# US 7,613,933 B1 · Inline power control

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- Number: US 7,613,933 B1
- Document ID: US7613933B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 10/618,211
- Filed: 2003-07-11
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 2003-07-11
- Assignees: Cisco Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: Jeffrey D. Provost
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7613933B1

## CPC

- G06F 1/266: {Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips}
- H04L 12/10: Current supply arrangements
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

A physical layer for an inline power device of a network power system. The network power system includes inline power devices such as power source equipment and a plurality of powered devices and further includes a plurality of corresponding transmission media. The plurality of transmission media are connected to the corresponding power source equipment and powered devices through a power interface at each end of the transmission media. The multiple power interfaces of the power source equipment are often referred to as ports. For each port of the power source equipment and the plurality of powered devices, there exists a physical layer. The physical layer includes an inline power control signal source. The inline power control signal designates when to apply power to a port when there is no power applied to the port and when to remove power from the port when there is power applied to the port.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A power source equipment of a network power system, the power source equipment comprising:
at least one physical layer including:
an inline power control signal source originating from the physical layer, wherein the inline power control signal is configured to indicate when to apply power to a port when there is no power applied to the port and when to remove power from the port when there is power applied to the port; and
signal processing of the inline power control signal, wherein the signal processing is external to the at least one physical layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A power source equipment according to claim 1, wherein the physical layer comprises a physical coding sublayer and a physical medium attachment sublayer and is configured to serve as a bridge between a media-dependent interface of the port and a media-independent interface of the port.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A power source equipment according to claim 2, further comprising a media access control component and a station management component both connected to the media-independent interface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

A power source equipment according to claim 3, wherein the station management component provides management data input/output and a management data clock to the physical layer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

A power sourcing equipment according to claim 2, wherein the physical layer further comprises a physical medium dependent sublayer.

### Claim 6

A power source equipment of a network power system, the power source equipment comprising:
at least one physical layer including:
an inline power control signal source originating from the physical layer, wherein the inline power control signal is configured to indicate when to apply power to a port when there is no power applied to the port and when to remove power from the port when there is power applied to the port; and
a signal processor configured to process the inline power control signal, wherein the signal processing is external to the at least one physical layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

A power source equipment according to claim 6, wherein the physical layer comprises a physical coding sublayer and a physical medium attachment sublayer and is configured to serve as a bridge between a media-dependent interface of the port and a media-independent interface of the port.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

A power source equipment according to claim 7, further comprising a media access control component and a station management component both connected to the media-independent interface.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

A power source equipment according to claim 8, wherein the station management component provides management data input/output and a management data clock to the physical layer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

A power sourcing equipment according to claim 7, wherein the physical layer further comprises a physical medium dependent sublayer.

### Claim 11

A network switch for a network power system, the switch comprising:
at least one physical layer including:
an inline power control signal source originating from the physical layer, wherein the inline power control signal is configured to indicate when to apply power to a port when there is no power applied to the port and when to remove power from the port when there is power applied to the port; and
signal processing of the inline power control signal, wherein the signal processing is external to the at least one physical layer.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

A network switch according to claim 11, wherein the physical layer comprises a physical coding sublayer and a physical medium attachment sublayer and is configured to serve as a bridge between a media-dependent interface of the port and a media-independent interface of the port.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

A network switch according to claim 12, further comprising a media access control component and a station management component both connected to the media-independent interface.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

A network switch according to claim 13, wherein the station management component provides management data input/output and a management data clock to the physical layer.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

A network switch according to claim 12, wherein the physical layer further comprises a physical medium dependent sublayer.

### Claim 16

A system comprising:
one or more inline power devices;
one or more powered devices coupled to an inline power device, each of the one or more inline power devices and each of the one or more powered devices having at least one port, each port having a physical layer, the physical layer including an inline power control signal source wherein an inline power control signal source originating from the physical layer controls application of power to the port, and further comprising:
a signal processor external to the physical layers to process the inline power control signal.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

A system according to claim 16, wherein the physical layer of each port comprises a physical coding sublayer and a physical medium attachment sublayer and is configured to serve as a bridge between a media-dependent interface of the port and a media-independent interface of the port.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

A system according to claim 17, further comprising for each port a media access control component and a station management component both connected to the media-independent interface of the port.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

A system according to claim 18, wherein the station management component provides management data input/output and a management data clock to the physical layer.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

A system according to claim 17, wherein the physical layer of each port further comprises a physical medium dependent sublayer.