Diagnostic communications system for computer controlled machine tools

A method for performing monitoring and diagnostic operations on a computer controlled machine tool, comprising the steps of:

• a. connecting the computer at the machine tool site to control apparatus at a remote site[,] ;
• b. controlling said computer in accordance with diagnostic control signals originating at said remote site to cause said machine tool to be operated in accordance with said diagnostic control signals[,] to enable said computer to gather said diagnostic data representative of current machine tool operating characteristics;
• c. transmitting said diagnostic data representative of current operating characteristics of said machine tool to said control apparatus during operation of said machine tool[,] ;
• d. comparing said transmitted diagnostic data with [predetermined] previously gathered initial machine data at said remote site, [representative of said operating characteristics of said machine,] indicative of machine tool operating characteristics when the machine tool is in its pristine state;
• and
• e. manifesting the difference between said transmitted diagnostic data and said [predetermined] previously gathered initial machine data.

A method of monitoring and performing diagnostic operations on a plurality of separately located computer controlled machine tools, comprising the steps of:

• a. maintaining at a single analysis site, remote from at least some of said machine tools, a data storage file of operating characteristics collected at spaced time intervals and relating to each of said machine tools,
• b. establishing a communications connection between one of said computer controlled machine tools and said remote location over a telephone line,
• c. controlling the computer of said computer controlled machine tool to cause its machine tool to execute a predetermined diagnostic program,
• d. transmitting data representative of the operating characteristics of said machine tool from said controlled computer to said remote site,
• e. comparing said transmitted operating characteristics with corresponding characteristics maintained in said file, and
• f. manifesting differences between said transmitted characteristics and said corresponding characteristics.