Patents by Inventor Steve D. Bonwell

Steve D. Bonwell has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6742136
    Abstract: A method of and a device for implementing redundancy in a process control network using a pair of redundant devices, such as redundant I/O devices, communicatively connected to a segment of the bus in parallel to each other and in series between the controller and field devices on the segment. The redundant devices are assigned a virtual publishing address, which may be the unique address of one of the redundant devices, that is used in communicating over the bus. At all times, one of the redundant devices is operating in an active mode and communicating with the devices in process control network, and the other redundant device is operating in a backup mode wherein the redundant device maintains a communication connection with the devices and listens for messages transmitted by the devices and intended for the redundant devices, but does not respond to messages from the other devices until the device switches to the active mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Dan Dean Christensen, Steve D. Bonwell, Brian Alan Franchuk, Stephen Anthony Zielinski, Craig Robert Tielens
  • Publication number: 20020083364
    Abstract: A method of and a device for implementing redundancy in a process control network using a pair of redundant devices, such as redundant I/O devices, communicatively connected to a segment of the bus in parallel to each other and in series between the controller and field devices on the segment. The redundant devices are assigned a virtual publishing address, which may be the unique address of one of the redundant devices, that is used in communicating over the bus. At all times, one of the redundant devices is operating in an active mode and communicating with the devices in process control network, and the other redundant device is operating in a backup mode wherein the redundant device maintains a communication connection with the devices and listens for messages transmitted by the devices and intended for the redundant devices, but does not respond to messages from the other devices until the device switches to the active mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2000
    Publication date: June 27, 2002
    Inventors: Dan Dean Christensen, Steve D. Bonwell