An intelligent network interface card (INIC) or communication processing device (CPD) works with a host computer for data communication. The device provides a fast-path that avoids protocol processing for most messages, greatly accelerating data transfer and offloading time-intensive processing tasks...http://www.google.de/patents/US20040003126?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20040003126 - TCP/IP offload network interface device
