Echelon Corporation

Echelon Systems Corporation

Robert L Einkauf

Glen Meyers Riley

Robert A Dolin

James M Von De Bur

Richard S Kagan

Robert A Doli, Jr

An improved programming interface which provides for event scheduling, improved variable declarations allowing for configuration of declaration parameters, and improved handling of I/O objects. In modern day computing devices and especially in networks of such devices it is important to provide for event scheduling; known computing devices allow for event scheduling based on the occurrence of a predefined event. However, such a system present shortfalls in that flexibility is not provided to allow scheduling based on any arbitrary condition. Therefore, it is disclosed to provide a programming environment which allows for event scheduling where the event may be any arbitrary condition thus providing increased flexibility in event driven programs. In addition, programs which run on such computing devices typically declare one or more variables; such variables having one or more parameters associated therewith. These parameters are set to a state by the programmer, which state presumably is the state expected by the programmer to be the optimal state. The present invention provides flexibility in allowing such states to be changed, for example at the time a network implementing the computing device is configured. Additionally, it is disclosed to have improved declaration and control of I/O devices providing for ease of use and flexibility.

Task scheduling in an event driven environment

Method and apparatus for treating a logical programming expression as an event in an event-driven computer environment

An improved apparatus and method for communicating information in a networked system wherein network variables are employed to accomplish such communication. Network variables allow for standardized communication of data between nodes in a network. A first node may be programmed, for example, to sense certain information and to report the information as a network variable X. A second node may be programmed to receive the variable X and to control devices based on the current value of the variable. The present invention provides for defining connections between the first and second node to facilitate such communication and for determining addressing information to allow for addressing of messages, including updates to the value of the variable X, between the nodes.

Method for enhancing the performance of a network

Selecting a protocol class of service for a network variable

Networked variables

An interface file structure for allowing transfer of information between nodes in a network and a binding process for configuring nodes in the network. The interface offers an advantageous format designed to provide for minimal reading and writing of records while requiring minimal storage space per record. Further, an advantageous format for storing numeric information is disclosed in which information providing the number of buffers allocated and the size of such buffers is stored in a single nibble thus reducing required storage space.

Method and apparatus for storing interface information in a computer

Method and apparatus using network variables in a multi-node network

Programming language structures for use in a network for communicating,

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Robert L Einkauf