# US 2022/0045463 A1 · Busbar connection with side band communications > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2022/0045463 A1 - Document ID: US20220045463A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/987,873 - Filed: 2020-08-07 - Published: 2022-02-10 - Earliest claimed: 2020-08-07 - Assignees: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC - Applicants: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC - Inventors: Chadd Nathaniel GARTON; Banha SOK; Fredrick Anthony CONSTANTINO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220045463A1 ## CPC - H01R 25/142: {Their counterparts} - H01R 25/161: {Details} - G06F 1/28: Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision - H01R 25/145: {Details, e.g. end pieces or joints (H01R25/147 takes precedence)} - H05K 7/1492: {having electrical distribution arrangements, e.g. power supply or data communications} - G06F 1/3203: Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode - G06F 1/3206: Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality - G06F 1/3215: Monitoring of peripheral devices - G06F 1/3234: Power saving characterised by the action undertaken - G06F 1/3296: by lowering the supply or operating voltage - H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ## Abstract A busbar connector includes an insulator body, a positive power delivery contact, a negative power delivery contact, and a side band contact. The insulator body has first prong and a second prong oriented in a longitudinal direction and proximate one another with a gap therebetween. The positive power delivery contact is on a first inner surface of the first prong adjacent the gap, and the negative power delivery contact is on a second inner surface of the second prong adjacent the gap. The side band contact is positioned on the insulator body and insulated from the positive power delivery contact and the negative power delivery contact by the insulator body. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A busbar connector comprising: an insulator body having a first prong and a second prong oriented in a longitudinal direction and proximate one another with a gap therebetween; a positive power delivery contact on a first inner surface of the first prong adjacent the gap; a negative power delivery contact on a second inner surface of the second prong adjacent the gap; and a side band contact positioned on the insulator body and insulated from the positive power delivery contact and the negative power delivery contact by the insulator body. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The busbar connector of claim 1, wherein the side band contact is positioned on a tip of the first prong or the second prong. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The busbar connector of claim 1, wherein the side band contact is positioned on a first outer surface of the first prong opposite the first inner surface or on a second outer surface of the second prong opposite the second inner surface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The busbar connector of claim 1, further comprising a side band return protruding in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The busbar connector of claim 1, wherein the side band contact is positioned on the first prong. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The busbar connector of claim 1, wherein the positive power delivery contact has a positive power delivery contact height in a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the side band contact has a side band contact height that is less than the positive power delivery contact height. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The busbar connector of claim 1, wherein the side band contact is insulated from the positive power delivery contact and the negative power delivery contact by at least 1 millimeter of the insulator body. ### Claim 8 A system for providing electrical coupling, the system comprising: a busbar connector including: an insulator body having a first prong and a second prong oriented in a longitudinal direction and proximate one another with a gap therebetween, a positive power delivery contact on a first inner surface of the first prong adjacent the gap, a negative power delivery contact on a second inner surface of the second prong adjacent the gap, and a side band contact positioned on the insulator body and insulated from the positive power delivery contact and the negative power delivery contact by the insulator body; and a busbar including: a positive rail oriented in a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, a negative rail oriented in the vertical direction and parallel to the positive rail, an insulating material positioned between the positive rail and the negative rail, wherein the positive rail, negative rail, and insulating material defines a busbar thickness in a transverse direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction and the busbar thickness is approximately the same as the gap between the first prong and the second prong, and a side band source oriented parallel to the positive rail and having at least one source contact. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the busbar is part of a server rack. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the side band source is located on an interior surface of the housing opposite the positive rail or the return rail in the transverse direction. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the side band source is located at a base of the busbar in the longitudinal direction relative to the positive rail. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the positive rail is electrically coupled to a DC power source. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the side band source is electrically coupled to a rack manager. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the positive power delivery contact is electrically coupled to a power supply of a server blade. ### Claim 15 A method for providing data communication in a computing device rack system, the method comprising: at a rack manager: detecting a presence of a server blade via a side band contact electrically coupled to a side band source of a busbar of the computing device rack system, receiving instructions from a networked electronic device, and transmitting a side band signal to the server blade through the side band source. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the side band signal is a power capping instruction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the instructions are received from a row manager. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 further comprising providing DC electrical current to the server blade via the busbar. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the DC electrical current is provided by the rack manager. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving electronic device information from the server blade via the side band source of the busbar.