Patent ID: 8181043

Claim:
A controllable power supply for remotely controlling computer network communication equipment comprising: a housing having at least two distinguishable surfaces and suitable for mounting in a network device rack holding network routers; at least three independent first network sockets located on one of said distinguishable surfaces, said sockets being of a type for connecting to a network router; wherein each of said first network sockets connects to a separate standard network cable from a network router; wherein each of said first network sockets comprises: a first separate control signal pin for connecting to a first separate and independent wire in said separate standard network cable and for receiving a separate and independent control signal and not receiving other network communication; a second separate network data transmission pin for receiving encoded multi-bit digital network data on a second separate and independent wire in said separate standard network cable; at least three independently controlled power supply sockets located on one of said distinguishable surfaces; and at least three separate and independent control circuits within said housing, each control circuit operatively connected to one of said first network sockets; each of said control circuits operatively connected to one of said power supply sockets; wherein power to each of said power supply sockets is separately and independently turned on or off directly in response to a signal change between a high and low state of said separate and independent control signals received at said first sockets without otherwise decoding said control signals; said control signals received from a controlling network device router; said circuits configured such that standard network data transmission on said second independent transmission pin is entirely independent of said control circuits; and a power input connection for connecting to an external power source.