Patch Panel with a Motherboard for Connecting Communications Jacks

• US 20070149045A1
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panduit Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panduit Corporation
• Inventors: Nordin, Ronald, Caveney, Jack
• Granted Patent: US 7,481,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/540.100
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/64 for high frequency, e.g. RJ 45
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 29/00 Coupling parts for selective co-operation with a counterpart in different ways to establish different circuits, e.g. for voltage selection, for series-parallel selection, programmable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/2425 Flat plates, e.g. multi-layered flat plates

Abstract

An active jack, which is a powered device, is installed as the network connection at a workstation which provides the capability to determine the physical location of a destination device, such as a VOIP phone, in real time. Uninterruptible power supplies may be used to provide power to network components, for example during an emergency. Power-and-data deployments are shown for powering network components and destination devices.

Claims

1. A modular jack that mounts within a wall plate, the modular jack comprising:

a latch that removably attaches the modular jack within the wall plate; and

a modular jack circuit board having circuitry that supports patching a network connection between two different types of cables connected to the modular jack and further having circuitry that provides power to a powered device over a pair of conductors within a network cable connected to the modular jack.

2. The modular jack of claim 1, wherein the modular jack is an active jack and the modular jack circuit board further has circuitry that communicates with a network information system over a network cable connected to the modular jack.

4. The modular jack of claim 1 wherein a network-side connection of said modular jack is a fiber optic connection and wherein a user-side connection of said modular jack is an electrically conductive connection.

5. The modular jack of claim 4 wherein said modular jack receives power from a local power supply and is adapted to forward power required by a local device to the local device via said electrically conductive connection.

6. The modular jack of claim 2 wherein said active jack sends an address resolution protocol message to a network management system in response to the loss and revival of power to the active jack.

3. The modular jack of claim 3, wherein the active jack transmits a MAC ID in response to a query received from the network information system.