Timeout object for object-oriented, real-time process control system and method of operation thereof

• US 6,687,730 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2001
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kaakani, Ziad M., Thomas, Christian R., Hawkinson, Ellen B., Clarke, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Banankhah, Majid A.
• Application Number:
  US09/826,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20010018700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 709/100, 709/101, 709/102, 709/103, 709/104, 709/108, 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 718/100, 718/101, 718/102, 718/103, 718/104
• US Class Current: 718/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

For use in time-limiting a request for information from a client to a resource, a timeout object, a method of operating the same and a real-time process control system employing the timeout object or the method. In one embodiment, the timeout object includes: (1) a client interface that receives, from the client, the request and a time-based parameter and (2) a resource interface that forwards the request to the resource and waits for the information an amount of time that is a function of the time-based parameter, the client interface: (2a) returning the information to the client if the timeout object receives the information within the amount of time and (2b) returning a timeout indicator to the client if the timeout object fails to receive the information within the amount of time.

Claims

1. A computer system that time-limits a request for information from a client to a resource and that has a timeout object that comprises:

a client interface that receives, from said client, said request and a time-based parameter; and

a resource interface that forwards said request to said resource and waits for said information an amount of time that is a function of said time-based parameter, said client interface;

returning said information to said client if said timeout object receives said information within said amount of time, and

returning a timeout indicator to said client if said timeout object fails to receive said information within said amount of time.

2. The computer system as recited in claim 1 wherein said timeout indicator indicates whether said resource was available to provide said information.

3. The computer system as recited in claim 1 wherein said timeout indicator indicates whether said resource successfully processed said request.

4. The computer system as recited in claim 1 wherein said amount of time terminates when said timeout object receives said information from said resource.

5. The computer system as recited in claim 1 wherein said client interface is capable of receiving a subsequent request from said client to extend said amount of time.

6. The computer system as recited in claim 1 wherein said timeout object is a Component Object Module (COM)-compliant object.

7. The computer system as recited in claim 1 wherein said resource is an Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) for Process Control (OPC)-compliant object.

8. A computer implemented method of time-limiting a request for information from a client to a resource, comprising:

receiving, from said client, said request and a time-based parameter;

forwarding said request to said resource;

waiting for said information an amount of time that is a function of said time-based parameter;

returning said information to said client if said timeout object receives said information within said amount of time; and

returning a timeout indicator to said client if said timeout object fails to receive said information within said amount of time.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said timeout indicator indicates whether said resource was available to provide said information.

10. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said timeout indicator indicates whether said resource successfully processed said request.

11. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said amount of time terminates when said timeout object receives said information from said resource.

12. The method as recited in claim 8 further comprising receiving a subsequent request from said client to extend said amount of time.

13. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said timeout object is a Component Object Module (COM)-compliant object.

14. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said resource is an Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) for Process Control (OPC)-compliant object.