Patent ID: 7111100

Claim:
A system for establishing communication over a network bus comprising: an initial set of network devices in electrical communication with the network bus, wherein each of the network devices of said initial set of network devices has an assigned logical address identifying the network devices on the network bus; a bus controller in electrical communication with the network bus for establishing communication with network devices connected to the network bus using the logical address assigned to each network device; and at least one additional network device electrically connected to the network bus after said bus controller has established communication with said initial set of network devices, wherein said bus controller is capable of assigning a logical address to said additional network devices, wherein said bus controller after establishing communication wit the network devices of said initial set of network devices, transmits a query on the network bus to all network devices at substantially the same time requesting that additional network devices connected to the network bus not having an assigned logical address respond to said bus controller, and thereafter said bus controller assigns logical addresses to each of said additional network devices tat do not currently have an associated logical address, wherein the logical address for each network device is assigned based on a unique aspect of the network device, wherein said bus controller initially assigns a unique logical address to each network device of said set of initial network devices, and wherein said bus controller after establishing communication with said set of initial network devices, assigns a logical address to said additional network device subsequently connected to the bus network based on a unique aspect of said additional network device.