Rapid Deployment Communications Tile

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016237684-A1
Application number	US-201514620707-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 12, 2015
Priority date	Feb 12, 2015
Publication date	Aug 18, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Various embodiments are described that relate to a rapid deployment communications tile. As opposed to running various data and/or power wires, a construction crew can use set of tiles that have built in data and/or power transmission capabilities. These tiles can be keyed such that they interlock together to form a relatively uniform surface, such that the surface can also be used as a floor. Further, the tiles can have hardware components that enable the data and/or power transmission capabilities. These hardware components can be environmentally protected such that their performance is not subject to environmental factors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system, comprising:
a first tile, comprising:
a conduit that transmits a media upon the first tile; and
an engagement mechanism that causes the conduit to operatively couple with a second tile such that the media travels upon the conduit of the first tile in connection with travelling upon the second tile.

2 . The system of claim 1 , where the first tile and the second tile interconnect with one another to form a substantially flat surface.

3 . The system of claim 2 ,
where the conduit is a first conduit, where the second tile comprises a second conduit that transmits the media across the second tile, where the engagement mechanism functions such that the first conduit and the second conduit engage with one another, and where the media travels across the first conduit and the second conduit in series.

4 . The system of claim 3 , where the first tile and the second tile are keyed such that the first tile and second tile fit together when the first conduit and second conduit align and such that the first tile and second tile do not fit together when the first conduit and second conduit do not align.

5 . The system of claim 2 , where the second tile comprises an external access portion that enables access to the media through the second tile.

6 . The system of claim 2 , where the second tile comprises supply portion that supplies the media to the first tile.

7 . The system of claim 1 , where the media comprises data and power.

8 . The system of claim 7 , where conduit comprises:
a data cable that transmits the data; a power cable that transmits the power; and an outer layer that environmentally seals the data cable and the power cable.

9 . The system of claim 1 ,
where the first tile is a floor tile and where the second tile is a floor tile.

10 . The system of claim 1 ,
where the engagement mechanism causes the conduit to operatively couple with the second tile through coupling with a conduit of the second tile and where the engagement mechanism causes the conduit to operatively dis-couple with the conduit of the second tile.

11 . The system of claim 1 , where the conduit is not exposed on a top surface of the first tile.

12 . A system, comprising:
a supply tile configured to supply a media; and an access tile configured to afford access to the media; and a transmission tile configured to transmit the media supplied by the supply tile to the access tile, where the supply tile and the transmission tile are operatively coupled together and interconnect with one another in a keyed manner and where the transmission tile and the access tile are operatively coupled together and interconnect with one another in a keyed manner.

13 . The system of claim 12 ,
where the media comprises power and data, where a channel comprises a data cable configured to transmit the data; a power cable configured to transmit the power; and an outer layer configured to environmentally seal the data cable and the power cable, where the channel is, at least in part, part of the transmission tile, and where the channel is a pathway that transfers the media from the supply tile to the access tile.

14 . The system of claim 13 , where the channel is surrounded by an outer material of the tile with the exception of end interconnection portions of the conduit.

15 . The system of claim 12 ,
where the transmission tile is configured with an engagement portion that causes the transmission tile to operatively couple with the supply tile and the access tile and where the transmission tile is configured with a disengagement portion that causes the transmission tile to operatively dis-couple with the supply tile and the access tile.

16 . The system of claim 12 , where the supply tile, the access tile, and the transmission tile form a substantially flat floor surface.

17 . A system, comprising:
a recognition component to recognize a situation where a transmission failure occurs in a tile environment, where the tile environment transmits media from one location of the tile environment to another and where the tile environment is a plurality of interlocking tiles that are operatively coupled to one another; an analysis component to analyze the tile environment to produce an analysis result; and an identification component to identify a failure tile of the tile environment that causes the transmission failure, where the failure is identified through use of the analysis result, where the recognition component, the analysis component, the identification component, or a combination thereof is implemented, at least in part, by way of non-software.

18 . The system of claim 17 , comprising:
a classification component to classify a type of the failure tile, where the failure tile is replaceable with a replacement tile of the type.

19 . The system of claim 18 ,
where the tile environment has a mechanism to operatively de-couple the failure tile from the tile environment and where the tile environment has a mechanism to operatively couple the replacement tile to the tile environment.

20 . The system of claim 19 , where the tile environment is a floor-based environment.

Assignees

• Us Gov Sec Army

Inventors

• Lazzaro Matthew
• Toth William

Classifications

• E04F15/02

  Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements (of webs E04F15/16) · CPC title

• E04C2/521 Primary

  serving for locating conduits; for ventilating, heating or cooling · CPC title

• E04F2201/098

  wherein the interlocking male and female edge-parts have a dovetail, mushroom or similar shape · CPC title

• E04F2290/02

  for accommodating service installations or utility lines, e.g. heating conduits, electrical lines, lighting devices or service outlets · CPC title

• H04L12/56

  Packet switching systems · CPC title