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TELEGRAPHICS DEVICE

Award Information
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Branch: N/A
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 13778
Amount: $50,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1990
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
2030 Old Ramsey Rd
Monroeville, PA 15146
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 John Kaufmann
 (412) 325-4706
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

THERE IS AN UNMET NEED FOR A FLEXIBLE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITY FOR HEARING- AND SPEECH-IMPAIRED INDIVIDUALS. TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICES FOR THE DEAF (TDD) ALLOWS ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC TELEPHONE NETWORK FOR MANY WHO WOULD OTHERWISEHAVE NO ACCESS. HOWEVER, IT HAS SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS: TDD ACCESS AND DOMAIN OF SERVICE ARE LIMITED BY THE SCARCITYOF TDD TERMINALS AND SERVICE CAPABILITY IS LIMITED TO TYPEWRITTEN MESSAGES. THE TELEGRAPHICS DEVICE (TGD), WHICH WAS CONCEIVED TO ADDRESS TDD'S LIMITATIONS, IS A SMALL GRAPHICS TERMINAL TO BE USED WITH ANY TELEPHONE ON A STANDARD LINE, ALLOWING CONCURRENT VOICE AND TEXT/GRAPHICS INTERACTION. THE CRUX OF TGD DEVELOPMENT IS TO HAVE ACCEPTABLE VOICE (QUALITY) AND GRAPHIC (RATE) COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE LIMITED VOICE BANDWIDTH OF THE PUBLIC TELEPHONE NETWORK IN AWAY THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE A TGD ON BOTH ENDS FOR NORMAL TELEPHONE USE. THAT IS, TELEPHONES WITH TGD MUST BE BACKWARD-COMPATIBLE TO TELEPHONES WITHOUT TGD. FEASIBILITY HAS BEEN INDICATED BY INITIAL CALCULATIONS AND TESTING, AND MOST OF THE HARDWARE FOR A TARGET IMPLEMENTATION HAS BEEN SELECTED. THE FIRST PHASE IN THIS PROJECT REQUIRES TWO UNITS TO DEMONSTRATE FEASIBILITY AND TEST DIRECTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION. INITIAL PROBLEMS TO BE ADDRESSED FOR THESE PROTOTYPE UNITS ARE TO REFINE THE VOICE/DATA MULTIPLEXING SCHEME, TO DEVELOP THE WRITE-ON DISPLAY SCREEN, AND TO COUPLE THIS USER INTERFACE WITH THE VOICE/DATA MULTIPLEXER.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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