CABLE IDENTIFICATION USING A UNIQUE SIGNAL CARRIED ON AN EXTERNAL CONDUCTOR
First Claim
1. A cable identification system, comprising:
- a cable having a plurality of conductors, all but one of the conductors enclosed in a shield conductor, the remaining additional conductor positioned external to the outer surface of the shield conductor, the cable having an electrical connector secured to at least one end, wherein the electrical connector is adapted to connect the plurality of conductors to a mating connector;
a signal generator adapted to connect the electrical connector to the mating connector, the signal generator configured to generate and transmit a unique signal over the additional conductor; and
a portable device configured to detect the unique signal when positioned adjacent the cable at any point along the cable.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A cable identification system is provided. The cable identification system includes a cable having a plurality of conductors with an electrical connector secured to at least one end. All but one of the conductors are enclosed in a shield conductor. The remaining additional conductor is positioned external to the outer surface of the shield conductor. The electrical connector is adapted to connect the plurality of conductors to a mating connector. The cable identification system further includes a signal generator adapted to connect the electrical connector to the mating connector. The signal generator is configured to generate and transmit a unique signal over the additional conductor in the cable. The cable identification system further includes a portable device configured to detect the unique signal when positioned adjacent the cable at any point along the cable.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A cable identification system, comprising:
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a cable having a plurality of conductors, all but one of the conductors enclosed in a shield conductor, the remaining additional conductor positioned external to the outer surface of the shield conductor, the cable having an electrical connector secured to at least one end, wherein the electrical connector is adapted to connect the plurality of conductors to a mating connector; a signal generator adapted to connect the electrical connector to the mating connector, the signal generator configured to generate and transmit a unique signal over the additional conductor; and a portable device configured to detect the unique signal when positioned adjacent the cable at any point along the cable. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for identifying cables, comprising:
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providing a cable having a plurality of conductors, all but one of the conductors enclosed in a shield conductor, the remaining additional conductor positioned external to the outer surface of the shield conductor, the cable having an electrical connector secured to at least one end, wherein the electrical connector is adapted to connect the plurality of conductors in the cable to a mating connector; connecting a signal generator between the electrical connector and the mating connector electrically coupled to a network device at at least one end of the cable, wherein the signal generator is configured to generate and transmit a unique signal over the additional conductor in the cable; storing an association between the unique signal and the network device in a repository; identifying the unique signal using a portable device configured to detect the unique signal by positioning the portable device adjacent the cable at any point along the cable; and retrieving the association between the unique signal and the network device from the repository to identify the cable. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification