Patent ID: 7530113

Claim:
An industrial automation system comprising: a security access device; an industrial automation device; a user interface configured to provide a user with access to data stored inside the industrial automation device; a first security interface configured to receive information from the access device and, based on the information received from the access device, to provide authorization for the user to access the data stored inside the industrial automation device using the user interface; a second security interface; a communication network coupled between (i) the combination of the industrial automation device and the first security interface, and (ii) the combination of the user interface and the second security interface; a plurality of additional automation devices coupled to the communication network; a plurality of additional user interfaces coupled to the communication network; and a plurality of additional security interfaces, wherein the plurality of additional security interfaces are respectively associated with different ones of the plurality of additional automation devices and the plurality of additional user interfaces; wherein communication between participants formed of combinations of respective ones of the plurality of additional automation devices requires, at least in some instances, authentication of at least one of the participants in the communication, the authentication being performed using the security interfaces associated with the participants in the communication; and wherein communication between participants formed of combinations of respective ones of the plurality of additional automation devices with respective ones of the plurality of additional user interfaces requires, at least in some instances, the authentication of the respective user interface by the security interface of the respective automation device.