Patent ID: 8204951

Claim:
A non-transitory computer-accessible memory medium that stores program instructions for communicating data between a first computer and a second computer over a network, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement: a first graphical program on the first computer system coupled to the network, wherein the first graphical program comprises a first plurality of interconnected nodes that visually represent functionality of the first graphical program, wherein the first plurality of interconnected nodes comprises a first variable node corresponding to a first variable, and wherein the first variable node comprises an icon that represents the first variable node in the graphical program, as well as underlying code or data that implements functionality of the first variable node; wherein during execution the first graphical program writes data to the first variable by providing the data as input to the first variable node and, thereby causing delivery of the data to the second computer system over the network in a time-deterministic manner, wherein the delivery of the data to the second computer system over the network in a time-deterministic manner comprises delivery of the data to the second computer system over the network within a specified time, wherein the data are received by a second variable node in a second graphical program executing on the second computer system coupled to the network, wherein the second graphical program comprises a second plurality of interconnected nodes that visually represent functionality of the second graphical program, wherein the second plurality of interconnected nodes comprises the second variable node, wherein the second variable node corresponds to the first variable, and wherein during execution the second graphical program reads from the first variable by reading the data as output from the second variable node.