Chinese patent for PoE midspan technology

A PowerDsine UK product story

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Nov 1, 2004

PowerDsine has been awarded a "spare pair powering" patent in China, further extending its patent portfolio in power-over-Ethernet technology.

PowerDsine has been awarded a "spare pair powering" patent in China, further extending its patent portfolio in power-over-Ethernet technology.

The patent L 99815577.2, issued under certificate 161478 in China, pertains to PowerDsine's PoE stand-alone midspan products that connect to an Ethernet switch, to PoE-enable an enterprise network.

The PoE midspan is the first system on the market that supplies reliable, uninterrupted power to IP phones, wireless LAN access points, network cameras and other devices using existing Ethernet cabling infrastructure.

Additionally, when used in conjunction with a centralised uninterrupted power supply (UPS), the PoE midspan ensures continuous operation, even during power failures, to increase the overall performance and reliability of the network.

"This patent from China reinforces PowerDsine's pioneering efforts in power over Ethernet technology".

"We believe that there is tremendous growth potential for PoE in the Chinese market and receipt of this patent will enable PowerDsine to further pursue these potential opportunities", said Igal Rotem, CEO of PowerDsine "We have engaged a high-profile vendor to sell and market our midspan products in the Chinese market and are currently pursuing additional vendor relationships in an effort to maximise PowerDsine's reach within China".

The Chinese patent for "spare pair powering" will add another stage to PowerDsine's history of PoE innovation.

In October 2002, the US Patent and Trademark Office awarded patent 6,473,608 that pertains to PowerDsine's structured cabling system invention.

The US patent, much like the Chinese patent, addresses the process that detects all "power enabled" elements in the Ethernet LAN so that power can be distributed safely via data Ethernet cabling infrastructure to those elements without affecting legacy devices.