Importance

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for preventing inter-set miscommunication while maintaining robust signalling in a noisy environment includes providing a controller and a set of devices, the set of devices having a unique set ID and communicating with said controller. The set of devices communicates with said controller by transmitting and receiving messages to and from the controller respectively via an electrically noisy transmission medium. The messages include: (a) inquiries from the controller to the set of devices inquiring as to whether each device either doesn't need attention or does need attention from the controller; and, (b) responses to the controller from each device as to whether each device needs attention or doesn't need the attention of controller. Each device transmits its own responses, once and in a “look-back” embodiment repeatedly receives the responses of other devices and stores those responses of the other devices in a look-back record in its message. The attention segment of the messages includes the doesn't-need-attention or does-need-attention-of-the-controller for each device and for those devices transmitting before each particular device and received by that device. The device ID has been incorporated into the error check segment. Each device is adapted to, using the set ID, make the error check segment set ID dependant.

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First Claim