Wizard builder, for application software, building a setup wizard which sets up a defacto interface between the application program and monitoring or control equipment

• US 7,356,773 B1
• Filed: 12/27/2001
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Valmet Flow Control Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ExperTune, Inc. (Neles Oyj)
• Inventors: Barraclough, Richard Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): PITARO, RYAN F
• Application Number:
  US10/034,467
• Time in Patent Office: 2,294 Days
• Field of Search: 345705-715, 345762-763, 717/174, 715/762, 715/705
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A computer program wizard builder. A method and apparatus are provided whereby a person not familiar with computer programming or computer programming languages can run a wizard to create or alter another wizard which sets up an application program with connection details and properties of industrial monitoring or control equipment. The method allows the setup wizard to be moved to other computers by a person with no computer programming skills. The method is a wizard which builds another wizard. The new wizard is a setup wizard which sets up or forms a de facto interface between the application program and the monitoring or control equipment.

Claims

1. A computer program process, called a wizard builder, executable on a computer, for adapting an application program to function with a Single Loop Controller, Programmable Logic Controller, or Distributed Control System, wherein the wizard builder constructs a setup wizard which sets up a de facto interface between a Single Loop Controller, Programmable Logic Controller, or Distributed Control System and the application program, wherein the setup wizard is constructed by means of asking a human user of the application program for answers to simple verbal questions, in English or other language convenient to a human user, about the model and manufacturer of the Single Loop Controller, Programmable Logic Controller, or Distributed Control System, and wherein the wizard builder does not require a human user to have any knowledge of writing or using computer programs.

2. The process of claim 1, further comprising a computer program process, wherein a human user of the application program can alter the setup wizard, thus creating another setup wizard, which can be run to set up an application program with connection details and properties of other Single Loop Controllers, Programmable Logic Controllers, or Distributed Control Systems.

3. The process of claim 1, further comprising a computer program process, wherein the setup wizard constructed by the computer program process is adapted to be moved to another computer by a human user without any knowledge of writing computer programs.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein the setup wizard is in the form of a disk file that can be readily moved to another computer.

5. The process of claim 2, wherein the setup wizard is adapted to be altered by the wizard builder program which displays original answers to the verbal or other suitable language questions and provides a prompt for a human user to enter new answers about the Single Loop Controller, Programmable Logic Controller, or Distributed Control System.

6. The process of claim 1, further comprising a server program which contains data values for many Single Loop Controllers, Programmable Logic Controllers, or Distributed Control Systems, and wherein the setup wizard runs and sets up a de facto interface between the application program, and the server program.

7. The process of claim 1, further comprising a process for creating the setup wizard comprising the steps of:

(a) the user'"'"'s instructing the wizard builder to create a setup wizard,

(b) the wizard builder'"'"'s displaying verbal questions for the user requesting details of connection to, and operating properties of, or both, a first Single Loop Controller, Programmable Logic Controller, or Distributed Control System, and subsequently, in sequence, of any other Single Loop Controller, Programmable Logic Controller, or Distributed Control System having different connection details or operating properties, and

(c) the wizard builder'"'"'s storing answers in a setup wizard file which defines the setup wizard.

8. The process of claim 1, further comprising creating a setup wizard file, and further comprising a process for altering the setup wizard comprising the steps of:

(a) the user'"'"'s instructing the wizard builder to alter the setup wizard,

(b) the wizard builder'"'"'s rerunning the verbal questions asked when the setup wizard file was created,

(c) the wizard builder'"'"'s setting default answers to the verbal questions from the setup wizard file,

(d) if the user alters a previous answer, the wizard builder'"'"'s altering the setup wizard file,

(e) the wizard builder'"'"'s asking the user by verbal questions for details of connection to, or operating properties of, or both, a first Single Loop Controller, Programmable Logic Controller, or Distributed Control System, and subsequently, in sequence, any other Signal Loop Controller, Programmable Logic Controller, or Distributed Control System having different connections details or operating properties, and

(f) the wizard builder'"'"'s storing any alternate answers in the setup wizard file.

9. The process of claim 1, further comprising creating a setup wizard file, and further comprising a process for running a setup wizard comprising the steps of:

(a) the user'"'"'s asking the setup wizard to run,

(b) the setup wizard'"'"'s reading the setup wizard file,

(c) the setup wizard'"'"'s determining whether the answers to verbal questions are already in the setup wizard file or can be inferred from the answers in the setup wizard file, and

(d) if the answer in the preceding step is yes, stopping the process,

whereby the application program is left in a state of having connection details and properties of the Single Loop Controllers, Programmable Logic Controllers, or Distributed Control Systems.

10. The process of claim 1, further comprising creating a setup wizard file, and further comprising a process for running a setup wizard comprising the steps of:

(a) the user'"'"'s asking the setup wizard to run,

(b) the setup wizard'"'"'s reading the setup wizard file,

(c) the setup wizard'"'"'s determining whether the answers to all the verbal questions are already in the setup wizard file or can be inferred from the answers in the setup wizard file,

(d) if the answer to the preceding question is no, the setup wizard'"'"'s asking the user for information that is unique to a new Single Loop Controller, Programmable Logic Controller, or Distributed Control System, and

(e) the setup wizard'"'"'s incorporating connection details and properties of a new Single Loop Controller, Programmable Logic Controller, or Distributed Control System,

whereby the application program is left in a state of having connection details and properties of the Single Loop Controller, Programmable Logic Controller, or Distributed Control System.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein the wizard builder computer program process is contained within the application software, and wherein a setup wizard file is held on a memory means within a computer.

12. The process of claim 1, wherein the computer program process wizard operates without the use of script files.

13. The process of claim 7, wherein the setup wizard file is adapted to be moved to another computer for use with the same or similar application program installed in the other computer.

14. The process of claim 8, wherein the setup wizard file is adapted to be moved to another computer for use with the same or similar application program installed in the other computer.

15. The process of claim 3 wherein the computer running the application program comprises a personal computer, containing a communications card and server software that drives and communicates with the communications card, and wherein the personal computer is running an operating system software means.

16. The process of claim 13, wherein the setup wizard file is adapted be moved to another computer by a process of using a transfer means selected from the group consisting of:

a floppy disk, serial link, network connection, or email.

17. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable memory means on which is recorded the computer program process of claim 3.

18. The process of transferring by a means for transferring computer programs in real time, the computer program process of claim 3.

19. An article of manufacture comprising a computer means programmed with the computer program process of claim 3.