System and methods for object-oriented control of diverse electromechanical systems using a computer network

An object-oriented control system comprising:

• clients for providing access to and control and monitoring of the object-oriented control system via an electronic network;
• foreign devices not directly controllable by using downloadable Java-based objects;
• stations for integrating said foreign devices into the object-oriented control system using a common object model, supervising other stations, and serving as master of the local system wherein a master provides persistent backup of all configuration information;
• and
• a flexible and open architecture capable of supporting a plurality of diverse configurations of said clients, foreign devices, and stations;
• a real-time synchronization manager to regulate the orderly and timely execution of multiple tasks;
• a plurality of user-defined objects;
• a plurality of object properties;
• a plurality of object categories;
• an object creation facility to allow user creation and modification of said objects and said properties according to a plurality of said object categories;
• a multi-level security facility;
• a plurality of pre-defined objects coexisting with said user-defined objects;
• a persistent and real-time information synchronization manager that maintains the integrity of system data throughout the object-oriented control system through the use of archiving and synchronization;
• a control engine for providing predictable order of execution of said objects;
• and
• a programmable mail service for sending email notifications containing real-time data to remote sites.