Patent ID: 8615618

Claim:
A first device adapted to transmit data to at least a second and third device interconnected via a bus, wherein the first device is adapted to: transmit, in units, data and information concerning at least one of a transmission of the data and a use of the data to one or more second devices to which the data does not concern, and one or more third devices to which the data does concern; form the units with at least one region defining a given time slot within which the second and third devices output onto the bus specific information and/or data; and define, in the second and third devices that are configured to output acknowledgement data that acknowledges whether or not the data and information have been received by the second and third devices in a fault-free condition within the given time slot, at least one setting selected from the group consisting of: a setting to determine whether and under which conditions the acknowledgement data are to be output within the given time slot; a setting to determine which acknowledgement data is to be output within the given time slot; and a setting to determine at which points in time within the given time slot the acknowledgement data is to be output.