Patent ID: 8015573
Filing Date: 2011-09-06
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. An input/output (I/O) device for use in a process control system having a controller operating under a particular version of a particular type of I/O communication software, the controller configured to transmit a message to the I/O device, the I/O device comprising: a device processor for controlling operation of the I/O device; an interface communicatively linked to the device processor for interfacing the I/O device with the controller via a communication link; and a storage device communicatively linked to the device processor, for storing a plurality of versions of the particular type of I/O communication software, the plurality of versions of the particular type of I/O communication software including a primitive version of the particular type of I/O communication software and at least one less primitive version of the particular type I/O communication software, each version of the particular type of I/O communication software usable by the device processor in controlling the I/O device and each version of the particular type of I/O communication software using the same physical communication format for communicating via the communication link; wherein the device processor uses the interface to determine the particular version of the particular type of I/O communication software utilized by the controller, determines a version of the particular type of I/O communication software of the plurality of versions of the particular type of I/O communication software stored in the storage device that is compatible with the particular version of the particular type of I/O communication software used by the controller, configures the device to operate to thereafter communicate over the communication link using the compatible version of the particular type of I/O communication software, and generates a responsive message to the controller, the responsive message including two message portions, a first message portion utilized in the primitive version of the particular type of I/O communication software and the at least one less primitive version of the particular type of I/O communication software, and a second message portion utilized only in the at least one less primitive version of the particular type of I/O communication software, and wherein the device processor places information regarding the plurality of versions of the particular type of I/O communication software stored in the storage device in the second message portion of the responsive message.