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:
Nov. 02, 2004
Filed:
Aug. 09, 2002
James Edward King, Wokingham, GB;
Rhod James Jones, Crowthorne, GB;
Sun Microsystems, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
A computer system comprises a host processor, a temperature sensor for sensing temperature in an enclosure of the system and one or more fans for cooling the enclosure. A service processor is provided for providing system management functions within the computer system. These include generating fan speed signals in response to temperature values detected by the temperature sensor, and generating a control signal. The system includes a fan controller for providing power for driving the fan or at least one of the fans in response to the fan speed signals generated by the service processor only when the fan controller also receives the control signal from the service processor. In the absence of the control signal from the service processor, the fan controller will increase the fan speed to a predetermined fan speed, for example maximum, in order to ensure that no damage occurs in the event of a service processor malfunction.