System and method of providing an automatic back-up primary terminal for a cluster of secondary terminals

Claim 1

A method of providing continuous data servicing functions for a plurality of secondary terminals comprising the steps of: (a) providing a primary terminal and a back-up terminal, said primary terminal or said back-up terminal, when active, being considered a primary provider of said data servicing functions; (b) coupling said plurality of secondary terminals to said primary terminal and said back-up terminal over a network which enables a message from any one of said plurality of secondary terminals to be received simultaneously at said primary terminal and said back-up terminal; (c) utilizing a first time-out period and a indefinite order of turning on said first and second primary terminals to determine whether said primary terminal or said back-up terminal is to be active as said primary provider of said data servicing functions; (d) sending out polling signals over said network by whichever one of said primary terminal or said back-up terminal is said primary provider to enable said plurality of secondary terminals to receive said data servicing; (e) utilizing a lack of polling signals from said primary provider within a second time-out period for automatically switching to another one of said primary terminal or said back-up terminal to enable said another one to become a next said primary provider of said data servicing functions; and (f) using said next primary provider from step (e) as the primary provider of said data servicing functions until a failure thereof.

Claim 2

A method of providing continuous data servicing functions for a plurality of secondary terminals comprising the steps of: (a) providing a primary terminal and a back-up terminal, said primary terminal or said back-up terminal, when active, being considered a primary provider of said data servicing functions; (b) coupling said plurality of secondary terminals to said primary terminal and said back-up terminal over a network which enables a message from any one of said plurality of secondary terminals to be received simultaneously at said primary terminal and said back-up terminal; (c) utilizing a first time-out period and a indefinite order of turning on said first and second primary terminals to determine whether said primary terminal or said back-up terminal is to be active as said primary provider of said data servicing functions; (d) sending out polling signals over said network by whichever one of said primary terminal or said back-up terminal is said primary provider to enable said plurality of secondary terminals to receive said data servicing; (e) utilizing a lack of polling signals from said primary provider within a second time-out period for automatically switching to another one of said primary terminal or said back-up terminal to enable said another one to become a next said primary provider of said data servicing functions; and (f) using said next primary provider from step (e) as the primary provider of said data servicing functions until a failure thereof.

Claim 5

A method of providing continuous data servicing functions for a plurality of secondary terminals, with one of said data servicing functions being a backing up of totals to be stored; said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a primary terminal and a back-up terminal, said primary terminal or said back-up terminal, when active, being considered a primary provider of said data servicing functions; (b) coupling said plurality of secondary terminals to said primary terminal and said back-up terminal over a network which enables a message from any one of said plurality of secondary terminals to be received simultaneously at said primary terminal and said back-up terminal so as to enable said totals to be stored at said primary terminal and said back-up terminal; (c) utilizing a first time-out period and a indefinite order of turning on said first and second primary terminals to determine whether said primary terminal or said back-up terminal is to be active as said primary provider of said data servicing functions; (d) sending out polling signals over said network by whichever one of said primary terminal or said back-up terminal is said primary provider to enable said plurality of secondary terminals to receive said data servicing; and (e) utilizing a lack of polling signals from said primary provider within a second time-out period for determining that said primary provider is inoperative and for automatically switching to another one of said primary terminal or said back-up terminal to enable said another one to become a next said primary provider of said data servicing functions; (f) storing said totals on a log file at a next primary provider of said data servicing functions; and (g) transferring said totals on said log file from step (f) to said primary provider of step (e) after said primary provider of step (e) again becomes operative to enable said special data to be stored at said primary terminal and said back-up terminal; and (h) using said next primary provider from step (f) as the primary provider of said data servicing functions until the failure thereof.

Claim 6

A method of providing continuous data servicing functions for a plurality of secondary terminals, with one of said data servicing functions being a backing up of totals to be stored; said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a primary terminal and a back-up terminal, said primary terminal or said back-up terminal, when active, being considered a primary provider of said data servicing functions; (b) coupling said plurality of secondary terminals to said primary terminal and said back-up terminal over a network which enables a message from any one of said plurality of secondary terminals to be received simultaneously at said primary terminal and said back-up terminal so as to enable said totals to be stored at said primary terminal and said back-up terminal; (c) utilizing a first time-out period and a indefinite order of turning on said first and second primary terminals to determine whether said primary terminal or said back-up terminal is to be active as said primary provider of said data servicing functions; (d) sending out polling signals over said network by whichever one of said primary terminal or said back-up terminal is said primary provider to enable said plurality of secondary terminals to receive said data servicing; and (e) utilizing a lack of polling signals from said primary provider within a second time-out period for determining that said primary provider is inoperative and for automatically switching to another one of said primary terminal or said back-up terminal to enable said another one to become a next said primary provider of said data servicing functions; (f) storing said totals on a log file at a next primary provider of said data servicing functions; and (g) transferring said totals on said log file from step (f) to said primary provider of step (e) after said primary provider of step (e) again becomes operative to enable said special data to be stored at said primary terminal and said back-up terminal; and (h) using said next primary provider from step (f) as the primary provider of said data servicing functions until the failure thereof.

Claim 9

A system comprising: first and second primary terminals; a plurality of secondary terminals; a network coupling said plurality of secondary terminals to said first and second primary terminals to enable a message sent from one of said secondary terminals of said plurality of secondary terminals to be simultaneously received at said first and second primary terminals; said first and second primary terminals each having a time-out means for generating a first time-out period and a second time-out period; said first time-out period and an indefinite order of turning on said first and second primary terminals being used by said first and second primary terminals to determine which of said first and second primary terminals is to be an active primary provider of servicing functions to said plurality of secondary terminals and which of said first and second primary terminals is to be a back-up provider of said servicing functions; and each of said first and second primary terminals also having polling means for sending out polling signals on said network with regard to providing said data servicing functions to said plurality of secondary terminals when either one of said first and second primary terminals is said active primary provider and also for enabling a lack of polling signals by said active primary provider within said second time-out period to be used by said back-up provider to indicate that said active primary provider is inoperative and to enable said back-up provider to thereby become a next said active primary provider of said data servicing functions until the failure thereof.

Claim 10

A system comprising: first and second primary terminals; a plurality of secondary terminals; a network coupling said plurality of secondary terminals to said first and second primary terminals to enable a message sent from one of said secondary terminals of said plurality of secondary terminals to be simultaneously received at said first and second primary terminals; said first and second primary terminals each having a time-out means for generating a first time-out period and a second time-out period; said first time-out period and an indefinite order of turning on said first and second primary terminals being used by said first and second primary terminals to determine which of said first and second primary terminals is to be an active primary provider of servicing functions to said plurality of secondary terminals and which of said first and second primary terminals is to be a back-up provider of said servicing functions; and each of said first and second primary terminals also having polling means for sending out polling signals on said network with regard to providing said data servicing functions to said plurality of secondary terminals when either one of said first and second primary terminals is said active primary provider and also for enabling a lack of polling signals by said active primary provider within said second time-out period to be used by said back-up provider to indicate that said active primary provider is inoperative and to enable said back-up provider to thereby become a next said active primary provider of said data servicing functions until the failure thereof.

Claim 11

A system comprising: first and second primary terminals having first and second memory means, respectively, for storing and retrieving data; a plurality of secondary terminals; a network coupling said plurality of secondary terminals to said first and second primary terminals to enable a message sent from one of said secondary terminals to be simultaneously received at said first and second primary terminals; said first and second primary terminals each having a time-out means for generating a first time-out period and a second time-out period; said first time-out period and an indefinite order of turning on said first and second primary terminals being used by said first and second primary terminals to determine which of said first and second primary terminals is to be an active primary provider of data servicing functions to said plurality of secondary terminals and which of said first and second primary terminals is to be a back-up provider of said data servicing functions; and each of said first and second primary terminals also having polling means for sending out polling signals on said network with regard to providing said data servicing functions to said plurality of secondary terminals when either one of said first and second primary terminals is said active primary provider and also for enabling a lack of polling signals by said active primary provider within said second time-out period to be used by said back-up provider to indicate that said active primary provider is inoperative and to enable said back-up provider to thereby become a next said active primary provider of said data servicing functions until the failure thereof; and said first and second primary terminals each having logging means including a log file for keeping totals which are to be stored in both said first and second memory means and also having means enabling a next active primary provider to keep a log of said totals in said log file for later transference to said first memory means or second memory means when a first primary terminal becomes operative again to thereby enable said totals to be stored in both said first and second memory means.

Claim 12

A system comprising: first and second primary terminals having first and second memory means, respectively, for storing and retrieving data; a plurality of secondary terminals; a network coupling said plurality of secondary terminals to said first and second primary terminals to enable a message sent from one of said secondary terminals to be simultaneously received at said first and second primary terminals; said first and second primary terminals each having a time-out means for generating a first time-out period and a second time-out period; said first time-out period and an indefinite order of turning on said first and second primary terminals being used by said first and second primary terminals to determine which of said first and second primary terminals is to be an active primary provider of data servicing functions to said plurality of secondary terminals and which of said first and second primary terminals is to be a back-up provider of said data servicing functions; and each of said first and second primary terminals also having polling means for sending out polling signals on said network with regard to providing said data servicing functions to said plurality of secondary terminals when either one of said first and second primary terminals is said active primary provider and also for enabling a lack of polling signals by said active primary provider within said second time-out period to be used by said back-up provider to indicate that said active primary provider is inoperative and to enable said back-up provider to thereby become a next said active primary provider of said data servicing functions until the failure thereof; and said first and second primary terminals each having logging means including a log file for keeping totals which are to be stored in both said first and second memory means and also having means enabling a next active primary provider to keep a log of said totals in said log file for later transference to said first memory means or second memory means when a first primary terminal becomes operative again to thereby enable said totals to be stored in both said first and second memory means.