US 7565555

US patent 7565555, titled "Uninterruptible power supply resource sharing for multiple power sourcing equipment network devices", was issued on July 21, 2009, from an application filed on November 23, 2005. The sole inventor listed is Wael William Diab, and the patent is currently assigned to Cisco Technology Inc.

Abstract:
The patent describes a system and method for efficiently sharing an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) resource among multiple network devices that have Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE) capabilities. In such a network, at least one network device is designated as a "master." This master device receives information from other "slave" network devices, detailing their worst-case power commitments. The master network device then aggregates these commitments to keep track of the total worst-case power demand for all devices in the group. This aggregated demand is then compared against the known capacity of the shared UPS resource. If a potential deficiency or near-deficiency in UPS resources is detected, a notification is sent to network management for appropriate action.

Plain-language overview of independent claims:

• Claim 1 (Method - Single Network Device): This claim describes a method where a single network device, which provides power over Ethernet (inline power) to connected devices (PDs) and has its own basic power needs, is connected to a UPS. The method involves:

  1. Informing the network device about the total power capacity of the UPS.
  2. The network device calculates its maximum potential power usage, which includes its own base power and the maximum power that could be drawn by all connected PDs.
  3. The network device compares its calculated maximum power usage (plus an optional safety margin) against the UPS's capacity.
  4. If the UPS capacity is insufficient, the network device sends an alert to a network administrator.

• Claim 6 (Method - Multiple Network Devices with Master/Slave): This claim outlines a method for a network with several devices that provide inline power, all sharing a single UPS. The method includes:

  1. Designating one network device as the "master."
  2. Communicating the total available UPS power to this master device.
  3. Each non-master (slave) network device calculates its own maximum potential power usage, including power for its connected PDs.
  4. These non-master devices then report their calculated maximum power requirements to the master device.
  5. The master device combines all reported power requirements from the slave devices with its own maximum power requirement to determine the total network power load.
  6. The master device compares this total load (plus an optional safety margin) against the UPS's capacity.
  7. If the UPS capacity is insufficient, the master device sends an alert to a network administrator.

• Claim 15 (System - Single Network Device): This claim describes a system that performs the method of Claim 1, using "means for" each step. It comprises components within a network device designed to:

  1. Receive information about the available UPS resources.
  2. Determine the network device's worst-case power requirement (including attached PDs).
  3. Compare this worst-case power requirement against the available UPS resources (with an optional margin).
  4. Transmit an alert to a network administrator if more UPS resources are needed.

• Claim 20 (System - Multiple Network Devices with Master/Slave): This claim describes a system that performs the method of Claim 6, using "means for" each step. It includes components within multiple network devices, where one is designated as a master, configured to:

  1. Select a master network device.
  2. Communicate available UPS resources to the master.
  3. Determine the worst-case power requirement for each non-master device.
  4. Advise the master device of these determined power requirements.
  5. Calculate the total power load at the master device.
  6. Compare the total power load against the available UPS resources (with an optional margin).
  7. Transmit an alert to a network administrator if more UPS resources are needed.

• Claim 29 (Program Storage Device - Single Network Device): This claim covers a program storage device (e.g., memory) that contains instructions for a network device to execute the method described in Claim 1. When these instructions are run, the network device will receive UPS resource information, calculate its worst-case power needs, compare it to the UPS capacity (with margin), and send an alert if capacity is insufficient.

• Claim 30 (Program Storage Device - Master Network Device): This claim covers a program storage device that contains instructions for a master network device to execute the method described in Claim 6. When these instructions are run, the master network device will receive UPS resource information, collect worst-case power requirements from other devices, calculate the total network load, compare it to the UPS capacity (with margin), and send an alert if capacity is insufficient.

• Claim 31 (Network Device - Single Network Device): This claim describes a physical network device containing specific facilities (components) to perform the actions outlined in Claim 1. These facilities include:

  1. A reception facility to receive UPS resource information.
  2. A determiner to calculate the device's worst-case power demand (including PDs).
  3. A comparer to evaluate this demand against UPS capacity.
  4. A transmission facility to send an alert to an administrator if more UPS resources are required.

• Claim 36 (Network Device - Master in Multiple Device Setup): This claim describes a physical network device configured to act as a master in a multiple-device setup as outlined in Claim 6. It includes:

  1. A selector to configure it as a master.
  2. A first reception facility to receive available UPS resources.
  3. A second reception facility to receive worst-case power requirements from other non-master network devices.
  4. A calculator to sum the total power load.
  5. A comparer to evaluate this total load against UPS capacity.
  6. A transmission facility to send an alert to an administrator if more UPS resources are required.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
As of April 26, 2026, searches of the CAFC 2026 dockets did not yield any specific results pertaining to US patent 7565555. Therefore, there is no authoritative information available from the search results to indicate active litigation or appeals related to this specific patent in the CAFC for the year 2026.

As of April 26, 2026, a search of publicly available litigation databases for US patent 7565555 did not yield any specific results.

Therefore, there is no known active litigation involving US patent 7565555 for which details such as plaintiff, defendant, jurisdiction, case number, filing date, and outcome or current status can be provided at this time.

Proceedings overview

There are no AIA trial proceedings (Inter Partes Review, Post-Grant Review, or Covered Business Method) on file for US Patent 7565555 as of 2026-08-18. Therefore, all claims of the patent (claims 1-40) remain untested by the PTAB. This defensive posture indicates that a defendant facing assertion of this patent cannot rely on prior PTAB invalidations to narrow the asserted claims.

Strategic summary

As of the current date, all 40 claims of US7565555 are SUSTAINED and UNTESTED by any AIA trial proceedings at the PTAB. There are no claims that have been canceled or narrowed through IPR, PGR, or CBM.

The absence of PTAB activity means there is no estoppel landscape established under § 315(e)(2) for this patent. All prior-art grounds (e.g., anticipation under § 102, obviousness under § 103) that could be raised against the patent are still available to a potential petitioner.

The lack of PTAB proceedings also suggests that either the patent has not been extensively asserted, or that any assertions have been resolved without the need for an AIA trial. There is no observed pattern of filings by petitioners, patent owner appeals, or involvement of defensive aggregators like Unified Patents, as no proceedings exist.

Recommended next steps

Since no PTAB activity exists for US7565555, the immediate next steps for a potential defendant would involve:

• Prior Art Search: Conduct a thorough prior art search specific to the claims of US7565555 to identify potential grounds for invalidity under §§ 102 and 103, which could then form the basis for a new IPR petition if litigation arises.
• Validity Opinion: Obtain a legal opinion on the validity of the asserted claims in light of any newly discovered prior art or known prior art.
• Monitoring: Continuously monitor for any future PTAB filings or litigation related to this patent, as the absence of activity can change at any time, especially if the patent begins to be asserted more aggressively.

Inventors

• Wael William Diab (Cisco Technology Inc.)

Original assignee

The original assignee on US patent 7565555 is Cisco Technology Inc. Cisco's primary line of business is networking hardware, software, telecommunications equipment, and other high-technology services and products. They ship products embodying the claims, specifically network devices with Power over Ethernet (PoE) capabilities and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) integration. Cisco Technology Inc. is currently an operating company.

Assignment timeline

• 2005-11-21 (executed) / recorded 2005-11-23 — Reel 017248/0160
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: DIAB, WAEL WILLIAM
  • Assignee: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
  • Correspondent: BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP, 12400 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD 7TH FLOOR, LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, 90025. This correspondent firm may represent Cisco in other patent filings.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to employer.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7565555
    2005 : Assigned to Cisco Technology Inc
    2009 : Patent issued

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The patent remains with the original operating company, Cisco Technology Inc.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. The sole assignee is Cisco Technology Inc., which is not identified as a known patent asserter (NPE).
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — unclear. BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP is listed as the correspondent for the initial assignment. Without further assignment records for this specific patent or a broader analysis of their client base across other patents, it's unclear if they are a repeat correspondent for NPE activity related to this patent.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. There is only one assignment recorded.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. There are no recorded litigation events for this patent in CAFC dockets as of the current date, nor any assignments preceding such an event.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. Cisco Technology Inc. is an active operating company.
7. Privateering — not present. The patent remains with Cisco Technology Inc.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent is held by Cisco Technology Inc.

Verdict

Insufficient data. The only recorded assignment is from the inventor to the original operating company, Cisco Technology Inc., which is a product-shipping entity. There are no further assignment records to indicate any transfers to a shell entity, a known NPE, or a defensive aggregator.

USPTO Assignment Center search page for US7565555: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/index.html?cn=US7565555B2

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 7565555, I will refer to the "Citations" section of the patent itself, which lists prior art considered by the examiner.

Full Patent Citation: US7565555B2 - Uninterruptible power supply resource sharing for multiple power sourcing equipment network devices.

Here are the most relevant prior art citations listed in US7565555:

1. US20050229037A1

   • Full Citation: US20050229037A1 - Method and apparatus for correlating UPS capacity to system power requirements
   • Publication Date: October 13, 2005
   • Filing Date: March 25, 2004
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and apparatus for correlating UPS capacity to system power requirements, particularly in server racks. It focuses on predicting power consumption based on historical data and user-defined policies to manage power resources.
   • Potentially Anticipating Claims: This reference appears highly relevant to claims 1 and 15, and potentially claims 29 and 31, as it deals with determining system power requirements and comparing them against UPS capacity to avoid oversubscription. Specifically, the concept of "correlating UPS capacity to system power requirements" directly overlaps with the core idea of measuring power demand against available UPS resources. The patent mentions, "Method and apparatus for correlating UPS capacity to system power requirements". The applicant of 7565555 specifically cited this as prior art that "correlates UPS capacity to system power requirements."

2. US6594771B1

   • Full Citation: US6594771B1 - Method and apparatus for managing power in an electronic device
   • Publication Date: July 15, 2003
   • Filing Date: April 13, 2000
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a method and apparatus for managing power in an electronic device, where power is provided to a plurality of loads. The system manages the distribution of power to loads based on the available power and the power requirements of the loads.
   • Potentially Anticipating Claims: This patent is relevant to claims 1, 6, 15, 20, 29, 30, 31, and 36, especially regarding the broad concept of managing and allocating power resources to multiple devices. While it doesn't explicitly mention "inline power" or "network devices" in the same context as US7565555, the general principle of managing power to multiple loads based on available resources is a fundamental aspect of the claimed invention.

3. US20070083774A1

   • Full Citation: US20070083774A1 - Ensuring power availability to a blade server when blade management controller is corrupted
   • Publication Date: April 12, 2007
   • Filing Date: October 11, 2005
   • Brief Description: This patent application focuses on ensuring power availability to blade servers, particularly when a blade management controller is corrupted. It describes methods for dynamic power provisioning and monitoring.
   • Potentially Anticipating Claims: While published after the filing date of US7565555, this application claims priority to an earlier date (Oct 11, 2005) making it prior art. It could be relevant to claims 1, 6, 15, 20, 29, 30, 31, and 36 for its general teachings on power management and ensuring availability, especially in a system with multiple components drawing power. However, the specific context of "blade servers" and "management controller" may differentiate it from the "network devices with PSE capabilities" described in US7565555.

The remaining cited patents in US7565555 primarily cover various aspects of Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology, modular connectors, hot-swapping, and power supply designs, but do not appear to directly address the inventive step of coordinating UPS resource sharing among multiple PSE-capable network devices based on worst-case power commitments as comprehensively as the above three.

Obviousness Analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for US7565555

This analysis will identify combinations of prior art references that would render the claims of US patent 7565555 obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (POSA). The motivation to combine these references will also be explained.

The core innovation of US7565555 lies in intelligently managing UPS resources for multiple network devices that provide Power over Ethernet (PoE) by having a "master" device aggregate worst-case power commitments from "slave" devices and comparing this against available UPS capacity to send notifications. Prior art primarily addresses aspects of PoE, UPS systems, and network management individually, but not necessarily their combination in this specific, proactive resource-sharing manner.

A POSA in this field, at the time of the invention (priority date November 23, 2005), would have been familiar with network devices, PoE technology, and uninterruptible power supplies. The IEEE 802.3af standard for PoE was ratified in June 2003, defining how power is delivered over Ethernet cables and including mechanisms for power allocation and classification of Powered Devices (PDs) based on their power requirements. This standard was well-known and commercially implemented.

Key elements of US7565555 (as per independent claims 1, 6, 15, 20, 29, 30, 31, 36):

1. Network device providing inline power (PSE capability) to attached PDs.
2. Network device having a base power requirement.
3. Network device receiving backup power from UPS resources.
4. Communicating available UPS resources to the network device(s).
5. Determining worst-case power requirement(s) for the network device(s), including PDs.
6. Comparing total worst-case power with available UPS resources (with optional margin).
7. Transmitting a message/notification to a network administrator if resources are insufficient.
8. In a multi-device setup, selecting a master network device and having non-master devices advise the master of their power requirements for central calculation.

Obviousness Combinations:

Combination 1: IEEE 802.3af standard + US20050229037A1 + General Network Management Principles

This combination addresses the core concept of monitoring and managing power resources in a networked environment with a UPS.

• IEEE 802.3af standard (2003): This standard clearly establishes the concept of Power over Ethernet, where network devices act as Power Sourcing Equipment (PSEs) to provide inline power to Powered Devices (PDs). It also includes mechanisms for PD discovery and classification to determine the amount of inline power to allocate, thus defining the worst-case power draw for attached PDs. The standard describes PSEs maintaining a database of attached PDs and their power requirements, managed by the network device operating system. This directly addresses elements 1, 2 (implicitly, as network devices have base power), and part of 5 (determining PD power requirements).
• US20050229037A1 (IBM - Method and apparatus for correlating UPS capacity to system power requirements): This patent application (published October 13, 2005, prior art to US7565555's filing date) explicitly describes a method and apparatus for correlating UPS capacity to system power requirements. It teaches obtaining information about system power requirements, comparing this to UPS capacity, and providing notification if capacity is insufficient. This directly addresses elements 3, 4, 6, and 7 of US7565555's claims (communicating UPS resources, comparing, and notifying). While not specifically focused on PoE, the concept of a "system" could readily encompass network devices providing PoE, especially given the rising prevalence of PoE at the time.
• General Network Management Principles: A POSA would be aware of common network management practices, which include monitoring device status, resource utilization, and sending alerts to administrators when thresholds are exceeded or resources are low. The idea of "worst-case" planning is a fundamental aspect of resource provisioning in any IT environment to ensure reliability.

Motivation for Combination 1:

A POSA would have been motivated to combine the IEEE 802.3af standard with US20050229037A1 and general network management principles to solve the problem of UPS oversubscription in PoE networks, as highlighted in the background of US7565555. The IEEE 802.3af standard provided the mechanism for network devices to know the power demands of connected PDs. US20050229037A1 provided the framework for correlating system power with UPS capacity and generating alerts. It would be an obvious step to apply the principles of US20050229037A1 to the specific "system power requirements" generated by PoE-enabled network devices, leveraging the existing classification data of the 802.3af standard. The motivation would be to proactively prevent service interruptions by providing early warnings of potential UPS overload in PoE deployments, thereby optimizing UPS resource utilization and avoiding the cost of over-provisioning or the risks of under-provisioning. The ability to calculate "worst-case" power draw for PoE devices (as described in 802.3af) would be directly applicable to the "system power requirements" of US20050229037A1.

Combination 2: US6218930B1 + US20050229037A1 + Principles of Distributed Systems/Master-Slave Architectures

This combination primarily addresses the multi-network device ("master/slave") aspect of US7565555's claims.

• US6218930B1 (Merlot Communications - Apparatus and method for remotely powering access equipment over a 10/100 switched ethernet network): This patent (issued April 17, 2001, prior art to US7565555) describes an apparatus and method for remotely powering access equipment over an Ethernet network. It specifically mentions automatic detection of remote equipment, determining its power capability, and delivering power over Ethernet. While predating the formal IEEE 802.3af standard, it covers the fundamental concept of inline power and determining power requirements for connected devices. It teaches that an Ethernet switch card can include a phantom power supply and circuitry for automatic detection of remote equipment, and delivering phantom power.
• US20050229037A1 (IBM - Method and apparatus for correlating UPS capacity to system power requirements): As in Combination 1, this reference provides the core concept of communicating UPS capacity, determining system power requirements, comparing them, and generating alerts.
• Principles of Distributed Systems/Master-Slave Architectures: By 2005, the concept of distributed systems where a central "master" node coordinates information from multiple "slave" nodes was well-established in computer science and network management. This paradigm is commonly used for resource aggregation and centralized monitoring.

Motivation for Combination 2:

Given the problems of UPS oversubscription in networks with multiple PoE devices (as identified in US7565555's background), a POSA would be motivated to extend the power management concepts of US20050229037A1 to a distributed environment using well-known master-slave architectural principles. Recognizing that individual PoE network devices (as described in US6218930B1, or even more comprehensively by IEEE 802.3af) would each have their own "worst-case power requirement" (element 5), the obvious step to manage a shared UPS (elements 3, 4, 6, 7) for these multiple devices would be to centralize the aggregation and comparison. A master-slave approach would be a logical and common choice for such centralization (element 8), allowing slave devices to report their local power commitments to a master, which then performs the overall load calculation and comparison against the shared UPS capacity. This would provide a scalable and efficient way to prevent oversubscription of a shared UPS resource across numerous PoE-enabled network devices.

Combination 3: 3Com NJ100/NJ220 IntelliJack Switches + US20050229037A1 + General Network Management

This combination focuses on commercially available PoE switches and integrating them with UPS management.

• 3Com NJ100/NJ220 IntelliJack Switches: Products like the 3Com IntelliJack NJ100 and NJ220 were available prior to the priority date of US7565555. These devices were Ethernet switches with Power over Ethernet capabilities, compliant with IEEE 802.3af. They featured multiple switched ports to connect various PDs and could be powered via inline PoE or local AC power. The NJ220, for example, even offered "advanced management, switching, and security features" and "flexible power options include Power over Ethernet (PoE), local AC power and power forwarding." The manuals for these devices would detail their power consumption and how they manage power for connected devices. These devices directly embody elements 1 and 2 of US7565555's claims (network device with PSE capabilities and base power requirement).
• US20050229037A1 (IBM - Method and apparatus for correlating UPS capacity to system power requirements): This patent application, as discussed, provides the framework for UPS capacity correlation and notification.
• General Network Management: As before, the general understanding of network management, resource monitoring, and alert generation is a foundational element.

Motivation for Combination 3:

Given the existence of commercial PoE switches like the 3Com IntelliJack series, which manage inline power for multiple connected devices, a POSA would be motivated to integrate these specific devices into a comprehensive UPS resource management system. The problem of UPS oversubscription was known, and solutions for correlating system power to UPS capacity (US20050229037A1) were available. It would be an obvious engineering task to combine the power reporting capabilities inherent in PoE-enabled switches (like the IntelliJack, which would know its own base power and the classification-based power draw of connected PDs) with the centralized UPS monitoring and alerting system described in US20050229037A1. The motivation is to provide practical, real-world solutions for managing backup power in deployments utilizing these common PoE devices. The explicit mention of "management features" in the NJ220 further suggests a predisposition to integrate such devices into broader network management schemes.

Conclusion on Obviousness:

The independent claims of US7565555, particularly Claims 1 and 6, appear to be obvious in light of the combinations of prior art discussed. The individual components—PoE technology with device classification (IEEE 802.3af, US6218930B1), UPS resource monitoring and alerting (US20050229037A1), and master-slave network architectures or centralized management (general network principles)—were all known and understood by a POSA by the priority date. The motivation to combine these elements stems from the recognized need to efficiently manage expensive and limited UPS resources in the context of increasing PoE deployments, preventing unforeseen power failures, and optimizing infrastructure costs. The patent essentially applies known power management and network architecture principles to the specific context of PoE and shared UPS resources, which would have been an obvious extension for a POSA facing the problems outlined in the patent's background.