Patent ID: 7693984
Filing Date: 2010-04-06
Classification: G08B

Abstract:
1. A method for providing current status data to a requesting device comprising: transmitting a request for status data from a requesting device to a providing device, wherein the request includes prior values of variables stored at the requesting device; receiving, at the providing device, the request that includes the prior values of variables stored at the requesting device, wherein the providing device is a device that is different than the requesting device; at the providing device, comparing the transmitted and received prior values with current values of the variables stored at the providing device; at the providing device, identifying changed variables that comprise variables for which the current value is different from the transmitted and received prior value; at the providing device, formulating a variable map that identifies the changed variables, wherein the variable map comprises a series of bits, each bit corresponding to one of the variables stored by the providing device, and wherein one bit value indicates that the corresponding variable is a changed variable and another bit value indicates that the current and prior values of the corresponding variable are equal; at the providing device, organizing current values for the changed variables and the variable map into a pre-defined format to form status data; and transmitting the status data to the requesting device.