Abstract: A novel implementation of a partitioned medium access control (MAC) is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment employs a shared bus that typically is already present in a wireless terminal for communication between an upper MAC and a lower MAC. The partitioned MAC implementation therefore does not require any additional communication means between the upper MAC and lower MAC, resulting in a lower-cost system. In addition, the upper MAC and lower MAC pass native data structures by reference over the shared bus, thereby eliminating the need for drivers to coordinate communication via interrupts, handshaking, etc. The partitioned MAC implementation results in a cost-effective distributed architecture in which the upper MAC resides in the terminal's host processor, and the lower MAC resides in the terminal's wireless station.

Abstract: A system for making cell blocks includes a cell block cassette and processing station, the cassette including a main body having a having a collection aperture formed therein and a filter assembly removably attached to the main body, the filter assembly defining a collection well in communication with the collection aperture, and having a filter positioned across a bottom surface of the collection well, the filter configured to retain cellular matter carried in a fluid that is dispensed into the collection well and flows across the filter. The cell block processor has a cassette interface removably seating the cell block cassette, and a sensor positioned or positionable to detect and monitor a fluid level in the collection well.

Abstract: A system for making cell blocks includes a cell block cassette and processing station, the cassette including a main body having a having a collection aperture formed therein and a filter assembly removably attached to the main body, the filter assembly defining a collection well in communication with the collection aperture, and having a filter positioned across a bottom surface of the collection well, the filter configured to retain cellular matter carried in a fluid that is dispensed into the collection well and flows across the filter. The cell block processor has a cassette interface removably seating the cell block cassette, and a sensor positioned or positionable to detect and monitor a fluid level in the collection well.

Abstract: A technique is provided for the classification of a document based on a lexicon structured into categories. Terms in the document may be matched with terms in the lexicon along with the relative position of the term in the document. A weight function may be used to compute a score for each category. The normalized category scores may be used to classify the content of the document.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed that improves the efficiency of transmitting data over multiple shared-communications channels without some of the costs and disadvantages associated with techniques in the prior art. In particular, and in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a data frame is simultaneously transmitted across a plurality of channels, but the acknowledgment frame to the data frame is not. Instead, a plurality of redundant acknowledgment frames are generated and each one is transmitted independently and within each of the channels used to transmit the data frame.

Abstract: An integral rescue device preferably worn by a firefighter that includes a shock absorbing descender attached to the rescue device, a support line passing through the shock absorbing descender, an anchor connection attached to a first end of the support line in the vicinity of the shock absorbing descender, and an assembly for holding the support line. The assembly preferably includes a plurality of holders in which intermediate loops of the support line are retained near the terminus of each of the intermediate loops. In a preferred embodiment, the shock absorbing descender is attached to a waist belt of a self-contained breathing apparatus carrier with a support line passing through the shock absorbing descender, an anchor connection attached to a first end of the support line in the vicinity of the shock absorbing descender, and an assembly for holding the support line.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed to provide a single wireless local area network in which authorized wireless stations and non-authorized wireless stations can associate with different security levels and privileges. In the first illustrative embodiment of the present invention, there are multiple physical or logical ports connecting a wireless station to public and private resources. The purpose of using multiple ports to access the external resources is to segregate the traffic associated with each level of security to a different port, and to ensure that each external resource only accepts traffic from those ports that are associated with the level of security needed for that resource. In the second illustrative embodiment of the present invention, segregation of traffic associated with each level of security is achieved by putting resources of different levels of security or privilege on different virtual local area networks.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed that improves the efficiency of transmitting data over multiple shared-communications channels without some of the costs and disadvantages associated with techniques in the prior art. In particular, and in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a data frame is simultaneously transmitted across a plurality of channels, but the acknowledgment frame to the data frame is not. Instead, a plurality of redundant acknowledgment frames are generated and each one is transmitted independently and within each of the channels used to transmit the data frame.

Abstract: A programmable interface controller for transmitting data to an output device that is suitable in both fully synchronous systems and in systems that span clock domains. The illustrative embodiments comprise: receiving a plurality of field identifiers and an indication of an order by which each of the plurality of field identifiers is to be uniquely associated with each field in a sequence of fields; receiving a stream of data that comprises the sequence of fields and an indication of the boundary between successive fields in the sequence of fields; and processing each field in the stream of data in accordance with the field identifier uniquely associated with that field.

Abstract: A technique for enabling a secure, point-to-point wireless connection between a secondary computer (e.g., a personal digital assistant, etc.) and a primary computer (e.g., a notebook, a desktop, etc.) is disclosed. The primary computer is associated with an extended infrastructure through an access point. The present invention enables the secondary computer to communicate either with the associated primary computer or with an extended network indirectly through the access point.

Abstract: A novel implementation of a partitioned Medium Access Control (MAC) is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment employs a shared bus that typically is already present in a wireless terminal for communication between an Upper MAC and a Lower MAC. The partitioned MAC implementation therefore does not require any additional communication means between the Upper MAC and Lower MAC, resulting in a lower-cost system. In addition, the Upper MAC and Lower MAC pass native data structures by reference over the shared bus, thereby eliminating the need for drivers to coordinate communication via interrupts, handshaking, etc. The partitioned MAC implementation results in a cost-effective distributed architecture in which the Upper MAC resides in the terminal's host processor, and the Lower MAC resides in the terminal's wireless station.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed for queuing frames that are to be transmitted. The illustrative embodiment enables partial queuing of portions of frames on the part of a receiving entity, requiring only a minimum of real-time response on the part of the sending entity once the start of a frame is queued by the receiving entity. The illustrative embodiment relaxes queue memory requirements by recognizing that the interface between the sending entity and the receiving entity is able to respond to a request from the receiving entity to fetch additional frame data before the data presently in the partial queue is consumed. The amount of data that needs to be stored in each partial queue entry is causally related to a bounded latency time of the upper-to-lower layer interface multiplied by the physical layer rate of the transmitted frame.

Abstract: A novel Medium Access Control (MAC) architecture for IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment partitions the medium access control into an Upper Medium Access Control for providing medium-access-control services that are independent of a Physical Control, and a Lower Medium Access Control for providing medium-access-control services that are dependent on the Physical Control. By partitioning the Medium Access Control in this manner, a single Upper Medium Access Control can be employed for any existing or future Physical Control while maintaining full compatibility with the huge installed base of existing IEEE 802.11 equipment. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention for networks that employ protocols other than IEEE 802. 11.

Abstract: A methodology for enabling terminals that perform forward error correction to interoperate with terminals that perform automatic-repeat-request is disclosed. This is advantageous because it does not require that all of the terminals be upgraded at once, which is an all-to-common fact of many migration paths. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the legacy terminals communicate with a data frame that conforms to a legacy data frame format and the upgraded terminals communicate with a data frame that conforms to an upgraded data frame format, which is a legacy-compatible extension of the legacy data frame format. The legacy data frame format enables the detection, but not correction, of errors in a data frame and the upgraded data frame format enables the correction of errors in the data frame.

Abstract: A programmable interface controller for transmitting data to an output device that is suitable in both fully synchronous systems and in systems that span clock domains. The illustrative embodiments comprise: receiving a plurality of field identifiers and an indication of an order by which each of the plurality of field identifiers is to be uniquely associated with each field in a sequence of fields; receiving a stream of data that comprises the sequence of fields and an indication of the boundary between successive fields in the sequence of fields; and processing each field in the stream of data in accordance with the field identifier uniquely associated with that field.

Abstract: A method of dividing a first binary waveform utilizing the occurrence of some, but not all, of the rising edges of the first binary waveform and some, but not all, of the falling edges of the first binary waveform. By choosing which rising edges and falling edges are used, the average cycle time and duty cycle of the second binary waveform can be selected. The illustrative embodiment of the present invention comprises: a waveform receiver for receiving a first binary waveform that comprises a plurality of rising edges and a plurality of falling edges; and a waveform generator for outputting a second binary waveform based on the first binary waveform, wherein the second binary waveform is toggled based on an odd number of rising edges between being toggled based on said falling edges.

Abstract: Noise reducing circuits for electronic receiving instruments, such as telephone receivers in headsets or handsets that are used in noisy locations, provide compensation of the set's receiver unit-to-error microphone transfer function to enhance the noise reduction. Further circuits provide pre-conditioning of the incoming voice signal to make the noise cancellation more effective. The tendency of these noise cancelling circuits to oscillate is substantially lessened by added circuitry which rapidly detects onset of oscillation and momentarily reduces the noise cancellation without interrupting the incoming speech path altogether.