Patent ID: 7818480

Claim:
A wireless, multifunction remote device management system comprising: at least one user workstation of the type including at least one from the group consisting of: a keyboard, a monitor, and a cursor control device; at least a first type of remote device containing a KVM interface; at least a second type of remote device containing a serial interface; at least a first type of remote interface module; wherein the first type of remote interface module contains a first power extractor circuit and a KVM interface connector for connecting to a KVM interface of one of the first types of remote devices; wherein the first power extractor circuit extracts power from the first type of remote device via the KVM interface connector; at least a second type of remote interface module; wherein the second type of remote interface module contains a second power extractor circuit and a serial interface connector for connecting to the serial interface of one of the second type of remote devices; wherein the second power extractor circuit extracts power from a remote device management unit connected to the second remote interface; and wherein the first type and second type of remote interface modules perform separate functions; and wherein the remote device management unit, contains a workstation user's profile information, and is coupled to said user workstation wirelessly or via a packet-switched network connection, and to said first type of remote interface module and said second type of remote interface module, and wherein said remote device management unit after verifying a workstation user's access to said remote device based on the workstation user's profile, communicates information to and from said user workstation and to and from said first type of remote device and said second type of remote device via said KVM interface of the first remote interface module and said serial interface of the second remote interface module, and wherein said first type of remote interface module and said second type of remote interface modules are connected in a chain-like configuration to each other and to the remote maintenance unit, and wherein said system enables power control of at least the first type of remote device and at least the second type of remote device from said user workstation, and wherein power control includes an ability to cycle power on and off at least the first type of remote device and the second type of remote device.