Cable identification using a unique cable sleeve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9726610-B2
Application number	US-201514685680-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2015
Priority date	Nov 30, 2011
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A cable identification system is provided. The cable identification system includes a cable sleeve with some predetermined unique properties. The cable sleeve is adapted to receive a cable therein. The cable includes one or more electrical conductors therein. The cable identification system further includes a portable measuring device configured to detect the predetermined unique properties of the cable sleeve when positioned adjacent the cable at any point along the cable.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for using one or more predetermined unique properties of a cable sleeve to identify a cable, comprising:
providing the cable sleeve having one or more predetermined unique properties, wherein the one or more predetermined unique properties further comprise a plurality of material compositions of the cable sleeve, the cable sleeve adapted to receive the cable therein, wherein the cable comprises one or more electrical conductors therein;
inserting the cable into the cable sleeve;
connecting network devices at opposing ends of the cable;
storing, in a repository, an association between the one or more predetermined unique properties of the cable sleeve and the connected network devices corresponding to the inserted cable in the cable sleeve;
identifying the plurality of material compositions of the cable sleeve of the one or more predetermined unique properties using a portable measuring device by positioning the portable measuring device adjacent the cable at any point along the cable; and
retrieving the association between the one or more predetermined unique properties of the cable sleeve and the network devices from the repository to identify the cable.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined unique property further comprises a color coating gradient of the cable sleeve.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the repository comprises a database.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measuring device comprises a memory unit for storing the detected properties of the cable sleeve.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portable measuring device utilizes the Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) technique to identify the material composition of the cable sleeve.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Abuelsaad Tamer E
• Moore John E
• Singi Rajeshkumar N
• Wentworth Robert R

Classifications

• G02B6/3895

  identification of connection, e.g. right plug to the right socket or full engagement of the mating parts (keying element on the plug or adapter G02B6/3831; keying element on the ferrule G02B6/3851; keying element for electrical connection H01R13/64) · CPC title

• G01N2201/0221

  Portable; cableless; compact; hand-held · CPC title

• G01N21/718 Primary

  Laser microanalysis, i.e. with formation of sample plasma · CPC title

• G01J3/46

  Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters (measuring colour temperature G01J5/60) · CPC title

• G01J3/443

  Emission spectrometry · CPC title