Communications system recovery system

• US 8,285,879 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2010
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tantalus Systems Corp
• Original Assignee: Tantalus Systems Corp
• Inventors: Cheifot, Alexandre, Martin, Keith Richard, Aeberhardt, Peter Randolph
• Primary Examiner(s): DAILEY, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US12/805,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 709/248, 713/400, 714/4.1
• 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. For a network of stations having a Base Station, wherein each station sends messages to the Base Station and the sending of a message requires power, and each station is provided with power and each station has a clock and persistent memory and wherein the Base Station maintains a network time for the network stations to coordinate with, a method of recovering the state of the network stations upon the occurrence of a disturbance of that power and a resumption after the power disturbance, comprising the steps of:

each station, while powered,

(a) keeps in said memory, a copy of each message after said message is sent;

(b) indicates on said message copy the status as said message is being sent;

(c) stores time-stamps, based on each station'"'"'s clock, with each said message copy indicating a time of sending;

(d) upon the occurrence of the power disturbance and then the power resumption, sending to the Base Station, each said time-stamped message copies; and

the Base Station re-assembling the messages in chronological order based on said message copies; and

wherein said clock re-starts at the time said clock had upon the power disturbance and continues until said clock is able to be coordinated with the network time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said clock is coordinated with network time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, during the process of re-assembling, if the Base Station deduces that a message is missing, querying the relevant station to resend the missing sent message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of keeping in said memory is organized in the form of a circular buffer wherein the oldest message is overwritten by the most recent message sent.