Apparatus and method for interconnecting electronic products
First Claim
1. A switching network for interconnecting selected products of different electronic product groups on display, comprising:
- a plurality of nodes, each product on display being operatively connected to one node, and each node including a cooperating product selector switch for selectively activating said cooperating connected electronic product;
control means for supervising all network functions, said control means including a probe amplifier for confirming that any one of said nodes is connected to an electronic product;
a control terminal operatively connected to said control means, said control terminal including product selector means for activating selected products connected to said nodes; and
bus means for operatively connecting said plurality of nodes with said control means;
whereby a multi-product system is established for active demonstration of the selected electronic products.
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Abstract
A switching network including a plurality of nodes, one node connected to a product of different electronic product groups on display. Each node includes a satellite node microprocessor and a cooperating product selector switch for selectively actuating said cooperating connected electronic product. An indicator lamp is also provided at each node. Illumination of the lamp indicates an operating condition of the electronic product connected to the node. Further, each node includes an address memory to identify the node and the connected electronic product. The satellite node microprocessors of each node are operatively connected by a bus to a central control unit. The central control unit includes a host microprocessor for supervising all network functions and product selectors for actuating selected electronic products connected to the nodes. In accordance with the present method of interconnecting selected electronic products to establish a product system, is the assigning of an unique address number to each node and, hence, each connected electronic product. The method also includes the polling of the nodes to solicit service request messages from the nodes and the sending of product control commands to the nodes from the central control unit. Then comes the step of interconnecting those electronic products selected by service request messages and product control commands.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A switching network for interconnecting selected products of different electronic product groups on display, comprising:
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a plurality of nodes, each product on display being operatively connected to one node, and each node including a cooperating product selector switch for selectively activating said cooperating connected electronic product; control means for supervising all network functions, said control means including a probe amplifier for confirming that any one of said nodes is connected to an electronic product; a control terminal operatively connected to said control means, said control terminal including product selector means for activating selected products connected to said nodes; and bus means for operatively connecting said plurality of nodes with said control means; whereby a multi-product system is established for active demonstration of the selected electronic products. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A switching network for interconnecting selected products of different electronic product groups on display, comprising:
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at least one node, each product on display being operatively connected to one node and each node including a cooperating product selector switch for selectively activating said cooperating connected electronic product; control means for supervising all network functions, said control means including means for providing power to a selected number of electronic products connected to said at least one node while interrupting power to other electronic products of a particular product group so as to allow instantaneous comparison of the powered products while also conserving power; and bus means for operatively connecting said at least one node with said control means; whereby a multi-product system is established for active demonstration of selected electronic products.
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11. A switching network for interconnecting selected products of different electronic product groups on display, comprising:
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control means for supervising all network functions, said control means including means for providing power to a selected number of electronic products connected to said switching network while interrupting power to other electronic products of a particular product group so as to allow instantaneous comparison of the powered products while also conserving power; a control terminal operatively connected to said control means, said control terminal including product selector means for activating selected products connected to said switching network; and bus means for operatively connecting selected products of the different product groups on display; whereby a multi-product system is established for active demonstration of selected electronic products.
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12. A switching network for interconnecting selected products of different electronic product groups on display, comprising:
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a plurality of nodes, each product on display being operatively connected to one node, and each node including a cooperating product selector switch for selectively activating said cooperating connected electronic product; control means for supervising all network functions, said control means including means for providing power to any two electronic products connected to said nodes so as to allow instantaneous comparison of the two powered products while also conserving power; a control terminal operatively connected to said control means, said control terminal including product selector means for activating selected products connected to said nodes; and bus means for operatively connecting said plurality of nodes with said control means; whereby a multi-product system is established for active demonstration of the selected electronic products. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of interconnecting selected products of different electronic product groups on display utilizing a switching network including a plurality of nodes, one node operatively connected to each product on display, and a central control unit operatively connected to said nodes, comprising the steps of:
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assigning an unique address number to each node and, therefore, each connected electronic product; polling said nodes for work in order to solicit request for service messages from said nodes to said central control unit; sending product control commands to said nodes from said central control unit in response to request for service messages; interconnecting those electronic products selected by product control commands; maintaining power to two and only two electronic products in a single product group so as to allow instantaneous comparison of the two powered products while also conserving power; whereby a multi-product system is established for active demonstration of the selected electronic products. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification