Abstract: A piston and connecting rod assembly configured for high compressive loading, or arduous duty cycle, such as in a two-stroke compression-ignition (diesel) internal combustion engine incorporates a spherical or cylindrical bearing between the piston and the connecting rod small end. A closed unitary retaining ring with a threaded circumference securing the piston and connecting rod together. The retaining ring has a profiled aperture or slot to allow installation by passage over the connecting rod.

Abstract: The method for transmitting a communication signal comprising a plurality of units of information includes transmitting the plurality of units of information via a predetermined number of channel resources; determining a number of the plurality of units remaining in at least a portion of the communication signal; based on the predetermined number of channel resources, adjusting the number of the plurality of units remaining to produce an adjusted number of units remaining; and transmitting the adjusted number of units remaining to the wireless communication system.

Abstract: In a piston and connecting rod assembly, for an internal combustion engine with a spherical connecting rod small-end entrained in a hollow piston body by a retention ring, a chamber serving as a localized reservoir for lubricant and/or coolant (oil) is incorporated in the underside of a piston crown along with passages or grooves communicating between the reservoir and a coolant gallery in the piston crown for continuous interchange of lubricant (such as oil) between gallery and reservoir and then lubricant return, over small end (upper and lower) part-spherical bearing surfaces to the retention ring and through lubricant passages in the ring to an engine crankcase, thereby affording an overall circulatory, lubricant feed and drainage path.

Abstract: A method, access point device and a plurality of peripheral devices provide for controlling a space diversity switch in a time division duplex system. The method includes: inputting data to a peripheral; generating a CRC.sub.1 in a peripheral; transmitting the data and the CRC.sub.1 ; receiving, by an access point device, the data with the CRC.sub.1 ; extracting CRC.sub.1 and generating CRC.sub.2 from received data; determining whether CRC.sub.1 and CRC.sub.2 are equal and where CRC.sub.1 and CRC.sub.2 are equal, failing to generate a repeat request; where CRC.sub.1 and CRC.sub.2 are unequal, generating a repeat request; determining whether a number of requests=N; where the number of requests.noteq.N, incrementing a counter and returning to receiving the data with the CRC.sub.1 ; and where the number of requests=N, resetting the counter, changing an antenna state and returning to receiving, by an access point device, the data with the CRC.sub.1.

Abstract: A network protocol method (300), access point device (600) and peripheral devices (700, 800) provide an efficient centrally coordinated peer-to-peer wireless communications network wherein the access point device: (1) broadcasts a block assignment that specifies a wireless source peripheral device and a wireless destination peripheral device; (2) receives, from the wireless destination peripheral device, sequence information; (3) determines whether the sequence information represents one of: a negative acknowledgment and a positive acknowledgment with a sequence number; (4) forwards an acknowledgment to the wireless source peripheral based on the sequence information, and repeats steps (1)-(4) until N blocks of data, N a predetermined integer, have been transferred from the wireless source peripheral to the wireless destination peripheral.

Abstract: A method, access point device and a perpherical device provide low complexity dynamic persistence for random access in a wireless communication system. The peripheral device includes: A) a block assignment receiver, for receiving a block assignment having a source address which contains a contention address and a persistence level and identifying the contention address and reading the persistence level; B) a random number generator, coupled to the block assignment receiver, for generating a random number based on the persistence level; and C) a persistence based transmitter, coupled to the random number generator, for transmitting a payload burst containing a resource request based on the random number and the persistence level.

Abstract: Bathtub or shower stall liner vacuum forming system for the forming of a liner to be positioned over an existing bathtub comprises a bathtub liner vacuum machine, a plumbing apparatus and a lift for moving the plumbing apparatus. The bathtub liner vacuum machine comprises a frame member, a track member, an oven and a skirt forming member. The plumbing apparatus includes a conventional plumbing fixture, a manifold, mesh member and a vacuum pump. Upon positioning of the formable member within the frame member and skirt forming member, the frame member is rolled along the track member into the oven. When the formable member is heated to the desired temperature, the bathtub is positioned into contact with the formable member and the air trapped therebetween is removed with the aid of the vacuum pump. As the air is evacuated, the formable member takes on the configuration of the conventional plumbing apparatus and mesh member. The invention further includes a method for forming a bathtub liner.

Abstract: A method of synchronizing a fixed access unit (16) into a time division multiple access (TDMA) system (10). The method includes the steps of receiving a first timing advance channel time slot (86) at the fixed access unit (16), sending a message advanced in time by an offset value over a second time slot (88), receiving an acknowledgment from the TDMA system (10) that the message was received, and advancing a subsequently transmitted communication based on the offset value.