Star Trek: 10 Things You Need To Know About Transporters
2. God Bless The Pattern Buffer
The Pattern Buffer is a part of the transporter that stores the information due to be sent from one location to the next. This, combined with the Doppler Compensators, allowed the device to factor in any changes during transport that may have occurred after hitting send. With that said, there were many more uses for the component, beyond its initial design.
The most well-known jury-rigging of a Pattern Buffer came when the Enterprise-D discovered the downed USS Jenolan on the Dyson Sphere. With the ship all but destroyed, Captain Montgomery Scott and another crewman, Matt Franklin, programmed the Pattern Buffers to lock into a continuous diagnostic cycle, effectively keeping them in stasis. The theory was only half-successful - Scotty rematerialized, but Franklin went the way of the red shirts.
The Pattern Buffers also stored all information from each transporter, which in turn allowed them to keep something of medical history for travelers. In Favorite Son, the crew of Voyager were able to determine the truth behind Harry Kim's supposed return 'home', as alien DNA is traced back through his trips in the transporter.
The Buffers could be extended to carry several dozen travelers at a time, though this was rarely advised, as too much information could cause them to malfunction.