111111
`
`1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
`US007043543B2
`
`c12) United States Patent
`Ewing et al.
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 7,043,543 B2
`May 9, 2006
`
`(54) VERTICAL-MOUNT ELECTRICAL POWER
`DISTRIBUTION PLUGSTRIP
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Carrel W. Ewing, Incline Village, NV
`(US); Brian P. Auclair, Reno, NV
`(US); Andrew J. Cleveland, Reno, NV
`(US); James P. Maskaly, Sparks, NV
`(US); Dennis W. McGlumphy, Sun
`Valley, NV (US); Mark J. Bigler,
`Eugene, OR (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Server Technology, Inc., Reno, NV
`(US)
`
`( *) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 631 days.
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/930,780
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Aug. 15, 2001
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`US 2002/0002593 Al
`
`Jan. 3, 2002
`
`(63)
`
`(51)
`
`(52)
`
`(58)
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`Continuation-in-part of application No. 09/732,557,
`filed on Dec. 8, 2000, which is a continuation-in-part
`of application No. 09/375,471, filedonAug. 16, 1999,
`which is a continuation-in-part of application No.
`08/685,436, filed on Jul. 23, 1996, now Pat. No.
`5,949,974.
`
`Int. Cl.
`G06F 151173
`(2006.01)
`U.S. Cl. ...................... 709/223; 361/601; 361/622;
`361/624; 361/626; 361/627; 361/641; 713/340;
`439/652; 337/186; 307/11; 307/18; 307/31;
`307/32; 307/36; 307/37; 307/43; 307/149;
`307/150
`Field of Classification Search ................ 361/601,
`361/622, 624, 626, 627, 641; 713/340; 439/652;
`337/186; 307/11,18,31,32, 36,37,43,
`307/149, 150
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`4,051,326 A
`4,101,878 A
`4,206,444 A
`4,356,545 A
`4,442,319 A
`4,495,568 A
`4,611,289 A
`4,647,721 A
`4,701,946 A
`4,709,318 A
`4,780,714 A
`
`9/1977 Badagnani et a!.
`7/1978 Shimizu eta!.
`6/1980 Ferlan
`10/1982 West
`4/1984 Treidl
`111985 Gilbert et a!.
`9/1986 Coppola
`3/1987 Busam et a!.
`10/1987 Oliva eta!.
`11/1987 Gephart et a!.
`10/1988 Moustakas eta!.
`
`(Continued)
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`wo
`
`PCT/US91/08543
`
`5/1993
`
`(Continued)
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`American Power Conversion,"Call-UPS™", 1991, #996-
`0070, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion,"Measure-UPS™", Mar. 1993,
`#996-0127, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion,"Introducing the UPS to build
`your business on ... ", Oct. 1993, #996-0207 -A, APC, West
`Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`
`(Continued)
`
`Primary Examiner-Jeffrey Pwu
`Assistant Examiner-Ashok B Patel
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Klarquist Sparkman, LLP
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A vertical-mount electrical power distribution plugstrip
`comprises a long, thin plugstrip body with several power
`outlet plugs distributed along the length of one face. A power
`input cord is provided at one end, and this supplies operating
`power to each of the power outlet plugs through individual
`relay control.
`
`23 Claims, 8 Drawing Sheets
`
`IPR Page 1
`
`Raritan v. Server Technology
`
`RARITAN EXHIBIT 1001
`
`

`
`US 7,043,543 B2
`Page 2
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`6/1990 Sasaki eta!.
`4,937,561 A
`3/1993 Lord
`5,198,806 A
`6/1994 Langer eta!.
`5,319,571 A
`12/1994 Ebersohl
`5,374,922 A
`4/1995 White et al.
`5,410,713 A
`5/1995 Younkin et a!.
`5,412,645 A
`5,424,903 A * 6/1995 Schreiber .................... 3611166
`5,481,730 A
`111996 Brown eta!.
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`111996 Fee eta!.
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`2/1996 Pisello eta!.
`5,506,573 A
`4/1996 Ewing eta!.
`5,506,790 A * 4/1996 Nguyen ...................... 700/286
`5,537,462 A * 7/1996 Utter et al. ............ 379/102.04
`5,557,557 A * 9/1996 Frantz et a!.
`................. 703/22
`5,561,769 A
`10/1996 Kumar et al.
`12/1996 Dijk eta!.
`5,585,678 A
`5,596,628 A
`111997 Klein
`5,619,722 A * 4/1997 Lovrenich ...................... 710/2
`5,652,893 A
`7/1997 Ben-Meir et al.
`2/1998 Pitt et a!.
`5,717,934 A
`5,721,934 A * 2/1998 Scheurich ................... 713/320
`5,761,084 A
`6/1998 Edwards
`5,781,434 A
`7/1998 Tobita eta!.
`5,862,391 A
`111999 Salas eta!.
`5,938,771 A
`8/1999 Williams et a!.
`5,949,974 A
`9/1999 Ewing eta!.
`5,982,652 A
`1111999 Simonelli et al.
`6,029,092 A
`212000 Stein
`6,408,395 B1
`6/2002 Sugahara et a!.
`6,476,729 B1 * 1112002 Liu ....................... 340/870.11
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`112003 Chang eta!.
`6,519,509 B1
`2/2003 Nierlich et a!.
`6,715,088 B1
`3/2004 Togawa
`
`wo
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`wo 93/10615
`
`5/1993
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`American Power Conversion,"Application Note #A2", Oct.
`1993, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion,"Application Note #A6", Oct.
`1993, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion,"Intemetworking Power
`Protection", Jan. 1994, #996-0295, APC, West Kingston, RI
`02892USA.
`SNMP
`Power Conversion,"PowerNet™
`American
`Adapter", Jan. 1994, #996-0126, APC, West Kingston, RI
`02892USA.
`American Power Conversion,"Solutions '94", Feb. 1994,
`#996-0131, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion,"APC NetShelter", 1995,
`#996-0643-A, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion, "PowerNet", Sep. 1995, #996-
`0325-b, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion,"APC Smart-UPS RM", 1996,
`#996-0618-B, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion,"APC Smart-UPS XL", 1996,
`#996-0630-B, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion,"Smart-UPS", 1996, #996-
`0386-E, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion,"PowerChute plus", 1996,
`#996-0041-C, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion,"Intemetworking Power
`Protection", 1996, #996-0295-B, APC, West Kingston, RI
`02892USA.
`
`American Power Conversion, "UPS Accessories", 1996,
`#996-0411-C, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion,"Application Notes", Oct.
`1996, #996-0495-C, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion, "PowerNet®", 1998, #996-
`0325D, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`B. Ewing and J. Mallory, "Power-ON/OFF-Product
`Information", 1990, Server Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Raphael Needleman, "Power-ON/OFF Lets You Tum on
`Remote PCs by Phone", Feb. 1991, Info World Impressions,
`V. 13, Issue 5.
`Server Technology, Inc., "Any-To-Any Matrix Communica(cid:173)
`tions Switch", 1996, Server Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "Sentry Ambassador", 1996,
`Server Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "LAN, WAN, Enterprise, Internet
`Access Equipment", 1996, Server Technology, Inc., Reno,
`Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRYRACK", 1996, Server
`Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRYINTERNATIONAL",
`1996, Server Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRY Communications and
`User Interface", 1996, Server Technology, Inc., Reno,
`Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRYSHELF", 1996, Server
`Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRY Power Modules", 1996,
`Server Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRY ShutDown Remote
`Power Manager", 1997, Server Technology, Inc., Reno,
`Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRY Administrator R-450
`Remote Power Manager", 1999, Server Technology, Inc.,
`Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "How Do You ReBoot Remote
`Equipment?", 1999, Server Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRY R-2000 Remote Power
`Manager", 1999, Server Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "MasterSwitch™", 1996, Server
`Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "Sentry Power Tower", 2000,
`Server Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`American Power Conversion,"MasterSwitch™ plus", Dec.
`6, 2000, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion,"Built-in Serial UPS Support
`In Windows 2000 Developed by APC", Dec. 6, 2000, APC,
`West Kingston, RI 02892USA.
`American Power Conversion, "Call-UPSa", 1991, #996-
`0070, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "Measure-UPSa", Mar. 1993,
`#996-0127, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "Introducing the UPS to build
`your business on ... ", Oct. 1993, #996-0207 -A, APC, West
`Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "Application Note #A2", Oct.
`1993, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "Application Note #A6", Oct.
`1993, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "Intemetworking Power
`Protection", Jan. 1994, # 996-0295, APC, West Kingston, RI
`02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "PowerNeta SNMP Adapter",
`Jan. 1994, #996-0126, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`
`IPR Page 2
`
`

`
`US 7,043,543 B2
`Page 3
`
`American Power Conversion, "Solutions '94", Feb. 1994,
`#996-0131, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "APC NetShelter", 1995,
`#996-0643-A, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "PowerNet", Sep. 1995,
`#996-0325-b, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "APC Smart-UPS RM", 1996,
`#996-0618-B, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "APC Smart-UPS XL", 1996,
`#996-0630-B, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "Smart-UPS", 1996, #996-
`0386-E, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "PowerChute plus", 1996,
`#996-0041-C, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "Intemetworking Power
`Protection", 1996, #996-0295-B, APC, West Kingston, RI
`02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "UPS Accessories", 1996,
`#996-0411-C, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "Application Notes", Oct.
`1996, #996-0495-C, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`American Power Conversion, "PowerNet", 1998, #996-
`0325D, APC, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA.
`B. Ewing and J. Mallory, "Power-ON/OFF-Product
`Information", 1990, Server Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Raphael Needleman, "Power-ON/OFF Lets You Tum on
`Remote PCs by Phone", Feb. 1991, Info World Impressions,
`V. 13, Issue 5.
`Server Technology, Inc., "Any-To-Any Matrix Communica(cid:173)
`tions Switch", 1996, Server Technology, Inc. Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "Sentry Ambassador", 1996,
`Server Technology, Inc. Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "LAN WAN, Enterprise, Internet
`Access Equipment", 1996, Server Technology, Inc., Reno,
`Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRYRACK", 1996, Server
`Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRYINTERNATIONAL",
`1996, Server Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc. "SENTRY Communications and
`User Interface", 1996, Server Technology, Inc., Reno,
`Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRYSHELF", 1996, Server
`Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRY Power Modules", 1996,
`Server Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRY ShutDown Remote
`Power Manager", 1997, Server Technology, Inc., Reno,
`Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRY Administrator R-450
`Remote Power Manager", 1999, Server Technology, Inc.,
`Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "How Do You ReBoot Remote
`Equipment?", 1999, Server Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "SENTRY R-2000 Remote Power
`Manager", 1999, Server Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`Server Technology, Inc., "MasterSwitcha", 1996, Server
`Technology, Inc., Reno, Nevada.
`W. Richard Stevens. "TCP/IP Illustrated, vol. 1-The
`Protocols", pp. 359-361, 1994.
`"Microprocessor-Based Design-A
`Michael
`Slater.
`Comprehensive Guide to Hardware Design", pp. 19-24,
`1989.
`Peter Drake. "Using SNMP to Manage Networks", pp.
`2/1-2/4, 1991.
`
`Novak, T. "Remote Management of Individual Power Sup(cid:173)
`plies", netman.cit.buffalo.edu/CDN-M, p. 1, May 10, 1995.
`Uninteruptable Power Source FAQ, v. 1.0, pp. 1-10, Feb. 10,
`1994.
`Davison, M., et a!. UPS Management Information Base,
`Internet Draft, IETF, pp. 1-28, May 13, 1992.
`Sentry Ambassador Remote Power Manager© 1996.
`Sentry R-2000 Remote Power Manager© 2001.
`Sentry 110/230 VAC Product Family© 2000.
`Sentry Power Manager-48 VDC Product Family © 2000.
`Distributed Power Module Product List, Sep. 23, 2002.
`Sentry Power Modules© 1999.
`Sentry Power Tower Products © 2001/2002.
`Sentry Expanded Function Power Tower (PTEF) © 2001/
`2002.
`Sentry Serial Power Tower (PTSS) © 2001/2002.
`Sentry Power Tower Power Distribution © 2001/2002.
`Sentry Commander R-400 Remote Power Mgr. © 2001/
`2002.
`Sentry Commander R -400 Remote Pwr. Mgr. Datasheet ©
`1999.
`Sentry Administrator R-450 © 2001/2002.
`Sentry Administrator R-450 Remote Pwr. Mgr. © 1998.
`Remote Power On/Off, Installation and Operations Manual,
`© 1991.
`Sentry Remote Power Manager brochure© 1991.
`Power-On product wrapper© 1991.
`Remote Power On/Off product wrapper© 1991.
`Intelligent Power Module© 1991.
`Local and Remote Power On/Off Alternatives© 1991.
`New Box Specification, dated Mar. 6, 1991.
`RPM-15 Power Module Specification, Mar. 18, 1991.
`Sentry Remote Power Manager, Operational Instructions,
`Sep. 24, 1992.
`"Keeping Up With ... ", Internet Telephony, Mar. 2000, pp.
`84-87.
`"Rebooting Across the Net", PC Magazine, May 5, 1998.
`"Server Technology Sentry R-2000", PC Magazine, May 5,
`1998.
`"APC MasterSwitch", PC Magazine, May 5, 1998.
`Server Technology, Inc., "VersaTimer Operations Manual,
`Thank you for purchasing the Versa Timer," 3 pages, marked
`© 1995.
`Server Technology, Inc., "VersaTimer, A 7-Day, Program(cid:173)
`mable Power Scheduler," 2 pages, marked© 1994.
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`User Guide." 49 pages, marked© 2003 and Jun. 2003.
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`* cited by examiner
`
`IPR Page 3
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 9, 2006
`
`Sheet 1 of 8
`
`US 7,043,543 B2
`
`136
`
`128
`
`138
`
`130
`
`140
`
`132
`
`142
`
`134
`
`144
`
`Fig. 1
`
`~100
`
`102
`
`111
`112
`113
`114
`
`115
`116
`117
`118
`
`119
`120
`121
`122
`
`123
`124
`125
`126
`
`110
`
`IPR Page 4
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 9, 2006
`
`Sheet 2 of 8
`
`US 7,043,543 B2
`
`------------------.. ----.. ----- ............... ----------------------- ... ---- ....
`'
`
`~
`~
`1
`
`operating system
`
`234
`
`232
`
`Fig. 2
`
`200
`~
`
`TCP/IP network
`
`.
`-------------------------- --------------------------------~--------------
`'
`'
`'
`-------------------------
`'
`:
`'
`'
`-~-----------~
`'
`'
`·------'------
`~216:
`: NIC
`:
`:
`~06
`:
`·------~-----.J
`:
`'
`computer -based
`appliance
`
`hoa
`' '
`
`14
`
`. ' ' . ' ' ' .
`' . . ' ' ' ' ' '
`
`·----------------- ---------·
`
`power
`~manager
`
`~ 228
`
`224
`
`on/off
`
`volts, amps
`
`operating power
`
`IPR Page 5
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 9, 2006
`
`Sheet 3 of 8
`
`US 7,043,543 B2
`
`300~
`
`user
`terminal
`
`l-308
`
`l--309
`----................................. ------....................... -......................... :_ .. , ... -...
`__ ......... : u
`SER table
`: c
`~.::~..
`ONNECT table
`---.• : p
`CR table
`...........
`
`non-volatile
`memory
`
`I
`
`.. ,..,
`
`...................
`
`,
`
`t
`t
`
`302~
`I
`'
`
`Fig. 3
`
`304--.:
`
`I
`f--4+"+-
`power control
`relays and sensors r.---t-..
`1-----:----+-
`................... ......... ---...... ---.... ---- .. -........ -.... -------.............................
`l--303
`--------- ----------- .................... --· .... -.............. ---...................... ----
`..... ---~ .. --........
`non-volatile
`PCR table
`memory
`---------~----
`: -
`'
`I '
`
`serial
`
`110
`
`I
`l
`
`microprocessor
`
`serial I/O
`
`I
`-I
`
`j
`
`..........
`
`microprocessor
`
`1
`t
`
`' ' ' '
`I .
`. ' ' I . ,
`
`'
`
`l
`
`I
`
`I
`
`I
`
`I
`
`'
`
`I
`
`I
`
`'
`' I
`' '
`1--c~
`power control
`r-r~
`relays and sensors
`....--305
`~+-----
`--------- ........ -..... -----.......... -----............ -------........ --------.. -....
`.................... ....... ----------- ........................ --- .................................... -- i .
`non-volatile <::::r:
`. . . .
`t
`.
`.
`.
`I
`.
`' . :
`1
`'
`power control
`1--c~
`relays and sensors ..... ~
`1-4---~--+--
`--------- ------------------------------------------------· ..
`I .............
`'
`
`memory
`
`PCR table
`
`serial I/O
`
`-,
`l
`
`microprocessor
`
`306---...i
`' ' '
`' ' ' ' ' I
`
`IPR Page 6
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 9, 2006
`
`Sheet 4 of 8
`
`US 7,043,543 B2
`
`400~
`Fig. 4A
`
`406............,
`
`412~
`
`user
`terminal
`
`power
`manager
`
`A
`
`.....
`
`logic-IfF
`407_)
`
`B
`
`.....
`
`logic-1/F
`
`408/
`
`c
`
`.....
`
`logic-1/F
`
`409---'
`
`D
`
`.....
`
`logic-1/F
`
`410 _;
`
`401
`
`on/off-1
`
`.r- 402
`
`... ___.. on/off-2
`
`403
`':--'
`
`r- 404
`
`on/off-3
`
`on/off-4
`
`relay
`board
`
`relay
`board
`
`relay
`board
`
`relay
`board
`
`420~
`
`426~
`
`Fig. 48
`
`432
`
`user
`terminal
`
`--+-
`
`power
`manager
`
`A
`
`B
`
`c .....
`
`D .....
`
`421~
`
`seriai-1/F
`
`427_)
`
`4-relay
`board
`
`422---,
`seriai-1/F
`4-relay
`board
`
`428)
`
`423 1.
`seriai-1/F
`
`429
`
`424
`seriai-1/F
`
`430
`
`on/off-13
`on/on-14
`--+- on/o -15
`on/off-16
`
`IPR Page 7
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 9, 2006
`
`Sheet 5 of 8
`
`US 7,043,543 B2
`
`500~
`
`setup & alarm V"-516
`display
`
`.
`Fig 5
`
`,..-514
`
`'
`
`5 04\
`
`' '
`502-.....:
`
`serial I/O
`
`I
`
`506\
`
`'
`
`•.
`
`. --. ------------ -·---·-------------------------------------------. --
`' ---
`' ' ' ' I
`---~--
`-·
`: u
`508-... non-volatile
`'
`~:::
`SER table
`·-
`--
`' -.' " ' -.
`memory
`t
`'
`' '
`'
`I microprocessor I '
`'
`'
`t
`'
`'
`t
`
`518~
`
`510~
`
`dry contacts
`
`512~
`
`over-current
`alarm
`
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`IPR Page 8
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 9, 2006
`
`Sheet 6 of 8
`
`US 7,043,543 B2
`
`600'll
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`IPR Page 9
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 9, 2006
`
`Sheet 7 of 8
`
`US 7,043,543 B2
`
`700~
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`IPR Page 10
`
`

`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 9, 2006
`
`Sheet 8 of 8
`
`US 7,043,543 B2
`
`Fig. 8
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`IPR Page 11
`
`

`
`US 7,043,543 B2
`
`1
`VERTICAL-MOUNT ELECTRICAL POWER
`DISTRIBUTION PLUGSTRIP
`
`CO-PENDING APPLICATIONS
`
`This Application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent
`application Ser. No. 09/732,557, filed Dec. 8, 2000, titled
`NETWORK-CONNECTED POWER MANAGER FOR
`REBOOTING REMOTE COMPUTER-BASED APPLI(cid:173)
`ANCES.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`2
`is provided at one end, and this supplies operating power to
`each of the power outlet plugs through individual relay
`control.
`An advantage of the present invention is that an electrical
`power distribution plugstrip is provided that frees up vertical
`rackmount space for other equipment.
`Another advantage of the present invention is that an
`electrical power distribution plugstrip is provided for con-
`10 trolling the operating power supplied to network appliances.
`A further advantage of the present invention is that an
`electrical power distribution plugstrip is provided that
`allows a network console operator to control the electrical
`power status of a router or other network device.
`A still further advantage of the present invention is that an
`electrical power distribution plugstrip is provided for reduc(cid:173)
`ing the need for enterprise network operators to dispatch
`third party maintenance vendors to remote equipment rooms
`20 and POP locations simply to power-cycle failed network
`appliances.
`These and many other objects and advantages of the
`present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of
`ordinary skill in the art after having read the following
`detailed description of the preferred embodiments which are
`illustrated in the various drawing figures.
`
`IN THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an electrical power
`distribution plugstrip embodiment of the present invention;
`FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a power manager
`system embodiment of the present invention that incorpo(cid:173)
`rates the electrical power distribution plugstrip of FIG. 1 in
`a TCP/IP network environment;
`FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of four intelligent
`power modules in a serial-communication daisy-chain all in
`a power manager system embodiment of the present inven(cid:173)
`tion that is one embodiment of the electrical power distri(cid:173)
`bution plugstrip of FIG. 1;
`FIG. 4A is a functional block diagram of an intelligent
`power module embodiment of the present invention that is
`45 one embodiment of the electrical power distribution plug(cid:173)
`strip of FIG. 1;
`FIG. 4B is a functional block diagram of another intelli(cid:173)
`gent power module embodiment of the present invention in
`which a single power manager is able to simultaneously
`control four 4-relay boards;
`FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of a single intelligent
`power module that controls several loads with dry-contact
`relays and can issue an alarm to alert a user when too much
`current is being demanded by one load, or all of the loads
`together;
`FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an addition to a four-port
`power module that can be used to monitor and report the
`load current being delivered through each power outlet
`socket;
`FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a power distri(cid:173)
`bution unit embodiment of the present invention that allows
`a variety of personality modules to be installed for various
`kinds of control input/output communication; and
`FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of a 4-port intelligent
`power module embodiment of the present invention like
`those shown in FIG. 7.
`
`1. Field of the Invention
`The invention relates generally to remote power manage- 15
`ment systems, and more particularly to electrical power
`distribution devices and methods for conserving the primary
`rack-mount spaces in a standard RETMA rack.
`2. Description of the Prior Art
`Network server "farms" and other network router equip(cid:173)
`ment have settled on the use of equipment bays in 19"
`standard RETMA racks. Many of these server and router
`farms are located at telephone company (TelCo) central
`equipment offices because they need to tie into very high
`bandwidth telephone line trunks and backbones. So each 25
`TelCo typically rents space on their premises to the network
`providers, and such space is tight and very expensive.
`The typical network router, server, or other appliance
`comes in a rack-mount chassis with a standard width and
`depth. Such chassis are vertically sized in whole multiples of 30
`vertical units (U). Each rented space in the TelCo premises
`has only so much vertical space, and so the best solution is
`to make best use of the vertical space by filling it with the
`network appliances and other mission-critical equipment.
`Two kinds of operating power are supplied to such 35
`network appliances, alternating current (AC) from an unin(cid:173)
`terruptable power supply (UPS) or direct from a utility, the
`second kind is direct current (DC) from TelCo central office
`battery sets. Prior art devices have been marketed that
`control such AC or DC power to these network appliances. 40
`For example, Server Technology, Inc., (Reno, Nev.) pro(cid:173)
`vides operating-power control equipment that is specialized
`for use in such TelCo premises RETMA racks. Some of
`these power-control devices can cycle the operating power
`on and off to individual network appliances.
`Such cycling of operating power will force a power-on
`reset of the network appliance, and is sometimes needed
`when an appliance hangs or bombs. Since the network
`appliance is usually located remote from the network admin(cid:173)
`istration center, Server Technology has been quite successful 50
`in marketing power managers that can remotely report and
`control network-appliance operating power over the Internet
`and other computer data networks.
`Conventional power management equipment has either
`been mounted in the tops or bottoms of the server farm 55
`RETMA racks, and thus has consumed vertical mounting
`space needed by the network appliances themselves. So
`what is needed now is an alternate way of supplying AC or
`DC operating power to such network appliances without
`having to consume much or any RETMA rack space.
`
`60
`
`SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
`
`Briefly, a vertical-mount electrical power distribution
`plugstrip embodiment of the present invention comprises a 65
`long, thin plugstrip body with several power outlet plugs
`distributed along the length of one face. A power input cord
`
`IPR Page 12
`
`

`
`US 7,043,543 B2
`
`3
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
`
`FIG. 1 represents an electrical power distribution plug(cid:173)
`strip embodiment of the present invention, and is referred to
`herein by the general reference numeral100. The electrical
`power distribution plugstrip 100 includes a long, thin hous(cid:173)
`ing 102 with one face having a user display 104 and a set of
`RJ-11 control jacks 106. A power input cord 108 is provided
`at one end and has an appropriate power plug 110. For
`example, the power plug 110 is rated for 125VAC at 30A. A
`plurality of power outlet sockets 111-126 are provided along
`a single face of the housing 102. The user display 104
`preferably provides a digital readout of the total input
`current flowing in on power input cord 108.
`The total input current display 104 can be used to advan(cid:173)
`tage by a technician when installing or troubleshooting a
`RETMA equipment rack by watching how much current
`change is observed when each network appliance is plugged
`in and turned on. Unusually high or low currents can
`indicate particular kinds offaults to experienced technicians.
`In alternative embodiments of the present invention, each
`power outlet socket 111-126 is provided with a current(cid:173)
`sensing device that can measure the individual load current.
`Such measurement can then be reported locally on the user
`display 104, or serially communicated out to a remote
`location. Which power outlet socket 111-126 to measure can
`be user selected by a simple pushbutton associated with
`each. Other more complex selection mechanisms can also be
`employed.
`A first group of power outlet sockets 111-114 are mounted
`on a first intelligent power module (IPM) 128. A second
`group of power outlet sockets 115-118 are mounted on a
`second IPM 130. A third group of power outlet sockets
`119-122 are mounted on a third IPM 132. And a fourth
`group of power outlet sockets 123-126 are mounted on a
`fourth IPM 134. The user display 104 and RJ-11 control
`jacks 106 are mounted on a power distribution and user
`display printed circuit board (PCB) 144. A power trans(cid:173)
`former 146 is used to step-down electrical power to the logic
`power supply levels needed by the IPM's 128-134, and PCB
`144.
`The manufacturing and marketing of IPM' s 128-134 can
`be greatly enhanced by making the hardware and software 45
`implementation of each IPM the same as the others. When
`a system that includes these IPM's is operating, it preferably
`sorts out for itself how many IPM's are connected in a group
`and how to organize their mutual handling of control and
`status data in and out.
`FIG. 2 represents a power manager system embodiment
`of the present invention, and is referred to herein by the
`general reference numeral 200. The electrical power distri(cid:173)
`bution plugstrip 100 (FIG. 1) is incorporated here, but is
`shown controlling only one relay and the operating power to
`one network appliance. Preferred embodiments of the
`present invention control many such relays and their corre(cid:173)
`sponding network appliances.
`A network management system (NMS) 202 is connected
`by a network 204 to a remote site 206. A power controller
`208 forwards operating power through a sensor 210 and
`relay-switch 212 to a computer-based appliance 214. As
`many of the functional parts of power controller 208 as
`possible are packaged in preferred embodiments of the
`present invention in a package like that of the electrical 65
`power distribution plugstrip 100 (FIG. 1). Preliminary
`implementations have packaged the network interface com-
`
`4
`ponents in another chassis, e.g., one that rack-mounts in a
`19" RETMA equipment rack at remote site 206.
`The operating power being controlled by relay 212 can be
`the traditional 110 VAC or 220 VAC power familiar to
`consumers, or direct current (DC) battery power familiar to
`telephone central-office "plant" employees. A network inter(cid:173)
`face controller (NIC) 216 may be used to connect the
`computer-based appliance 214 to the network 204. Such
`would be especially true if the computer-based appliance
`10 214 were a server, router, bridge, etc.
`The power controller 208 can be configured to operate in
`a number of different modes, and such options are selected
`and stored in a configuration memory. The NMS 202 may
`download configurations to power controller 208, and may
`15 upload them for editing, archiving, and/or duplication to
`other power controllers 208 at other remote sites 206.
`Embodiments of the present invention are directed towards
`systems and methods that do such uploading, downloading,
`editing, archiving, and duplication of power manager con-
`20 figuration files.
`The power manager system 200 maintains the operating
`health of the computer-based appliance 214. Such computer(cid:173)
`based appliance 214 is prone to freezing or crashing where
`it is effectively dead and unresponsive. It is also some
`25 mission-critical assignment that suffers during such down
`time. It is therefore the role and purpose of the power
`manager 200 to monitor the power and environmental
`operating conditions in which the computer-based appliance
`214 operates, and to afford management personnel the
`30 ability to turn the computer-based appliance 214 on and off.
`Such allows a power-on rebooting of software in the com(cid:173)
`puter-based appliance 214 to be forced remotely