel manages a portfolio of 5,000 types of patents and files an average 800 new patents each year. Research is concentrated within the Central Research Center (CRC), which employs 800 people in various sites around Europe and the U.S. Each of the Company's business divisions sponsors a major CRC department and ensures that research responds to market expectations. This management style
strengthens the ties between pure research and the R&D teams throughout Alcatel. Out of a total staff of 118,000, approximately 23,500 people work in R&D at Alcatel.

In 1998, Alcatel formed an opto-electronics entity in association with the French national telecom research laborator y, CNET. In addition, Alcatel and Thomson-CSF created a joint research laboratory devoted to software architecture.

Alcatel 1999 Annual Report :

Standardization, a major Group focus

As a strong supporter of standardization, Alcatel participates with the CRC [Corporate Reasearch Center] in a number of national and international standardization projects, backed by a group of specialists made up of some 400 experts working in the various product divisions. Alcatel thus enhances its technological portfolio of patents obtained by developing through standardised solutions. In 1999, Alcatel filed 850 new patents and had a total of 5,000 patent families.

Policy on patents and licenses

The Group's patent policy is characterized by the creation of a patent file, which enables it to maintain its technological lead in all the fields in which it is involved.

Patents are managed by Alcatel's intellectual property department, which is responsible for identifying inventions, acting as a clearinghouse for patent management and developing an active licensing policy.

Securities and Exchange Commission, Annual Report 2000 :

Our business and results of operations will be harmed if we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights from challenges or unauthorized third party use or if we become involved in litigation.

Like other companies operating in the telecommunications industry, we experience frequent litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. Third parties have asserted, and in the future may assert, claims against us alleging that we infringe their intellectual property rights. Defending these claims may be expensive and divert the efforts of our management and technical personnel. If we do not succeed in any such litigation, we could be required to expend significant resources to develop non-infringing technology or to obtain licenses to the technology which is the subject of the litigation. In addition, third parties may attempt to appropriate the confidential information and proprietary technologies and processes used in our business, which
we may be unable to prevent.

Our business and results of operations will be harmed if we are unable to acquire licenses for third party technologies on reasonable terms.

We remain dependent in part on third party license agreements which enable us to use their technology to develop or produce our products. However, we cannot be certain that any such licenses, if at all, will be available to us on commercially reasonably terms.

Research and Development and Patents

We consider patent protection to be important to our businesses, particularly our telecommunications business, due to the emphasis on research and development and to intense competition. We filed 870 patent applications in 2000, and have a patent portfolio of approximately 5,000 patent families. We believe that our patent rights are adequate for the conduct of our business. We do not believe that any single patent or group of related patents is material to our business as a whole.

Alcatel and the Optronics Division shall enter into a new Cross-License Agreement (which shall be an Implementation Agreement for the purposes hereof) with respect to technology and statutory IPRs to be created after termination of the GRA, relating to the Products. The rights of Alcatel under such Cross-License Agreement shall be in force for the lifetime of the pertinent IPRs. The rights of the Optronics Division under such Cross-License Agreement shall be in force until termination of this Agreement. The rights granted by each Party to the other Party are royalty free and without other compensation. The Cross-License Agreement shall provide for the following :

(a) non-exclusive, worldwide reciprocal rights for the Optronics Division on the one hand, and Alcatel and its Subsidiaries on the other hand, to use, make, have made, sell, lease or otherwise dispose of all IPRs of the other Party. For the Optronics Division the rights granted to it with respect to IPRs of Alcatel and its Subsidiaries will be limited to IPRs that are related to the Products.
(b) a right for Alcatel to sublicense statutory IPRs of the Optronics Division in the framework of general patent cross licenses that Alcatel has entered into and may enter into from time to time with third parties, subject to such cross-licenses containing a reciprocal license for the Optronics Division giving it rights to the IPRs of such third parties on reciprocal terms and conditions, which Alcatel shall undertake to negotiate in good faith on behalf of the Optronics Division.
(c) a reciprocal confidentiality commitment in relation to all proprietary information to be disclosed between the Parties in application of the Cross-License Agreement.

Alcatel 2000 Annual Report :

In 2000, Alcatel devoted Euro 2.8 billion to its R&D budget and filed
for 870 patents.

Patent and licensing policy

The Group's patent policy is based on a patent portfolio that gives it a technical edge in all the areas in which it is involved. Alcatel's Intellectual Property Department is responsible for managing this patent portfolio. Its role is to ensure that inventions are identified, to act as a patent management clearing house and to develop an active licensing policy.

Securities and Exchange Commission, Annual Report 2001 :

Our business and results of operations will be harmed if we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights from challenges or unauthorized third party use or if we become involved in litigation.

Like other companies operating in the telecommunications industry, we experience frequent litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. Third parties have asserted, and in the future may assert, claims against us alleging that we infringe their intellectual property rights. Defending these claims may be expensive and divert the efforts of our management and technical personnel. If we do not succeed in defending these claims, we could be required to expend significant resources to develop non-infringing technology or to obtain licenses to the technology that is the subject of the litigation. In addition, third parties may attempt to appropriate the confidential information and proprietary technologies and processes used in our business, which we may be unable to prevent.

Our business and results of operations will be harmed if we are unable to acquire licenses for third party technologies on reasonable terms.

We remain dependent in part on third party license agreements which enable us to use third party technology to develop or produce our products. However, we cannot be certain that any such licenses will be available to us on commercially reasonably terms, if at all.

Intellectual Property

We rely on patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright laws both to protect our proprietary technology and to protect us against claims from others. We believe that we have direct intellectual property rights or rights under licensing arrangements covering substantially all of our material technologies. However, there can be no assurance that claims of infringement will not be asserted against us or against our customers in connection with their use of our systems and products, nor can there be any assurance as to the outcome of any such claims, given the technological complexity of our systems and products.

We consider patent protection to be particularly important to our businesses due to the emphasis on research and development and intense competition in our markets. We filed 876 patent applications in 2001, and have a patent portfolio of approximately 6,000 patent families. We do not believe that any single patent or group of related patents is material to our business as a whole.

Alcatel Recherche et Innovation :Maîtriser l'évolution et le changement permanents, C. Gregoire (Vice President, R&I) in Revue des Télécommunications d'Alcatel - 3^e trimestre 2001 Recherche et Innovation, p. 161 :

La participation à des organismes de normalisation de première importance, comme l'IETF, le 3GPP, l'UIT-T, l'ETSI et T1 et à des Forums comme le Forum WAP et le Forum DSL1 est primordiale pour être reconnue sur le marché, exercer son contrôle sur les droits de propriété intellectuelle (IPR) essentiels et obtenir l'adoption par le marché des produits de R&D.

[...]

Portefeuille de brevets

Enfin, les brevets jouent un rôle majeur dans la protection des nombreuses technologies innovantes d'Alcatel et font partie intégrante des processus de prise de décision de l'entreprise. Alcatel détient plus de 30 000 brevets, ce qui lui donne une force industrielle considérable sur le marché des télécommunications. Ce marché évolue très rapidement ; de nouvelles technologies apparaissent en quelques mois et rendent des produits innovants obsolètes en quelques années. Alcatel adopte une démarche obéissant à ses intérêts commerciaux, utilisant ses brevets comme source de revenus par le biais de contrats de licence ou comme leviers pour conclure des partenariats ou créer des joint ventures afin d'exploiter une technologie. Le département R&I est à l'origine du dépôt d'environ 200 brevets chaque année parmi les 900 déposés par les équipes de R&D d'Alcatel.

Securities and Exchange Commission, Annual Report 2002 :

Our business and results of operations will be harmed if we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights from challenges or unauthorized third party use or if we become involved in litigation.

Like other companies operating in the telecommunications industry, we experience frequent litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. Third parties have asserted, and in the future may assert, claims against us alleging that we infringe their intellectual property rights. Defending these claims may be expensive and divert the efforts of our management and technical personnel. If we do not succeed in defending these claims, we could be required to expend significant resources to develop non-infringing technology or to obtain licenses to the technology that is the subject of the litigation. In addition, third parties may attempt to appropriate the confidential information and proprietary technologies and processes used in our business, which we may be unable to prevent.

Our business and results of operations will be harmed if we are unable to acquire licenses for third party technologies on reasonable terms.

Intellectual Property

We rely on patent, trade-mark, trade secret and copyright laws both to protect our proprietary technology and to protect us against claims from others. We believe that we have direct intellectual property rights or rights under licensing arrangements covering substantially all of our material technologies. However, there can be no assurance that claims of infringement will not be asserted against us or against our customers in connection with their use of our systems and products, nor can there be any assurance as to the outcome of any such claims, given the technological complexity of our systems and products.

We consider patent protection to be particularly important to our businesses due to the emphasis on research and development and intense competition in our markets. We filed 870 patent applications in 2002, and have a patent portfolio of approximately 6,000 patent families. We do not believe that any single patent or group of related patents is material to our business as a whole.

In August 2002, Alcatel completed the acquisition of the Telera Corporation. Telera's patented Voice Web software platform uses voice extensible markup language (VoiceXML) to enable service providers and enterprises to develop advanced voice applications that transform the telephone into a powerful tool to access Web-based information. All outstanding shares and rights to acquire shares of Telera Corp were exchanged for 15.1 million of Alcatel Class A American Depositary Shares (ADSs) for an acquisition price of € 79 million. This company is consolidated from August 1, 2002

Alcatel 2002 Annual Report :

Finally, the approximately 900 patents filed by the Group every year and our strong growth in licensing revenues, which were up +25% in 2002, as in the previous year, testify to the vitality of our Research and Development program.

Securities and Exchange Commission, Annual Report 2003

Intellectual Property

We rely on patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright laws both to protect our proprietary technology and to protect us against claims from others. We believe that we have direct intellectual property rights or rights under licensing arrangements covering substantially all of our material technologies. However, there can be no assurance that claims of infringement will not be asserted against us or against our customers in connection with their use of our systems and products, nor can there be any assurance as to the outcome of any such claims, given the technological complexity of our systems and products.

We consider patent protection to be particularly important to our businesses due to the emphasis on research and development and intense competition in our markets. We filed 750 patent applications in 2003, and have a patent portfolio of approximately 9,600 patent families. We do not believe that any single patent or group of related patents is material to our business as a whole.

Securities and Exchange Commission, Annual Report 2004 :

Intellectual Property

We consider patent protection to be particularly important to our businesses due to the emphasis on research and development and intense competition in our markets. We filed 700 patent applications in 2004, and have a patent portfolio of approximately 9,600 patent families. We do not believe that any single patent or group of related patents is material to our business as a whole.

Rapport développement durable 2004 ALCATEL :

Aujourd hui, 60 % des investissements de R&D sont consacrés aux logiciels, par exemple pour le développement de solutions de paiement, de messagerie ou de vidéo.

[...]

Une stratégie de valorisation des brevets

Ayant acquis une avance technologique, notamment dans les domaines des réseaux d accès DSL et des réseaux optiques, Alcatel protège et valorise ce patrimoine technologique. Une équipe dédiée a ainsi en charge la valorisation de son portefeuille de brevets, générant des revenus supplémentaires pour le Groupe.

[...]

Budget de recherche et développement 2004 : 1,6 milliard d euros, soit 13 % du chiffre d affaires annuel.
700 nouveaux brevets déposés en 2004

Statistiques sur les brevets logiciels d'Alcatel déposés à l'OEB

Gérald Sédrati-Dinet (gibus) — 2005-08-07T00:28:00Z

En nous basant sur le travail effectué par gauss.ffii.org pour recenser les brevets déposés à l'Office européen des brevets, qui sont supposés être des brevets logiciels, nous donnons ici les statistiques confirmant la place de premier plan qu'occupe Alcatel dans les détenteurs français de brevets logiciels.

Analyse de brevets logiciels

Gérald Sédrati-Dinet (gibus) — 2005-08-07T00:17:00Z

En nous basant sur le travail effectué par gauss.ffii.org pour recenser les brevets déposés à l'Office européen des brevets, qui sont supposés être des brevets logiciels, nous analysons ici quelques exemples de brevets confirmant qu'Alcatel est bien dans la stratégie d'obtenir un important portefeuille de brevets portant sur du pur traitement de données.

EP996266 : Procédé pour mettre à jour ou remplacer un site web (cf. webcam tour eiffel ou Time Square Cam

EP974907 : Procédé pour déterminer une organisation de données optimisée

Méthode sur du pur traitement de données. Quand bien même l'algorithme découvert serait génial, un brevet sur cet algorithme en empêche tout amélioration, optimisation, correction des trous de sécurité...

1. A method for determining an optimized data organization in at least one first memory of an essentially digital system comprising of at least said first memory and a second memory, acting as cache for said first memory, said optimized data organization being characteristic for an application to be executed by said digital system, said method comprising the steps of :

loading a representation of said application, said representation comprising at least of data access instructions on arrays ;
partitioning said arrays in a plurality of subarrays ;
distributing said subarrays over said first memory such that an optimal cache performance of said second memory is obtained ; and
said distribution of said subarrays defines said optimized data organization.

17. A design system for determining an optimized data organization in at least one first memory of an essentially digital system comprising of at least said first memory and a second memory acting as cache for said first memory, said optimized data organization being characteristic for an application, to be executed by said digital system, said design system comprising :

a memory store for storing a structure representing said application, said structure comprising at least data access instructions on arrays as well as for storing representations of said first and second memory ;
a first computing device for partitioning said arrays in a plurality of subarrays ;
a second computing device for distributing said subarrays over said first memory such that an optimal cache performance of said second memory is obtained ; and
a third computing device for outputting said distribution of said subarrays as said optimized data organization

19. The design system according to claim 17 or 18, wherein optimal cache performance is determined by the least number of conflict misses which would occur on executing said application on said digital system, further comprising a fourth computing device for at least estimating the number of conflict misses which would occur on executing said application on said digital system. The present invention also includes a computer program product comprising any of the method steps or combinations of these in the form of an executable computer program and stored on a computer usable medium.

EP1128695 : Système de télécommunications, méthode et logiciel pour administrer des relations utilisateur-service

1. Telecommunication system for managing user-service relationships for at least two users belonging to a user group and for at least a first service being provided by a service provider and at least a second service being provided by a service provider, comprising a memory for storing user signals defining users and for storing service signals defining services and for storing relationship signals defining user-service relationships, characterised in that in said memory per first user a first user signal and a first relationship signal defining a relationship between said first user and said first service and a second relationship signal defining a relationship between said first user and said second service are stored, and per second user a second user signal and a third relationship signal defining a relationship between said second user and said first service and a fourth relationship signal defining a relationship between said second user and said second service are stored.

2. Telecommunication system according to claim 1, characterised in that said user signals are first kind of signals, said service signals are second kind of signals and said relationship signals are third kind of signals, with said memory being coupled to a processor for processing at least two kinds of signals for user group purposes.

3. Telecommunication system according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said user signals are first kind of signals, said service signals are second kind of signals and said relationship signals are third kind of signals, with said memory being coupled to a processor for processing at least two kinds of signals for service provider purposes.

4. Method for managing user-service relationships for at least two users belonging to a user group and for at least a first service being provided by a service provider and at least a second service being provided by a service provider, by storing user signals defining users and by storing service signals defining services and by storing relationship signals defining user-service relationships, characterised in that said method comprises the steps of

storing per first user a first user signal and a first relationship signal defining a relationship between said first user and said first service and a second relationship signal defining a relationship between said first user and said second service,
storing per second user a second user signal and a third relationship signal defining a relationship between said second user and said first service and a fourth relationship signal defining a relationship between said second user and said second service.

5. Method according to claim 4, characterised in that said user signals are first kind of signals, said service signals are second kind of signals and said relationship signals are third kind of signals, with said method comprising the step of

processing at least two kinds of signals for user group purposes.

6. Method according to claim 4 or 5, characterised in that said user signals are first kind of signals, said service signals are second kind of signals and said relationship signals are third kind of signals, with said method comprising the step of

processing at least two kinds of signals for service provider purposes.

7. A computer program product directly loadable into the internal memory of a digital computer, comprising software code portions for performing the steps of claims 4, 5 or 6, when said product is run on a computer.

8. A computer program product stored on a computer usable medium for managing user-service relationships for at least two users belonging to a user group and for at least a first service being provided by a service provider and at least a second service being provided by a service provider, said computer program product comprising

computer readable means for defining users, computer readable means for defining services, computer readable means for defining user-service relationships, characterised in that said computer program product comprises computer readable means for per first user defining said first user and a first relationship defining a relationship between said first user and said first service and a second relationship defining a relationship between said first user and said second service, computer readable means for per second user defining said second user and a third relationship defining a relationship between said second user and said first service and a fourth relationship defining a relationship between said second user and said second service.

9. A computer program product stored on a computer usable medium according to claim 8, characterised in that at least two of said three computer readable means for defining users, services and user-service relationships, are processable for user group purposes.

10. A computer program product stored on a computer usable medium according to claim 8 or 9, characterised in that at least two of said three computer readable means for defining users, services and user-service relationships, are processable for service provider purposes.

EP1137225 : Commutateur de paquets et méthode de commutation

Logique algorithmique pure et revendication de programme.

1. A method of transmitting data traffic having a predetermined minimum transmittable element such as any one of a slot and a bit and being received from a number of prioritised sources comprising the steps of :

(a) setting the highest priority source with data traffic waiting for transmission as current transmission source ;
(b) transmitting the data traffic from the current transmission source until completion whilst monitoring the sources for waiting traffic, wherein if traffic is detected from a source with a higher priority than the current transmission source going to step (d) ;
(c) upon completion, going to step (a) ; and,
(d) completing transmission of the current minimum transmittable element and going to step (a).

2. A method according to claim 1, in which step (b) comprises the further steps of adapting the data traffic before transmission to include, where not already present, one or more reassembly indicators for use in reassembling the data traffic upon receipt.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, in which the minimum transmittable element for traffic of asynchronous and bit-synchronous protocols is a bit.

4. A method according to claim 1 or 2, in which the minimum transmittable element for traffic of slot-synchronous protocols is a slot.

5. A method of reassembling a number of traffic streams interleaved within a data stream into a respective output queue for each traffic stream comprising the steps of :

(a) clearing the output queues and selecting a first output queue for receiving the data stream ;
(b) passing the data stream to the selected output queue whilst monitoring the data stream, going to step (c) upon detection of a start indicator and going to step (d) if the end of a traffic stream is determined ;
(c) selecting a further output queue to receive the data stream and going to step (b) ;
(d) if the memory stack contains one or more identifiers of output queues, retrieving the top identifier from the queue, selecting the output queue corresponding to the identifier to receive the data stream and going to step (b), going to step (a) otherwise.

24. A computer program product comprising a number of computer executable instructions for executing the steps of any of claims 1 to 5.

EP1197877 : Terminal, unité de communication, méthode et produit logiciel

9. Method for use in combination with a terminal comprising a processor and a memory and comprising a browser function running via said processor and said memory for browsing a network and comprising a man-machine-interface for controlling said browser function, characterised in that said method comprises a step of generating an overrule signal for overruling said browser function.

10. Computer program product for performing a browser function in a terminal comprising a processor and a memory for running said browser function for browsing a network and comprising a man-machine-interface for controlling said browser function, characterised in that said computer program product comprises a generator function for generating an overrule function for overruling said browser function.

EP1274201 : Système de réseau, système de gestion, procédé et produit de logiciel d'ordinateur

Revendication explicite d'un algorithme et d'un programme mettant en œuvre cet algorithme.

2. Network-system according to claim 1, characterised in that said algorithm is defined by at least several constraints and several objectives.

6. Management-system according to claim 5, characterised in that said algorithm is defined by at least several constraints and several objectives.

10. Computer program product for running an algorithm in a management-system for use in a network-system comprising at least a first IP-network comprising first nodes, at least two of these first nodes being first edge-nodes, a second IP-network comprising second nodes, a transport-network comprising channel-switches for switching channels, and said management-system for managing networks in an overlay environment, characterised in that said management-system comprises a converter for converting IP-traffic-signals into transport-traffic-signals thereby assuming that both IP-networks are coupled via a star-network with said transport-network corresponding to a star of said star-network, and an optimiser for in response to said converting optimising a use of channels in said transport-network according to said algorithm, which algorithm is defined by at least several constraints and several objectives, with said computer program product comprising at least several constraint-functions and several objective-functions.

EP1274011 : Méthode et système pour guider et enregistrer une requête

Méthode de pur traitement de données et revendication de programme conforme à l'article 5-2 de la version de la directive donnée par le Conseil.

20. A computer program product stored on a computer usable medium or in a file for downloading over a computer network, comprising computer readable program means for causing a computer system to perform a method according to anyone of the preceding claims 1 to 10 when the program is run on the computer system.

EP1289189 : Système de gestion de réseau, réseau, procédé et produit logiciel

9. Computer program product to be run via a processor system comprising a processor and a memory for storing information parameters for managing a network comprising nodes, characterised in that said computer program product comprises an adapting function for, in response to a receival of new information parameters, with said memory comprising old information parameters, adapting information parameters in said memory via intermediate states.

10. Computer program product according to claim 9, characterised in that said computer program product comprises an optimising function for optimising said adapting.

EP1298647 : Dispositif et méthode pour transmettre et recevoir des signaux de parole, comportant un module de reconnaissance et un module de codage couplés

Revendication de procédé et de programme à la portée suffisamment étendue pour bloquer tout un secteur de la reconnaissance vocale.

7. A method for transmitting of natural speech comprising the steps of :

determining at least one speech parameter of a speech synthesis model,
recognizing the natural speech,
transmitting the at least one speech parameter and the data being representative of the recognized speech.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising continuously determining the at least one speech parameter and / or determining the at least one speech parameter before the transmission by means of a user training session and / or using an initial value for the at least one speech parameter.

9. A method for receiving of natural speech comprising the steps of :

receiving of at least one speech parameter of a speech synthesis -* model and receiving data being representative of recognized speech,
means for generating a speech signal based on the at least one speech parameter and based on the data being representative of the recognized speech.

10. A computer program product for performing a method in accordance with anyone of the claims 7, 8 or 9.

EP1301018 : Méthode et appareil pour modifier un signal numérique dans un domaine codé

Exploitation d'un maquis de brevets.

1. A method for modifying a digital signal being represented by a set of parameter values of a speech and/or audio synthesis model
characterized by modifying the digital signal in the coded domain by modifying at least one of the parameter values in a way to replicate a wanted operation in the original domain.

13. A computer program product comprising means for performing a method for anyone of the preceding claims 1 to 10.

EP1300982 : Dispositif et procédé de géstion de réseau

9. Method for managing traffic signals in a network comprising nodes/links, which method comprises a first step of calculating solutions defining intermediate nodes/links situated between sources and destinations for transporting said traffic signals from said sources to said destinations via said intermediate nodes/links and comprises a second step of calculating route information per solution, with node/link parameter signals defining nodes/links and traffic parameter signals defining said traffic signals to be transported via nodes/links being stored in a memory, characterised in that said method comprises a third step of selecting a solution per situation, with said memory comprising node/link parameter signals and traffic parameter signals for several situations, and with solutions being calculated for each situation.

10. Computer program product for managing traffic signals in a network comprising nodes/links, which computer program product is to be run via processor coupled to a memory for storing node/link parameter signals defining nodes/links and for storing traffic parameter signals defining said traffic signals to be transported via nodes/links, which computer program product comprises a first function of calculating solutions defining intermediate nodes/links situated between sources and destinations for transporting said traffic signals from said sources to said destinations via said intermediate nodes/links and comprises a second function of calculating route information per solution, characterised in that said computer program product comprises a third function of selecting a solution per situation, with said memory comprising node/link parameter signals and traffic parameter signals for several situations, and with solutions being calculated for each situation.

EP1313244 : Dispositif et procédé de communication dans un réseau de communication mobile numérique

Tentative de monopoliser les logiciels permettant d'administrer un réseau de téléphonie mobile.

10. A computer program product comprising program means for
monitoring of network traffic of a digital mobile communication network, such as a UMTS network, selection of an interleaving length depending on network traffic, indicating of a selection of the interleaving length to an end-user communication device.

EP1315089 : Méthode et système de surveillance pour sécuriser l'affichage d'un diagramme graphique sur une unité d'affichage à matrices

Revendication de procédé et de programme, brevet trivial et étendu sur du traitement et de l'affichage de données. Seule la revendication 4 comprend un élément technique, qui n'est pas nouveau, ni l'objet d'une activité inventive.

1. A method for securing the display of a mimic diagram on a matrix display unit, the methods comprising the steps of :

displaying the mimic diagram on the matrix display unit with a background having a gray value,
cyclically varying the gray value between a first gray value and a second gray value.

2. The method of claim 1, whereby the gray value is varied from the first gray value to the second gray value in discrete gray value steps.

3. The method of claim 1, whereby the cycle-time of the cyclic variation of the gray value is between 0,2 seconds and 30 seconds, preferably between 20 seconds and 25 seconds.

4. The method of claim 1, whereby the matrix display unit comprises a thin-film-transistor (TFT) liquid-crystal display (LCD).

5. The method of claim 1, whereby the gray value is varied by about 10 percent on a gray value scale from black to white.

6. The method of claim 5 the gray value being varied between black and eight percent.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising cyclically shifting of the mimic diagram between a first and a second position on the matrix display unit, whereby the shifting is performed after a time interval, preferably in the order of eight hours.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a regular pattern of geometric objects on the matrix display unit, the objects being spaced apart by at least twice the extend of a matrix column or a matrix row of the matrix display unit.

9. A computer program product for performing a method in accordance with anyone of the preceding claims 1 to 8.

EP1328062 : Ensemble en cascade de filtres d'ordre inférieur et méthode pour sa conception

Revendication de programme conforme à l'article 5-2 de la version de la directive donnée par le Conseil.

12. A computer program product comprising code segments which when executed on a computer generate a design of a plurality of cascaded filters described in accordance with any of the methods of claims 1 to 5.

13. A computer program product according to claim 12, stored on a data carrier.

EP1349342 : Procédé, unité de sorties, terminal, et produits de programmes informatiques de reconstruction d' un flux de données continu dans un point de reception d'un réseau à commutation de paquets

Revendication sur un procédé et un programme de streaming, les détails de l'algorithme n'étant pas décrits dans les revendications...

1. Method for reconstructing non-continuous packetized data of a continuous data stream (A5) like streamed media, voice, audio, or video from a data connection into a continuous data stream (A6) at the receiving point (B3, B4, B5) of a packet-based network (B1), comprising the steps of

providing of at least one estimation method (Figure 4 : « Estimation ») based on at least one characteristic value (Figure 5,6 : « Estimation ») concerning data connections (A3, B2) of the kind intended for,
gathering measurements of at least one value (Figure 5,6 : « Estimation ») characterizing the data connection,
evaluating a de-jittering delay for the data connection by predicted parameters (Figure 5,6 : « Estimation ») taking into account the at least one provided value and the at least one gathered value,
delaying and converting the data packets following the evaluated de-jittering delay (Figure 3, 4 ; Figure 5 : « Estimation », « Stream », « Receive »).

4. A computer program product including software code portions for performing steps of Claim 1 for a terminal (Figure 5).

5. A computer program product including software code portions for performing steps of Claim 1 for an output unit (Figure 5).

EP1311083 : Gestion de règles de conduite pour la fourniture de qualité de service

20. A computer program product for use with a server in a policy-based Internet Protocol network having devices, said computer program product comprising :

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium that, when used with the server, causes the server to effect policy processing for provisioning quality of service via a user interface, wherein the user interface provides a graphic user interface for the user to set up quality of service (QoS) provisioning across the network devices ;
a computer readable program code means for allowing the user to specify a priority to provision quality of service for data processing network devices via the graphic user interface to policy processing ; and
and a computer readable program code means for allowing a user to define and implement network policies for provisioning quality of service via the graphic user interface to the policy processing.

EP1363429 : Groupage logique de ports physiques en une interface logique pour augmenter la bande passante

This is a patent on obvious frequently used technology for routing equipement (what make the internet move TCP/IP packets move).

As you should know it is perfectly possible to route IP packet with a piece of software running in a standard piece of hardware (PC). Many firewall are indeed running with Linux iptable/netfilter and many internet router are working with OpenBSD and it's implementation of BGP/OSPF or using the old and buggy Zebra.

This look very much like CiscoSystem « EtherChannel » (like on the Catalyst Switch family) or a NortelNetworks « Trunk » (for NortelNetworks Passport 1000 and 8600 and BayStack equipement formely BayNetworks). The word « Trunk » and « Channel » are commonly used for that... however Cisco and Nortel usage of those word is conflicting.

Cisco « invented » the PAgP protocol/state_machine (Port Aggregation Protocol), later I guess a IEEE 802 sub-committee « invented » the LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol) to standardise this bundle of physicaly link to make a logical link. I guess this was focusing on Ethernet technology.

The same way that « multiple physicale build a logical » is used in Multilink PPP (Point to Point Protocol). That should have been standardised by IETF in some RFC (Request for comment).

There are also a lot of unamed bundeling of physical link to make a logical link in Cisco implementation of HDLC (when using 2 * 2M link to have more bandwidth).

What is « new » in Claim 1 and is more likely in noone of those de-facto (or de-jure) « standard » is the « hardware implementation » of « one or more processors ». Indeed that typicaly low end device have one processor that does all the work. Making EtherChannel or Multilink PPP work in a distributed (CPUs) environment is a bit less simplistic (but not to a man skilled in the art).

Most of the time the way to ballance the traffic on the physical link is not standardised. So it is up to the vendor to find out a good way to do it. Most will ballance on : * Destination IP (Claim 3) * Source IP * Destination IP (* could be a XOR function then a modulo the number of link) (Claim 6) * other

One of the common problem is that we want to have all the packet from A to B to use the same physical link (to avoid out of order delivery). This is most frequently archieved using the XOR trick where XOR + MOD as in Claim 6.

The hashing in Claim 4 is just a shortcut to speedup the decision process so that you fastly know wich physical port to take. Hashing just mean a mapping from a bit space (IP address space 2^32) to a small space (number of physical link space).

I don't know what they want with « indexing a first table to determine a second table associated with said logical interface » in claim 2 and 8 but obviously you must have a table of all the logical interface. And for each logical interface you must have a table of all the physical interface that belong to it. How else would you implement this... I don't know it sound to obvious.

The « blade » reference in Claim 5 might indicate that they are talking about a distributed (or modular) architecture where a physical blade hold one or many physical interface. So when you need to send a packet out you need to know Blade#/Interface#. This is very typical.

Claim 19 perfectly describe a distributed router architecture as you can find in Nortel (Bay Network) router (ASN BN) but without switch fabric as it is a BUS technology. You can find the same thing (with switching fabric) with the Passport 1100 and 8600 Switch family from Nortel Networks.

You can also find this in the Cisco world with hardware like Cisco 12000 router or the Catalyst 6500 = Cisco 7600 router.

From an Alcatel point of view it look like a XyLan switch (an aquisition of Alcatel) wich has a distributed architecture and an ATM-like switching backplane.

This patent application should be rejected because of obvious prior art !!!

What is obvious here is that they claim the methode then it's software and hardware and partially software and hardware implementation.

Alcatel

Gérald Sédrati-Dinet (gibus) — 2005-08-06T23:53:00Z

Alors qu'en 2002, Alcatel se plaignait encore des dommages que les brevets logiciels causaient à l'entreprise, son département juridique est l'un des partisans les plus fervents de la brevetabilité du logiciel pur. Cet article analyse quelques uns des brevets du « champion français des dépôts de brevets logiciels à l'OEB », montrant que loin d'être indispensables pour le développement de véritables inventions dans le domaine des télécommunications et de l'électronique grand public, il s'agit bien de revendications sur de pur traitements de données et sur des programmes d'ordinateur « en tant que tels ».

Sommaire

Introduction

En 2002, le géant français des télécoms a publié un papier dans lequel il se plaint sans ambages des effets négatifs des brevets ainsi que de l'insécurité juridique et de la diversion de ses fonds de la R&D vers les contentieux.

D'un autre côté, Alcatel, en tant qu'acteur mondial des télécoms, détient un important portefeuille de brevets logiciels et son département des brevets exerce un lobbying actif sur les reponsables politiques pour s'assurer que les efforts de brevetage d'Alcatel seront récompensées en Europe de la même manière qu'ils le sont aux États-Unis. Jonas Heitto, avocat en brevets pour Alcatel, formé au Max-Planck-Institut de Munich, semble être présent à toutes les réunions sur le sujet à Bruxelles et dans certaines capitales. Il n'est pas le seul. Alcatel a participé à la « Consultation » menée par la Commission européenne en 2000 en son nom propore ainsi qu'au sein d'associations informatiques comme l'ANIEL espagnole.

Alcatel a récemment pourquivi une stratégie de « fabless compagny » (société sans usines), i.e. délocalisant autant de production que possible vers des sous-traitants de pays où la production est bon marché (par ex. en Chine) tout en gardant les quelques activités (services financiers et juridiques et un peu de R&D) sur son siège social en France et/ou aux Bahamas/Bermudes, selon l'endroit où les taxes sont les moins chères. On dit que les brevets sont utiles pour mettre en œuvre cette stratégie et transférer ses fonds vers les paradis fiscaux. Dans son explication pour sa proposition de directive sur la brevetabilité des logiciels, l'eurodéputée Arlene McCarthy cite Alcatel en exemple et met l'accent sur le fait que les brevets sont indispensables pour protéger l'industrie en Europe à une époque où l'on observe des coûts de production élevés.

Nous examinons ici scupuleusement la stratégie d'Alcatel concernant les brevets et en particulier ses dépôts de brevets logiciels à l'Office européen des brevets. La plupart des développements d'Alcatel se situent dans le domaine du logiciel et récemment, Alcatel a annoncé se focaliser plus que jamais sur la « prochaine génération de standards de communication et d'applications Internet ».

Alcatel gêné par les brevets logiciels

Alcatel, rapport annuel sur l'activité pour l'année fiscale 2001

Comme les autres sociétés opérant dans l'industrie des télécommunications, nous avons de fréquents litiges concernant les brevets et autres droits de propriété intellectuelle. Des tiers ont prétendu à notre encontre, et pourront prétendre à l'avenir, que nous enfreignions leurs droits de propriété intellectuelle. Se défendre contre ces plaintes peut coûter cher et détourner les efforts de nos personnels techniques et de gestion. Si nous ne réussissons pas à nous défendre contre ces plaintes, nous pourrions être obligés de dépenser des sommes considérables pour développer une technologie qui n'enfreindrait pas de brevets ou pour obtenir des licences de la technologie objet du litige. De plus, les tierces parties pourraient essayer de s'approprier des informations confidentielles et des technologies et procédés commerciaux propriétaires utilisés dans nos sociétés, ce dont nous ne pourrions nous prémunir.

Cela nuira à nos sociétés et nos résultats d'opérations si nous ne sommes pas capables d'obtenir des licences pour des technologies tierces dans des termes raisonnables.

Nous demeurons dépendants en partie de la cession de licence de la tierce partie qui nous permette d'utiliser la technologie tierce pour développer et produire nos produits. Cependant, nous ne pouvons pas être certains que de telles licences seront disponibles pour nous dans des termes commerciaux raisonnables ou disponibles tout court.

Les brevets logiciels seraient indispensables à Alcatel ?

Alcatel, champion français des brevets logiciels

Voir les Statistiques sur les brevets logiciels d'Alcatel déposés à l'OEB.

Quels types de brevets demande Alcatel ?

Voir l'Analyse de brevets logiciels.

Liens

CEOs call on EU to promote innovation

Gérald Sédrati-Dinet (gibus) — 2005-07-03T22:00:00Z

In a joint letter to European political leaders, the CEOs of Alcatel, Ericsson, Nokia, Philips and Siemens , together with EICTA, the European industry body, have called on politicians to promote innovation, employment and investment ahead of the European Parliament's vote this week on the proposed Directive on the Patentability of Computer Implemented Inventions. Rudy Provoost, President and Chairman of EICTA and CEO of Philips Consumer Electronics, Serge Tchuruk, Chairman and CEO of Alcatel, Carl-Henric Svanberg, President and CEO of Ericsson, Jorma Ollila, Chairman and CEO of Nokia, Gerard Kleisterlee, President and CEO of Philips and Klaus Kleinfeld, President and CEO of Siemens warned that amendments to the Directive proposed by the European Parliament risk negatively impacting on Europe's digital technology industry, employment in Europe and investment in research and development (R&D) for the technologies of the future.

In the letter, the CEOs state their support for a balanced legal framework to ensure that Europe remains a competitive region for high value R&D. They also highlight the importance they attach to the ability to patent computer implemented inventions.

Rudy Provoost, President of EICTA and CEO, Philips Consumer Electronics commented : « It is a myth to think that this Directive favours large companies over small. EICTA represents 10,000 small, medium and large companies in Europe, with over 2 million employees. These companies , working together, form an ecosystem of innovation that is indispensable to the EU's main objective of creating jobs and growth. »

Serge Tchuruk, Chairman and CEO of Alcatel, commented : « Europe has a long tradition of innovation. European inventors need to be able to protect their innovation in order to maintain worldwide leadership in high technology sectors such as telecommunications. »

Carl-Henric Svanberg, President and CEO of Ericsson, commented : « It is incredibly important that we get a favourable legal framework because this will direct our work going forward in R&D. If we are not able to patent our computer implemented inventions, the digital technology industry, and also Europe as a region, will have difficulty sta ying competitive. »

Jorma Ollila, Chairman and CEO of Nokia, commented : « We need to be able to protect the huge investments that we make in Europe, in order to be globally in a strong position vis-à-vis our major competitors. This Directive goes to the heart of our competitiveness. »

Gerard Kleisterlee, President and CEO of Philips, commented : « Europe has been at the forefront of advances in digital technology. We need to continue to innovate or we will lose customers and market share. This is only possible if we can reward innovation and secure our investment in R&D. »

Klaus Kleinfeld, President and CEO of Siemens, commented : « Digital technology is at the heart of our society and computer implemented inventions play a vital role in many applications. There is no justification for denying the inventors of computer implemented inventions the same rights to patent their creations as are enjoyed by inventors in other, more traditional, fields. »

For further information :
Mark MacGann, EICTA : +32-473-496-388
Richard Jacques, Brunswick : +44-7974-98-2557

Notes for editors

CII Directive

In our digital era, computer-implemented inventions (CII) are at the heart of all digital technology and are a very significant force behind innovation in Europe in many industry sectors spanning healthcare, telecommunications, mobile phones, motor vehicles, aviation and consumer electronics. These computer-implemented
inventions will continue to boost Research and Development (R&D) and secure employment in Europe, as long as patents can adequately protect them. Patent protection currently exists and would be maintained by the political agreement achieved by the Council in May 2004 on the CII Directive, and adopted as a Common Position by the Council on 7th March 2005. A number of amendments have been proposed to the Directive that would act to exclude important fields of high tech innovation from patent protection. EICTA's members, together with other key industry sectors, would be unable to sustain current levels of R&D investment in the face of increased copying from overseas. This would prevent European industry from competing internationally, damaging future economic growth and leading to significant job losses.

Alcatel

Alcatel provides communications solutions to telecommunic ation carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises for delivery of voice, data and video applications to their customers or employees. It brings its leading position in fixed and mobile broadband networks, applications and services, to help its partners and customers build a user-centric broadband world. With sales of €12.3bn in 2004, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries and employs 56,000 worldwide.

Ericsson

Ericsson is the largest supplier of mobile systems in the world and supports all major standards for wireless communication. The world's 10 largest mobile operators are among its customers, and some 40% of all mobile calls are made through its systems. Ericsson provides total solutions - from systems and applications to services and core technology for mobile handsets. With Sony Ericsson, it is also a top supplier of complete mobile multi-media products. Present in more than 140 countries, Ericsson achieved net sales of €14.3bn and a net profit of over €2bn in 2004.

Nokia

Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. It connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with 'easy-to -use' and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. It provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations. With 50,534 employees worldwide, Nokia achieved net sales of €29.3bn and a net profit of €3.2bn in 2004.

Philips

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronic companies as well as the largest in Europe, with 160,900 employees in over 60 countries and revenues of EUR 30.3 billion in 2004. Philips is currently number one in the global markets for lighting, electric shavers and DVD recorders ; and number two in medical diagnostic imaging worldwide.

Siemens

Siemens is a global powerhouse in electrical engineering and electronics. The company has 440,000 employees working to develop and manufacture products, design and install complex systems and projects, and tailor a wide range of services for individual requirements. It provides innovative technologies and comprehensive know-how to benefit customers in 190 countries. Founded more than 150 years ago, the company is active in the areas of Information and Communications, Automation and Control, Power, Transportation, Medical, and Lighting. In 2004, Siemens had sales of €75.2bn and a net income of €3.405bn.

EICTA

EICTA, founded in 1999, is the voice of the Information and Communications Technology and Consumer Electronics Industries in Europe. It comprises 53 major multinational companies and 34 national industry associations from 24 European countries. In all, EICTA represents more than 10,000 companies all over Europe with more than 2 million employees and EUR 1000 billion in revenues.

Patents4Innovation

For further information on the breadth of industry in favour of a Directive based on the EU Council's Common Position, please visit www.patents4innovation.org.

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Alcatel Denies Patent Infringement Allegations by Fitel USA

Gérald Sédrati-Dinet (gibus) — 2003-11-02T23:00:00Z

DALLAS, Nov. 3, 2003 – Alcatel (Paris : CGEP.PA and NYSE : ALA) today announced that it has filed a response in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, denying the infringement of a patent alleged in a complaint brought by OFS/Fitel.

Alcatel's patented TeraLight optical fiber has been widely available since 1999 and is the first of a new generation of optical fiber designed for the networks of the future. TeraLight has established new levels of performance with numerous bandwidth and distance records for both 10- and 40-Gbit/s applications.

Prior to the filing of this litigation, Alcatel informed OFS/Fitel that the TeraLight products neither used the Fitel patent nor was the Fitel patent valid. OFS/Fitel was well aware of the invalidity of its patent but nonetheless chose to respond by bringing this litigation. Alcatel strongly believes the marketplace should not be misled by the claims in the Fitel lawsuit regarding Alcatel products that have been in the market for several years. Alcatel will vigorously defend TeraLight and its position in the marketplace by showing that the OFS/Fitel claim is baseless and that the Fitel patent is neither infringed, nor valid, nor enforceable.

About Alcatel

Alcatel provides end-to-end communications solutions, enabling carriers, service providers and enterprises to deliver content to any type of user, anywhere in the world. Leveraging its long-term leadership in telecommunications network equipment as well as its expertise in applications and network services, Alcatel enables its customers to focus on optimizing their service offerings and revenue streams. With sales of Euro 16.5 billion in 2002, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.

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Alcatel et Qualcomm concluent un accord sur l'utilisation du brevet CDMA

Gérald Sédrati-Dinet (gibus) — 2002-07-15T22:00:00Z

Paris, le 16 juillet 2002 _- Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq : QCOM), pionnier et leader mondial de la technologie numérique mobile CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) et Alcatel (Paris : CGEP.PA et NYSE : ALA), l'un des principaux équipementiers mondiaux en télécommunication, annoncent la signature d'un accord portant sur l'utilisation du brevet des équipements CDMA. D'après les termes de l'accord, Qualcomm a concédé à Alcatel, contre le paiement de royalties, une licence mondiale lui permettant de développer, fabriquer et vendre des équipements de 3^e génération WCDMA (UMTS) et TD-SCDMA à partir du portefeuille de brevets CDMA de Qualcomm.

Dans le cadre de cet accord, Alcatel a accordé à Qualcomm l'utilisation gratuite au niveau mondial de son portefeuille de brevets pour développer, fabriquer et vendre des circuits incorporables dans les équipements CDMA mobiles et multimodes.

« QUALCOMM is pleased to license Alcatel, a premier worldwide equipment manufacturer to develop, manufacture and sell WCDMA and TD-SCDMA wireless infrastructure products using QUALCOMM's patents, » said Steve Altman, president of QUALCOMM Technology Licensing. « This agreement further validates the strength of QUALCOMM's patent portfolio and applicability to WCDMA, also known as UMTS, and TD-SCDMA. »

« This license strengthens Alcatel's leadership position as an enabler of mobile data and 3G CDMA wireless services, » said Marc Rouanne, president of Alcatel's Mobile Networks activities. « We are now, more than ever, well positioned to provide mobile operators with field-proven 3G solutions with everything in place, from UTRAN, Core network, ATM switches to Open service Platform and Software solutions. »

Alcatel's UMTS radio infrastructure (UTRAN) offering is developed and produced by Evolium SAS, the joint venture between Alcatel and Fujitsu. This joint venture leverages Alcatel's expertise in GSM, GPRS and EDGE as well as in ATM and IP technologies, and combines it with the advanced experience of Fujitsu as supplier of NTT DoCoMo, which has a commercial UMTS network in service since October 2001.

À propos de QUALCOMM

QUALCOMM Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on the Company's CDMA digital technology. The Company's business areas include CDMA chipsets and system software ; technology licensing ; the Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless(TM) (BREW(TM)) applications platform ; QChat(TM) push-to-talk technology ; Eudora® e-mail software ; digital cinema systems ; and satellite-based systems including portions of the Globalstar(TM) system and wireless fleet management systems, OmniTRACS® and OmniExpress®. QUALCOMM owns patents that are essential to all of the CDMA wireless telecommunications standards that have been adopted or proposed for adoption by standards-setting bodies worldwide. QUALCOMM has licensed its essential CDMA patent portfolio to more than 100 telecommunications equipment manufacturers worldwide. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., QUALCOMM is included in the S&P 500 Index and traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.

Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the Company's ability to successfully design and have manufactured significant quantities of CDMA components on a timely and profitable basis, the extent and speed to which CDMA is deployed, change in economic conditions of the various markets the Company serves, as well as the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2001, and most recent Form 10-Q.

À propos d'Alcatel

Alcatel conçoit, développe et construit des réseaux de communications innovants et compétitifs permettant aux opérateurs, aux fournisseurs de services et aux entreprises d'offrir tous contenus (voix, données ou multimédia) à tous clients, partout dans le monde. A partir d'un portefeuille complet de solutions qui vont des infrastructures optiques aux réseaux fixes et mobiles et à l'accès large bande, les clients d'Alcatel peuvent se consacrer à l'optimisation de leurs offres de services et de leurs sources de revenus. Avec un chiffre d'affaires de 25 milliards d'euros en 2001 et fort de 99 000 salariés, Alcatel est présent dans plus de 130 pays.

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Alcatel remporte une victoire décisive concernant un brevet de terminaux mobiles multimode

Gérald Sédrati-Dinet (gibus) — 2002-06-17T22:00:00Z

Cette décision confirme la valeur du portefeuille de brevets d'Alcatel dans la 3G

Paris, le 18 juin 2002 — Alcatel (Paris : CGEP.PA et NYSE : ALA)a remporté une victoire décisive devant la Chambre d'Appel de l'Office Européen des Brevets (Décision numéro T0054/01) concernant le brevet européen EP 297 616. Ce brevet concerne et s'applique, en particulier, à des terminaux mobiles multimode GSM et CDMA, c'est à dire des terminaux capables d'accéder à plusieurs types de réseau.

Le brevet, déposé en 1988, couvre la plupart des pays européens. Du fait de sa date de dépôt, il ne se limite pas à des types particuliers de réseaux mais s'applique néanmoins aux terminaux de prochaine génération 2,5 G et 3G compatibles avec les réseaux GSM.

Le brevet a été en opposition depuis sa délivrance en 1993 par Bosch qui a recherché la révocation complète et l'annulation du brevet invoquant l'évidence de l'invention à la date de dépôt du brevet.

Le brevet a survécu à une première décision de la Division d'Opposition de l'Office Européen des brevets en octobre 2000. Faisant appel de cette décision, Bosch a continué à demander la révocation du brevet. L'appel de Bosch a été rejeté dans son intégralité et le brevet a été maintenu. Il n'y a maintenant plus de recours possible.

Étant donné l'importance des brevets et des droits de propriété intellectuelle dans le domaine des terminaux 3G, et la portée de ce brevet, cette victoire revêt une importance particulière, confirmant la valeur du portefeuille brevet d'Alcatel dans la 3G.

Aujourd'hui, Alcatel détient un portefeuille comprenant plus de 23 000 brevets et demandes déposés mondialement. Alcatel a aussi mis en place un programme de licences il y a 4 ans, dans le but de maximiser la valeur de son actif dans le domaine de la propriété intellectuelle.

À propos d'Alcatel

Alcatel conçoit, développe et construit des réseaux de communications innovants et compétitifs permettant aux opérateurs, aux fournisseurs de services et aux entreprises d'offrir tous contenus (voix, données ou multimédia) à tous clients, partout dans le monde. A partir d'un portefeuille complet de solutions qui vont des infrastructures optiques aux réseaux fixes et mobiles et à l'accès large bande, les clients d'Alcatel peuvent se consacrer à l'optimisation de leurs offres de services et de leurs sources de revenus. Avec un chiffre d'affaires de 25 milliards d'euros en 2001 et fort de 99 000 salariés, Alcatel est présent dans plus de 130 pays. Pour plus d'information : http://www.alcatel.com.

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Avec l'acquisition de Telera, Alcatel mise sur la convergence voix-web pour se positionner sur le marché des self-services vocaux

Gérald Sédrati-Dinet (gibus) — 2002-05-28T22:00:00Z

Alcatel et sa filiale Genesys se préparent à jouer un rôle majeur sur le marché des solutions de self-service vocal

Paris, le 29 mai 2002 — Alcatel (Paris : CGEP.PA et NYSE : ALA) annonce aujourd'hui la signature d'un accord portant sur l'acquisition de Telera Corp., une société californienne. Telera a développé la première plate-forme voix-web utilisant le langage VoiceXML (Voice Extensible Markup Language) pour rendre les contenus web accessibles par téléphone. Au sein d'Alcatel, Telera s'intègrera à l'activité Solutions de centre de contacts de Genesys et se concentrera en premier lieu sur le marché des solutions de self-services vocaux, qui devrait représenter 600 millions de dollars d'ici 2005.

L'acquisition se fera en contrepartie de 136 millions de dollars d'actions Alcatel. Les liquidités de Telera, d'un montant de 30 millions de dollars, lui permettront de financer son développement. Les autres modalités de l'accord n'ont pas été communiquées.

La plate-forme voix-web brevetée de Telera utilise VoiceXML et d'autres standards ouverts pour permettre aux fournisseurs de services et aux entreprises de développer des applications voix avancées faisant du téléphone un puissant outil d'accès aux informations web. Capitalisant sur les capacités éprouvées de Telera en matière de VoiceXML, Alcatel créera un centre de compétence VoiceXML ayant pour vocation d'aider ses filiales à renforcer leurs offres produits.

« L'accès vocal à Internet amorce une profonde transformation des services offerts par les entreprises et les fournisseurs de services comme de la manière d'utiliser le web », déclare Olivier Houssin, Président du groupe eBusiness d'Alcatel. « L'acquisition de Telera par Alcatel est une étape majeure de notre stratégie visant à créer les applications qui piloteront le passage aux réseaux de convergence voix-données. »

« Telera supporte des technologies IP, telles que VoiceXML et SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), et révolutionne le secteur des télécommunications traditionnel en associant le caractère novateur et la flexibilité d'Internet au confort et à la fiabilité du téléphone », observe Prem Uppaluru, CEO et co-fondateur de Telera. « Nous sommes impatients d'unir les ressources de nos deux sociétés pour mettre plus rapidement au point des solutions de convergence voix-web. »

En devenant partie intégrante de Genesys, Telera enrichit la ligne de produits Genesys d'une plate-forme de self-services vocaux. Genesys domine déjà le marché des logiciels de centre de contacts, grâce auxquels les entreprises sont en mesure de fournir à leurs clients des services d'assistance et de support assistés par des agents. La société peut désormais offrir une solution complète et intégrée de self-services vocaux et de service client assisté par des agents.

Plate-forme d'application voix-web

L'architecture de la plate-forme d'application voix-web de Telera est unique en ce qu'elle sépare l'application métier de l'infrastructure voix et recourt à des composants prêts à l'emploi et des standards ouverts, comme VoiceXML. Le logiciel, qui peut être déployé soit sur site soit en ligne, offre une redondance et une structure distribuée garantissant fiabilité et évolutivité. La combinaison de ces caractéristiques permet aux clients de réduire considérablement la complexité de leur réseau et le coût global de déploiement des applications voix avancées.

Des fournisseurs de services et de grandes entreprises, comme American Express et Travelers Insurance, ont déjà choisi de fonder sur la plate-forme d'application voix-web des services vocaux de dernière génération tels que :

Des self-services vocaux permettant d'accéder à des informations web au moyen d'un téléphone utilisant la voix naturelle ou des commandes à fréquence vocale, dans des domaines d'applications tels que la banque en ligne, la consultation de l'état des commandes, la réalisation de sondages etc. Ces solutions de self-service peuvent être assorties d'un service assisté via l'intégration des solutions Genesys Framework et Enterprise Routing, qui dirige les appels vers l'agent de service client le plus approprié.
Des notifications et alertes sortantes, pour contacter les clients en fonction d'évènements ou de conditions spécifiés, comme l'annulation d'un vol ou un changement de statut. L'intégration des logiciels de Genesys donne également aux clients la possibilité d'obtenir des informations supplémentaires auprès d'un self-service vocal ou d'un service assisté.
Des solutions d'optimisation de productivité des employés, permettant à ces derniers d'accéder à des applications d'optimisation de productivité des employés basées sur le web - comme les annuaires téléphoniques, la messagerie et les agendas électroniques - et à d'autres informations d'ordre opérationnel à partir de n'importe quel type de téléphone.
Un système de réponse vocale interactif dotant les principales fonctionnalités des systèmes RVI classiques de capacités accrues de programmation grâce à l'ouverture de VoiceXML et à l'environnement de développement.

La stratégie d'Alcatel concernant le marché Entreprise consiste à capitaliser sur la convergence des réseaux voix-données pour aider les entreprises à ouvrir de manière sécurisée et performante leurs réseaux internes au monde extérieur. Ces entreprises « sans frontière » sont plus compétitives parce que leurs réseaux sont capables de supporter des communications en temps réel avec les clients, les fournisseurs de services externalisés et autres partenaires majeurs. Genesys, et désormais Telera, jouent un rôle clé dans cette stratégie en développant les premières applications utilisant ce nouveau modèle.

L'acquisition devrait être finalisée en juillet 2002 sous réserve de l'approbation des actionnaires de Telera et autres conditions usuelles.

Informations destinées aux journalistes et aux analystes :

Nous vous invitons à participer à l'une des deux conférences téléphoniques* sur ce sujet :

Pour les analystes :
mercredi 29 mai, 2002
18h00 (Paris)
Tél : +1 630 395 0205

Pour les journalistes :
mercredi 29 mai, 2002
19h00 (Paris)
Tél : +1 630 395 0144

*Merci de noter que ces deux conférences téléphoniques auront lieu en anglais

À propos d'Alcatel

Alcatel conçoit, développe et construit des réseaux de communication innovants et compétitifs permettant aux opérateurs, aux fournisseurs de services et aux entreprises d'offrir tous types de contenus (voix, données et multimédia) à des clients du monde entier. A partir d'un portefeuille complet de solutions allant des infrastructures optiques aux réseaux fixes et mobiles et à l'accès haut débit, les clients d'Alcatel peuvent se consacrer à l'optimisation de leurs offres de services et de leurs sources de revenus. Forte de 99 000 salariés et présente dans plus de 130 pays, la société a enregistré un chiffre d'affaires de 25 milliards d'euros en 2001.

À propos de Genesys

Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories est une société indépendante, filiale à 100% d'Alcatel (NYSE : ALA, Paris : CGEP.PA), et l'un premiers fournisseurs mondiaux de solutions de centres de contacts fonctionnant de manière collaborative, ce qui en fait le composant essentiel de toute stratégie de gestion complète de la relation client. Sa suite intégrée d'applications ouvertes et indépendantes de l'infrastructure gère les interactions client sur tous les types de médias, de réseaux et d'applications, permettant un service client économique et personnalisé. Genesys fournit une fondation pour le déploiement à l'échelle de l'entreprise de processus engendrant des relations clients durables et profitables. Basée à San Francisco, Genesys possède des établissements partout dans le monde et s'appuie sur un réseau international de partenaires dont font partie, entre autres, Accenture, Alcatel, IBM et IBM Global Services, PeopleSoft, SAP et Siebel Systems. Pour plus d'informations sur les solutions Genesys et sur la société, visitez le site www.genesys.com..

À propos de Telera

Telera is a software company whose award-winning Voice Web Application Platform™ enables both wireline and wireless service providers to deliver advanced, business-centric voice applications, transforming the phone from a simple communications device into a powerful, anywhere-anytime information access tool. Telera-powered customer service, commerce transaction and self-service applications provide a more personalized and interactive caller experience, and ensure that mobile corporate users have access to critical business and customer information. Founded in 1998, Telera is privately held and based in Campbell, California and has secured more than $100 million to date from leading technology investment firms and corporations. Visit Telera at www.telera.com or call 408-626-6800.

Contact press alcatel.com

Voir en ligne : Communiqué original sur le site d'Alcatel

Major 3G-radio performance breakthrough

Gérald Sédrati-Dinet (gibus) — 2002-02-17T23:00:00Z

Patented technology gives Alcatel price-performance leadership

Cannes, February 18, 2002 — Alcatel (Paris : CGEP.PA and NYSE : ALA) today disclosed results of its recent advanced research program on UMTS base stations (Node B) that will generate significant cost reductions and higher performance for UMTS operators. These technology innovations will offer operators a more compact, reliable and cost-optimized solution.

The Alcatel 9100 EvoliumTM MBS, demonstrated at the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes (Hall 1, Stand A5), illustrates Alcatel's leadership in UMTS technology, specifically in the field of baseband processing, power amplifiers and smart antenna technology.

Baseband processing : The new EvoliumTM MBS is equipped with baseband boards four times more powerful in terms of channel capacity (64 Adaptive Multi Rate (AMR) channels) than previous generations, thanks to a unique load-balancing technology patented by Alcatel. This allows more compact configurations as well as optimized resource allocation in the UMTS Node B. Furthermore ; a highly programmable platform will allow smooth integration of 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) feature evolutions.
Power amplifier : new algorithms patented by Alcatel have been developed to increase the efficiency up to a factor three, in comparison with the first generation of Node B platforms. Such improvements will lower power consumption by approximately 20%. These major achievements allow for a more powerful amplifier within the same volume and at a lower cost.

These new algorithms will support the introduction of High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) in UMTS.

Smart antenna technology : major steps forward have been made by Alcatel's research teams to leverage the 9100 EvoliumTM MBS' open architecture that will allow integration of smart antennas applications.

It has been demonstrated that capacity and range for a 2 carrier Node B with smart antenna is much larger compared to a 3 carrier Node B without a smart antenna, bringing significant cost decrease per channel.

This Research and Innovation program has been conducted by teams located in the Alcatel Research Centers of Stuttgart, Germany, and Marcoussis, France, together with the development teams of Evolium SAS, the Alcatel/Fujitsu joint-venture.

« These major technology achievements clearly demonstrate Alcatel's commitment to actively contribute to the success of UMTS. They open up promising perspectives for operators by providing higher-performance and cost-effective UMTS platforms », said Marc Rouanne, president of Alcatel's Mobile Networks activities.

About Alcatel

Alcatel designs, develops and builds innovative and competitive communications networks, enabling carriers, service providers and enterprises to deliver any type of content, such as voice, data and multimedia, to any type of consumer, anywhere in the world. Relying on its leading and comprehensive products and solutions portfolio, stretching from end-to-end optical infrastructures, fixed and mobile networks to broadband access, Alcatel's customers can focus on optimizing their service offerings and revenue streams. With sales of EURO 25 billion in 2001 and 99,000 employees, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.

About Evolium

Evolium SAS, an Alcatel-Fujitsu joint venture company established in 2000, combines Alcatel's expertise in GSM, GPRS, and EDGE as well as in ATM and IP technologies, with the advanced experience of Fujitsu as supplier of NTT DoCoMo, including both its highly successful i-mode service and world's first commercial 3G mobile communications service, introduced October 1, 2001.

Contact press www.alcatel.com

Voir en ligne : Communiqué original sur le site d'Alcatel