US 2003/0195711 A1 · Apparatus for processing items of electronic equipment

Abstract

An apparatus for processing items of electronic equipment, such as downloading software to and/or testing PC system units, includes a rack having a plurality of cells each for accommodating a respective unit to be processed. Each location has a visible indication, e.g. a colored light, of the instantaneous processing state of the location, such as: cell empty, processing in progress, processing successfully completed, processing failed and unable to commence processing. Each cell also includes a timer to measure the period of time for which the cell has been in the state indicated by the visible indication.

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Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus for processing items of electronic equipment, comprising:

a rack having at least one location for accommodating a respective item to be processed;
and
the at least one location having a visible indication of an instantaneous processing state of the location.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description1,586 words

Summary348 words

#The disclosures herein relate to an apparatus for processing items of electronic equipment, especially but not exclusively to downloading software onto and testing a personal computer (PC) system unit.

#The final stages of the manufacture of a personal computer (PC) with pre-loaded software require the software to be downloaded onto the PC system unit and for the PC system unit to be extensively tested. To this end, a number of PC system units are placed in individual docking stations (herein referred to as cells) in a so-called “burn rack”. The cells are connected via a network to one or more servers and software is downloaded from the servers to the client system units and tested via the network.

#In build-to-order (BTO) operations individual PC system units are built to the customer's hardware and software specifications from a range of available options. In such a case each system unit may occupy the rack for a different length of time, according to the amount of software to be downloaded and the tests required to be performed. One of the biggest challenges to BTO operations is to optimize the burn rack traffic, by reducing the time units spend in the burn rack, which in turn enhances the success of the BTO model to deliver a better quality service with respect to time and cost per unit.

Brief description of the drawings2 figures

#FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a burn rack according to one embodiment.

#FIG. 2 is a state diagram of the burn rack.

Detailed description1,214 words

#In FIG. 1, a burn rack 10 has a plurality of individual cells 12, in this embodiment five cells, although the rack may have more or less cells including, in an extreme case, just a single cell. Each cell 12 can accommodate a respective PC system unit 14, which can be plugged into the cell for software download and/or system unit testing.

#On the front of each cell 12 there is a group 16 of four indicator lamps, each of which glows a different color when lighted, e.g. gray, green, red and blue respectively. In FIG. 1 the circle indicated by the reference 16 refers to the group of four lamps and the legend within the circle indicates the lamp which is currently lighted within the group, e.g. Gry (gray), Grn (green), Red or Blue. BIk (black) means that none of the four lamps is lighted. The group of lamps 16 is referred to herein as the Cell Status Indicator (CSI).

#Monitoring software within or associated with each cell 12 monitors the network traffic between the cell and the server(s) which supplies the downloaded software, performs the tests, and lights the appropriate lamp within the CSI 16 according to the instantaneous state of the cell: 1 CSI = Black: the cell is free (empty) CSI = Gray: the cell is occupied with a system unit which is unable to or has not yet established connection to the server and therefore unable to commence processing (downloading and/or testing). This is referred to as “Out of Scope”. CSI = Red: the cell is occupied with a system unit whose processing has failed (i.e. unsuccessful download and/or testing). CSI = Blue: the cell is occupied with a system unit that is successfully undergoing processing. CSI = Green: the cell is occupied with a system unit that has finished processing and is ready to leave the rack.

Facts

Application

09/858,024Filed 15 May 2001

Published

16 Oct 2003

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification2 codes

G06F 11/2294
Detection or location of defective computer hardware by testing during standby operation or during idle time, e.g. start-up testing: by remote test
G06F
Computing and data processing

Timeline

15 May 2001Application filedUS 09/858,024
2 Aug 2001Assigned to Dell Products L.P.assignment of assignor's interest
16 Oct 2003Published
2 Jan 2014Assigned to Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., AS First Lien Collateral Agentpatent security agreement (notes)
2 Jan 2014Assigned to Bank of America, N.A., AS Administrative Agentpatent security agreement (abl)
2 Jan 2014Assigned to Bank of America, N.A., AS Collateral Agentpatent security agreement (term loan)
13 Sep 2016Assigned to Dell Marketing L.P., Asap Software Express, Inc., Appassure Software, Inc., Compellant Technologies, Inc., Credant Technologies, Inc., Dell Inc., Dell Products L.P., Dell USA L.P., Dell Software Inc., Force10 Networks, Inc., Perot Systems Corporation, Secureworks, Inc., Wyse Technology L.L.C.release of security interest
14 Sep 2016Assigned to Dell Marketing L.P., Asap Software Express, Inc., Appassure Software, Inc., Compellent Technologies, Inc., Credant Technologies, Inc., Dell Inc., Dell Products L.P., Dell USA L.P., Dell Software Inc., Force10 Networks, Inc., Perot Systems Corporation, Secureworks, Inc., Wyse Technology L.L.C.release of security interest
14 Sep 2016Assigned to Dell Marketing L.P., Asap Software Express, Inc., Appassure Software, Inc., Compellent Technologies, Inc., Credant Technologies, Inc., Dell Inc., Dell Products L.P., Dell USA L.P., Dell Software Inc., Force10 Networks, Inc., Perot Systems Corporation, Secureworks, Inc., Wyse Technology L.L.C.release of security interest
21 Sep 2016Assigned to Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch, AS Collateral Agentsecurity agreement
21 Sep 2016Assigned to The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., AS Notes Collateral Agentsecurity agreement
21 Mar 2019Assigned to The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A.security agreement
22 Apr 2020Assigned to The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A.security agreement
3 Nov 2021Assigned to Asap Software Express, Inc., Aventail LLC, Credant Technologies, Inc., Dell USA L.P., Dell International, L.L.C., Dell Marketing L.P., Dell Products L.P., Dell Software Inc., Dell Systems Corporation, Emc Corporation, Emc IP Holding Company LLC, Force10 Networks, Inc., Maginatics LLC, Mozy, Inc., Scaleio LLC, Wyse Technology L.L.C.release of security interest
26 Apr 2022Assigned to Dell Marketing Corporation (Successor-In-Interest To Asap Software Express, Inc.), Dell Marketing L.P. (On Behalf of Itself and AS Successor-In-Interest To Credant Technologies, Inc.), Dell USA L.P., Dell International L.L.C., Dell Products L.P., Dell Marketing Corporation (Successor-In-Interest To Force10 Networks, Inc. and Wyse Technology L.L.C.), Emc Corporation (On Behalf of Itself and AS Successor-In-Interest To Maginatics LLC), Emc IP Holding Company LLC (On Behalf of Itself and AS Successor-In-Interest To Mozy, Inc.), Scaleio LLCrelease of security interest in patents previously recorded at reel/frame (040136/0001)
20 May 2022Assigned to Dell Marketing Corporation (Successor-In-Interest To Asap Software Express, Inc.), Dell Marketing L.P. (On Behalf of Itself and AS Successor-In-Interest To Credant Technologies, Inc.), Dell USA L.P., Dell International L.L.C., Dell Products L.P., Dell Marketing Corporation (Successor-In-Interest To Force10 Networks, Inc. and Wyse Technology L.L.C.), Emc Corporation (On Behalf of Itself and AS Successor-In-Interest To Maginatics LLC), Emc IP Holding Company LLC (On Behalf of Itself and AS Successor-In-Interest To Mozy, Inc.), Scaleio LLCrelease of security interest in patents previously recorded at reel/frame (045455/0001)
23 Jun 2022Assigned to Dell Marketing L.P. (On Behalf of Itself and AS Successor-In-Interest To Credant Technologies, Inc.), Dell International L.L.C., Dell Products L.P., Dell USA L.P., Emc Corporation, Dell Marketing Corporation (Successor-In-Interest To Force10 Networks, Inc. and Wyse Technology L.L.C.), Emc IP Holding Company LLCrelease of security interest in patents previously recorded at reel/frame (053546/0001)

Apparatus for processing items of electronic equipment

Life of this patent

Apparatus for processing items of electronic equipment

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims20

Description1,586 words

Drawings

Classification2 codes

Life of this patent

Description1,586 words