Abstract: A retracting eye drape assembly is disclosed for use around a patient's eye to seclude and seal off the operative field during eye surgery. The drape assembly includes a retraction member connected to the drape and configured to engage the patient's eyelid, an extension member connected to the retraction member or to the drape and configured to substantially enclose the patient's eyelid, and a retraction flap configured to secure the patient's eyelid in a substantially retracted position. A method of applying an eye drape assembly is disclosed. After application of the drape to the patient's face, and while the patient's eyelid is closed, the patient's eyelid is engaged by a retraction member connected to the drape and retracted. While retracted, the patient's eyelid is substantially enclosed to seclude the eyelid and eyelashes from the operational area. The secluded eyelid and eyelashes are then secured in a retracted position.

Abstract: A method for determining an open or available channel from a plurality of predetermined channels for communication between a portable unit and a mobile repeater unit operating within the same wireless communication system. After an available channel has been selected, communication between the portable unit and the mobile repeater unit is established on the selected channel, and the selected channel is identified as active to all other portable units and mobile repeater units operating on the system.

Abstract: Described are an apparatus and method of forwarding Internet Protocol (IP) packets. At least one fixed-length key having a predetermined number of bits is produced in response to an IP address in an IP packet. At least a portion of the fixed-length key is hashed to obtain a hash value. The fixed-length key is compared with a key value stored in each data-item in a hash bucket associated with the hash value to find the data item that has the key value that matches the fixed-sized key and to obtain from that data item routing information that is used to forward the IP packet.

Abstract: A method of recognizing an input string is disclosed. The method entails searching a prefix length table (PLT) for lengths of potential matching strings using one or more characters of the input string, generating hash keys respectively comprising the input string and lengths of potential matching strings, and searching a hash table using the hash keys to find a hash entry containing a string matching the input string.

Abstract: The present invention provides method of treatment using human sequence antibodies against human CTLA-4. In particular, methods of treating cancer are provided.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive solid-state storage device (MRAM) employs error correction coding (ECC) to form ECC encoded stored data. A linear error correction block code such as a Reed-Solomon code forms codewords having a plurality of symbols. In almost all cases, a corrected codeword is formed by error correction decoding a read codeword in a standard first decoder arranged to reliably identify and correct up to a predetermined number of failed symbols, or else determine an unrecoverable error. Error correction decoding of the read codeword is then attempted in a stronger second decoder, ideally being a maximum likelihood decoder arranged to form one or more closest corrected codewords.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive state-solid state storage device comprises many arrays 101-108 of magnetoresistive storage cells 16. Sparing resources such as a plurality of spare rows 120 are allocated to replace rows 12 of storage cells 16 which are affected by physical failures. A count is made for the number of failed rows within each array, and a count is also made of the number of failed rows within a cross-array row set r1-r4 spread across plural arrays. A spare row or rows 120 are allocated by selecting a cross-array row set r1-r4 affected by the highest number of failed rows and therefore most likely to lead to unreliable data storage, and then selecting an array 10 in this cross-array row set having the lowest number of failed rows, and therefore the least competition for sparing resources. The method proceeds iteratively with counts updated as sparing resources are allocated, thereby leaving until last those arrays 10 for which originally there was intense competition for spares.

Abstract: A telephone subscriber module allows a telephone subscriber to selectively interconnect a subscriber telephone line with one of a plurality of available telephone service provider lines. A base has a first jack configured to receive a plug connected to a subscriber telephone line. A second jack, electrically connected to the first jack, is configured to receive a plug connected to a selected one of a plurality of telephone service provider lines to thereby establish an electrical communication connection between the subscriber telephone line and the selected telephone service provider line. The first jack may include a pair of electrical conductors extending outwardly therefrom and terminating in a plug. The plug may be configured to be inserted within a jack adjacent to or remotely located from the first jack to establish an electrical communication connection between a service provider line electrically connected thereto and the subscriber line.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing access to a set of applications associated with a universal resource locator in a data processing system. A request is received, wherein the request includes the universal resource locator and a user identification. The request is directed to a selected application within the set of applications using the universal resource locator and the user identification.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive solid-state storage device (MRAM) employs error correction coding (ECC) to form ECC encoded stored data. ECC encoded data is read and decoded to identify failed symbols. A failure history table is then updated to indicate columns 14 of an array of storage cells 16 which are suspected to be affected by physical failures. Advantageously, erasure information is formed with reference to the failure history table, and the ability of a decoder 22 to perform ECC decoding is substantially enhanced.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive solid-state storage device (MRAM) employs error correction coding (ECC) to form ECC encoded stored data. In a read operation, parametric values are obtained from storage cells 16 of the device and compared to ranges to establish logical bit values, together with erasure information. The erasure information identifies symbols 206 in a block of ECC encoded data 204 which, from the parametric evaluation, are suspected to be affected by physical failures of the storage cells 16. Where the position of suspected failed symbols 206 is known from this erasure information, the ability of a decoder 22 to perform ECC decoding is substantially enhanced.

Abstract: A fault-tolerant magnetoresistive solid-state storage device (MRAM) in use performs error correction coding and decoding of stored information, to tolerate physical failures. At manufacture, the MRAM device is tested to confirm that each set of storage cells is suitable for storing ECC encoded data. The test comprises identifying failed storage cells where the failures will be visible in use for the generation of erasure information used in ECC decoding, suitably by comparing parametric values obtained from the storage cells against one or more failure ranges, and includes performing a write-read-compare operation with test data to identify failed storage cells which will be hidden for the generation of erasure information in use. A failure count is formed based on both the visible failures and the hidden failures, to determine that the set of storage cells is suitable for storing ECC encoded data. Here, the failure count is weighted, with hidden failures having a greater weighting than visible failures.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive solid-state storage device (MRAM) employs error correction coding (ECC) to form ECC encoded stored data. In a read operation, a set of test cells 160 in a test row 120 are used to predict failures 163 amongst a set of cells of interest storing a block of ECC encoded data. Erasure information is formed from these predictions which identifies potentially unreliable symbols 206 in the block of ECC encoded data, and the ability of a decoder 22 to perform ECC decoding is substantially enhanced.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive solid-state storage device (MRAM device) uses storage cells 16 arranged in many arrays 10 to form a macro-array 2. For fast access times and to reduce exposure to physical failures, each unit of data (e.g. a sector) is stored with a few sub-units (e.g. bytes) in each of a large plurality of the arrays 10. Advantageously, the plurality of arrays 10 are accessible in parallel substantially simultaneously, and a failure in any one array affects only a small portion of the data unit. Optionally, error correction coding (ECC) is employed to form encoded data with symbols which are stored according to preferred embodiments which further minimise exposure to physical failures.

Abstract: In a coded orthogonal frequency division multiplex (COFDM) system n-bit data words are encoded as 2m-symbol code words, each symbol having 2j possible values (e.g. j=3 for octary). An efficient decoder for these code words is provided by applying j iterations of the fast Hadamard transform, the input vector for the second and subsequent iterations being derived from the result of the immediately preceding iteration.

Abstract: An aqueous thiourea-ammonia treatment is used to form a thin sulfurous film at the indium phosphide surface, having a thickness of less than one nanometer. The thiourea-ammonium hydroxide treatment can be used as is or immediately prior to deposition of cadmium sulfide for enhanced surface passivation. The thiourea-ammonium hydroxide treatment is entirely compatible with chemical bath deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, or metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of the cadmium sulfide.

Abstract: In a coded orthogonal frequency division multiplex (COFDM) system n-bit data words are encoded as 2m-symbol code words (binary, quaternary, octary, etc.). The code words are selected for desired low peak-to-mean envelope power ratio (PMEPR) characteristics of transmissions over a COFDM channel, from a set of cosets of a linear sub-code of a code having a specified generator matrix. The code words thus identified by the procedure described can, even for values of m in excess of 3, simultaneously limit the PMEPR to 3 dB, provide specified error control characteristics, be implemented in a feasible manner using analytical circuit techniques (e.g. with combinatorial logic), and include sufficiently many different code words to enable data to be transferred at useful rates. Other selections of code words can be made, enabling a higher maximum PMEPR or a reduced error detection capability to be accepted in order to obtain a higher code rate.

Abstract: A data packet is transmitted by dividing it into sub-packets, for example by distributing successive bytes of the data packet to different sub-packets each containing at most p.sup.n -1 symbols, where p is a prime number, and transmitting the sub-packets along two or more respective paths. CRC checksums are added to the sub-packets, the checksum for each path being generated using a different and respective generator polynomial of degree b. These generator polynomials are selected so that, for arithmetic carried out modulo p, each polynomial has a respective factor of degree at least b-n+1, and the collection of polynomials which are each exactly divisible by all such factors constitutes a BCH code. As a result the system has advantageous properties in respect of error detection and implementation.

Abstract: A novel indium phosphide (InP) based heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) is described. A II-VI compound, cadmium sulfide (CdS), is used as the emitter to improve the emitter injection efficiency and reduce recombination losses. The cadmium sulfide emitter is applied following the epitaxial growth of III-V compound collector and base regions. The large valence band discontinuity (.quadrature.E=0.75 eV) between CdS and InP allows InP to be used for both the base and collector material. Prior to cadmium sulfide deposition, the exposed surfaces of the epitaxial layers can be passivated with sulfur, further reducing the recombination losses.

Abstract: A telephone subscriber module allows a telephone subscriber to selectively interconnect a subscriber telephone line with one of a plurality of available telephone service provider lines. A base has a first jack configured to receive a plug connected to a subscriber telephone line. A second jack, electrically connected to the first jack, is configured to receive a plug connected to a selected one of a plurality of telephone service provider lines to thereby establish an electrical communication connection between the subscriber telephone line and the selected telephone service provider line. The first jack may include a pair of electrical conductors extending outwardly therefrom and terminating in a plug. The plug may be configured to be inserted within a jack adjacent to or remotely located from the first jack to establish an electrical communication connection between a service provider line electrically connected thereto and the subscriber line.