Author: claimsbot

We claim:

1. A method for transmitting information in a network having a plurality of nodes, one of which is a controller node, the method comprising:
(a) dividing time into frames, each frame comprising (i) a beacon slot for sending a beacon, (ii) a plurality of contention slots for sending requests for data slots, (iii) a header slot for sending a header which comprises a transmission schedule for the frame, (iv) a plurality of information summarization slots for sending summaries of the information, and (v) a plurality of data slots, each for data transmission by one of the nodes;
(b) permitting each of the plurality of nodes to reserve one of the plurality of data slots by sending the requests in the contention slots;
(c) maintaining a reservation of each of the plurality of data slots which is reserved by one of the plurality of nodes until said one of the plurality of nodes indicates that it has stopped transmitting;
(d) sending the header from the controller node, the transmission schedule in the header indicating the reservations; and
(e) sending the information from the nodes in accordance with the transmission schedule.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in step (b):
the nodes transmit the requests to reserve data slots;
in an absence of collision, the controller node assigns the data slots to the nodes and broadcasts the transmission schedule indicating assignments of the data slots to the nodes; and
if a node which has requested a data slot is not listed in the transmission schedule, the node retransmits its request.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein when the controller node fails, another node becomes the controller node and operates as the controller node using the transmission schedule.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the transmission schedule is used as a list of backup nodes in hierarchical order.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein:
each node sends an information summarization packet during a corresponding one of the information summarization slots; and
each node indicates that it has stopped transmitting by sending an end-of-transmission bit in its information summarization packet.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein:
each node records a power level of the information summarization packet sent by each of a plurality of other nodes to determine a listening cluster of nodes based at least partially on proximity; and
said each node listens to the nodes in the listening cluster.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein:
each node receives the information summarization packets sent by the nodes in its listening cluster, determines in accordance with the information summarization packets which information it wishes to receive, and listens only to the nodes sending the information that it wishes to receive.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the nodes in the network is assigned a priority from among a plurality of priorities, and wherein, when the network does not have sufficient capacity to permit all of the nodes to transmit the information, packets from the nodes having a highest priority are given preference.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein, at startup:
a node listens for transmissions during a predetermined time period;
if the transmissions are not detected during the predetermined time period, the node selects a random time at which to transmit its own beacon;
if, within the random time, the node hears the beacon from another node, the node starts normal operation; and
if, within the random time, the node does not hear the beacon from another node, the node transmits the beacon and functions as the controller node.
10. A device for operating as a node in a network having a plurality of nodes, one of which is a controller node, the network dividing time into frames, each frame comprising (i) a beacon slot for sending a beacon, (ii) a plurality of contention slots for sending requests for data slots, (iii) a header slot for sending a header which comprises a transmission schedule for the frame, (iv) a plurality of information summarization slots for sending summaries of the information, and (v) a plurality of data slots, each for data transmission by one of the nodes, the device comprising:
a communication component for communicating with a plurality of other devices within the network; and
a processor, operatively connected to the communication component, for controlling an operation of the communication component such that the device performs the following operational steps:
(a) permitting the node to reserve one of the plurality of data slots by sending the request in one of the contention slots;
(b) if the request is granted, maintaining a reservation of one of the plurality of data slots until the reservation is no longer needed, and setting an end-of-stream bit in a packet in a corresponding information summarization slot indicating that the reservation is no longer needed;
(c) receiving the header from the controller node, the transmission schedule in the header indicating the reservations; and
(d) sending the information in accordance with the transmission schedule.
11. The device of claim 10, wherein, at startup, the processor further controls the communication component to perform the following operational steps:
(e) listening for transmissions during a predetermined time period;
(f) if the transmissions are not detected during the predetermined time period, selecting a random time at which to transmit its own beacon;
(g) if, within the random time, the device hears the beacon from another node, starting normal operation; and
(h) if, within the random time, the device does not hear the beacon from another node, transmitting the beacon and functions as the controller node.
12. The device of claim 10, wherein, when the controller node fails, the processor further controls the communication device such that the device functions as the controller node in accordance with a list of backup nodes.
13. The device of claim 12, wherein the list of backup nodes is based on the transmission schedule.
14. A method for transmitting information in a network having a plurality of nodes, one of which is a controller node, the method comprising:
(a) dividing time into frames, each frame comprising a plurality of data slots, each for data transmission by one of the nodes;
(b) permitting each of the plurality of nodes to reserve one of the plurality of data slots;
(c) maintaining a reservation of each of the plurality of data slots which is reserved by one of the plurality of nodes until said one of the plurality of nodes indicates that it has stopped transmitting;
(d) sending a transmission schedule indicating the reservations from the controller node; and
(e) sending the information from the nodes in accordance with the transmission schedule.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A method of providing light in conjunction with a scent-producing product andor a scent-producing facility that includes the scent-producing product, the method comprising:
A) providing at least one light system, comprising at least one light source controllable by a processor for generating radiation of one or more colors andor one or more brightness levels;
B) disposing the at least one light system in proximity to the scent-producing facility so as to generate the radiation in proximity to the scent-producing facility andor the scent-producing product; and
C) generating at least one selected color of the radiation in response to a signal from the processor.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal relates to data indicative of a condition of the scent-producing product.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising sensing at least one condition in an environment proximate to the scent-producing facility, wherein C) comprises generating the at least one selected color of the radiation based at least in part on the sensed at least one condition.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
D) varying a scent produced by the scent-producing product; and
E) varying the at least one selected color of the radiation based at least in part on D).
5. The method of claim 1, wherein:
B) comprises disposing the at least one light system in proximity to the scent-producing facility so as to illuminate at least a portion of the scent-producing facility andor the scent-producing product with the radiation; and
C) comprises generating the at least one selected color of the radiation so as to cause a color change of the scent-producing facility andor the scent-producing product.
6. An apparatus, comprising:
a scent-producing facility that includes a scent-producing product; and
at least one light system comprising at least one light source controllable by a processor for generating radiation of one or more colors andor one or more brightness levels, the at least one light system disposed proximate to the scent-producing facility and configured to generate at least one selected color of the radiation in response to a signal from the processor.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the scent-producing product comprises a liquid or a gel.
8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the scent-producing facility comprises a household air-freshener.
9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising at least one sensor for monitoring at least one condition in an environment proximate to the apparatus, wherein the at least one controller controls the at least one light source andor the scent-producing facility based at least in part on the monitored at least one condition.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to monitor germ, bacteria or other contamination levels in the environment proximate to the apparatus.
11. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one LED-based light source for generating light having one or more colors andor one or more brightness levels;
a scent-producing facility for producing at least one scent from a scent-producing product; and
at least one controller for controlling the at least one LED-based light source and the scent-producing facility so as to generate the light in coordination with the at least one scent.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one controller receives at least one control signal from an external source for controlling the at least one light source andor the scent-producing facility.
13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the scent-producing facility comprises an air-freshener, and wherein the at least one LED-based light source comprises an LED-based night light.
14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one controller controls the at least one LED-based light source based at least in part on at least one condition associated with the scent-producing facility, the scent-producing product or the at least one scent.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one condition comprises an amount of the scent-producing product, a quality of the at least one scent, a strength of the scent, or a remaining life of the scent-producing facility.
16. A method, comprising:
A) generating at least one scent; and
B) generating light via at least one LED-based light source, wherein at least one characteristic of the light is based at least in part on the at least one scent.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating the at least one scent andor the at least one characteristic of the light based at least in part on at least one environmental condition.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one environmental condition includes germ, bacteria or other contamination levels.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one scent and the at least one characteristic of light share at least one correlated aesthetic attribute.
20. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating the at least one characteristic of light based at least in part on at least one condition associated with the at least one scent.

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:
in response to receiving a request to execute an executable code stored at a code location in a memory, sending a memory allocation request for a memory region within the memory;
mapping the executable code into a code region within the memory region; and
executing the executable code from the code region.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory region is allocated with readwrite privilege, wherein the mapping of the executable code comprises:
sending a memory de-allocation request to de-allocate the code region from the memory region; and
sending a memory mapping request to re-allocate the code region with execution privilege for the executable code.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request includes function parameters for the execution of the executable code, wherein the executable code includes location offsets, wherein the execution of the executable code comprises:
determining data locations within the memory region according the location offsets relative to the code region; and
updating the function parameters into the data locations within the memory region, wherein the function parameters are retrieved from the data locations during the execution based on the location offsets.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable is associated with a signature statically signed over the executable code, further comprising:
retrieving the executable code from a storage device;
validating the executable code cryptographically according to the signature; and
loading, if the executable code is validated, the executable code into the code location in the memory.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the retrieval of the executable code is based on a network interface remotely coupled with the storage device.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable code is generated dynamically by a code generation library, wherein the code generation library is associated with a signature statically signed over the code generation library.
7. A data processing system, comprising:
a storage device storing an application code, executable codes linked with the application code and a signature statically signed over the application code and the executable codes;
a processor coupled to the storage device to execute instructions;
a memory coupled to the processor to store the instructions executed by the processor, wherein the instructions include:
a first executable code including location settings stored at a source code location in the memory, the first executable code being loaded from the executable codes in the storage device;
a second executable code stored at a target code location in the memory, the second executable code includes instructions of the first executable code;
a third executable code being loaded from the executable codes in the storage device, the third executable code to:
in response to receiving a request including function parameters to perform a function based on the first executable code, determine a data location in the memory for storing the function parameters,
determine the target code location in the memory according to the data location and the location settings, and
map the first executable to the target code location as the second executable code to perform the function referencing the stored function parameters;

a code loader module to retrieve the application code and the executable codes from the storage device into the memory; and
a code verification module to validate the retrieved application codes and the executable codes according to the signature.
8. A data processing system, comprising:
a memory storing a first executable code and a second executable code, the second executable code being stored at a code location; and
a processor coupled to the memory to execute the first executable code to:
in response to receiving a request to execute the second executable code, send a memory allocation request for a memory region within the memory,
map the second executable code into a code region within the memory region, and
execute the second executable code from the code region.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A propulsion system comprising:
an engine defining an axis, the engine including a fan; and
a nacelle circumscribing the engine, wherein a distance between a forwardmost point at the top of the nacelle and at the front of the nacelle to a forwardmost point of the fan is greater than a distance between a forwardmost point at the bottom of the nacelle and at the front of the nacelle.
2. The propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the axial and radial geometry of an inner surface of the nacelle above the engine axis differs from the axial and radial geometry of the inner surface of the nacelle below the engine axis to give an inlet centerline axis of the nacelle a cambered shape with respect to the engine axis.
3. A propulsion system comprising:
an engine defining an axis, the engine including a fan; and
a nacelle circumscribing the engine, wherein the axial and radial geometry of an inner surface of the nacelle above the engine axis differs from the axial and radial geometry of the inner surface of the nacelle below the engine axis to give an inlet centerline axis of the nacelle a cambered shape with respect to the engine axis.