Power Switch

• US 20070276548A1
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Power Systems, Inc
• Original Assignee: International Power Systems, Inc
• Inventors: Johansson, Martin, Damgaard, Erik, Risager, Morten, Uzunovic, Nikola
• Application Number:
  US10/577,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20070276548A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/261 PC controlled powerstrip
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
• 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

The present invention relates to a power switch, data system, interface and a data structure for controlling power outlets on one or more power switches. Each power switch comprises a sensor bus and watt meters in order to be able to monitor power consumption and environmental changes. Furthermore the power switches comprises a memory and a processor in order to be able to automatically control the power outlets without interference from a user terminal.

Claims

1. A power distribution device for controlling and monitoring states in and around a computer network, the device comprises:

at least one processor,

at least one memory,

at least one sensor port for receiving a sensor signal,

at least one sensor, for example at least one watt meter,

at least one power outlet, and

a connection to a communication network,

wherein the processor is operable to control said at least one outlet in response to information provided from the at least one sensor port and/or the at least one sensor and/or information provided from said communication network.

2. A power distribution device according to claim 1 wherein the memory comprises a unique ID.

3. A power distribution device according to claim 1 further comprising a connection to another power distribution device.

5. A power distribution device according to claim 1, wherein sensors are connected to the sensor port.

6. A power distribution device according to claim 5 wherein the processor is programmed to act according to predefined rules.

7. A power distribution device according to claim 6 wherein the predefined rules are threshold values.

8. A power distribution device according to claim 1 wherein the processor is programmed to communicate with a data structure comprising:

at least one outlet block comprising data relating to an outlet,

at least one sensor block comprising data relating to a sensor.

9. A user interface for a user terminal connected to a computer network comprising one or more power distribution devices according to claim 1, the user interface comprises a display and at least one panel/window, wherein the at least one panel comprises one or more elements.

10. A user interface according to claim 9 wherein the user interface comprises a grouping functionality for the network devices, in order to be able to assign a network device to at least one specific group.

11. A user interface according to claim 10 wherein the user interface comprises a display function which displays the network devices according to a chosen group.

12. A user interface according to claim 11 wherein the user interface comprises a display function which displays the network devices according to chosen groups.

13. A user interface according to claim 11 wherein the display function is performed by a drag and drop action.

14. A user interface according to claim 9 wherein the panels/windows relates to at least one of the following type of panels/windows:

icon list/view,

Outlet list/view,

Sensor list/view,

warning list/view,

action list/view,

Rescan list/view,

Power distribution unit list/view.

24. A method for controlling power distribution devices in a network, the network comprising:

at least one user terminal comprising a display,

a multiple of network devices,

one or more power distribution devices according to claim 1 comprising sensors and multiple outlets supplying power to the network devices,

one or more power distribution devices comprising sensors and multiple outlets supplying power to the network devices,

the method comprises the steps of;

displaying the power distribution devices and/or outlets according to a belonging of the distribution devices and/or outlets,

controlling the power distribution devices and/or outlets according to an action triggered by an input.

25. A method according to claim 24 wherein the belonging relates to at least one of the following:

type of device,

location of the device,

functionality of the device,

owner of the device,

user defined belonging.

26. A method according to claim 24 wherein the input preferably relates to at least one of the following:

input from a sensor,

input from a user,

input from Network devices,

input from other power distribution devices.

27. A method according to claim 24 wherein the action preferably relates to at least one of the following activities:

power on,

power off,

cycle power,

sequence up,

sequence down, and

user-defined power sequence.

28. A computer system comprising:

one or more power distribution device(s) according to claim 1,

one or more power distribution device(s) comprising power outlets,

a user terminal comprising a display for displaying information relating to the power outlets,

one or more electronic devices connected to the power outlets,

said computer system being programmed to;

displaying on the display, information relating to one or more of the power outlets according to predetermined belongings of the power outlets.

29. A computer system according to claim 28 wherein the predetermined belongings of the outlets is chosen from a group of belongings comprising:

type of device connected to the outlet,

location of the device connected to the outlet,

functionality of the device connected to the outlet,

owner of the device connected to the outlet,

user defined belongings,

type of sensors.

30. A computer system according to claim 28 wherein computer system further is programmed to send instructions from the user terminal to the power distribution device(s).

31. A power distribution device according to claim 1 receiving or sending information with a data structure comprising:

at least one outlet block comprising data relating to an outlet,

at least one sensor block comprising data relating to a sensor.

32. A data structure according to claim 31 further comprising at least one of the following blocks:

a network block comprising data relating to the network,

a power distribution device block comprising data relating to the power distribution device,

a password block,

a sequence block comprising data relating to the order of switching outlets on or off,

a communication block comprising data relating to sending electronic messages.

33. The data structure according to claim 31, further being adapted to being transmitted over a network in order to facilitate the updating and storing of information.

15. A method for collecting and storing data from unknown devices in a network environment, the network environment comprises a network, a user terminal, a home database, unknown network devices and a first database comprising usage information about the unknown network devices, the method comprising the steps of:

from the user terminal sending a request to a proxy/transparent layer for finding network devices,

the proxy/transparent layer find and connect to unknown network devices, and

when a unknown network device is found, collecting and storing data relating to the unknown devices in the home database.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the step of connecting to an unknown network device further comprises the steps of:

using the usage information stored in the first database for communicating with an unknown device.

17. A method for creating a database comprising devices in a network, the network comprising:

at least one user terminal,

a multiple of network devices and

at least one power distribution device comprising sensors and outlets for controlling the power to the network devices,

the method comprises the steps of;

scanning the network for new power distribution devices,

upon a request sent from the user terminal receiving at least one message from each new power distribution device, the message containing among other data the unique identifier of the sensors connected to the new power distribution device

assigning a belonging to the new power distribution device,

creating a record relating to each new device, and

storing the record in a database.

18. A method according to claim 17 further comprising a step of creating an encrypted wallet file, the wallet file comprises logins and/or passwords to the devices connected to the network.

19. A method according to claim 17 wherein the message comprises an XML file.

20. A method according to claim 17 wherein the scanning is executed either manually or automatically at start.

21. A method according to claim 17 further wherein the belonging relates to at least one of the following:

type of device,

location of the device,

functionality of the device,

user defined belonging.

22. A method according to claim 17 further comprising the step of contacting devices on external networks by using the IP address or domain name of the device.

23. A method according to claim 17 wherein the record comprises at least one of the following:

ip address of the device,

name of the device,

function of the device,

group belonging,

location of the device,

outlet(s),

loads on outlets,

description of the device,

sensors.