Patents by Inventor Kenneth E. Venner

Kenneth E. Venner 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: 8397093
    Abstract: A Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) communication system dynamically provides power and data communications over a communications link. In an enterprise environment, a table top network switch uses a power supply to provide power for PoE and data communications to one or more powered devices (e.g., personal or laptop computers). To reduce the amount of heat generated in the table top network switch, the power supply is located external to the table network switch. The table top network switch may also include enterprise equipment, such as a video projector, a monitor for a personal computing device, another personal computing device to provide some examples. The power supply for the enterprise equipment may be included within the table top network switch to provide additional integration. The power for PoE and data communications to a limited number of powered devices (e.g., personal or laptop computers) may be included within the table top network switch to provide even further integration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Wael William Diab, Kenneth E. Venner
  • Patent number: 8375232
    Abstract: A system and method is described that allows a PoE-capable switch to selectively provide power to one or more remote devices in an instance where power being supplied to the switch itself is limited or failing. In one embodiment, the switch receives a notification from an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) and, in response to receiving the notification, selectively provides power to one or more devices powered by the switch. Selectively providing power to one or more of the devices may include providing power to only a subset of the devices, providing a different amount of power to different ones of the devices, or providing power for different durations to different ones of the devices. In an alternate embodiment, in response to receiving the notification, the switch communicates with a remote device and causes the remote device to activate at least one power saving feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Umer Khan, Kenneth E. Venner
  • Publication number: 20110126032
    Abstract: A system and method is described that allows a PoE-capable switch to selectively provide power to one or more remote devices in an instance where power being supplied to the switch itself is limited or failing. In one embodiment, the switch receives a notification from an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) and, in response to receiving the notification, selectively provides power to one or more devices powered by the switch. Selectively providing power to one or more of the devices may include providing power to only a subset of the devices, providing a different amount of power to different ones of the devices, or providing power for different durations to different ones of the devices. In an alternate embodiment, in response to receiving the notification, the switch communicates with a remote device and causes the remote device to activate at least one power saving feature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Umer Khan, Kenneth E. Venner
  • Publication number: 20110113276
    Abstract: A Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) communication system dynamically provides power and data communications over a communications link. In an enterprise environment, a table top network switch uses a power supply to provide power for PoE and data communications to one or more powered devices (e.g., personal or laptop computers). To reduce the amount of heat generated in the table top network switch, the power supply is located external to the table network switch. The table top network switch may also include enterprise equipment, such as a video projector, a monitor for a personal computing device, another personal computing device to provide some examples. The power supply for the enterprise equipment may be included within the table top network switch to provide additional integration. The power for PoE and data communications to a limited number of powered devices (e.g., personal or laptop computers) may be included within the table top network switch to provide even further integration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Wael William Diab, Kenneth E. Venner
  • Patent number: 7886165
    Abstract: A system and method is described that allows a PoE-capable switch to selectively provide power to one or more remote devices in an instance where power being supplied to the switch itself is limited or failing. In one embodiment, the switch receives a notification from an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) and, in response to receiving the notification, selectively provides power to one or more devices powered by the switch. Selectively providing power to one or more of the devices may include providing power to only a subset of the devices, providing a different amount of power to different ones of the devices, or providing power for different durations to different ones of the devices. In an alternate embodiment, in response to receiving the notification, the switch communicates with a remote device and causes the remote device to activate at least one power saving feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Umer Khan, Kenneth E. Venner
  • Patent number: 7873844
    Abstract: A Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) communication system dynamically provides power and data communications over a communications link. In an enterprise environment, a table top network switch uses a power supply to provide power for PoE and data communications to one or more powered devices (e.g., personal or laptop computers). To reduce the amount of heat generated in the table top network switch, the power supply is located external to the table network switch. The table top network switch may also include enterprise equipment, such as a video projector, a monitor for a personal computing device, another personal computing device to provide some examples. The power supply for the enterprise equipment may be included within the table top network switch to provide additional integration. The power for PoE and data communications to a limited number of powered devices (e.g., personal or laptop computers) may be included within the table top network switch to provide even further integration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Wael William Diab, Kenneth E. Venner
  • Publication number: 20090219830
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses for an automatically configured network switch are provided. The network switch includes a plurality of ports, a switch fabric, switch control logic, and a switch configuration module. The ports are configured to be coupled to a plurality of network communication links. The switch fabric is coupled to each of the ports, providing interconnections between the ports. The switch control logic is coupled to the switch fabric to provide data path selection and arbitration. The switch configuration module is configured to generate a request for switch configuration information to be transmitted from one or more ports of the switch, over the network, to a switch management server. The switch control logic is configured to configure one or more features of the network switch to operate according to the received configuration information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Publication date: September 3, 2009
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenneth E. Venner, Umer Khan
  • Publication number: 20090019112
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses for network-based conferencing are provided. A communication network includes a multicasting conferencing node and a plurality of computer systems. The computer systems have users that are participating in a network-based conference. The multicasting conferencing node is configured to receive a plurality of communication signals over a network from the plurality of computer systems. Each of the plurality of communication signals includes input content (e.g., voice, video, data, etc.) regarding the conference from a corresponding computer system. The multicasting conferencing node is configured to multicast the received input content from the node over the network to at least a portion of the plurality of computer systems. The multicasting conference node may be configured to combine the input content received in the plurality of communication signals prior to multicasting the received input content from the node over the network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2007
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenneth E. Venner, Umer Khan
  • Publication number: 20080294917
    Abstract: A system and method is described that allows a PoE-capable switch to selectively provide power to one or more remote devices in an instance where power being supplied to the switch itself is limited or failing. In one embodiment, the switch receives a notification from an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) and, in response to receiving the notification, selectively provides power to one or more devices powered by the switch. Selectively providing power to one or more of the devices may include providing power to only a subset of the devices, providing a different amount of power to different ones of the devices, or providing power for different durations to different ones of the devices. In an alternate embodiment, in response to receiving the notification, the switch communicates with a remote device and causes the remote device to activate at least one power saving feature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Publication date: November 27, 2008
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Umer Khan, Kenneth E. Venner
  • Publication number: 20080005602
    Abstract: A Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) communication system dynamically provides power and data communications over a communications link. In an enterprise environment, a table top network switch uses a power supply to provide power for PoE and data communications to one or more powered devices (e.g., personal or laptop computers). To reduce the amount of heat generated in the table top network switch, the power supply is located external to the table network switch. The table top network switch may also include enterprise equipment, such as a video projector, a monitor for a personal computing device, another personal computing device to provide some examples. The power supply for the enterprise equipment may be included within the table top network switch to provide additional integration. The power for PoE and data communications to a limited number of powered devices (e.g., personal or laptop computers) may be included within the table top network switch to provide even further integration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Wael William Diab, Kenneth E. Venner