Patent ID: 7019658

Claim:
A cable capable of providing a visual indication of traffic, said cable comprising: one or more wires; and at least one connector connected to the wires, said connector having detection circuitry capable of detecting the traffic on the cable and generating a detection signal responsive to the traffic, and a traffic indicator coupled to the detection circuitry to provide the visual indication of the traffic responsive to the detection signal, said detection circuitry comprising: driving circuitry coupled to at least one said wire, said at least one said wire carrying a data signal; and a transistor coupled to the driving circuitry and the traffic indicator, wherein the driving circuitry drives the transistor responsive to the data signal to generate the detection signal, which is used to drive the traffic indicator, and wherein the driving circuitry comprises: a driving transistor having a first electrode, a second electrode and a third electrode, wherein the first electrode is coupled to said at least one data signal carrying wire, the second electrode is coupled to power and a gate of the transistor, and the third electrode is coupled to ground, and wherein the transistor turns on when the driving transistor turns off, and the transistor turns off when the driving transistor turns on, thereby generating the detection signal.