Patent Document ID: 6085156
Application ID: 09138312
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A computer-implemented method for controlling an instrument in an instrumentation system, wherein the method allows instrument interchangeability, wherein the instrumentation system includes a computer system comprising a CPU and memory, wherein the instrumentation system also includes at least one first instrument coupled to the computer system, wherein the first instrument is of a first class, wherein the first instrument is interchangeable with other instruments of the first class, the method comprising: creating an initialization file in the computer system which includes information regarding the first instrument; configuring the instrumentation system according to said initialization file; a user application making a call to a function in a class driver to control the first instrument, wherein the class driver is common to a plurality of instruments of the first class; the class driver performing said function to control the first instrument in response to the call; replacing said first instrument with a second instrument of said first class, wherein said replacing comprises: changing at least a portion of said initialization file in the computer system to include information regarding said second instrument; replacing said first instrument of said first class with said second instrument of said first class in said instrumentation system; wherein the user application is executable to control the second instrument after said replacing.