Patent ID: 8014518

Claim:
A patch panel apparatus comprising: a plurality of first ports; a plurality of patch ports; an electronic monitor of at least one of said plurality of said first ports or said plurality of said patch ports, for existence of any insertable patch cord in at least one of said patch ports, said electronic monitor comprising a sense circuit comprising: a first port sense circuit of a first of said plurality of said patch ports; a second port sense circuit of a second of said plurality of said patch ports; and the any insertable patch cord comprising a plurality of conductors, wherein the any insertable patch cord comprises at least one connector, wherein said at least one connector comprises at least one of: a registered jack (RJ) standardized physical network interface connector comprising at least one pin not used for transmission of data and available for sense, said RJ standardized physical network interface connector coupled to said plurality of conductors; an RJ45 standardized physical network interface connector coupled to said plurality of conductors; or an RJ69 standardized physical network interface connector coupled to said plurality of conductors, wherein said plurality of conductors comprises: a first subset of conductors used for sending data, and at least one conductor used for sense information, such that the any insertable patch cord, when inserted in at least one of said first or said second of said plurality of said patch ports, couples said first port sense circuit to at least one of said first port sense circuit, or said second port sense circuit so as to complete said sense circuit, and wherein the patch panel comprises a direct electronic coupling between contacts of a first of said plurality of said first portsft and contacts of a second of said plurality of said first ports, wherein absence of the any insertable patch cord, at least one of said plurality of said first patch ports is initially electronically coupled to at least one other of said plurality of said first ports, and is adapted to be electronically decoupled upon insertion of the any insertable patch cord.