Methods and apparatus for remote process control

Claim 2

A system according to claim 1, wherein either: I. A) the command processor provides services for access to information regarding the process control apparatus, and B) the process controller generates and transmits, over the network, requests for services provided by the command processor in order to at least one of monitor and control the process control apparatus, and, optionally, wherein the command processor provides services for at least one of (i) creating a named object that stores information regarding the process control apparatus, (ii) destroying such an object, (iii) accessing information in such an object, (iv) updating information in such an object, (v) determining, from an object name, a physical address associated with such an object, and (vi) providing notification of changes in at least selected information stored in such an object; or II. the client digital data processor and the server digital data processor are located remotely with respect to one another; or III. the server digital data processor selectively transfers the applet over the network to the client digital data processor for execution within the virtual environment defined thereby; or IV. A) the process controller transfers commands over the network to the command processor for effecting a transfer of information regarding a status of the process control apparatus, and B) the command processor includes responds to such commands for generating information on the status of the process control apparatus for transferring that information to the process controller over the network, and, optionally, wherein the command processor responds to changes in the status of the process control apparatus and transferring information with respect thereto to the process controller over the network, and/or wherein the process controller responds to status information received from the command processor for generating a display representative thereof; or V. A) the server digital data processor comprises an information server, and B) the information client establishes communications with the information server over the network, in which case, optionally, wherein the information server selectively transfers the applet over the network to the information client for execution within the virtual environment defined thereby; or VI. A) the information server transfers hypertext markup language (HTML) information referencing the applet over the network to the information client, B) the information client generates a display based on the HTML information transferred from the information server, and C) the information client responds to a user command in response to such display for selectively transferring to the information server over the network a request for the applet; or VII. the network comprises at least one of an Intranet and Internet; or VIII. wherein the applet comprises at least one of JAVA bytecode and an intermediate code for interpretation within the virtual machine environment that is hardware-independent, operating system-independent and windows system-independent; or VIX. wherein the command processor comprises A) a JAVA application executing on the server digital data processor for transferring information at least one of to and from the network, B) a non-JAVA application program interface (API) for transferring information at least one of to and from the process control apparatus, and C) a JAVA/API application for transferring information between the JAVA application and the API.

Claim 5

A system according to claim 4, wherein either: I. the command processor provides services for at least one of (i) creating a named object that stores information regarding the process control apparatus, (ii) destroying such an object, (iii) accessing information in such an object, (iv) updating information in such an object, (v) determining, from an object name, a physical address associated with such an object, and (vi) providing notification of changes in at least selected information stored in such an object; or II. the client digital data processor and the server digital data processor are located remotely with respect to one another; or III. the server digital data processor selectively transfers the applet over the network to the client digital data processor for execution within the virtual environment defined thereby; or IV. A) the process controller transfers requests over the network to the command processor for effecting a transfer of information regarding a status of the process control apparatus, and B) the command processor includes responds to such requests for generating information on the status of the process control apparatus for transferring that information to the process controller over the network; or V. A) the server digital data processor comprises an information server, and B) the information client establishes communications with the information server over the network; or VI. the network comprises at least one of an Intranet and Internet; or VII. wherein the applet comprises at least one of JAVA bytecode and an intermediate code for interpretation within the virtual machine environment that is hardware-independent, operating system-independent and windows system-independent; or VIII. the command processor comprises A) a JAVA application executing on the server digital data processor for transferring information at least one of to and from the network, B) a non-JAVA application program interface (API) for transferring information at least one of to and from the process control apparatus, and C) a JAVA/API application for transferring information between the JAVA application and the API.

Claim 8

A system according to claim 7, wherein either: I. A) the JAVA applet configures the digital data processor to generate a message for accessing information concerning the process control apparatus, and B) the object manager responds to that message for (i) invoking the method to access the such information, and (ii) generating a message to supply that information to the JAVA applet, and, optionally, comprising an information client executing on the first digital data processor, the information client configuring the first digital data processor to request and receive the JAVA applet for execution within the virtual machine environment; or II. the process control apparatus is disposed remotely with respect to the first digital data processor; or III. comprising: A) a second digital data processor coupled to the process control apparatus, and B) a network, coupled to the first and second digital data processors for transferring messages therebetween.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 9, comprising either: I. the steps of selectively transferring the applet over the network from the server digital data processor to the client digital data processor for execution within the virtual environment defined thereby; or II. the steps of A) transferring commands over the network from the applet to the command processor for effecting a transfer of information regarding a status of the process control apparatus, and B) responding to such commands for generating information on the status of the process control apparatus and transferring that information over the network from the command processor to the process controller, and, optionally, comprising the step of responding to changes in the status of the process control apparatus for transferring information with respect thereto over the network from the command processor to the process controller, and/or the step of generating a display representative of the status of the process control apparatus; or III. A) executing a information server on the server digital data processor, B) executing an information client on the client digital data processor for establishing communications over the network with the and the information server, and, optionally, the step of selectively transferring the applet over the network from the information server to the information client for execution within the virtual environment defined thereby, and, further optionally, comprising the steps of A) transferring hypertext markup language (HTML) information referencing the applet over the network from the information server to the information client, B) generating, with the information client, a display based on the HTML information transferred from the information server, and C) responding to a user command in response to such display for selectively transferring a request for the applet from the information client to the information server; or IV. the step of using an Intranet and Internet as at least a portion of the network; or V. the step of executing as the applet at least one of JAVA bytecode and an intermediate code for interpretation within the virtual machine environment that is hardware-independent, operating system-independent and windows system-independent; or VI. the steps of A) executing a JAVA application on the server digital data processor to transfer information at least one of to and from the network, B) executing a non-JAVA application program interface (API) on the server digital data processor for transferring information at least one of to and from the process control apparatus, C) executing a JAVA/API application on the server digital data processor for transferring information between the JAVA application and the API.

Claim 13

A method according to claim 12, comprising either; I. A) generating with the JAVA applet a message for accessing information concerning the process control apparatus, and B) responding to that message with the object manager for (i) invoking the method to access the such information, and (ii) generating a message to supply that information to the JAVA applet, and, optionally, the step of configuring the first digital data processor as an information client for requesting and receiving the JAVA applet from an information server, and further optionally, the step of executing the information server on a second digital data processor; or II. the step of disposing the process control apparatus remotely with respect to the first digital data processor.