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. 30, 2010
Filed:
Oct. 24, 2006
Jerry W. Pearce, Apex, NC (US);
Thomas J. Clement, Raleigh, NC (US);
Jerry W. Pearce, Apex, NC (US);
Thomas J. Clement, Raleigh, NC (US);
Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Singapore, SG;
Abstract
A computer system is capable of operating with various types of fans from the same manufacturer or from different manufacturers and is capable identifying the type of fan which is presently installed in the system. The system includes a fan of the type which includes an integral optical sensor and detectable indicia such as, by way of example, a bar code label or imprint. Fan identification has a variety of uses including, for instance, adjusting system parameters to properly execute the computer system's cooling functions based on the type of fan presently installed, and reporting fan type and/or serial number to an administrator or central inventory server for quality control purposes. Particular embodiments include the derivation of tachometric information from the detectable indicia. The computer system may include an inventory program which maintains fan ID data for a plurality of fans.