Mettler-Toledo Gmbh

Endforce, Inc.

Sophos Limited

Kevin A Russo

Raymond John Bell

Kenneth E Mulh

Mark A Beadles

William S Emerick

Ronald W Tamkin

Daniel J Hackathorne

J Thomas King

Thomas J King

A Scale Integration Framework that allows secondary applications installed on a PC-based scale or at a remote location to interact with a Scale Application that controls the scale equipment in accordance with applicable requirements. The scale integration framework comprises a plurality of Integration Points within the Scale Application such that other value added applications can interact with the Scale Application at these Integration Points.

Integration of an external software application(s) with a scale software application

User interface and policy loading aspects of a policy-based, outsourced, network management system. In one aspect, a user selects policies using a graphical user interface (GUI) with a two paned window having a tree view of the policies in one pane. In another aspect, the policies are (1) created in the GUI format (e.g., XML), (2) sent over a network (e.g., the internet) to a service center in the same format, and (3) are loaded, manipulated and stored in the same format. In another aspect, the initial loading of the policies is done using a bulk loader in a logic layer. In another aspect, the logic layer also includes a configuration checker which handles changes or additions to policies in a finished network management system. Any aspects of the new or changed policy that are inconsistent with the finished system are parsed and stripped out. In another aspect, where the details of a new policy or change aren't specified, a base configuration creator creates a policy with minimal attributes. In another aspect, the logic layer also contains a device control console, which allows bypassing the policy creating and configuring to allow a user to directly access a device for configuration.

Selection and storage of policies in network management

Food service workers prepare a number of items throughout the day at a food counter, so the workers may need to track process steps for entirely different processes that are running concurrently. For example, the worker may need to remove a pizza from an oven one moment, and remove breadstick dough from a refrigerator one minute later. A programmable weighing scale guides users through process steps of a process, and tracks completion time of process steps for multiple processes, and alerts a food service worker when a next step in one of multiple, concurrently running processes needs to be completed. Because data stored for each process can be selected throughout, for example, an entire working day, the controller of the weighing scale can track timing requirements for each step of each process. The weighing apparatus is independent of other apparatuses used in completing the process steps (e.g., refrigerators, ovens, mixers, etc.), so it can track process steps that involve various apparatuses that may be needed to complete the processes. An alert for one process step associated with one process can be presented within the duration of an entirely different process step for an entirely different process.

Programmable weighing scale that tracks completion time for a process step for multiple concurrent processes

A system for alerting an operator of a weighing apparatus is described. The weighing apparatus may be capable of displaying a message in a message area to an operator. The message may be displayed in response to a command sent from a remote device.

System and method for alerting an operator

The present invention provides device configuration and policy configuration data to network devices over a public network, e.g., the internet. A secure communication link is first established over the public network to the network device. Next, policy and configuration information is downloaded to the network device using that secure communication link. In one embodiment, the communication link is an IPSec tunnel. In particular, the network policy may include a virtual private network (VPN) policy. The invention addresses the secure downloading of configuration and policy information, which has not been an issue in prior art devices where there was an ability to provide such information internally to a network, without the need to go over the internet.

Device plug-in system for configuring network device over a public network

A policy engine in a policy-based, outsourced, network management system. In one embodiment, the management system is multi-layered, modular and stores device configuration data in non-device specific format, which are subsequently translated to device-specific format by lower layers of the management system. The non-device specific format is the same (e.g., XML) as that used to create the policies with the user GUI (e.g., browser) and transport them to the service center over the internet. A database stores a policy directory in a hierarchical format that is separate from a policy store (configuration store) for devices in a flat (non-hierarchical or parallel) format. In one embodiment, a policy engine develops policies in a hierarchical format, but then stores the device schema, or objects, in a low-level, flat database. Multiple hierarchical services which impact a single device have the characteristics related to that device knitted together, and then fed back to a policy store database as a flat file for that device, in a non-device specific format. Thus, instead of storing the policies separately, and in hierarchical linked format, the device descriptions are stored with the aspects of all policies that affect that device.

Growing community of inventors

Lewis Center, OH, United States of America

Kevin A Russo