Bell Labs Receives Its 30,000th Patent; Lucent Technologies' Research and Development Arm Builds on a Rich Heritage as it Continues to Shape the Future of Communications.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MURRAY HILL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 10, 2003

Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) today announced that the company has been granted its 30,000th U.S. patent, a testament to the still-feverish pace of innovation at Bell Labs. This milestone patent covers the mechanisms for guaranteeing Quality of Service (QoS) in Internet Protocol (IP) networks, which should help make packet-based networks as reliable as today's telephone networks.

Since 1925, Bell Labs' patented scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs have helped shape the way people around the globe live, work and play. Today, Bell Labs scientists and engineers are constantly pushing the frontiers of science and technology, while defining the vision and setting the pace of innovation for the communications industry and beyond.

The list of Bell Labs inventions reads like an encyclopedia of 20th century technological breakthroughs, and includes the transistor, which ushered in the digital age; the charged coupled device (CCD), which made digital imaging and portable video possible; the UNIX(R) computer operating system, which is the foundation for the Internet; the C computer programming language, which is one of the most widely used languages in the world; the laser; communication satellites; and cellular telephony.

"Bell Labs continues to earn its reputation as the leading industrial R&D lab in the world," said Bill O'Shea, president of Bell Labs. "The collective brainpower here is awesome. By harnessing this tremendous resource, Bell Labs will continue to contribute to our lives in ways we can't yet imagine."

U.S. Patent 6,529,499 -- Method for providing quality of service over IP networks

Until recently, IP-based networks were designed to provide 'best effort' service for data applications, but couldn't provide the higher level of quality required by public switched telephone network (PSTN) grade applications such as interactive voice, video, and multimedia. This patent covers mechanisms for guaranteeing QoS in IP networks. Specifically, this is achieved by establishing a virtual channel in which information flows uninterrupted between a sender and receiver.

When a user requests a new connection, for example, to make a voice call, a connection resource manager (CRM) application checks whether there are enough spare resources in the virtual channel to accommodate the request. If there are, then the new connection is allowed and uninterrupted communication with limited loss and delay is guaranteed. If the path does not have enough spare resources, the new request is denied, thus preventing the new connection from adversely impacting ongoing conversations.

Since filing for this patent in September 1998, the Bell Labs inventors of this technique, Bharat Doshi, Yung-Terng Wang, On-Ching Yue and Enrique Hernandez-Valencia have leveraged the capabilities of Internet standards including RSVP, MPLS and DiffServ to evolve this patented technique. Additionally, they are working closely with Lucent's business units to build this capability into the company's router and other packet networking platforms.

The nearly 10,000 scientists and engineers that make up Bell Labs serve a dual mission for Lucent. The bulk of the Bell Labs community is focused on developing new communications products and services for Lucent, and researching real-world technical issues such as network security, reliability and efficiency. Many Bell Labs researchers and developers also work directly with Lucent's service provider customers worldwide in an ongoing effort to improve things such as quality of service and network optimization.

Bell Labs also maintains a long-term, basic research program that is broader in scope than Lucent's current business focus. This allows its researchers to explore fields such as theoretical computer science, materials science and bioengineering - fields to which Bell Labs continues to make seminal discoveries and contributions.

Last year, Lucent Technologies was awarded nearly 700 U.S. patents across a broad range of disciplines, including Computer Science, Mathematics, Materials Science and Networking. Recent patents include designs for flexible electronic displays using organic semiconductors; powerful tools for eliminating bugs from software; microelectromechanical devices that can modulate optical signals, thereby increasing network speed; algorithms that improve the quality of service on the Internet; and new cost-effective materials for next-generation communications components.

"The amazing pace of innovation at Bell Labs enables the U.S. to maintain its global leadership in science and technology," said U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson, R-N.J., a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee whose district includes Murray Hill, N.J., where Bell Labs is based. "Every day the citizens of the world communicate with each other and enjoy a bevy of modern marvels based on the nearly 80 years of innovations from Bell Labs, which continues to be at the forefront of envisioning the future and inventing tomorrow's technologies."

Today, Bell Labs earns an average of two patents each workday, and the accomplishments of its researchers and developers consistently receive critical acclaim. Bell Labs has been ranked No. 1 in technological strength in the telecommunications industry for the past two years by MIT's Technology Review magazine, which considered both the number of patents owned as well as the strength of that portfolio. Bell Labs was also the first organization to be awarded the National Medal of Technology for contributions over decades to modern communications systems. Add to that six Nobel Prizes in Physics, nine National Medals of Science, two team and four individual National Medal of Technology awards, and other accolades, which combined make Bell Labs an institution that has innovation within its DNA.

Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, designs and delivers networks for the world's largest communications service providers. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent relies on its strengths in mobility, optical, data and voice networking technologies as well as software and services to develop next-generation networks. The company's systems, services and software are designed to help customers quickly deploy and better manage their networks and create new, revenue-generating services that help businesses and consumers. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit its Web site at http://www.lucent.com.

(1) UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries.

(2) The National Medal of Technology is a federally registered trademark and service mark of the U.S. Department of Commerce.