Patents by Inventor Brock Robert Gardner

Brock Robert Gardner has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9437387
    Abstract: A tap box assembly with separated annunciator emits a visual signal from an annunciator separated from a tap box such that the visual signal can be viewed from a remote location. The tap box provides electrical power from a busway to one or more rack computer systems via a power cable. The visual signal indicates whether the tap box is in a normal or abnormal state. A tap box assembly with separated annunciator can be coupled to a busway that extends down an aisle at an elevated position. A tap box assembly with separated annunciator can couple to a busway that extends along an aisle in an underfloor space. Data center technicians can easily view the state of a plurality of tap boxes of an aisle from an end of the aisle based on the visual signals emitted from a plurality of annunciators coupled to a plurality of tap boxes and separated from the tap boxes by a separation distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Faran Harold Kaplan, Brock Robert Gardner
  • Patent number: 9439329
    Abstract: A data center can include an inflatable enclosure in which rack computer systems can be installed and can provide computing capacity. The inflatable enclosure includes an inflatable structure which is at least partially inflated based on cooling air discharged into the inflatable enclosure by one or more cooling modules. A cooling module can include a cooling system and a cooling air vent, where the cooling system adjustably induces a stream of cooling air and the cooling air vent adjustably directs the cooling air stream into a particular space enclosed by an inflatable structure. The inflatable enclosure can be established by separate modules positioned on opposite sides of a space and an inflatable structure which extends across the space between the modules. The inflatable structure can be extended over additional spaces to expand the inflatable enclosure, thereby providing additional space to install rack computer systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephanie Towner, Brock Robert Gardner, Giorgio Arturo Pompei
  • Patent number: 9438087
    Abstract: A data center includes a computing room, computing devices in the computing room, an air handling system, and a turbine system. Air moved by the air handling system flows across heat producing components in the computing devices in the computing room. A rotor of the turbine system rotates in response to at least a portion of the air moved by the air handling system. The turbine system generates electricity from rotation of the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Phillip Czamara, Brock Robert Gardner, Osvaldo P. Morales
  • Patent number: 9410339
    Abstract: A data center includes a floor that supports rack computing systems and walls that enclose a computing room. The computing room holds the rack computing systems. One of the walls is a movable wall. The movable wall translates relative to the other walls to increase or decrease the size of the computing room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brock Robert Gardner, Michael Phillip Czamara
  • Patent number: 9391440
    Abstract: Electrical panel structures for a modular building system, such as a modular data center. The electrical panel structures provide a standardized structure for attachment of high voltage power, low voltage power, and/or data lines between rooms or components of the modular building system. The panel structures can include multiple conduits that extend between rooms or other components of a modular building structure. The panel structures can include, for example, conduits having couplers for the attachment of high voltage cables and/or pass-throughs for the passage of low voltage lines and/or data lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Brock Robert Gardner
  • Publication number: 20160194975
    Abstract: A system includes a building, a fluid-moving system, and a turbine system. The fluid-moving system includes one or more conduits in or coupled to the data center and a pump. The pump moves fluid through the conduits. The turbine system includes a turbine and generator. The turbine has a runner in a flow of fluid in one of the conduits. The generator produces electricity from rotation of the runner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Publication date: July 7, 2016
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brock Robert Gardner, Michael P. Czamara
  • Patent number: 9284850
    Abstract: A system includes a building, a fluid-moving system, and a turbine system. The fluid-moving system includes one or more conduits in or coupled to the data center and a pump. The pump moves fluid through the conduits. The turbine system includes a turbine and generator. The turbine has a runner in a flow of fluid in one of the conduits. The generator produces electricity from rotation of the runner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brock Robert Gardner, Michael Phillip Czamara
  • Publication number: 20160029513
    Abstract: A Mobile Soft Duct System includes a soft duct that can be extended and retracted along a track to deliver an air supply to various locations. A vent attached to a part of the soft duct system can include a flow control element that can be adjusted to direct air to a target location. Managing a soft duct system can include monitoring an environment to detect temperature hotspots and configuring the soft duct system, in response to detection of a hotspot at a particular location, to deliver air to the particular location to mitigate the hotspot. Configuring the soft duct system can include extending the soft duct along the track and adjusting a flow control element in a vent to direct air to the particular location. Soft duct system management can be implemented by one or more computer systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Inventor: BROCK ROBERT GARDNER
  • Publication number: 20150369500
    Abstract: An inverted exhaust plenum module exhausts air from an enclosure into an ambient environment while mitigating airflow restrictions caused by ambient wind conditions, particularly headwinds impinging on exhaust vents. The plenum module includes wall elements that extend downwards from separate edges of two separate roof elements of the enclosure, forming a plenum between the wall elements that is open at the top. Exhaust vents in the wall elements exhaust air from the enclosure into the plenum to circulate into the ambient environment via the top of the plenum. By exhausting air into a plenum that extends beneath roof elements, the vents are at least partially obscured from ambient winds that might otherwise impinge on the vents. A wing element can be installed to induce exhaust airflow via lowering air pressure at the top of the plenum. The plenum module can be a separate module that is coupled to a structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Applicant: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: MATTHEW THOMAS PHILLIPS, ROBERT DAVID WILDING, BROCK ROBERT GARDNER, PETER GEORGE ROSS, TIMOTHY LOGAN SADLER
  • Publication number: 20150319878
    Abstract: A data center includes various sets of infrastructure modules which each provide a particular type of infrastructure support to support computing operations in the data center. Separate sets of infrastructure modules can be installed incrementally based on incrementally changing support capacity for the corresponding type of infrastructure support in the data center. Such incrementally changing support capacity can be based upon support requirements of electrical loads, including rack computer systems, which are inbound to the data center. Where support capacity for a particular type of infrastructure support drops below a threshold, a quantity of additional infrastructure modules which provide the particular type of infrastructure support can be selected and installed to increase the support capacity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2014
    Publication date: November 5, 2015
    Applicant: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: OSVALDO P. MORALES, BROCK ROBERT GARDNER
  • Patent number: 9152191
    Abstract: A Mobile Soft Duct System includes a soft duct that can be extended and retracted along a track to deliver an air supply to various locations. A vent attached to a part of the soft duct system can include a flow control element that can be adjusted to direct air to a target location. Managing a soft duct system can include monitoring an environment to detect temperature hotspots and configuring the soft duct system, in response to detection of a hotspot at a particular location, to deliver air to the particular location to mitigate the hotspot. Configuring the soft duct system can include extending the soft duct along the track and adjusting a flow control element in a vent to direct air to the particular location. Soft duct system management can be implemented by one or more computer systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Brock Robert Gardner
  • Publication number: 20150234440
    Abstract: A power routing rack can be used to provide various power support redundancies to one or more computing racks in a data center. Power feeds are supplied to bus bars in a power bus bar array extending through the rack, and power routing assemblies positioned in the rack route power from one or more of the bus bars to a computing rack. Each assembly includes circuit breakers that couple to separate bus bars and a routing module that routes power from one or more of the circuit breakers to one or more computing racks. The routing module can include a transfer switch that selectively routes power. The routing module can include an electrical bridge that concurrently routes power. Each assembly can be positioned within the rack to couple the circuit breakers to various power bus bars to adjust the power support redundancy provided to one or more computing racks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: BROCK ROBERT GARDNER, JOHN WILLIAM EICHELBERG, MICHAEL PHILLIP CZAMARA, NIGEL MCGEE, PETER GEORGE ROSS
  • Publication number: 20150181751
    Abstract: A system for performing computing operations includes a rack that rests on a floor and a stabilization device coupled on the top of the rack. The stabilization device includes a mounting portion coupled to the rack, a ballast member, and one or more spring devices coupled between the ballast member and the mounting portion. The ballast member reduces displacement of the rack from seismic loads transmitted from the floor to the rack to mitigate effects of the seismic loads on the rack.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Publication date: June 25, 2015
    Applicant: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: MICHAEL PHILLIP CZAMARA, OSVALDO P. MORALES, BROCK ROBERT GARDNER
  • Publication number: 20150162801
    Abstract: A data center includes a computing room, computing devices in the computing room, an air handling system, and a turbine system. Air moved by the air handling system flows across heat producing components in the computing devices in the computing room. A rotor of the turbine system rotates in response to at least a portion of the air moved by the air handling system. The turbine system generates electricity from rotation of the rotor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Publication date: June 11, 2015
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: MICHAEL PHILLIP CZAMARA, BROCK ROBERT GARDNER, OSVALDO P. MORALES
  • Publication number: 20150000214
    Abstract: A data center includes a floor that supports rack computing systems and walls that enclose a computing room. The computing room holds the rack computing systems. One of the walls is a movable wall. The movable wall translates relative to the other walls to increase or decrease the size of the computing room.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: BROCK ROBERT GARDNER, MICHAEL PHILLIP CZAMARA
  • Patent number: 8898974
    Abstract: Electrical panel structures for a modular building system, such as a modular data center. The electrical panel structures provide a standardized structure for attachment of high voltage power, low voltage power, and/or data lines between rooms or components of the modular building system. The panel structures can include multiple conduits that extend between rooms or other components of a modular building structure. The panel structures can include, for example, conduits having couplers for the attachment of high voltage cables and/or pass-throughs for the passage of low voltage lines and/or data lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Brock Robert Gardner