The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 06, 2022
Filed:
Oct. 30, 2019
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Colin Ian Holyoake, Braishfield, GB;
Maurice Francis Gray, Hampshire, GB;
Michael James Bettle-Shaffer, Hampshire, GB;
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A standard server rack is modified to be able to detect if a blanking panel is missing from an unoccupied slot. Detection can be achieved electrically by providing switch elements in the holes on the rack siderails, whose switching state depends on whether a fastening pin is in the hole. A blanking panel, when fitted to a particular slot, thus switches the switch elements for that slot, which can be detected by a make/break circuit including the switch elements. Alternatively, detection of a missing blanking panel can be achieved optically by arranging a bank of forward pointing optical sensors at the back of the server rack, which point forward to detect the presence of a blanking panel. The optical sensors are distributed vertically so that at least one optical sensor covers each slot.