Appeal No. 1997-0333
Application 08/521,162
BACKGROUND
The subject matter on appeal is directed to a fault tolerant multi-drop communications system,
and more specifically to such a system having plural communication nodes and a main control system
wherein faulty nodes can be bypassed (see specification, page 1). As stated by appellant at page 1 of
the specification, conventional systems either require delays in isolating and repairing faulty nodes, or
they employ redundant bypass circuitry at each of the nodes. To overcome these problems in the prior
art, the fault tolerant communications system of appellant’s invention includes a parallel redundant path
for communication between the nodes and a main control system and means for raising a voltage in
order to blow a fuse of a node having a fault (see representative claim 1). As stated by appellant in the
Summary of the Invention section of the specification, the invention of claims 1 to 23 on appeal
provides improvements over prior art communications systems in that a node fault is detected while
"communications is [sic] maintained between the main control system and the remaining nodes"
(specification, page 2). Appellant accomplishes this by not using redundant hardware at the nodes, and
by providing a main control system in communication with each node via a parallel redundant path.
Thus, appellant has also provided an improvement in that "the communications system is of simplified
structure and reduced cost" (specification, page 4).
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