System and method for managing uninterruptible power supply systems

• US 20050071699A1
• Filed: 03/22/2004
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric IT Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: American Power Conversion Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Hammond, Brad, Meiser, Carl J. III, Murphy, Catherine, Giaquinto, Todd, Redmond, Dan
• Granted Patent: US 7,082,541 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/062 for AC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/12 Energy storage units, uninterruptible power supply [UPS] systems or standby or emergency generators, e.g. in the last power distribution stages
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/248 UPS systems or standby or emergency generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

An Internet-based system and method is set forth for managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems. The system includes an uninterruptible power supply manager computer coupled to a number of user computers via a computer network. The manager computer is further coupled to the number of uninterruptible power supply systems via the computer network. The manager computer can communicate with the number of uninterruptible power supply systems to obtain inventory and/or status information related to each of the uninterruptible power supply systems. The inventory and/or status information is contained in a database defined on the manager computer. An inventory engine, which is included in the computer manager, can configure and arrange the inventory and/or status information into a number of reports.

Claims

1. An uninterruptible power supply manager for managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems coupled to the Internet, the uninterruptible power supply manager comprising:

a communication port for communicating over the Internet with the uninterruptible power supply systems and a plurality of user computers;

wherein the uninterruptible power supply manager computer is constructed and arranged to obtain inventory and status information from each uninterruptible power supply system over the Internet and to provide at least a subset of the inventory and status information to at least one of the user computers over the Internet.

2. The uninterruptible power supply manager of claim 1, further comprising:

a processor;

a storage medium;

a database defined on the storage medium, the database containing the inventory and status information; and

an inventory engine, the inventory engine configuring and arranging the inventory and status information into a number of reports.

3. A method of managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems, the uninterruptible power supply systems being coupled to an uninterruptible power supply manager computer via a computer network, the manager computer being further coupled to a number of user computers, the method of managing the number of uninterruptible power supply systems comprising the steps of:

establishing a communication link between one or more of the user computers and the manager computer;

requesting the manager computer to provide the user computer with an uninterruptible power supply system status Web-page and main menu;

entering a number of internet-protocol addresses in predetermined address fields, each of the internet-protocol addresses being associated with one of the uninterruptible power supply systems;

requesting the manage computer to provide inventory and state information related to each uninterruptible power supply system associated with each internet-protocol address; and

storing the inventory and status information in a database defined on the manager computer.

4. The method of managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 3, further comprising the step of configuring and arranging the inventory and status information defined in the database to provide a number of reports.

5. The method of managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 3, wherein the step of entering a number of internet-protocol addresses in predetermined address fields comprises entering a single internet-protocol address in the predetermined address field.

6. The method of managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 3, wherein the step of entering a number of internet-protocol addresses in predetermined address fields, comprises:

defining a range of contiguous internet-protocol addresses, the range having a starting internet-protocol address and an ending internet-protocol address; and

entering the starting internet-protocol address and the ending internet-protocol address in predetermined address fields, the range of internet-protocol addresses being associated with the number of uninterruptible power supply systems.

7. The method of managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 3, wherein the step of entering a number of internet-protocol address in predetermined address fields, comprises:

searching for a number internet protocol addresses associated with uninterruptible power supply systems coupled to the computer manager, wherein searching for the number internet protocol addresses comprises;

(i) entering a partial internet-protocol address in a predetermined address field;

(ii) strobing the uninterruptible power supply systems associated with the partial internet-protocol address to determine internet-protocol addresses associated with each uninterruptible power supply system; and

(iii) storing the internet-protocol addresses associated with each uninterruptible power supply system.

8. The method of managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 3, further comprising the step of updating the inventory and status information defined in the database.

9. The method of managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 3, further comprising the step of updating the inventory and status information defined in the database based on a predetermined cyclic schedule.

10. The method of managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 3, wherein the number of reports include inventory reports.

11. The method of managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 3, wherein the number of reports include battery status reports.

17. The system for managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 3, further comprising a means for updating the inventory and status information defined in the database.

12. A system for managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems via an internet-based computer network system, the system for managing the uninterruptible power supply systems comprising:

means for responding to a request from a user computer to provide an uninterruptible power supply system status;

means for receiving a number of internet-protocol addresses from the user computer, the internet-protocol addresses being associated with the number of uninterruptible power supply systems;

means for providing inventory and status information to one of the user computers, the inventory and status information being related to each uninterruptible power supply system; and

means for storing the inventory and status information in a database defined on the system.

13. The system for managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 12, further comprising means for configuring and arranging the inventory and status information defined in the database to provide a number of reports.

14. The system of managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 12, wherein the means for entering a number of internet-protocol addresses in predetermined address fields comprises entering a single internet-protocol address in the predetermined address field.

15. The system of managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 12, wherein the means for entering a number of internet-protocol addresses in predetermined address fields, comprises:

means for defining a range of contiguous internet protocol addresses, the range having a starting internet-protocol address and an ending internet-protocol address; and

means for entering the starting internet-protocol address and the ending internet-protocol address in predetermined address fields, the range of internet-protocol addresses being associated with the number of uninterruptible power supply systems.

16. The system of managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 12, wherein the means for entering a number of internet-protocol addresses in predetermined address fields, comprises:

means for searching a number internet protocol addresses associated with uninterruptible power supply systems coupled to the computer manager, wherein the means for searching the number internet protocol addresses includes;

(i) means for entering a partial internet-protocol address in a predetermined address field;

(ii) means for strobing the uninterruptible power supply systems associated with the partial internet-protocol address to determine internet-protocol addresses associated with each uninterruptible power supply system; and

(iii) means for storing the internet-protocol addresses associated with each uninterruptible power supply system.

18. The system for managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 12, further comprising a means for updating the inventory and status information defined in the database based on a predetermined cyclic schedule.

19. The system for managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 12, wherein the number of reports include inventory reports.

20. The system for managing a number of uninterruptible power supply systems of claim 12, wherein the number of reports include battery status reports.