Patent ID: 8128428

Claim:
A system for guiding patch cord insertions and removals comprising: a patch cord having a first plug and a second plug, said patch cord comprising first and second patch cord management conductors, said first plug having first and second plug contacts making electrical contact, respectively, with said first and second patch cord management conductors, and said second plug having first and second plug contacts making electrical contact, respectively, with said first and second patch cord management conductors; said first and second patch cord management conductors comprising a portion of an electrical circuit, at least one of said first and second plugs comprising a capacitor and a light-emitting diode placed in parallel, and a plunger switch that can selectively insert or remove said capacitor and said light-emitting diode from said electrical circuit, wherein when said plunger switch is activated, said capacitor and said light-emitting diode are removed from said electrical circuit, and when said plunger switch is deactivated, said capacitor and said light-emitting diode are within said electrical circuit; a first intelligent patch panel comprising a plurality of ports, each of said ports comprising first and second panel contacts, said first and second panel contacts being adapted to make contact with first and second plug contacts of said plugs when said plugs are plugged into said ports, said first intelligent patch panel further comprising a first control and detection circuit; a second intelligent patch panel comprising a plurality of ports, each of said ports comprising first and second panel contacts, said first and second panel contacts being adapted to make contact with first and second plug contacts of said plugs when said plugs are plugged into said ports, said second intelligent patch panel further comprising a second control and detection circuit; wherein said first and second control and detection circuits comprise control circuits and digital input/output gates, and detection of insertion of patch cords into the ports of the first and second intelligent patch panels is accomplished by reading the status of the digital input/output gates when the control circuits are placed in predefined states.