Method and system for a power strip with automatic equipment disconnect

• US 9,000,921 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Jordan, Jackie O. II
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US13/930,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20140111341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 700/1, 700/297, 713/300, 713/310, 713/320, 713/340, 340/568.2, 340/568.3, 307 38- 39, 307/116
• US Class Current: 340/568.3
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24075 Predict control element state changes, event changes
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/10 Regulating voltage or current G05F1/02 takes precedence; for electric railways B60M3/02
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 5/00 Systems for regulating electric variables by detecting deviations in the electric input to the system and thereby controlling a device within the system to obtain a regulated output
• 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 11/30 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/008 with transmission via TV or radio broadcast

Abstract

A power strip may automatically disconnect wired connections in response to received weather alert data based on a configuration file including one or more user preference settings. The power strip may include a receiver to receive the weather alert data. The power strip may process the received weather alert data and disconnect the wired connections based on the one or more user preference settings. A timer function may also define a time period that the power strip monitors its receiver for weather alert data and automatically disconnects and reconnects the wired connections.

Claims

1. A power strip for automatically disconnecting wired connections, the power strip comprising:

one or more outlets each of which provides a wired connection to each of a plurality of electronic devices;

a receiver configured to receive weather alert data, wherein the weather alert data includes a severe weather event indicating one or more of a thunderstorm, a tornado, a hurricane, an earthquake, a flood, or a tidal wave;

a weather alert type;

a weather alert location;

or a weather event duration; and

a control module coupled to the one or more outlets and the receiver, the control module including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores one or more routines that are executable by the processor, wherein the control module is configured to perform one of two actions in response to identifying the weather alert type specified in the weather alert data, the two actions including;

(i) a first action that communicates the weather alert data to a user and maintains the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets when the control module identifies the weather alert type specified in the weather alert data to be an advisory type alert, and

(ii) a second action that communicates the weather alert data to the user and automatically disconnects the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets when the control module identifies the weather alert type specified in the weather alert data to be a warning type alert.

2. The power strip of claim 1, further comprising a configuration file including one or more user preference settings, wherein the control module is configured to perform the second action based on the user preference settings.

3. The power strip of claim 1, wherein the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets provides one or more of an electrical power, a telephone connection, or a coaxial cable connection.

4. The power strip of claim 1, wherein the receiver is configured to receive weather alert data via one or more of a radio antenna, a cellular network antenna, or a computer network interface.

5. The power strip of claim 1, wherein the one or more routines stored in the memory include a visual alert routine and the user preference settings define an alert type for the visual alert routine to activate one or more visual indicators on the power strip.

6. The power strip of claim 1, further including a battery back-up for each of the plurality of electronic devices.

7. The power strip of claim 1, further comprising a relay switch coupled to the control module and the user preference settings define conditions for the control module to cause the relay switch to disconnect or reconnect the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets in the power strip.

8. The power strip of claim 1, wherein the one or more routines stored in the memory include a timer routine and the user preference settings define a time period for the timer routine to cause the control module to disconnect the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets, and expiration of the time period causes the control module to reconnect the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets.

9. The power strip of claim 1, wherein the one or more routines stored in the memory further include:

a visual message routine and the user preference settings define a message for the visual message routine to display on a panel of the power strip,

an audio routine and the user preference settings define a sound for the audio routine to broadcast via speakers of the power strip, and

a communications routine and the user preference settings define a message for the communications routine to send to a particular electronic device included in the plurality of electronic devices via a respective wired connection and a remote device via a communication link, the message including a response request indicating an option to disconnect or reconnect the respective wired connection.

10. A method for disconnecting wired connections in response to weather alert data, the method comprising:

providing a wired connection for each of one or more outlets in a power strip;

receiving, at a receiver, weather alert data including a severe weather event indicating one or more of a thunderstorm, a tornado, a hurricane, an earthquake, a flood, or a tidal wave;

a weather alert type;

a weather alert location;

or a weather event duration; and

causing a control module coupled to the one or more outlets and the receiver to perform one of two actions in response to identifying the weather alert type specified in the weather alert data, the two actions including;

(i) a first action that communicates the weather alert data to a user and maintains the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets when the control module identifies the weather alert type specified in the weather alert data to be an advisory type alert, and

(ii) a second action that communicates the weather alert data to the user and automatically disconnects the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets when the control module identifies the weather alert type specified in the weather alert data to be a warning type alert.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, at the control module, a configuration file including one or more user preference settings; and

causing the control module to perform the second action based on the user preference settings.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets provides one or more of an electrical power, a telephone connection, or a coaxial cable connection.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising sending a notification to a remote device via a communication link in response to receiving the weather alert data, the notification indicating an option to disconnect or reconnect the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising activating one or more visual indicators on the power strip in response to receiving the weather alert data.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the user preference settings define a time period for a timer routine to cause the control module to disconnect the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets and expiration of the time period causes the control module to reconnect the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets.

16. A power strip for automatically disconnecting wired connections, the power strip comprising:

one or more outlets each of which provides a wired connection to each of a plurality of electronic devices, wherein the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets provides one or more of an electrical power, a telephone connection, or a coaxial cable connection;

a receiver configured to receive weather alert data, wherein the weather alert data includes a severe weather event indicating one or more of a thunderstorm, a tornado, a hurricane, an earthquake, a flood, or a tidal wave;

a weather alert type;

a weather alert location;

or a weather event duration;

a relay switch configured to disconnect the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets; and

a control module coupled to the one or more outlets, the receiver and the relay switch, the control module including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a configuration file and one or more routines that are executable by the processor, the control module is configured to perform one of two actions in response to identifying the weather alert type specified in the weather alert data, the two actions including;

(i) a first action that communicates the weather alert data to a user and maintains the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets when the control module identifies the weather alert type specified in the weather alert data to be an advisory type alert, and

(ii) a second action that communicates the weather alert data to the user and automatically disconnects the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets when the control module identifies the weather alert type specified in the weather alert data to be a warning type alert, wherein the second action includes defining conditions for the control module to cause the relay switch to disconnect the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets based on one or more user preference settings in the configuration file.

17. The power strip of claim 16, wherein the one or more routines stored in the memory include a timer routine and the user preference settings define a time period for the timer routine to cause the control module to disconnect the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets, wherein expiration of the time period causes the control module to reconnect the wired connection for each of the one or more outlets.

18. The power strip of claim 16, wherein the one or more routines stored in the memory further include a visual alert routine and the user preference settings define an alert type for the visual alert routine to activate one or more visual indicators on the power strip.

19. The power strip of claim 16, wherein the one or more routines stored in the memory further include a communications routine and the user preference settings define a message for the communications routine to send to a particular electronic device included in the plurality of electronic devices via a respective wired connection and a remote device via a communication link.

20. The power strip of claim 19, wherein the message includes a response request indicating an option to disconnect or reconnect the respective wired connection.