Patent Application
20070263395
The present invention relates generally to uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units. More particularly, it relates to a connection light—a light built into a UPS to illuminate obscure regions around computer equipment, particularly during power failures.
Many computer systems are protected against electrical power failures by uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units. A UPS is a battery backup for the normal electrical system into which hardware devices, including a computer and peripheral devices (e.g., a monitor, network adapted storage, printer, or scanner) can be plugged. In addition to providing battery backup, a typical UPS will also contain electrical circuitry to suppress power surges.
During a failure of house power (i.e., power from the public electrical grid accessed through building wall outlets), the UPS continues to provide power to the hardware plugged into it for a limited amount of time. The interval of backup service so provided allows users to take remedial steps to mitigate the outage.
In larger systems, a UPS may allow operations to continue until an electrical generator is brought online; a more substantial UPS unit, may provide power for several hours. Henceforth throughout this document, the focus will be on small computer systems, such as ones that might be found in a home, a home office, or a small business. The present invention has applicability in some large system contexts, however, and our focus on small systems environments should not be regarded as a limitation of the invention.
In the case of a small system, the UPS typically provides backup power for only a few minutes to permit orderly shutdown of the computer system. The UPS sounds an audible alarm to alert users that the level of power provided from the electric company through the wall outlet is below a specified level or is zero, and that the computer equipment is now relying for power, albeit temporarily, upon the UPS itself. If lucky enough to hear the alarm, users will typically save any open new or modified data files, dose all executing software applications, exit the operating system, and turn off the computer.
In the event of an outage, it is not uncommon for a user to want to change how hardware components are connected electrically. The user might want to take advantage of the brief minutes of power available from the battery to complete a few outstanding tasks requiring some rearrangement of the wiring. For example, a printer might be plugged into a surge suppressor that is no longer functional due to the power failure. Being able to print a few sheets of paper by means of UPS power might satisfy a pressing user need. Perhaps in an emergency situation such as a severe storm, the user might want to charge a mobile phone with the limited power still available from the battery.
A power outage is often followed by a number of power surges and drops as the electrical system attempts to come back online. During a thunderstorm, the power being out does not necessarily prevent lightening strikes from sending bursts of current through the electrical system. Rather than unnecessarily trust their valuable hardware and data (particularly information that has not yet been backed up) to surge suppressors (whether the UPS itself or external ones), some people prefer to disconnect selected critical devices from the power grid if given the opportunity.
Despite the fact that newer models of many types of components (e.g., network router, keyboard, mouse, printer) are frequently wireless, a tangle of wires above, below, behind, and under the computer desk or table is still commonplace. During a power outage, there may be little or no light available to identify the desired wires and move connections around appropriately.
An ordinary flashlight might be obtained with the idea of keeping it dose by the computer system for use, among other situations, in power outages. Despite best intentions of all concerned, however, when a flashlight is most needed, its batteries will often be dead, or it cannot be located at all.
The present invention is designed to address these problems by a novel modification to a UPS, the incorporation of a built-in “connection light,” providing illumination to the rear of the UPS, where one or more electrical components are plugged in for backup, and surrounding area. In one embodiment, the connection light has a fixed position on the rear face of the UPS unit, the illumination coming through a lens directing light downward along the back face of the UPS. In this embodiment, the connection light can be turned on or off by pressing its face inward toward the body of the UPS. In other embodiments, the connection light, while still attached to the UPS, is free to be moved and pointed in three dimensions, behaving essentially like a flashlight. In such embodiments, the light may be on a retractable cord; in others, on a bendable snake cable. Other embodiments are also possible.
The connection light will continue to operate for some time during a power outage. Even during periods when electricity to the computer equipment is being supplied normally, proximity of the UPS to the computer system will allow the connection light to illuminate those dark and concealed places, such as below the desktop and behind the computer hardware, that are filled with electrical equipment wires critical to system operation. Because it is integrated into the UPS, a component characteristically heavy and cumbersome to move, the connection light cannot stray from where it is needed for its specific purpose of facilitating visibility and maintenance of the computer equipment.
In the preferred embodiment, the housing 240 is designed so that the lamp 160 is aimed at an angle below the horizontal in order to shine on wiring (not shown) on the floor below or behind the UPS 100. The connection light 220 is turned off and on by simply pressing its lens 150, generally toward the front of the UPS 100; that is, in the direction indicated by the arrow 270 shown in the figure.
Another embodiment of the connection light 20 is shown in
An important aspect of the invention, independent of the cable and attachment configurations, is the power source for the connection light 20. During non-outage periods, the lamp 160 within the connection light 20 will be powered indirectly from the house current, not depleting the UPS battery 190. During an outage, there are two alternative power sources. First, the lamp 160 can draw power from the UPS battery 190. Since the UPS battery 190 may only provide power for a very short time, however, a better approach is to include one or more rechargeable batteries 400 (not shown) within the body of the connection light 20. These rechargeable batteries 400 will increase their charge up to a maximum level while normal power is available. During an outage, the connection light 20 could remain functional, relying for power upon its own batteries, for up to several hours of use, far longer than the time during which power is available from a small system UPS battery 190. In fact, in an alternative embodiment utilizing rechargeable batteries, the connection light 20 can be integrated into a computer component other than a UPS 100, such as a server computer tower, with efficacy equal to incorporating the connection light 20 into a UPS 100.
The present invention is not limited to all the above details, as modifications and variations may be made without departing from the intent or scope of the invention. Consequently, the invention should be limited only by the following claims and equivalent constructions.
