Patent ID: 7493524

Claim:
A network having redundancy properties, comprising: a redundancy manager; at least one branching unit for connecting a user device to the network; and a line having two line ends, the two line ends connected to the redundancy manager, the redundancy manager to: disconnect the two line ends from each other in an error-free state of the line; connect the two line ends in an error state of the line; and feed a supply voltage into one of the two line ends for supplying a user device connected to the network via the branching unit, wherein the branching unit is arranged in the network line such that a first cable having a first cable end of the network line is connected to a first network connection of the branching unit and a second cable having a second cable end of the network line is connected to a second network connection of the branching unit, the branching unit to: check a state of the first cable if the supply voltage is received at the second network connection and to check a state of the second cable if the supply voltage is received at the first network connection; and forward the supply voltage to the checked cable only if the checked cable has an error-free state, and the redundancy manager to: feed a further supply voltage to the first line end if the supply voltage is fed to the second line end and is not detected at the first line end after lapse of a predetermined period of time by the redundancy manager; and feed the further supply voltage to the second line end if the supply voltage is fed to the first line end and is not detected at the second line end after lapse of the predetermined period of time by the redundancy manager.