Patch field documentation and revision systems
First Claim
1. A network device comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) and a plurality of ports, each of the ports adapted to receive a patch cord, the PCB adapted to provide a plurality of port signature resistances and a panel signature resistance, the port signature resistance associated with a particular port unique to the particular port, the panel signature resistance associated with the particular port dependent on a group of ports to which the particular port belongs, the group of ports containing at least two of the plurality of ports.
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Abstract
A communication network device and corresponding patch field system are disclosed. The device includes a port module, ports, and an appliqué attached to a face of the port module. The appliqué includes a printed circuit board (PCB) with conductive pads. A patch cord connects the device with an intelligent patch panel. The patch cord contains at least one system wire. The patch panel is adapted to measure a resistance associated with each port via the system wire. An open circuit indicates that no patch cord is attached to the port, a resistance within a first range indicates that the patch cord is attached only to the port of the intelligent patch panel, and a resistance within a second range less than the first range indicates that the patch cord connects the intelligent patch panel and the device.
165 Citations
21 Claims
- 1. A network device comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) and a plurality of ports, each of the ports adapted to receive a patch cord, the PCB adapted to provide a plurality of port signature resistances and a panel signature resistance, the port signature resistance associated with a particular port unique to the particular port, the panel signature resistance associated with the particular port dependent on a group of ports to which the particular port belongs, the group of ports containing at least two of the plurality of ports.
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11. A network device comprising:
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a plurality of ports, each of the ports adapted to receive a patch cord; a plurality of LED modules, each LED module adjacent to a different port and containing an LED; an optical isolator disposed between adjacent LED modules such that the optical isolator optically isolates the adjacent LED modules from one another; and a printed circuit board (PCB) containing the LED modules, each LED module containing a plurality of different color LEDs, the PCB adapted to control the different color LEDs to display to which port a patch cord is to be inserted or removed and whether the patch cord has been inserted or removed correctly using different colors and LED display modes. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of managing a patch field system, the method comprising:
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providing a network device having a plurality of network device ports and a printed circuit board (PCB) with a plurality of pairs of PCB conductive pads, each pair of PCB conductive pads associated with a different network device port; providing a patch panel having a plurality of patch panel ports and a plurality of patch panel conductive pads, each pair of patch panel conductive pads associated with a different patch panel port; and the patch panel measuring a resistance associated with one of the patch panel ports using the pair of patch panel conductive pads associated with the one of the patch panel ports, a measurement in a first resistance range indicating that no patch cord is attached to the one of the patch panel ports, a measurement in a second resistance range indicating that a patch cord is attached only to the one of the patch panel ports, a measurement in a third resistance range indicating that a patch cord is connected between the one of the patch panel ports and one of the network device ports. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification