Abstract: A digital media player integrated into the housing of the cassette adapter. A cassette shaped housing of a cassette adapter includes a removable portion suitable for accommodating a digital media player in place of the portion when removed. In a most preferred embodiment, the media player is an Apple iPod Shuffle. The digital media player is affixed and integrated into the housing by means of a groove, and is connected to the record-head of the adapter by an electronic coupling means capable of transmitting an audio signal; for instance, a TSR connector or stereo jack plug. Control means for the iPod Shuffle or other media player, including but not limited to play mode, track selection, and volume, can alternatively be integrated into the housing of the adapter, or can be embodied in a separate control housing connected to the circuitry in the main housing by a conducting cable.

Abstract: Nodes of a network become aware of services provided by the other nodes of the network. A node can store information in a registry that indicates services that the node itself can provide. A node can inform other nodes of services it provides by sending advertisements over the network. Each node can store advertisements from other nodes in a cache. When the node requires a service, it can inspect the registry and the cache to determine where the service can be obtained. If the node cannot find the service listed in the registry and cache, the node can send out a request for the service to the other nodes. A node receiving a request for a service can then check its registry and cache for the service and send a reply with information that allows the requesting node to obtain service from the node that provides the service.

Abstract: A software-defined GPS receiver includes a hardware-oriented front end for down converting and digitizing the signals received from GPS satellites. The GPS signal processing functions, such as acquisition/tracking and navigation computing, can be performed by software running on the receiver central processing unit (CPU), rather than by firmware in a custom hardware device such as an ASIC. The signal processing capabilities of the receiver can therefore be readily reconfigured (e.g., upgraded) to accommodate changes in the satellite signal transmissions. Moreover, by utilizing an operating environment architecture and application programs that are compliant with the Software Communications Architecture (SCA) specification, a distributed positioning system of scalable, portable, and compatible SCA-compliant software-defined GPS receivers can be realized.