Patent ID: 8055727

Claim:
A process plant, comprising: (1) a computing device including an operator interface; (2) a multiplicity of process control devices, each configured to communicate with other process control devices using a protocol that is not a web content syndication format, and the multiplicity of process control devices includes at least one of: (a) a process controller that is: 1) communicatively coupled to the computing device, 2) configured to store and execute a control module configured to receive a sensor signal from a first field device and generate at least one corresponding control signal to at least one of the first or a second field device for controlling equipment in the process plant based on the sensor signal, the control module including at least one function block used in implementing a process control loop in the process plant, and 3) directly connected to each of the first field device and the second field device via a corresponding input/output device or card; (b) at least one of the first, the second, or a third field device configured to perform a physical action in the process plant to affect a process variable or to sense the process variable; or (c) the corresponding input/output device or card; (3) a plurality of web content syndication data conversion units, each of the web content syndication data conversion units coupled to a different process control device of the multiplicity of process control devices and configured to convert process control data generated by the different process control device into the web content syndication format; and (4) one or more communication networks that connect the multiplicity of process control devices and the computing device, (5) and wherein the each of the multiplicity of process control devices communicates the process control data to a corresponding different web content syndication data conversion unit, and the corresponding different web content syndication data conversion unit converts the process control data generated by the each of the multiplicity of process control devices into the web syndication format and communicates the converted process control data over the one or more communication networks directly to another one of the multiplicity of process control devices, wherein the multiplicity of process control devices includes the process controller.