Patents Examined by Thomas J. Cleary
  • Patent number: 12153506
    Abstract: A power consumption monitoring device includes a sensor, a storage, and a processor. The sensor is configured to detect a power-consuming device quantity and a power consumption amount. The storage is configured to store the power-consuming device quantity and the power consumption amount. The processor is communicatively connected to the sensor and the storage. The processor is configured to calculate a power-consuming device idling indicator based on the power-consuming device quantity and the power consumption amount in a monitoring time interval, wherein the power-consuming device idling indicator is used for indicating a deviation status of the power-consuming device quantity and the power consumption amount. The processor is further configured to determine whether the power-consuming device idling indicator exceeds a warning threshold. In response to the power-consuming device idling indicator exceeding the warning threshold, the processor is further configured to generate a warning message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignees: Inventec (Pudong) Technology Corporation, INVENTEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Wei-Chao Chen, Ming-Chi Chang, Chih-Pin Wei, Ke-Li Wu, Hua-Hsiu Chiang, Yu-Lun Chang
  • Patent number: 12130681
    Abstract: The device, method, and system embodiments described in this disclosure (i.e., the teachings of this disclosure) enable an authorization circuit having at least one authorization mechanism to cooperate with an access circuit having at least one key mechanism. Upon successfully authorizing at least one datum communicated from the key mechanism of the access circuit, the authorization circuit is arranged to deliver power having determined characteristics to the access circuit. In at least one embodiment, the authorization circuit is arranged as a circuit wired or wirelessly coupled to a power infrastructure in a building. In at least one embodiment, the access circuit is arranged as a smart power plug arranged to temporarily deliver power to a mobile computing device or other electrically powered device. In some cases, power is only delivered after a user consumes certain multimedia information. In some cases, power that is delivered is delivered for only a short time and is measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Inventors: Ronald B. Zimmerman, III, Jonathan Scott Lane, Yevgeny Frenkel
  • Patent number: 12117951
    Abstract: An operation method of a software program meeting UEFI specifications for configuring a GPIO port is provided. The operation method includes: operating in a command-line mode to display, on a display device, a first prompt for guiding a user to input a string of command-line arguments; in response to receipt of a string of command-line arguments for reading content stored in a register that corresponds to one of GPIO pins of the GPIO port under the command-line mode, displaying, on the display device, a default value of the register that corresponds to a function of said one of the GPIO pins; and in response to receipt of a string of command-line arguments for setting a register that corresponds to one of the GPIO pins to a set value under the command-line mode, writing the set value to the register to replace a current value with the set value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: Jabil Circuit (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Hung-An Chen, Ching-Yuan Wu, Shuo-Hung Hsu
  • Patent number: 12111708
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a docking station system. The docking station system includes a housing that is constructed from outer walls. The housing defines a first compartment, a second compartment, and a third compartment. The docking station system further includes docking station circuitry disposed in the first compartment, one or more battery modules disposed in the second compartment, and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) circuitry disposed in the third compartment. The aforementioned UPS circuitry and docking station circuitry cooperate to enable certain functionalities. The certain functionalities can be one or more of smart shutdown, load shedding, or remote management functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Vertiv Corporation
    Inventors: Ramesh Menon, Joseph Scarci, Brian Hockensmith, Jeremy Ruff, Jeanne Simeone, Marek Stuczynski, Jerry K. Green
  • Patent number: 12105551
    Abstract: A control system for factory automation includes a first unit and a second unit that exchange data with each other, and a synchronization module that synchronizes a control counter included in the first unit and a control counter included in the second unit using a clock. Each of the units includes an information storage that stores information on conversion for calculating a time from a counter value of the counter of the unit, the information being shared between the units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2024
    Assignee: OMRON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeyuki Eguchi, Yoshihide Nishiyama
  • Patent number: 12093538
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for selective powering of storage drive components in a storage node based on system performance limits. One method comprises determining a number of storage drive components, of multiple storage drive components in a storage node, needed to support at least one workload of the storage node, wherein the determining is based at least in part on a number of storage drive components needed to support a system performance limit determined using a component performance limit of at least one other component of the storage node, wherein the component performance limit is based at least in part on one or more of an expected number of input/output operations of the storage node and an expected bandwidth of the storage node; and initiating an application of power to the determined number of storage drive components of the storage node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Dan Aharoni, Christopher Trudel, Pablo Srabstein
  • Patent number: 12072830
    Abstract: An apparatus includes processing hardware, storage hardware, and serial communication hardware. The processing hardware receives selection of a serial communication protocol. The serial communication protocol is selected amongst multiple serial communication protocols to control operation of a power converter. Via the processing hardware or other suitable entity, the storage hardware is populated with a set of command decode functions (a.k.a., command descriptors) assigned to the selected serial communication protocol. During operation, the serial communication hardware receives commands over a serial communication interface and executes the received commands via the set of command decode functions in the storage hardware. Each of the multiple commands communicated over the serial communication interface is encoded in accordance with the selected serial communication protocol. The serial communication hardware uses the set of command decode functions to execute the received commands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: David R. Lewis, Paul M. Gitahi, Suejong Choi Perranoski, Mattia Oddicini, Scott W. Southwell, Robert Reissfelder
  • Patent number: 12066854
    Abstract: A data processing device comprises: a data receiver to receive data to be processed, an external clock, and a unit control signal determining a processing unit for the data to be processed from an outside, the data receiver including a PLL circuit to receive the external clock; a clock abnormality detector to operate based on a clock of a system different from a system of the external clock and detect abnormality of the external clock based on a lock signal output from the PLL circuit; and a data processing controller to control processing of the data. When abnormality of the external clock is detected, the data processing controller stops taking in the data to be processed, and when the external clock becomes normal again, take in the unit control signal and resume taking in the data to be processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hajime Tsukahara, Tomohiro Sasa
  • Patent number: 12061568
    Abstract: A two-wire interface (300) for connecting a first device (106) and a second device (108). The two-wire interface (300) is operable in a handshaking mode and a data transfer mode. In the handshaking mode the first wire (302) of the interface (300) is driven by the first device (106) and the second wire (304) of the interface (300) is driven by the second device (108) so that the first (106) and second (108) devices can perform a handshaking sequence. In the data transfer mode one of the first wire (302) and the second wire (304) is driven by one of the first (106) and second (108) devices to provide a clock signal, and the other wire is driven by either the first device (106) or the second device (108) depending which device is transmitting data. Accordingly, the two-wire interfaces (300) are operable in two modes (e.g. handshaking mode and data transfer mode) and one of the wires (302, 304) of the interface (300) may be driven by a different device in the two modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2024
    Assignee: IDEX Biometrics ASA
    Inventors: Adrian Wise, Keith Ahluwalia
  • Patent number: 12061511
    Abstract: A communication device includes an interface connector for connecting to a computing circuit to receive a media data and an external power supply, a transmission circuit, wherein the circuit transmits the media data to a network, a battery power supply, a controller circuit powered by the battery power supply, a sensor, communicatively coupled to the controller circuit, for detecting a movement of the communication device, a switch circuit for switchably connecting the battery power supply to the transmission circuit responsive to a first switch control signal, and a test circuit, communicatively coupled to the controller circuit, for generating the first switch control signal based on an external power control signal indicating whether the interface connector is connected to the computing circuit and a motion detection signal indicating whether the sensor detects the movement of the communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2024
    Inventor: Yuanyang Pang
  • Patent number: 12038798
    Abstract: An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a battery, a connector including one or more signal terminals, a power regulator for adjusting a first voltage from the battery to a second voltage, at least one processor operably connected to the one or more signal terminals and the power regulator, and a memory. The memory can store instructions, that during the execution thereof, allow the at least one processor to sense the connection to an external electronic device through the connector, acquire identification information about the external electronic device after outputting the second voltage through the connector onto the external electronic device connected through the connector, and output, on the basis of the identification information of the external electronic device, the first voltage onto the external electronic device through the connector by using a bypass route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kyoungwon Kim
  • Patent number: 12039342
    Abstract: An electronic system includes a display device, a first host and a second host. The display device includes a network interface port for connecting to an external network, a first port, a second port, a control unit for recording information associated with a designated network bridge target, and a hub unit for controlling the signal transmission between the network interface port, the first port, the second port and the control unit. The first host is coupled to the first port and configured to activate network bridge function when set as the designated network bridge target, thereby connecting to the external network. The second host is coupled to the second port and configured to connect to the external network using the network bridge function via the second port, the hub unit and the first port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: Qisda Corporation
    Inventors: Yu-Fu Fan, Chang-Cheng Chen, Wan-Wei Chi
  • Patent number: 12032969
    Abstract: An information handling system may include a host system comprising a host basic input/output system (BIOS); a management controller configured to provide out-of-band management of the information handling system; and an information handling resource including a plurality of components. The management controller may be configured to: query the information handling resource for information regarding capabilities that are supported by individual ones of the components; and provide an application programming interface (API) configured to allow access to the capabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Deepaganesh Paulraj, Mahesh Babu Ramaiah, Akkiah Choudary Maddukuri
  • Patent number: 12026028
    Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) includes input/output (I/O) ports, each operating using one of a pair of unequal power supplies during normal operation of the IC. A lower supply of the pair of unequal power supplies is required to be used as the power supply for the I/O port when a first input signal to the IC is received from an external source on a first I/O port of the I/O ports. The voltage range of the logic excursions of the first input signal is greater than the range from a magnitude of the lower supply to a constant reference potential. A regulation loop derives a derived lower supply having a magnitude equaling that of the lower supply from the higher supply of the pair of unequal power supplies, and applies the derived lower supply on a power supply node of the first I/O port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: Shaoxing Yuanfang Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Raja Prabhu J, Rakesh Kumar Gupta, Shuvadeep Mitra, Anurag Pulincherry, Ankit Seedher
  • Patent number: 12026029
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an image forming apparatus checks a connection status of devices to an USB host interface, and then turns off once a GPIO controlling a Vbus of interfaces to which USB devices are not connected, and then turns on the GPIO (that is, writing an enable signal “1” after writing a disable signal “0”), and then remove a cutoff state of electrical connection with the USB devices by a overcurrent preventing mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Naoto Sasahara
  • Patent number: 12028116
    Abstract: In an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) video signal transmission system in which a fiber optic cable connects the HDMI transmitter and receiver, the HDMI receiver supplies a DC power to the receiver-side connector of the fiber optic cable on a designated pin of the HDMI interface, such as pin 14 of the Type A interface. The DC power does not affect the AC signal (e.g. ARC) transmitted on this pin under the HDMI specification. The receiver-side connector uses this power to power its internal components such as optical transceiver and signal processing chips. This eliminates the need to supply power to the receiver-side connector via a separate USB cable. One example of the HDMI receiver is a video matrix switch, which acts as a receiver for devices plugged into its input HDMI ports. A fiber optic cable incorporating Bluetooth wireless chips in its two connectors is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: Celerity Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Xiaolin Tong
  • Patent number: 12019493
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for power management of embedded devices are provided. An example apparatus includes a primary power management integrated circuit (PMIC) to communicate with an embedded system to determine a power state. The example primary PMIC is to include a first power state sequence controller and a first power supply controller. The example first power state sequence controller is to drive a first power supply controller according to the power state. The example first power supply controller is to activate a first set of rails to apply power to the embedded system. The example apparatus includes a secondary PMIC including a second power state sequence controller and a second power supply controller. The example second power sequence controller is to drive a second power supply controller according to the power state. The example second power supply controller is to activate a second set of rails to apply power to the embedded system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Pauline Poyun Wang, Juha Tapani Pennanen
  • Patent number: 12013737
    Abstract: Power adapters having a small-form factor, are capable of delivering a large amount of power, are capable of charging multiple electronic devices, and are capable power between the multiple electronic devices in an efficient manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ricardo Luis Janezic Pregitzer, Andrew C. O'Connell
  • Patent number: 12003346
    Abstract: Described herein are embodiments for dual-port communication and power delivery for one-wire applications. Embodiments of one-wire bridge devices are disclosed to provide a dual-port link for two one-wire masters to communicate with one another in a multi-voltage system while intermittently allowing charging voltage. The configuration may be used to set a bidirectional pass through mode that allows level shifted fast logic signals to pass through the two one-wire links. A timer may also be configurable to time-out the pass through mode from edge in-activity. Power may be derived for operation directly from one of the links, eliminating the need for an external power supply when local power is not available. When local power is available, the other one-wire link provides local access and the pass through mode. Such configurations make it easy for a two-contact solution to be both a communication channel and a power supply for battery charging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Wuguang Liu, Stewart Merkel
  • Patent number: 11977425
    Abstract: A power system and method of operating the same. In one embodiment, the power system includes a plurality of power converters configured to power a host system. The power system also includes a power converter controller configured to provide a status of and control the plurality of power converters and at least one system element of the host system responsive to a plurality of host system signals. The control includes a scripted sequence of events as function of a change of an operational condition of at least one of the plurality of power converters and the host system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: ASTRODYNE TDI
    Inventors: Vincent G. Keiper, III, Gary J. Mulcahy