Panamax/Furman Awarded Patent for UPS IR Control Link

PETALUMA, Calif. — Sept. 16, 2010 — Panamax/Furman today announced that it has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 7,755,216, entitled “Uninterrupted Power Supply With IR Control Link.” Featuring 20 claims, the patent covers the learning IR control feature in the company’s uninterrupted power supply (UPS) products, which utilizes a projector’s remote control system to interface with the UPS. By learning the projector’s power control infrared (IR) signals, these Panamax/Furman units allow expensive projector bulbs to go through a proper cool-down cycle in a power outage before shutting off, thus extending their lifetime.

“We are very excited to receive the patent for our IR Control Link technology, an important feature that extends the life of projector bulbs, providing significant savings for installers and consumers,” said Dave Keller, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Panamax/Furman. “This is our 19th patent overall. Our expanding portfolio of patent claims speaks highly to our contributions to the power management industry, with groundbreaking technologies that solidify our position as industry experts.”

To avoid permanent damage, many video projectors automatically cool bulbs with a built-in fan, which typically runs for eight to 10 minutes after the projector has been switched off. However, in the event of a power blackout, the high-power projector lamp will drain the UPS batteries quickly and lose power while the lamp is still hot. As a large number of projector OEMs each utilize proprietary firmware and software, UPS systems have not been developed that can automatically interface with projectors to send them into cool-down mode in such a scenario.

Invented by Gerald B. Hoopes, the learning IR control feature of Panamax/Furman’s UPS products solves this problem by recording, learning, and mimicking the IR signals of A/V components’ remote controls. These units can send an IR signal to the equipment to force it to go into a low-power, cool-down mode during a power outage, in which the projector lamp turns off but the fan continues to run while being powered by the UPS, thus allowing the bulb to complete its cool-down cycle.

Panamax/Furman products currently available with this new technology include the MB1500, M1000, MX5102, and F1500-UPS.

Details of patent number 7,755,216, “Uninterrupted Power Supply With IR Control Link,” may be viewed at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website: www.uspto.gov.