Patent ID: 7707318

Claim:
A system for updating a set of multiple items of information displayable on a client display in order to monitor and control a manufacturing production process, the system comprising: a server connected to receive the multiple items of information from a programmable controller or from a diagnostic device in a manufacturing plant and configured to provide the items of information to the client for viewing all of the set of multiple items at one time on the client display; first mechanisms for defining an information unit for each of the multiple items in the set, assigning to each unit an identifier, managing the identifiers to identify the information units and assigning an update stamp to each identifier; a data transmission device for receiving new items of information or transmitting the new items of information between the server and the client to provide updated information units on the client display; second mechanisms for assigning the new items of information, each corresponding to an updated item, to the identifiers and for each new item also assigning a new update stamp indicating that the new item is a more current information unit than an information unit previously assigned to the same identifier; and third mechanisms for sending an updated information unit to the client to replace an information unit having the same identifier and already used in the display based on whether a new update stamp has been assigned.