Patent ID: 8281165

Claim:
Inline power control circuitry, comprising: analog interface circuitry for coupling to a plurality of inline powered ports of a network communications device, the analog interface circuitry operative to receive an analog input signal from each port and to generate an analog output signal for each port, each analog input signal conveying a sensed electrical value of the respective port and each analog output signal controlling a controlled electrical value of the respective port; digital interface circuitry operative to convert between the analog input and output signals of the ports and corresponding digital input and output signals, each digital input signal conveying the corresponding sensed electrical value of the respective port and each digital output signal controlling the corresponding controlled electrical value of the respective port; digital bus interface circuitry coupling the digital interface circuitry to a digital communications bus; and a digital controller operatively coupled to the digital communications bus for digital communications with the digital interface circuitry by which the digital controller (i) receives the digital input signals to obtain the respective sensed electrical values of the ports and (ii) provides the digital output signals to control the respective controlled electrical values of the ports.