US 8,543,844 B2Granted

Inline power control

AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.

InventorJeffrey D. Provost

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

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.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A physical layer (PHY) of an inline power device of a network power system, inline power device including a media access control component connected to a media independent interface for sending and receiving data over a physical transmission link attached to a port of the inline power device, the PHY comprising:

a set of external connection terminals including first signal terminals for connecting the PHY to the media independent interface of the inline power device, second terminals for connecting the PHY to a media dependent interface to the physical transmission link, and one or more third terminals carrying an inline power control signal;
PHY sublayer circuitry constructed and arranged as a bridge between the media independent interface and the media dependent interface to provide for the exchange of data communications signals between the media access control component and an external device through the port of the inline power device;
and
an inline power control signal source coupled to the PHY sublayer circuitry and constructed and arranged to output the inline power control signal on the one or more third terminals, the inline power control signal being configured to control inline power, including (i) to supply power to the external device through the port when the external device is coupled to the port and (ii) to remove power from the port when the external device is decoupled from the port.

1 more element

A method of controlling inline power in a network power system, the method comprising:

providing a first network device having a port, a physical layer (PHY) coupled to the port, and a media access control component connected to a media independent interface for sending and receiving data over a physical transmission link attached to the port, wherein the PHY includes (i) a set of external connection terminals including first signal terminals for connecting the PHY to the media independent interface, second terminals for connecting the PHY to a media dependent interface to the physical transmission link, and one or more third terminals carrying an inline power control signal, and (ii) PHY sublayer circuitry constructed and arranged as a bridge between the media independent interface and the media dependent interface to provide for the exchange of data communications signals between the media access control component and a second network device coupled to the port of the first network device;
sourcing the inline power control signal from the PHY;
applying power to the second network device in response to the inline power control signal sourced from the PHY;
outputting data signals from the PHY;
and
transmitting the data signals through the port to the second network device.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/608,754Filed 29 Oct 2009 · continuation
Priority: 11 Jul 2003
Published: US 2010/0042854 A118 Feb 2010
Granted: 24 Sep 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G06F 1/266
Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof: arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under…
H04L 12/10
Details: current supply arrangements
G06F
Computing and data processing
H04L
Digital communication

Family

Application10/618,211Parent of this continuation · filed 11 Jul 2003
US 2010/0042854 A1Pre-grant publication · published 18 Feb 2010
US 7,613,933 B1Parent of this continuation
US 8,543,844 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere

Building an agent or pulling many patents? Use the API or MCP server instead of scraping pages. Get an API key