Patent ID: 8656192

Claim:
A method for supplying power in a Power over Ethernet (PoE) system, the method comprising: determining an amount of power required by a first device when the first device connects to an interface; supplying power to the first device temporarily if the required power supply is available to the first device; determining the PoE priority of the first device and at least one other device connected to the interface if the required power supply is not available to the first device; withdrawing a power supply to a second device with a lower PoE priority than the first device if the required power supply is not available to the first device; determining whether the required power supply is available to the first device, after withdrawing the power supply to the second device; determining whether to authenticate the first device; and supplying power to the device continuously if the device is authenticated, wherein if the required power supply is not available to the first device, iteratively identifying one other device with a lower PoE than the first device, withdrawing a power supply to the identified one other device with a lower PoE priority than the first device, and thereafter determining whether the required power supply is available to the first device, until the required power supply is available to the first device.