diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/poi/util/HexDump.java b/src/java/org/apache/poi/util/HexDump.java
index 4eac10f37..4e0cfd35a 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/poi/util/HexDump.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/poi/util/HexDump.java
@@ -183,6 +183,24 @@ public class HexDump
         return _cbuffer;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Converts the parameter to a hex value.
+     *
+     * @param value     The value to convert
+     * @return          A String representing the array of bytes
+     */
+    public static String toHex(final byte[] value)
+    {
+        StringBuffer retVal = new StringBuffer();
+        retVal.append('[');
+        for(int x = 0; x < value.length; x++)
+        {
+            retVal.append(toHex(value[x]));
+            retVal.append(", ");
+        }
+        retVal.append(']');
+        return retVal.toString();
+    }
     /**
      * Converts the parameter to a hex value.
      *
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/poi/util/LittleEndian.java b/src/java/org/apache/poi/util/LittleEndian.java
index 3621423a9..6c7a4f4d2 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/poi/util/LittleEndian.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/poi/util/LittleEndian.java
@@ -94,6 +94,18 @@ public class LittleEndian
         return (short) getNumber(data, offset, SHORT_SIZE);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * get a short array from a byte array.
+     */
+    public static short[] getSimpleShortArray(final byte[] data, final int offset, final int size)
+    {
+        short[] results = new short[size];
+        for (int i = 0; i < size; i++)
+        {
+            results[i] = getShort(data, offset + 2 + (i * 2));
+        }
+        return results;
+    }
     /**
      * get a short array from a byte array.  The short array is assumed
      * to start with a word describing the length of the array.
@@ -101,11 +113,7 @@ public class LittleEndian
     public static short[] getShortArray(final byte[] data, final int offset)
     {
         int size = (short) getNumber(data, offset, SHORT_SIZE);
-        short[] results = new short[size];
-        for (int i = 0; i < size; i++)
-        {
-            results[i] = getShort(data, offset + 2 + (i * 2));
-        }
+        short[] results = getSimpleShortArray(data, offset, size);
         return results;
     }
 
@@ -566,5 +574,22 @@ public class LittleEndian
     {
         return getUnsignedByte(data, 0);
     }
+    /**
+     * Copy a portion of a byte array
+     *
+     * @param data the original byte array
+     * @param offset Where to start copying from.
+     * @param size Number of bytes to copy.
+     *
+     * @throws IndexOutOfBoundsException - if copying would cause access of data
+     *                                     outside array bounds.
+     */
+    public static byte[] getByteArray(final byte[] data, int offset, int size)
+    {
+        byte[] copy = new byte[size];
+        System.arraycopy(data, offset, copy, 0, size);
+
+        return copy;
+    }
 
 }