Patent · US Expired

Alert mechanism for service interruption from power loss

US6175927A · kind A · utility

65Cited by
7References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 6, 1998
Grant dateJan 16, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 6, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S707/99953
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of monitoring a computer system, by detecting a power interruption to the computer system, using power down sense logic, and generating an alert associated with the power interruption. When the computer system is networked, the alert is transmitted to a remote server. The power down sense logic sends a message to an auxiliary processor (which may be an application-specific integrated circuit, or ASIC), and the auxiliary processor creates a network transmission packet indicating that the computer system is losing power. The auxiliary processor may allow selection of a transmission mode such as uni-cast transmission, multi-cast transmission, or broadcast transmission. A common power supply provides a first power signal to the computer system, and a second power signal to the power down sense logic and auxiliary processor, and maintains the second power signal for a longer duration than the first power signal upon removal of a power source for the power supply, sufficient to carry out the sending of the message from the power down sense logic and the creating of the network alert.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.