Methods and apparatus for characterizing a circuit breaker device

A computer system, comprising:

• a computerized device for performing computerized operations;
• a circuit breaker device, coupled to the computerized device, that protects the computerized device against an extreme electrical stress;
• and
• a characterization apparatus that characterizes the circuit breaker device, the characterization apparatus having:
• an interface that connects to the circuit breaker device,
• an energy storage device that is capable of storing and releasing a particular amount of energy, and
• a controller, coupled to the energy storage device and the interface, that (i) disconnects the energy storage device from the interface and connects the energy storage device to an external power source to store the particular amount of energy in the energy storage device, and (ii) disconnects the energy storage device from the external power source and connects the energy storage device to the interface such that energy is released from the energy storage device through the interface and through the circuit breaker device, the circuit breaker device being deemed as belonging to a first category when the circuit breaker device trips in response to the released energy, and the circuit breaker device being deemed as belonging to a second category when the circuit breaker device does not trip in response to the released energy.

A method for characterizing a circuit breaker device, comprising:

• setting the circuit breaker device so that the circuit breaker device trips when a particular level of energy is released through the circuit breaker device in a particular amount of time;
• connecting an energy storage device to an external power source to store a particular amount of energy in the energy storage device;
• and
• disconnecting the energy storage device from the external power source and connecting the energy storage device to the circuit breaker device to release energy from the energy storage device through the circuit breaker device regardless of whether the circuit breaker device trips, the circuit breaker device being deemed as belonging to a first category when the circuit breaker device trips in response to the released energy, and the circuit breaker device being deemed as belonging to a second category when the circuit breaker device does not trip in response to the released energy.

A computer system, comprising:

• a computerized device for performing computerized operations;
• multiple circuit breaker devices, coupled to the computerized device, that protect the computerized device against extreme electrical stresses;
• and
• a characterization apparatus that characterizes each of the circuit breaker devices, the characterization apparatus having:
• an interface that connects to the multiple circuit breaker devices,
• an energy storage device, coupled to the interface, that is capable of storing and releasing a particular amount of energy, and
• a controller, coupled to the energy storage device and the interface, that (i) disconnects the energy storage device from the interface and connects the energy storage device to an external power source to store the particular amount of energy in the energy storage device, and (ii) disconnects the energy storage device from the external power source and selectively connects the energy storage device to the multiple circuit breaker devices through the interface such that, when a circuit breaker device is connected to the energy storage device, energy is released from the energy storage device through the interface and through the circuit breaker device, the circuit breaker device being deemed as belonging to a first category when the circuit breaker device trips in response to the released energy, and the circuit breaker device being deemed as belonging to a second category when the circuit breaker device does not trip in response to the released energy.

An apparatus for characterizing a circuit breaker device, comprising:

• an interface that is capable of connecting to the circuit breaker device;
• an energy storage device that is capable of storing and releasing a particular amount of energy;
• and
• control means, coupled to the energy storage device and the interface, for (i) disconnecting the energy storage device from the interface and connecting the energy storage device to an external power source to store the particular amount of energy in the energy storage device, and (ii) disconnecting the energy storage device from the external power source and connecting the energy storage device to the interface to release, when the circuit breaker device is connected to the interface, energy from the energy storage device through the interface and through the circuit breaker device regardless of whether the circuit breaker device trips, the circuit breaker device being deemed as belonging to a first category when the circuit breaker device trips in response to the released energy, and the circuit breaker device being deemed as belonging to a second category when the circuit breaker device does not trip in response to the released energy.

A computer system, comprising:

• a computerized device for performing computerized operations;
• a circuit breaker device, coupled to the computerized device, that protects the computerized device against an extreme electrical stress;
• and
• a characterization apparatus that characterizes the circuit breaker device, the characterization apparatus having:
• an interface that connects to the circuit breaker device,
• an energy storage device that is capable of storing and releasing a particular amount of energy, and
• control means, coupled to the energy storage device and the interface, for (i) disconnecting the energy storage device from the interface and connecting the energy storage device to an external power source to store the particular amount of energy in the energy storage device, and (ii) disconnecting the energy storage device from the external power source and connecting the energy storage device to the interface such that energy is released from the energy storage device through the interface and through the circuit breaker device, the circuit breaker device being deemed as belonging to a first category when the circuit breaker device trips in response to the released energy, and the circuit breaker device being deemed as belonging to a second category when the circuit breaker device does not trip in response to the released energy.

A computer program product that includes a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for characterizing a circuit breaker device, such that the instructions, when processed by a computerized device, cause the computerized device to:

• set the circuit breaker device so that the circuit breaker device trips when a particular level of energy is released through the circuit breaker device in a particular amount of time;
• connect an energy storage device to an external power source to store a particular amount of energy in the energy storage device;
• and
• disconnect the energy storage device from the external power source and connect the energy storage device to the circuit breaker device such that energy is released from the energy storage device through the circuit breaker device, the circuit breaker device being deemed as belonging to a first category when the circuit breaker device trips in response to the released energy, and the circuit breaker device being deemed as belonging to a second category when the circuit breaker device does not trip in response to the released energy.

An apparatus for characterizing a circuit breaker device, the apparatus comprising:

• an interface that is capable of connecting to the circuit breaker device;
• an energy storage device that is capable of storing and releasing a particular amount of energy;
• and
• a controller coupled to the energy storage device and the interface, the controller, when the circuit breaker device is connected to the interface, being configure to selectively:
• (i) disconnect the energy storage device from the interface and connect the energy storage device to a power source to store the particular amount of energy in the energy storage device, and
• (ii) disconnect the energy storage device from the power source and connect the energy storage device to the interface to release the particular amount of energy through the interface and through the circuit breaker device regardless of whether the circuit breaker trips, the circuit breaker device being deemed to belong to a first category when the circuit breaker device trips in response to the released energy, and the circuit breaker device being deemed to belong to a second category when the circuit breaker device does not trip in response to the released energy.