Transmitter Instant Messaging Interface in a Distributed Control System
First Claim
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1. A distributed process control system, comprising:
- a control component;
a field device;
a process control network communicably coupling the control component to the field device;
a first instant messaging (IM) component and IM user interface, associated with the control component;
a second IM component and IM user interface, associated with the field device;
said first and second IM components configured to enable users respectively located at the control component and the field device to generate, send and receive IM communications via the process control network.
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Abstract
A distributed process control system and method, includes a control component, a field device, and a process control network communicably coupling the control component to the field device. A first instant messaging (IM) component and IM user interface is associated with the control component, a second IM component and IM user interface is associated with the field device. The first and second IM components are configured to enable users respectively located at the control component and the field device to generate, send and receive IM communications via the process control network.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A distributed process control system, comprising:
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a control component; a field device; a process control network communicably coupling the control component to the field device; a first instant messaging (IM) component and IM user interface, associated with the control component; a second IM component and IM user interface, associated with the field device; said first and second IM components configured to enable users respectively located at the control component and the field device to generate, send and receive IM communications via the process control network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of enabling user communication in a distributed process control system, the method comprising:
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(a) communicably coupling a control component to a process control network; (b) communicably coupling a field device (FD) to the process control network; (c) associating a first instant messaging (IM) component and IM user interface with the control component; (d) associating a second IM component and IM user interface with the FD; (e) configuring the first and second IM components and IM interfaces to enable users respectively located at the control component and the FD to generate, send, and receive IM communications via the process control network. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. An article of manufacture for enabling user communication in a distributed process control system, the article of manufacture comprising:
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a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer usable medium having; computer readable program code for; (a) communicably coupling a control component to a process control network; (b) communicably coupling a field device (FD) to the process control network; (c) associating a first instant messaging (IM) component and IM user interface with the control component; (d) associating a second IM component and IM user interface with the FD; (e) configuring the first and second IM components and IM interfaces to enable users respectively located at the control component and the FD to generate, send, and receive IM communications via the process control network.
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27. A distributed industrial process control system, comprising:
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a control component; a transmitter; a data historian; an industrial process control network running a protocol selected from the group consisting of FoxCom, HART, Foundation Field Bus, Modbus, Profibus, Zigbee™
(IEEE 802.15.4), DeviceNet, ControlNet, Ethemet/IP, DH+, Intranet, and combinations thereof,the process control network communicably coupled to the control component, the transmitter, and the data historian; a first instant messaging (IM) component and IM user interface, associated with the control component; a second IM component and IM user interface disposed within a handheld configurator directly coupled to the transmitter; the transmitter being a multi-function communication device configured as both a process data transmitter, and as a network access point for two-way human-language IM communications, using the network protocol; said first and second IM components configured to enable users respectively located at the control component and the transmitter to form a chat room session to generate, send and receive human-readable IM communications via the network protocol, independently of any external networks; and the data historian configured to record the IM communications.
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Specification