Patent ID: 7509540

Claim:
In a computer system having a processor, memory and a network interface, an apparatus for monitoring a plurality of device or process objects operatively coupled to the computer system over a computer network, the apparatus comprising: (a) a processor; (b) a memory operatively coupled to the processor; (c) a monitoring module for monitoring the status of the plurality of monitored objects over the computer network; (d) first module for storing in memory a plurality of different finite state machine models; (e) a second module for storing in memory a virtual state machine associated with each of the plurality of monitored objects; and (f) a decision engine, operatively coupled to the processor and the memory, for receiving input event data relating to one of the monitored objects and for accessing the virtual state machine in memory associated with said one monitored object, the decision engine further configured to manipulate data identifying a current state of the virtual state machine and for determining which actions associated with an identified finite state machine model should be performed.