Patent ID: 6751688
Filing Date: 2004-06-15
Classification: A61B,G06F

Abstract:
A method for efficiently and reliably communicating button presses electronically on a serial network from one or more push button nodes each having at least one push button, to a master node, said method comprising the steps of:generating status messages indicative of a state of the at least one push button at each of the push button nodes when the at least one push button is pressed and generating status messages indicative of a state of the at least One push button at each of the push button nodes when the at least one push button is not pressed; communicating the status messages to the master node via the network; determining, at the master node, the state of the push buttons at each of the push button nodes from the communicated status messages; and triggering a response of the master node, in accordance with the statuses of the push buttons determined from the communicated status messages.