Patent ID: 7054337

Claim:
An apparatus for optimizing multiplexer communications comprising: a host; a multiplexer; and an instrument device; the host arranged to run a host software and to send a first message and a plurality of subsequent messages to the multiplexer, each of the messages including an embedded message for the instrument device, the time period between the first message and a first subsequent message defining a long delay; the multiplexer arranged to strip the embedded message and to forward the embedded message to the instrument device, the multiplexer further arranged to send a response to the host, the response indicative of whether the embedded message has been forwarded to the multiplexer and whether a reply has been received from the instrument device, the multiplexer further arranged to receive and store the reply; the instrument device arranged to receive and process the embedded message and to send the reply to the multiplexer; and an optimizing controller operatively coupled to the host, the optimizing controller arranged to: communicate to the host whether the reply has been received by the multiplexer; establish a count, the count indicating the number of subsequent messages occurring before the reply has been received by the multiplexer; assess a message turnaround time, the message turnround time based on the time it takes to transmit any one of the messages to the multiplexer and to receive the response from the multiplexer; establish a bracket width, the bracket width at least as long as the message turnaround time; establish a short delay based at least in part on the message turnaround time and the bracket width; and vary at least one of the long delay and the short delay to minimize the count.