Patent ID: 8207830

Claim:
Network communication system ( 2 ) for two-way communication, comprising: at least one group of network devices ( 11 ); at least one command device ( 20 ) capable of issuing at least one command signal (Sc) containing an address code ( 31 ) identifying at least one network device ( 11 ( i )) and containing an instruction code ( 32 ); coordinating means ( 40 ) provided with a network definition memory ( 41 ) containing information relating to the structure and members of the network, and further provided with a device status memory ( 42 ) containing information relating to the status of the individual network devices ( 11 ) of the network; wherein the coordinating means are implemented as a separate device or integrated within the command device; wherein a network device ( 11 ( i )), in response to receiving a command signal (Sc) containing its address code (ID(i)), is designed to perform a predefined function in accordance with the instruction code ( 32 ) and, on successful completion of the function, to send an acknowledgement signal (SA) to the command device; wherein the command device ( 20 ), after having sent a command signal (Sc) to a network device ( 11 ( i )), is designed to receive an acknowledgement signal (SA) from that network device ( 11 ( i )) and, in case of not timely receiving the acknowledgement signal (SA), to resend the command signal (Sc) to this network device ( 11 ( i )); wherein the coordinating means ( 40 ) is capable of operating in a network amendment mode, which comprises at least a removal mode ( 70 ) in which the coordinating means ( 40 ) removes a network device from the network definition memory ( 41 ) and an addition mode in which the coordinating means ( 40 ) adds a network device to the network definition memory ( 41 ); wherein the coordinating means ( 40 ) is designed, in response to receiving a command signal (Sc) for a network device ( 11 ( i )), to watch for the corresponding acknowledgement signal (SA) from that network device ( 11 ( i )) and, in case of that network device ( 11 ( i )) failing to timely send the acknowledgement signal (SA), to amend to a potentially defective network device state in said device status memory ( 42 ) the status information (M(i)) relating to said network device ( 11 ( i )); and wherein the coordinating means ( 40 ) is designed to automatically remove the potentially defective network device ( 11 ( i )) from the network definition memory ( 41 ) on entry of a network amendment mode by a user command.