Abstract: Respiratory isolation systems and devices for facilitating delivery of respiratory treatments to a patient. The device incudes a housing, a filtration unit, and at least one access port. The housing includes a front panel, a rear panel, one or more side panels, and a top panel that combine to define a chamber. The housing defines an open base that is open to the chamber, and the front panel defines an opening to the chamber. The filtration unit is mounted to the housing and includes a filter in fluid communication with the chamber. The access port is formed through one of the panels and permits user access to the chamber from an exterior of the housing. When connected to an airflow source as part of a respiratory isolation system, negative or positive pressure can continuously be provided to a patient within the chamber.

Abstract: The invention is a portable ground thawing device using a shallow rectangularly shaped box-like apparatus (or thaw body) that is open-ended on the side that would normally form the floor of the thaw body. This open-ended box is constructed with a high degree of insulating value and is designed to trap heat against the surface of frozen ground while also including a reflective inner surface. The heating requirements are supplied by the use of an externally mounted radiant propane heater that is commonly available in the marketplace today. This attachment is built into one of the short vertical walls on the end of the thaw body by placing the burner element of the radiant heater in the most outward opening of a vented heat transfer tube. The vented heat transfer tube is a cylindrical opening that passes from the outside of the thaw body so as to leave an air gap to allow for the free flow of air from inside the thaw body to the outside by the burner.

Abstract: A wireless communication system receives (402) a communication specifying a portable subscriber unit (122) for which the communication is intended, and further indicating an originator location at which an originator of the communication is positioned. The system determines (404) a recipient location at which the portable subscriber unit is positioned. The system then calculates (406) a distance between the originator location and the recipient location, and routes (412) the communication to the portable subscriber unit when the distance meets a distance criterion.

Abstract: A portable subscriber unit (122) provides (402) communications for a user, and monitors (404) a parameter indicative of communication quality during the communications. The portable subscriber unit compares (406) the parameter with a predetermined threshold; and when the communication quality deteriorates (408) such that the parameter reaches the predetermined threshold, the portable subscriber unit determines (412) geographic coordinates corresponding to the location at which the communication difficulty occurred, and adds (414) a communication difficulty report identifying the parameter and the geographic coordinates to a record of communication difficulty reports stored in the portable subscriber unit. When the portable subscriber unit receives (502) a request for the record of communication difficulty reports from a fixed portion (102) of a two-way wireless communication system, the portable subscriber unit communicates (504) the record of communication difficulty reports to the fixed portion.

Abstract: A wireless communication system conducts (402) communications between a fixed portion (102) of the wireless communication system and a portable subscriber unit (122) carried by a user; and records (404) a relevant aspect of the communications, thereby producing recorded information. The system determines (405) a current time of day and a current position of the user and makes (406) a comparison of the recorded information with the current time of day and the current position of the user to determine whether an alert is necessary, and generates (412) the alert when the comparison determines the alert is necessary.

Abstract: A wireless communication system receives (402) a communication specifying a portable subscriber unit (122) for which the communication is intended, and further indicating an originator location at which an originator of the communication is positioned. The system determines (404) a recipient location at which the portable subscriber unit is positioned. The system then calculates (406) a distance between the originator location and the recipient location, and routes (412) the communication to the portable subscriber unit when the distance meets a distance criterion.