System and method for automatically interrupting power to a secondary device upon the extinguishing of power to a primary device

• US 7,132,763 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2004
• Issued: 11/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Neven V. Rendic
• Original Assignee: Neven V. Rendic
• Inventors: Rendic, Neven V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Deberadinis, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US10/794,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20040169420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 307/38, 307/126, 307/112, 307/31
• US Class Current: 307/31
• 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

Abstract

The present invention encompasses a system and method for automatically interrupting a flow of power from an external electrical energy source to at least one device upon the extinguishing of power to another device. The system includes a power strip, a voltage sensing device (e.g., a 5 Volt power tap), and a switch. The power strip has at least one switched outlet adapted to receive an electrical power cord plug from at least one secondary or peripheral device. The voltage sensing device selectively detects an operating voltage of a primary device, wherein the operating voltage is less than a voltage associated with power supplied by the energy source. The switch is coupled to the voltage sensing device and selectively supplies electrical energy from the energy source to the switched outlet(s) depending upon whether or not the voltage sensing device detects the operating voltage of the primary device.

Claims

1. A system for automatically interrupting power to a second device upon the extinguishing of power to a first device, the first device being adapted to receive electrical energy from an external electrical energy source, the system comprising:

a power strip having at least one switched outlet adapted to receive an electrical power cord plug from the second device;

a voltage sensing device that selectively detects an operating voltage used by the first device during operation of the first device, the operating voltage being less than a voltage associated with power supplied by the external electrical energy source; and

a switch, coupled to the voltage sensing device, that supplies electrical energy from the external electrical energy source to the at least one switched outlet in the event that the voltage sensing device detects the operating voltage of the first device and deprives the at least one switched outlet from receiving electrical energy from the external electrical energy source in the event that the voltage sensing device does not detect the operating voltage of the first device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the voltage sensing device is a 5 Volt power tap.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the power strip further includes at least one unswitched outlet that is not supplied or deprived electrical energy by the switch.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first device further includes a power cord adapted to couple the external electrical energy source to the first device and wherein the power cord of the first device is adapted to be plugged into the at least one unswitched outlet of the power strip.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device is a computer and wherein the voltage sensing device includes a cable that electrically connects the switch to a female DIN mouse socket of the computer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device is a computer and wherein the voltage sensing device includes a cable that electrically connects the switch to a female DIN keyboard socket of the computer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device is a computer and wherein the voltage sensing device includes a cable that electrically connects the switch to a female DIN socket associated with the computer.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device is a computer and wherein the voltage sensing device includes a cable that electrically connects the switch to a USB female socket associated with the computer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the voltage sensing device includes a cable that electrically connects the switch to a USB female socket associated with a universal serial bus hub.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the voltage sensing device includes a cable that electrically connects the switch to a USB female socket associated with a front USB hub.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device is a notebook PC and wherein the voltage sensing device includes a cable that electrically connects the switch to a USB female socket associated with a USB/hub splitter for the notebook PC.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the switch comprises one of a synchronous transfer switch and a relay.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the switch supplies electrical energy from the external electrical energy source to the at least one switched outlet in the event that the voltage sensing device further supplies the detected operating voltage of the first device to the switch to facilitate operation of the switch.

14. A system for automatically interrupting power to at least one peripheral device, the system comprising:

a primary device adapted to receive electrical energy from an external electrical energy source, the primary device at least partially controlling operation of the at least one peripheral device;

a power strip having at least one switched outlet adapted to receive an electrical power cord plug from the at least one peripheral device;

a voltage sensing device that selectively detects an operating voltage used by the primary device during operation of the primary device, the operating voltage being less than a voltage associated with power supplied by the external electrical energy source; and

a switch, coupled to the voltage sensing device, that supplies electrical energy from the external electrical energy source to the at least one switched outlet in the event that the voltage sensing device detects the operating voltage of the primary device and deprives the at least one switched outlet from receiving electrical energy from the external electrical energy source in the event that the voltage sensing device does not detect the operating voltage of the primary device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the voltage sensing device comprises a 5 Volt power tap.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the primary device comprises a computer.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the switch supplies electrical energy from the external electrical energy source to the at least one switched outlet in the event that the voltage sensing device further supplies the detected operating voltage of the primary device to the switch to facilitate operation of the switch.

18. An automatic power interruption system comprising:

a first device adapted to receive electrical energy from an external electrical energy source, the first device at least partially controlling operation of a second device;

a power strip having at least one switched outlet adapted to receive an electrical power cord plug from the second device;

a voltage sensing device that selectively detects an operating voltage used by the first device during operation of the first device, the operating voltage being less than a voltage associated with power supplied by the external electrical energy source; and

a switch, coupled to the voltage sensing device, that supplies electrical energy from the external electrical energy source to the at least one switched outlet in the event that the voltage sensing device detects the operating voltage of the first device and deprives the at least one switched outlet from receiving electrical energy from the external electrical energy source in the event that the voltage sensing device does not detect the operating voltage of the first device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the voltage sensing device comprises a 5 Volt power tap.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the switch supplies electrical energy from the external electrical energy source to the at least one switched outlet in the event that the voltage sensing device further supplies the detected operating voltage of the first device to the switch to facilitate operation of the switch.

21. A method for automatically causing at least one secondary device to become energized and de-energized by an external electrical energy source substantially simultaneously with a primary device through the use of an electrical power strip of the type having at least one switched outlet adapted to receive an electrical power cord plug, a voltage sensing device for selectively detecting an operating voltage used by the primary device during operation of the primary device, the operating voltage being less than a voltage associated with power supplied by the external electrical energy source, and a switch coupled to the voltage sensing device for selectively supplying or depriving electrical energy from the external electrical energy source to the at least one switched outlet, the method comprising:

connecting a power cord of the at least one secondary device to the at least one switched outlet; and

coupling the voltage sensing device to the primary device such that when the primary device is de-energized and the voltage sensing device is not supplying any voltage to the switch, the switch will be open to prevent current from passing to the at least one secondary device, and when the primary device is energized and producing an operating voltage and the voltage sensing device is supplying the operating voltage to the switch, the switch will close so as to permit power to pass through the at least one switched outlet to the at least one secondary device.

22. A method for automatically causing a second device to become energized and de-energized by an external electrical energy source substantially simultaneously with a first device, the method comprising:

selectively detecting the presence of an operating voltage of the first device, the operating voltage being less than a voltage associated with power supplied by the external electrical energy source;

supplying electrical energy from the external electrical energy source to a switched outlet of a power strip to which a power cord of the second device is connected in the event that the operating voltage of the first device is detected; and

depriving the switched outlet from receiving electrical energy from the external electrical energy source in the event that the operating voltage of the first device is not detected.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

supplying the operating voltage of the first device to a switch positioned between the first device and the switched outlet to facilitate operation of the switch, wherein the electrical energy from the external electrical energy source is selectively supplied to the switched outlet through the switch.