Systems and methods for infrastructure configuration management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12081920-B2
Application number	US-202117998230-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2021
Priority date	May 8, 2020
Publication date	Sep 3, 2024
Grant date	Sep 3, 2024

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system for providing port occupancy management for a network connected device that includes a plurality of ports comprises: at least one port status input panel that comprises a plurality of manually operable port occupancy status selector switches, wherein each of the selector switches are associated with one or more of the ports; a control circuit coupled to the port status input panel, wherein the control circuit determines a port occupancy status for each of the ports based on signals initiated by the selector switches; a gateway coupled to the control circuit and configured to aggregate port occupancy status data for the network connected device based on the port occupancy status for each of the ports determined by the control circuit. The gateway executes at least one interface configured to provide the port occupancy status data to a remote system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for providing port occupancy management for a network connected device that includes a plurality of ports, the system comprising:
at least one port status input panel, wherein the at least one port status input panel comprises a plurality of manually operable port occupancy status selector switches, wherein each of the plurality of manually operable port occupancy status selector switches are associated with one or more ports of the plurality of ports of the network connected device;
a control circuit coupled to the at least one port status input panel via a flexible cable, wherein the control circuit determines a port occupancy status for each of the plurality of ports based on signals initiated by the manually operable port occupancy status selector switches; and
a gateway configured to couple to a network, wherein the gateway is coupled to the control circuit and configured to aggregate port occupancy status data for the network connected device based on the port occupancy status for each of the plurality of ports determined by the control circuit, wherein the gateway executes at least one interface configured to provide the port occupancy status data to a remote system via the network in response to a request received via the network.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one interface circuit coupled to the at least one port status input panel by the flexible cable;
wherein the control circuit is coupled to the at least one port status input panel via the at least one interface circuit.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the plurality of ports are multi-fiber ports configured to accept a multi-fiber connector.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one port status input panel is mounted to a structural element of the network connected device that does not include the plurality of ports.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one port status input panel is mounted inside a door, cover, or swinging panel of the network connected device.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network connected device comprises one of: a patch panel, a network switch, a network router, or a network server.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit correlates signals initiated by at least a first of plurality of manually operable port occupancy status selector switch to a respective port identification (ID) for a first port of the plurality of ports, wherein the port occupancy status data includes the port ID and the port occupancy status of the first port.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one port status input panel further comprises:
a plurality of optical illuminating devices, wherein each of the optical illuminating devices is positioned next to a respective one of the plurality of port occupancy status selector switches;
wherein the control circuit controls illumination of the optical illuminating devices based on the port occupancy status determined for each of the plurality of ports.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising at least one position sensor configured to sense a position of the at least one port status input panel, wherein the control circuit enables or disables illumination of the optical illuminating devices in response to the least one position sensor.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one port status input panel comprises an array of membrane switching elements that define the port occupancy status selector switches.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the array of membrane switching elements comprises an adhesive layer, wherein the array of membrane switching elements are mounted a structural element of the network connected device by the adhesive layer.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the array of membrane switching elements comprises a flexible material.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the array of membrane switching elements comprises a labels indicating which port of the plurality of port each switching element of the array of membrane switching elements is associated with.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one port status input panel comprises an array of mechanical slide switches that define the port occupancy status selector switches.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein at least one port status input panel further comprises a flexible printed circuit board, wherein the array of mechanical slide switches are mounted to the flexible printed circuit board.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein flexible printed circuit board comprises an adhesive layer, wherein the at least one port status input panel is mounted a structural element of the network connected device by the adhesive layer.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of manually operable port occupancy status selector switches are distributed within the network connected device, wherein each of the plurality of manually operable port occupancy status selector switches are positioned adjacent to a respective one of the plurality of ports of the network connected device.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit toggles the port occupancy status for one or more of the plurality of port in response to the signals initiated by the manually operable port occupancy status selector switches.

19. A method for providing port occupancy management for a network connected device that includes a plurality of ports, the method comprising:
monitoring a state of a plurality of manually operable port occupancy status selector switches, wherein each of the manually operable port occupancy status selector switches are associated with one or more ports of the plurality of ports of the network connected device;
determining a port occupancy status for each of the plurality of ports based on signals initiated by the manually operable port occupancy status selector switches;
aggregating port occupancy status data for the network connected device based on the port occupancy status for each of the plurality of ports determined by the control circuit; and
transmitting the port occupancy status data to a remote system via a network in response to a request received via the network.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein one or more of the plurality of ports are multi-fiber ports configured to accept a multi-fiber connector.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the manually operable port occupancy status selector switches are integrated in at least one port status input panel that is mounted to a structural element of the network connected device that does not include the plurality of ports.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the at least one port status input panel is mounted inside a door, cover, or swinging panel of the network connected device.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the network connected device comprises one of: a patch panel, a network switch, a network router, or a network server.

24. The method of claim 21 , wherein the at least one port status input panel further comprises a plurality of optical illuminating devices, wherein each of the optical illuminating devices is positioned next to a respective one of the plurality of port occupancy status selector switches, the method further comprising:
controlling illumination of the optical illuminating devices based on the port occupancy status determined for each of the plurality of ports.

25. The method of claim 24 , the method

Assignees

• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Brown Malcolm Graham
• Atkinson David Nicholas
• Eastham Thomas
• Enge Ryan E

Classifications

• H04Q1/06

  Cable ducts or mountings specially adapted for exchange installations · CPC title

• H04L12/66

  Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways · CPC title

• H04L49/30

  Peripheral units, e.g. input or output ports · CPC title

• H04Q1/133 Primary

  being slidable · CPC title

• H04Q1/13 Primary

  Patch panels for monitoring, interconnecting or testing circuits, e.g. patch bay, patch field or jack field; Patching modules · CPC title