Michael David Ott

6774786, Aug 10, 2004

Nov 7, 2000

09/707580

Robert B. Havekost - Austin TX
Trevor D. Schleiss - Austin TX
Michael G. Ott - Austin TX
Cindy Scott - Georgetown TX
J. Clint Fletcher - Pflugerville TX

Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc. - Austin TX

G08B 2300

340517, 340500, 340525, 340506, 340521, 700 17, 700 83, 702183, 702188

An alarm display and interface tool for use in a process control system receives and displays different categories of alarms, including for example, device alarms and hardware alarms as well as traditional process alarms, on a single display to enable an operator or other user to view and have access to these different categories of alarms. The display and interface tool may be used to filter the alarms that are displayed according to any number of categories, including the category of the alarm, the priority of the alarm, the status of the alarm, etc. so as to alternatively segregate or combine the tasks typically associated with operator, maintenance and engineer personnel. The tool may also be used to access each of the displayed alarms to obtain more information about any individual alarm.

6868538, Mar 15, 2005

May 2, 2000

09/563212

Mark J. Nixon - Round Rock TX, US
Dennis L. Stevenson - Round Rock TX, US
Michael G. Ott - Austin TX, US
Stephen G. Hammack - Austin TX, US

Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc. - Austin TX

G06F009/44
G05B015/00

717100, 700 83

An apparatus having a programmable processor and a memory for performing a plurality of user-selectable control functions includes a database for storing a plurality of items associated with each of the control functions. The items include, for each function, at least one procedure for performing an action associated with the control function and a specification of at least one state associated with the control function. The apparatus further includes software routines stored on the memory and adapted to be executed by the processor that facilitate selection of a procedure in the database, that access the database and cause performance of the selected procedure to achieve the state specified therein, and that monitor at least one resource associated with the action of the procedure and, based thereon, determine whether the specified state has been achieved.

6898468, May 24, 2005

Mar 28, 2003

10/401655

Michael Ott - Austin TX, US
Gary Law - Georgetown TX, US
Dennis Stevenson - Round Rock TX, US
Robert Havekost - Austin TX, US
Julian Naidoo - Cedar Park TX, US
Godfrey R. Sherriff - Austin TX, US

Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc. - Austin TX

G05B011/01

700 21, 700 79, 714 1, 714 37

A cause and effect function block, which can be easily integrated into a function block diagram programming environment in a process plant safety system to implement the cause and effect logic specified by a traditional cause and effect matrix, includes a set of cause inputs and a set of effect outputs. A multiplexer within the cause and effect function block receives each of the cause inputs and is coupled to one or more state machines, with a separate state machine existing for each effect output. The multiplexer decodes each of the cause inputs and, based on the cause inputs and previously identified cause and effect matrix logic, provides a trip signal to one or more of the state machines. Upon receiving a trip signal, a state machine forces an associated effect output into a tripped or safe state. If desired, the state machine may then use one or more other signals, such as signals from a user or from the process, to transition between a set of different states used to safely return the process plant back to the normal operating state from the tripped or safe state.

6898542, May 24, 2005

Apr 1, 2003

10/404156

Michael G. Ott - Austin TX, US
Gary Law - Georgetown TX, US
Dennis Stevenson - Round Rock TX, US
Riyaz Ali - Marshalltown IA, US
Mark Nixon - Round Rock TX, US
Tim Forsythe - Austin TX, US

Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc. - Austin TX

G06F019/00

702108, 714 48, 340514

A process control or safety system within a process plant uses one or more testing blocks to effect the timely and safe operation of on-line testing routines within field devices, such as valves, used in the process control or safety system. These testing blocks, which are easy to implement and to place in the process control or safety system, enable the periodic or on-demand testing of field devices to be integrated into the normal and on-going operation of the process control or safety system without causing scheduling or connection problems and without the need to rely on maintenance or other personnel, thereby providing better monitoring of the operational status of the field devices used within the process control and safety systems. This functionality is especially important in safety systems, in which it is desirable to timely monitor or assess the operational status of the devices used to shut the process down when an unsafe condition arises, so as to assure that initiation of a shut down by the safety system actually results in a shut down of the system.

6975966, Dec 13, 2005

Sep 26, 2003

10/672000

Cindy Scott - Georgetown TX, US
Gary Law - Georgetown TX, US
Michael G. Ott - Austin TX, US
Godfrey Sherriff - Austin TX, US
Robert Havekost - Elgin TX, US

Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc. - Austin TX

G06F011/30
G06F015/16
G05B009/02

702183, 700 4, 700 79, 709233

A process plant includes a safety system that is physically and logically integrated with a process control system such that the safety system and the process control system can use common communication, diagnostic and display hardware and software within the process plant while still providing functional isolation between the safety system controllers and the process control system controllers. This integrated process control and safety system uses a common data communication structure for both the safety system and the process control system so that applications can send data to and receive data from devices in either system in the same manner, e. g. , using the same communication hardware and software. However, the common data communication structure is set up to distinguish process control system devices from safety system devices using tags, addresses or other fields within the messages sent to or received from the devices, which enables data associated with the process control system to be distinguishable from data associated with the safety system, thereby enabling a diagnostic application within a user interface to automatically treat this data differently depending on the source (or destination) of the data.

7010450, Mar 7, 2006

Sep 22, 2003

10/668013

Gary Law - Georgetown TX, US
Michael G. Ott - Austin TX, US

Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc. - Austin TX

G06F 19/00

702108, 714 25

A process control or safety instrumented system uses function block logic to coordinate the logic within the process control or safety instrumented system with operational states of field devices, even when these operational states are initiated externally to the process control or safety system. Logic within input or voter function blocks associated with field devices may monitor and determine when the associated field devices are being put into testing or calibration modes and may automatically initiate appropriate bypass or override functionality in response to such detected field device configuration states. Likewise, the function block logic may automatically remove the bypass or override functionality when the field devices are placed back into their normal operational configuration states. This automatic initiation of bypasses and overrides helps to prevent a safety system within a process plant from initiating a shut-down procedure as a result of a device test initiated manually by, for example, a hand-held device attached to a field device. Likewise, the automatic removal of bypasses and overrides helps to prevent a safety system within a process plant from failing to operate properly because a user forgot to manually remove a bypass or override that was set up to allow a device test.

7043311, May 9, 2006

Feb 18, 2003

10/368151

Mark Nixon - Round Rock TX, US
Michael Lucas - Broughton Astley, GB
Arthur Webb - Loughborough, GB
Herschel Koska - San Marcos TX, US
Jian Li - Austin TX, US
Larry Jundt - Round Rock TX, US
Dennis Stevenson - Round Rock TX, US
Robert Havekost - Austin TX, US
Michael Ott - Austin TX, US

Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc. - Austin TX

G06F 19/00

700 83, 700 28, 705401

A configuration system for a process plant uses module class objects to assist in configuring, organizing and changing the control and display activities within the process plant. Each module class object generically models or represents a process entity, such as a unit, a piece of equipment, a control activity, etc. , and may be used to create instances of the object, called module objects, which represent and are tied to specific equipment within the process plant. The module class objects may represent process entities of any desired scope, which means that a single module class object may be used to configure the control and display activities of process entities of any desired scope within the process plant, instead of just at a control module level. In particular, module class objects of a large scope may be used to configure large sections or portions of the process plant, which makes configuration of the process plant easier and less time consuming. A module class object may be a unit module class object reflecting a physical unit within the process plant, an equipment module class object reflecting a physical piece of equipment within the process plant, a control module class object reflecting a control module or scheme within the process plant, or a display module class object reflecting a display routine that provides information to a user within the process plant.

7117052, Oct 3, 2006

May 25, 2004

10/853668

J. Michael Lucas - Leicestershire, GB
Arthur Webb - Manila, PH
Mark J. Nixon - Round Rock TX, US
Larry O. Jundt - Round Rock TX, US
Jian Li - Austin TX, US
Dennis L. Stevenson - Round Rock TX, US
Michael G. Ott - Austin TX, US
Herschel O. Koska - San Marcos TX, US
Robert B. Havekost - Elgin TX, US

Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc. - Austin TX

G05B 9/02

700 83, 700 28, 719315, 707103 Y

A version control system helps to keep track of versions of process plant items that may represent, or be capable of representing, entities in a process plant. The process plant items may comprise, for example, module objects which may be capable of specifically representing process entities of the process plant. These module objects may be created from module class objects which may be capable of generically representing process entities of the process plant. Version data is stored and associated with a module object. The version data may comprise data indicative of a version of a module class object that was used to create the module object. The version data may also comprise data indicative of a version of the module object. Configuration systems, version control systems, viewing systems, debugging systems, run-time monitoring systems, asset management systems, etc. , may examine or permit viewing of the version control data associated with an item.