US 6,868,682 Agent based control method and system for energy management
8 defendants · 11 suits · updated October 6, 2026
Also cited as U.S. Patent No. 6,868,682 · US6868682B2 · US 6,868,682 B2 · 6868682 · the '682 patent
Valtrus Innovations Ltd. has filed 11 patent-infringement suits on US 6,868,682, "Agent based control method and system for energy management" since July 9, 2026, 4 of them in the E.D. Tex., against 8 distinct defendants including Prime Data Centers, LLC, Ark Data Centers, LLC and CONTINENTAL BROADBAND, LLC. The patent was granted March 22, 2005 on a priority date of January 16, 2003. Its abstract opens: "Controlling the temperature in a data center includes receiving sensory data corresponding to a temperature from a subsystem in a data center, processing the sensory data by a first agent in a hierarchy of agents to determine if the subsystems in the data…" The examiner cited 16 references during prosecution.
- Assignee
- Valtrus Innovations Ltd
- Priority date
- January 16, 2003
- Granted
- March 22, 2005
- Expires
- January 16, 2023
- Status
- Expired - Lifetime
- Claims
- 30 (7 independent)
- Inventors
- Ratnesh K. Sharma, Cullen E. Bash, Chandrakant D. Patel
- Full text
- Google Patents
The suits
11 cases · E.D. Tex. (4) · W.D. Pa. (2) · S.D. Tex. (2) · E.D. Cal. (1) · D. Mass. (1) · E.D. Va. (1)
| Filed | Defendant | Plaintiff | Court | Docket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-09 | Prime Data Centers, LLC | Valtrus Innovations Ltd. | E.D. Cal. | 2:26-at-01158 |
| 2026-08-18 | Ark Data Centers, LLC | Key Patent Innovations Ltd. | W.D. Pa. | 2:26-cv-01734 |
| 2026-08-18 | CONTINENTAL BROADBAND, LLC | Valtrus Innovations Ltd. | W.D. Pa. | 2:26-cv-01736 |
| 2026-08-18 | FifteenFortySeven Critical Systems Realty, LLC | Valtrus Innovations Ltd. | S.D. Tex. | 7:26-cv-00382 |
| 2026-08-18 | Markley Network Services LLC | Valtrus Innovations Limited | D. Mass. | 1:26-cv-13811 |
| 2026-08-18 | Sabey Data Center Properties LLC | Valtrus Innovations Limited | E.D. Va. | 1:26-cv-02641 |
| 2026-08-18 | TRG Datacenters, LLC | Valtrus Innovations Ltd. | S.D. Tex. | 4:26-cv-06818 |
| 2026-09-08 | CONTINENTAL BROADBAND, LLC | Valtrus Innovations Ltd. | E.D. Tex. | 2:26-cv-00793 |
| 2026-09-08 | Markley Network Services LLC | Valtrus Innovations Limited | E.D. Tex. | 2:26-cv-00792 |
| 2026-09-09 | Compass Datacenters, LLC | Valtrus Innovations Ltd. | E.D. Tex. | 2:26-cv-00800 |
| 2026-09-14 | FifteenFortySeven Critical Systems Realty, LLC | Valtrus Innovations Ltd. | E.D. Tex. | 2:26-cv-00820 |
Docket links open the public record on CourtListener. Filing dates are the complaint's.
Independent claims
What is actually asserted, verbatim.
1. A method of controlling the temperature in a data center comprising: receiving sensory data corresponding to a temperature from a subsystem in a data center; processing the sensory data by a first agent in a hierarchy of agents to determine if the subsystems in the data center is operating within a predetermined temperature range; adjusting a delivery rate for a cooling fluid using the first agent to keep the temperature range of the subsystem within the predetermined temperature range; and requesting a second agent from the hierarchy of agents to process the sensory data when the first agent cannot keep the temperature range within the predetermined temperature range unless the second agent redistributes the cooling fluid being delivered to one or more areas in the data center.
11. A system for cooling a data center, comprising: a cooling fluid delivery controller that uses a first agent in a hierarchy of agents to control the delivery rate of a cooling fluid to a rack having one or more subsystems and components and a second agent in the hierarchy of agents to control the delivery rate of the cooling fluid to a row having one or more racks; and a cooling system controller that uses a third agent in the hierarchy of agents to control the amount of cooling fluid to output when at least the first and second agent cannot keep the one or more subsystems operating within a predetermined temperature range.
24. An apparatus for controlling the temperature in a data center comprising: means for receiving sensory data corresponding to a temperature from a subsystem in a data center; means for processing the sensory data by a first agent in a hierarchy of agents to determine if the subsystems in the data center is operating within a predetermined temperature range; means for adjusting a delivery rate for a cooling fluid using the first agent to keep the temperature range of the subsystem within the predetermined temperature range; and means for requesting a second agent from the hierarchy of agents to process the sensory data when the first agent cannot keep the temperature range within the predetermined temperature range unless the second agent redistributes the cooling fluid being delivered to one or more areas in the data center.
25. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, for controlling the temperature in a data center, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to: receive sensory data corresponding to a temperature from a subsystem in a data center; process the sensory data by a first agent in a hierarchy of agents to determine if the subsystems in the data center is operating within a predetermined temperature range; adjust a delivery rate for a cooling fluid using the first agent to keep the temperature range of the subsystem within the predetermined temperature range; and request a second agent from the hierarchy of agents to process the sensory data when the first agent cannot keep the temperature range within the predetermined temperature range unless the second agent redistributes the cooling fluid being delivered to one or more areas in the data center.
26. A method of controlling, the temperature of a rack in a data center, comprising: receiving sensor information and objectives by a rack agent to keep the subsystems and components operating within a temperature range; comparing the temperature received from the sensors to the rack agent's objectives; determining whether the temperature readings meet its objectives and having the rack agent report its sensor readings to a row agent requesting assistance from the row agent in cooling when the rack agent's temperature objectives cannot be attained; and varying the flow of liquid cooling when the temperature reading does not meet the rack agent's objectives.
28. A method of controlling the temperature of a row in a data center, comprising: receiving sensor information and objectives by a row agent to keep the subsystems and components operating within a temperature range; comparing the temperature received from the sensors to the row agent's objectives; determining whether the temperature readings meets the row agents objectives and having the row agent report its sensor readings requesting assistance from a CRAC agent or other row agents in cooling when the row agent's temperature objectives cannot be attained; and varying the flow of liquid cooling when the temperature reading does not meet the row agent's objectives.
30. A method of controlling the temperature of in a data center, comprising: receiving sensor information and objectives by a cooling system agent to keep the subsystems and components operating within a temperature range; comparing the temperature received from the sensors to the cooling system agent's objectives; determining whether the temperature readings meets the cooling system agents objectives and having the cooling system agent report its sensor readings to other cooling system agents and request assistance from the other cooling system agents when the cooling system agent's temperature objectives cannot be attained; and varying the cooling system's output of a cooling liquid when the temperature reading does not meet the cooling system agent's objectives.
Art before the examiner
16 references of record, 16 cited by the examiner.
Everything listed here was before the Office and is what a challenge must go beyond. Art the examiner never saw is where an invalidity search starts.
Examiner-cited
- US5345779A — Modular floor sub-structure for the operational support of computer systems (Liebert Corporation)
- US5467609A — Modular floor sub-structure for the operational support of computer systems (Liebert Corporation)
- US6283380B1 — Air conditioning system and air conditioning method (International Business Machines Corporation)
- US6374627B1 — Data center cooling system (Donald J. Schumacher)
- US6412292B2 — Computer rack heat extraction device (Toc Technology, Llc)
- US6494050B2 — Computer rack heat extraction device (Toc Technology, Llc)
- US6557624B1 — Configurable system and method for cooling a room (Liebert Corporation)
- US6557357B2 — Computer rack heat extraction device (Toc Technology, Llc)
- US6574104B2 — Smart cooling of data centers (Hewlett-Packard Development Company L.P.)
- US6574970B2 — Computer room air flow method and apparatus (Toc Technology, Llc)
- US6628520B2 — Method, apparatus, and system for cooling electronic components (Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.)
- US6672955B2 — Air flow management system for an internet data center (International Business Machines Corporation)
- US20040020224A1 — Cooling system with evaporators distributed in parallel (Bash Cullen E.)
- US20040020226A1 — Cooling system with evaporators distributed in series (Bash Cullen E.)
- US20040020225A1 — Cooling system (Patel Chandrakant D.)
- US6694759B1 — Pressure control of cooling fluid within a plenum using automatically adjustable vents (Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.)
Classification
- H05K7/20745primary — Forced ventilation of a gaseous coolant within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device
- G01K7/42 — Circuits effecting compensation of thermal inertia; Circuits for predicting the stationary value of a temperature
- H05K7/20836 — Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control
Family
- US6868682B2 — B2 (2005)
- US20040141542A1 — A1 (2004)
Abstract
Controlling the temperature in a data center includes receiving sensory data corresponding to a temperature from a subsystem in a data center, processing the sensory data by a first agent in a hierarchy of agents to determine if the subsystems in the data center is operating within a predetermined temperature range, adjusting a delivery rate for a cooling fluid using the first agent to keep the temperature range of the subsystem within the predetermined temperature range, and requesting a second agent from the hierarchy of agents to process the sensory data when the first agent cannot keep the temperature range within the predetermined temperature range unless the second agent redistributes the cooling fluid being delivered. A third agent is used to vary the amount of cooling fluid output when at least the first and second agent cannot keep the subsystem operating within the predetermined temperature range.
Also asserted by Valtrus Innovations Ltd.
- US 6,854,287 — Cooling system (8 defendants)
Named in one of these suits? A prior-art search is commissioned once and serves every defendant who shares it. The examiner's own search record is free on the tools page, and your first preliminary search is free — one claim, back within 24 hours — so you know whether there is art the Office never saw before anyone pays for more. Flat fees: $2,500$899 for the independent claims, $5,000$1,500 for every asserted claim.
This page is assembled from public records — federal court dockets and the patent's own file — and is updated as the case list changes. It states what the record shows and is not an opinion on the validity or infringement of any claim. Patent data via Google Patents; docket data via CourtListener.