Invalidity dossier
US 6694371
Communication interface device and method
Current assignee: Azbil Corp
Added 9/24/2026, 1:47:23 AM
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Patent summary
Title, assignee, inventors, filing/issue dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of the claims.
Patent Overview — US6694371B1
Title: Communication interface device and method
Inventor: Daiji Sanai
Original/Current Assignee (as listed): Azbil Corp (originally Yamatake Corporation)
Application No.: US09/144,520 | Filed: 1998-08-31
Priority Date: 1997-09-01 | Granted/Published: 2004-02-17
Legal Status (as listed): Expired – Lifetime (anticipated expiration 2018-08-31)
Purpose: The invention addresses a problem in conventional interface devices that connect a communication object machine (e.g., a process controller using RS232C serial communication) to a management device (e.g., a personal computer with an internet browser using TCP/IP). Such conventional devices required a dedicated driver, a WWW server, and CGI programs tailored to each object machine, demanding a special CPU or large memory and resulting in high cost and non-reusable programs.
Plain-language scope: The invention provides a communication interface device connecting the object machine to a communication network between the machine and a management device. It comprises a socket server for converting signals between the machine and the network, a WWW server connected to the network, and a memory connected to the WWW server. The memory stores an application program (e.g., JAVA applet, JAVA Beans, Active X) transferred to the management device according to a client program (typically an internet browser) and executed on that client program. Communication between the object machine and management device then occurs via the socket server, eliminating the dedicated driver and allowing the interface to work with various machines by merely changing the application program. The invention also covers the communication object machine itself (incorporating socket server, WWW server, and memory) and a corresponding communication method. Figures 1–6 illustrate the interface device, WWW/socket server functions, and multi-machine configurations.
Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/[US6694371](/patent/US6694371)/en
What the excerpt does not establish: It does not provide the full claims, complete detailed description, all drawing content, prosecution history, or the full text of the communication method steps (the method section is truncated). It does not establish validity, litigation, or ownership transfer accuracy, and the stated legal status is expressly an assumption, not a legal conclusion.
Generated 10/1/2026, 9:31:05 PM
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Litigation summary
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PTAB challenges
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Assignment history
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Prior art
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Obviousness
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Extensions
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Derivative works
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