US 2026/0228151 A1Published application

Usb-c midspan charging and bi-directional data communication device

AssigneeCrestron Electronics, Inc.

InventorsMarc Dubowski, William Owens-Davidson, David Bogdanove, Mark LaBosco, Vitaly A Perlin

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Abstract

A midspan charging and data communication device is disclosed. A first USB-C port is electrically connectable to a USB-C host device. A second USB-C port is electrically connectable to a USB-C peripheral device. USB-C midspan device processor and circuitry is electrically connected to the first and the second USB-C ports, configures the first USB-C and second USB-C ports to support USB data communication in a particular USB data link mode, and at least one of (i) delivers power as requested by the USB-C host device from the first USB-C port to the USB-C host device over a first data link between the USB-C host device and the first USB-C port or (ii) delivers power as requested by the USB-C peripheral device from the second USB-C port to the USB-C peripheral device over a second data link between the USB-C peripheral device and the USB-C second port.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A midspan charging and data communication device (“midspan device”), the midspan device comprising:

(a) a first Universal Serial Bus Type-C (USB-C) port that is electrically connectable to a USB-C host device;
(b) a second USB-C port that is electrically connectable to a USB-C peripheral device;
and
(c) USB-C midspan device processor and circuitry electrically connected to the first USB-C port and to the second USB-C port and configured to
(1) configure the first USB-C port to support USB data communication in a particular USB data link mode,
(2) configure the second USB-C port to support USB data communication in the particular USB data link mode, and
(3) at least one of
(A) deliver, upon the first USB-C port being further connected to the USB-C host device, power to the USB-C host device as requested by the USB-C host device, the power being delivered from the first USB-C port to the USB-C host device over a first data link between the USB-C host device and the first USB-C port, or
(B) deliver, upon the second USB-C port being further connected to the USB-C peripheral device, power to the USB-C peripheral device as requested by the USB-C peripheral device, the power being delivered from the second USB-C port to the USB-C peripheral device over a second data link between the USB-C peripheral device and the USB-C second port.

6 more elements

A midspan charging and data communication device (“midspan device”), the midspan device comprising:

(a) a first USB-C port that is electrically connectable to a USB-C host device;
(b) a second USB-C port that is electrically connectable to a USB-C peripheral device;
and
(c) USB-C midspan device processor and circuitry electrically connected to the USB-C first port and to the second USB-C port and configured to
(1) configure the first USB-C port to support bi-directional data communication in a negotiated data link mode,
(2) configure the second USB-C port to support bi-directional data communication in the negotiated data link mode,
(3) at least one of
(A) deliver, upon the first USB-C port being further connected to the USB-C host device, power to the USB-C host device as requested by the USB-C host device, the power being delivered from the first USB-C port to the USB-C host device over a first data link between the USB-C host device and the first USB-C port, the first data link including (i) a first USB-C cable electrically connecting the first USB-C port to the USB-C host device and (ii) the negotiated data link mode, or
(B) deliver, upon the second USB-C port being further connected to the USB-C peripheral device, power to the USB-C peripheral device as requested by the USB-C peripheral device, the power being delivered from the second USB-C port to the USB-C peripheral device over a second data link between the USB-C peripheral device and the second USB-C port, the second data link including (i) a second USB-C cable electrically connecting the second USB-C port to the USB-C peripheral device and (ii) the negotiated data link mode.

6 more elements

A midspan charging and data communication device (“midspan device”), the midspan device comprising:

(a) a first Universal Serial Bus Type-C (USB-C) port that is electrically connectable to a USB-C host device;
(b) a second USB-C port that is electrically connectable to a USB-C peripheral device;
(c) USB-C midspan device processor and circuitry electrically connected to the first USB-C port and to the second USB-C port and configured to
(1) configure the first USB-C port to support bi-directional USB data communication in a particular USB data link mode, the particular data link mode being one of (i) a USB data-only mode or (ii) a USB Alt mode,
(2) configure the second USB-C port to support bi-directional USB data communication in the particular USB data link mode,
(3) deliver, upon the first USB-C port being further connected to the USB-C host device through a first USB-C cable, power to the USB-C host device as requested by the USB-C host device in accordance with the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) specification, the power being delivered from the first USB-C port to the USB-C host device over a first data link between the USB-C host device and the first USB-C port, the first data link including (i) the first USB-C cable and (ii) the particular data link mode, and
(4) deliver, upon the second USB-C port being further connected to the USB-C peripheral device through a second USB-C cable, power to the USB-C peripheral device as requested by the USB-C peripheral device in accordance with the USB-IF specification, the power being delivered from the second USB-C port to the USB-C peripheral device over a second data link between the USB-C peripheral device and the second USB-C port, the second data link including (i) the second USB-C cable and (ii) the particular data link mode,
(d) wherein USB data and Alt mode signals pass between the USB-C host device and the USB-C peripheral device through the USB-C midspan device in the negotiated data link mode upon the first USB-C port being further connected to the USB-C host device and the second USB-C port being further connected to the USB-C peripheral device, such that
(1) the USB data and Alt mode signals pass between the USB-C host device and the first USB-C port over the first data link, through the first USB-C port, the USB-C midspan device, and the second USB-C port, and between the second USB-C port and the USB-C peripheral device over the second data link.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 19/230,279Filed 6 Jun 2025
Priority: 3 Feb 2025
Published: 6 Aug 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G06F 13/382
Information transfer, e.g. on bus: using universal interface adapter
G06F 13/385
Using universal interface adapter: for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
G06F 13/4022
Coupling between buses: using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network
G06F 13/4282
Bus transfer protocol, e.g. handshake; Synchronisation: on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus