# US 9,437,387 B1 · Tap box assembly with separated annunciator > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,437,387 B1 - Document ID: US9437387B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 14/307,291 - Filed: 2014-06-17 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-06-17 - Assignees: Amazon Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Amazon Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Faran Harold Kaplan; Brock Robert Gardner - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9437387B1 ## CPC - H02H 3/04: with warning or supervision in addition to disconnection, e.g. for indicating that protective apparatus has functioned {(watching of pilot wires H02H1/0084; protection of protective arrangements H02H7/008; indication of the state of electronic switches H03K17/18)} - H01H 85/30: Means for indicating condition of fuse structurally associated with the fuse - H02H 3/046: {Signalling the blowing of a fuse (detecting non functioning of a lamp H05B47/20)} - H05K 7/1492: {having electrical distribution arrangements, e.g. power supply or data communications} - H02H: EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS (indicating or signalling undesired working conditions G01R, e.g. G01R31/00, G08B; locating faults along lines G01R31/08; emergency protective devices H01H) - H01H: ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES (contact cables H01B7/10; electrolytic self-interrupters H01G9/18; emergency protective circuit arrangements H02H; switching by electronic means without contact-making H03K17/00) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ## Abstract A tap box assembly with separated annunciator emits a visual signal from an annunciator separated from a tap box such that the visual signal can be viewed from a remote location. The tap box provides electrical power from a busway to one or more rack computer systems via a power cable. The visual signal indicates whether the tap box is in a normal or abnormal state. A tap box assembly with separated annunciator can be coupled to a busway that extends down an aisle at an elevated position. A tap box assembly with separated annunciator can couple to a busway that extends along an aisle in an underfloor space. Data center technicians can easily view the state of a plurality of tap boxes of an aisle from an end of the aisle based on the visual signals emitted from a plurality of annunciators coupled to a plurality of tap boxes and separated from the tap boxes by a separation distance. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A data center comprising: at least two rows of rack computer systems extending on opposite sides of an aisle; a busway extending at an elevated position along the aisle, wherein the busway is configured to distribute electrical power from a power source to one or more of the rack computer systems; and one or more tap box assemblies coupled to the busway and configured to distribute electrical power from the busway to one or more of the rack computer systems via one or more power cables, wherein each of the one or more tap box assemblies comprises: a tap box housing including one or more circuit breakers configured to provide circuit breaker support of the electrical power distributed from the busway to at least one of the power cables, and a suspended annunciator electrically coupled to the tap box housing, and suspended at a particular position beneath the tap box housing, by one or more electrical lines, wherein the suspended annunciator is configured to: emit a visual signal, indicating a state of the one or more circuit breakers in the tap box housing, at the particular position beneath the tap box housing to enable manual observation of the visual signal from a remote location, at an end of the aisle of computer systems. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The data center of claim 1, wherein to emit the visual signal, the suspended annunciator is configured to: illuminate a specific colored light of the suspended annunciator to indicate an open state of at least one of the one or more circuit breakers in the tap box housing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The data center of claim 1 wherein: the one or more tap box assemblies comprises a plurality of tap box assemblies coupled to the busway, wherein: each tap box assembly of the plurality of tap box assemblies is coupled to the busway at separate locations along a length of the busway, and the suspended annunciators of each of the plurality of tap box assemblies are each configured to be suspended at separate particular positions beneath the respective tap box assembly based at least in part upon a proximity of the respective tap box assembly to the end of the aisle, such that the particular position at which a suspended annunciator is suspended from a particular one of the plurality of tap box assemblies that is proximate to the end of the aisle is elevated above another separate position at which a suspended annunciator is suspended from another one of the plurality of tap box assemblies that is distal to the end of the aisle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The data center of claim 1 comprising: a remote monitoring system communicatively coupled with the one or more tap box assemblies and configured to indicate a state of the one or more circuit breakers mounted in the one or more tap box housings, wherein the suspended annunciator of each tap box assembly is further configured to: emit the visual signal independently of the remote monitoring system to provide redundant indication of the state of at least one of the one or more circuit breakers. ### Claim 5 An apparatus comprising: a tap box housing configured to distribute electrical power from a coupled power busway to one or more rack computer systems; and an annunciator, coupled to the tap box housing via at least one electrical line that separates the annunciator from the tap box housing by a separation distance that is configured to: emit a visual signal, indicating a state of the tap box housing, at a location separated from the tap box housing by the separation distance to enable remote manual observation of the state of the tap box housing from a remote location. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5 wherein: the busway extends at an elevated position along an aisle of rack computer systems; the tap box housing is configured to couple to the busway at an elevated position relative to the one or more rack computer systems; and the annunciator is suspended at a particular position beneath the tap box housing by the at least one electrical line to enable manual observation of the visual signal from a remote location, at an end of the aisle of rack computer systems. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5 wherein: the busway extends in a space beneath a raised floor; and the annunciator comprises a floor tile comprising: one or more lights on an upper surface of the floor tile, and one or more electrical connectors on a lower surface of the floor tile, wherein the one or more electrical connectors of the floor tile are electrically coupled to the one or more lights and configured to couple with one or more electrical connectors of the tap box housing to electrically couple the one or more lights with the tap box housing, based at least in part upon the floor tile being mounted in an open space of the raised floor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5 comprising: a remote monitoring system communicatively coupled with a plurality of tap box assemblies and configured to indicate a state of each tap box housing of the plurality of tap box assemblies, wherein each tap box assembly comprises an annunciator and the annunciator of each tap box assembly is further configured to: emit the visual signal independently of the remote monitoring system to provide redundant indication of the state of the tap box housing. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8 wherein: the remote monitoring system is configured to indicate the state of a specific tap box housing based at least in part upon a signal received from a monitoring circuit electrically coupled the specific tap box housing, and the annunciator coupled to the specific tap box housing is configured to: provide redundant indication of the state of the specific tap box housing based at least in part upon an independent circuit electrically coupled, independently of the monitoring circuit, to the tap box housing. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the annunciator is directly coupled to the tap box housing via at least one electrical line comprising a rigid member that holds the annunciator in the location separated from the tap box housing by the separation distance. ### Claim 11 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the at least one electrical line is configured to adjust the separation distance between the annunciator and the tap box housing based at least in part on a proximity of the tap box housing to the remote location. ### Claim 12 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the tap box housing comprises one or more circuit breakers and to emit the visual signal indicating the state of the tap box housing, the annunciator is configured to: illuminate a specific colored light to indicate an open state of at least one of the one or more circuit breakers of the tap box housing. ### Claim 13 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the tap box housing comprises one or more circuit breakers and to emit the visual signal indicating the state of the tap box housing, the annunciator is configured to: flash a light in a particular sequence to indicate an open state of at least one of the one or more circuit breakers of the tap box housing. ### Claim 14 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the at least one electrical line that couples the annunciator to the tap box housing further comprises one or more electrical quick release connectors configured to: couple the at least one electrical line to the tap box housing via one or more magnets; and decouple the at least one electrical line from the tap box housing without damaging the electrical line, the tap box housing, or the one or more electrical quick release connectors based at least in part on a tensile force exerted on the at least one electrical line. ### Claim 15 A method comprising: receiving a tap box configured to: couple to a busway distributing electrical power, and distribute electrical power from the busway to one or more electrical loads via a power cable connection; receiving an annunciator line comprising an annunciator on one end of the annunciator line and one or more electrical connectors on an opposite end of the annunciator line; and configuring the annunciator to emit a visual signal indicating a state of the tap box at a location separated from the tap box by a separation distance to enable remote manual observation of the state of the tap box from a remote location, wherein the configuring comprises: electrically coupling the one or more electrical connectors of the annunciator line to one or more monitoring circuits of the tap box; and coupling the tap box to the busway, such that the visual signal is manually observable from the remote location. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein: the busway extends at an elevated position along an aisle of rack computer systems; the tap box is configured to couple to the busway at an elevated position relative to the one or more rack computer systems; and coupling the tap box coupled to the annunciator line to the elevated busway comprises: suspending the annunciator at a particular position beneath the tap box by the annunciator line to enable manual observation of the visual signal from a remote location, at an end of an aisle of rack computer systems. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein: the busway extends in a space beneath a raised floor; the annunciator comprises a floor tile comprising: one or more lights on an upper surface of the floor tile, and one or more electrical connectors on a lower side of the floor tile electrically coupled to the one or more lights, wherein the one or more connectors of the floor tile are configured to couple with one or more electrical connectors of the tap box to electrically couple the one or more lights with the tap box; and coupling the tap box coupled to the annunciator line to the underfloor busway comprises: mounting the floor tile in an open space of the raised floor such that the one or more connectors of the floor tile electrically couple with the one or more electrical connectors of the tap box. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein: the annunciator line is configured to adjust the separation distance between the annunciator and the tap box based at least in part on a physical proximity of the tap box to the remote location; and coupling the tap box to the busway further comprises: coupling a plurality of tap boxes to the busway at separate locations along a length of the busway extending along an aisle of rack computer systems, and adjusting the separation distance between the annunciator and the tap box based at least in part on the physical proximity of the tap box to the remote location. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein the annunciator line comprises: a rigid member that holds the annunciator in the location separated from the tap box by the separation distance. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein the tap box comprises one or more circuit breakers and to emit the visual signal indicating a state of the tap box, the annunciator is configured to: illuminate a specific colored light to indicate an open state of at least one of the one or more circuit breakers. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein the tap box comprises one or more circuit breakers and to emit the visual signal indicating a state of the tap box, the annunciator is configured to: flash a light in a particular sequence to indicate an open state of at least one of the one or more circuit breakers.