Communications system of heterogeneous elements

• US 7,802,015 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2004
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tantalus Systems Corp
• Original Assignee: Tantalus Systems Corp
• Inventors: Aeberhardt, Peter Randolph, Martin, Keith Richard, Cheifot, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Thu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dailey; Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US10/763,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20050172024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,430 Days
• Field of Search: 709/228, 709/248, 713/400
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A communications system for a network of stations, is provided where stations identify themselves upon being informed of the desires of an inquisitor station. Additionally, techniques for “plug and play”, self-healing and homogenizing the heterogeneous parts of a network, are provided.

Claims

1. A communications network comprising:

a first heterogeneous element, comprising a processer and network interface, which produces a first output;

a second heterogeneous element, comprising a processer and network interface connected to said first heterogeneous element, which produces a second output;

wherein said first heterogeneous element provides a service to said second heterogeneous element to make said second output appear to be of an element that has the same time sentient nature as said first heterogeneous element,

wherein first heterogeneous element is a fuller functional station having a set of features and is fully time sentient, where fully time sentient means said fuller functional station has a clock that is coordinated with the time of a third station, and

wherein said second heterogeneous element is a lesser functional station having a reduced set of features than said fuller functional station and has a clock that cannot be coordinated with said third station and is equipped to send a Contextual Addressing Scheme message but cannot receive a Contextual Addressing Scheme message,

said Contextual Addressing Scheme message has an idealized format comprising two mutually distinct components of [Contextual Function of Contextual Variables] and [Payload],

wherein the service includes approximating, by said first heterogeneous element, said second output as a time output of a fuller functional station coordinated with said third station for said second heterogeneous element.

2. The communications network of claim 1, wherein said lesser functional station inherits a Contextual Attribute from said lesser functional station'"'"'s custodial, fuller functional station.

3. The communications network of claim 1, wherein said fuller functional station has a back-up battery and the lesser functional station does not have a back-up battery.

4. The communications network of claim 1, wherein each station is time-sentient.

5. The communications network of claim 1, wherein the time-sentience of one station means that the station has an internal counter that cannot coordinate with the time outside the station, and the time-sentience of a second station means that the second station has an internal counter that does coordinate with time outside that second station.