Patent ID: 7902694

Claim:
A method, performed in a network power sourcing apparatus having a power supply with a fixed power capacity, the network power sourcing apparatus providing power to a plurality of powered network devices at a provision voltage, the method comprising: receiving, at the network power sourcing apparatus, an electronic request to power a network device of the plurality of powered network devices with a requested amount of power; calculating, at the network power sourcing apparatus, a worst-case current draw of the network device in the event of a pre-defined maximum voltage slew rate, wherein the pre-defined maximum voltage slew rate is a value pre-programmed into the power sourcing apparatus to represent a largest-anticipated possible voltage slew rate; allocating and providing power, from the power supply to the network device when a remaining power capacity is greater than or equal to the provision voltage multiplied by the worst-case current draw of the network device in the event of the maximum voltage slew rate; and denying power from the power supply to the network device when the remaining power capacity is less than the provision voltage multiplied by the worst-case current draw of the device in the event of the maximum voltage slew rate; wherein the remaining power capacity is defined to be the fixed power capacity of the network power sourcing apparatus minus any power that has already been allocated to other powered network devices of the plurality of powered network devices.