CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This Application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 /787,949, filed on March 1 , 2013, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Field

[0002] Systems, devices, methods, and computer readable media consistent with the present disclosure relate to the identification of individual electronic equipment within an environment housing numerous electronic equipment.

Description of the Related Art

[0003] Facilities that house numerous items of installed electronic equipment are faced with identifying individual items for service purposes. For example, in the case of a server farm, large numbers of similar equipment are housed in racks and the identification of individual items must be made with labels or serial numbers. Similar challenges exist for other similarly situated equipment such as solar panel assemblies.

[0004] While electronic equipment can be identified by serial numbers attached to each item, alpha-numeric labels on each item, and/or by the location space allotted to each item, physically searching for serial numbers and labels is time consuming. For example, serial numbers are often located on the back or underside of the electronic equipment. [0005] For example one method of individually identifying electronic equipment is to provide a label via a display screen. However, this method has a disadvantage in that many displays may need to be viewed or interrogated before the item of interest can be located.

[0006] Software dongles may also be connected to computer systems in order to limit the use of software that has been licensed to a defined computer system. These software dongles provide a type of identification. However, there is a disadvantage in that the software dongles only identify the software and not the individual computer system.

SUMMARY

[0007] It is an aspect to provide for the more rapid identification of electronic equipment of interest, in situations where there are numerous electronic equipment.

[0008] It is another aspect to provide for rapid identification of electronic equipment for maintenance purposes.

[0009] It is another aspect to provide for rapid identification of electronic equipment for replacement purposes.

[0010] It is another aspect to provide for rapid identification of electronic equipment for cessation of operation purposes.

[0011] According to an aspect of one or more exemplary embodiments, there is provided an electronic equipment comprising a unique identifier circuit comprising a microprocessor and a memory, the memory storing a unique identifier that uniquely identifies the electronic equipment from among a plurality of electronic equipment; a motherboard comprising a processor communicatively connected to the unique identifier circuit; and an alert device, wherein in response to receiving identification request including an identifier, the processor extracts the identifier from the identification request, reads the unique identifier stored on the unique identifier circuit, compares the read unique identifier with the extracted identifier, and when the read unique identifier matches the extracted identifier, controls the alert device to generate an alert.

[0012] According to another aspect of one or more exemplary embodiments, there is provided a system for remote identification of individual electronic equipment, the system comprising a plurality of electronic equipment as describe above; each of the electronic equipment further comprising a network interface and a network controller for communicating with a network; and a remote management center which is communicatively coupled to the plurality of electronic equipment via the network and which is configured to manage the plurality of electronic equipment, wherein the remote management center sends an identification request message including a unique identifier of an electronic equipment of interest among the plurality of electronic equipment, and the processor of each electronic equipment receives the identification request message, extracts the unique identifier from the

identification request message, reads the unique identifier stored on the unique identifier circuit of the electronic equipment, compares the read unique identifier with the extracted unique identifier, and when the read unique identifier matches the extracted unique identifier, controls the alert device to generate an alert.

[0013] According to another aspect of one or more exemplary embodiments, there is provided a method for identifying an electronic equipment of interest from among a plurality of electronic equipment in an environment, each electronic equipment comprising a processor, an alert device, and a memory storing a unique identifier of the electronic equipment, the method comprising receiving, by the processor of an electronic device, a command message including a unique identifier of an electronic equipment of interest; extracting, by the processor, the unique identifier from the command message; reading, by the processor, a unique identifier stored in the memory of the electronic device; comparing the extracted unique identifier with the read unique identifier; and in response to the extracted unique identifier matching the read unique identifier, controlling, by the processor, the alert device to produce a visual or audible alert.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The above and/or other aspects will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an environment that houses a plurality of electronic equipment, according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0016] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an example of electronic equipment, according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0017] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an example of electronic equipment, according to another exemplary embodiment;

[0018] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing detail of a unique identifier circuit, according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0019] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of an identification of an individual piece of electronic equipment in the environment of FIG. 1 , according to an exemplary embodiment; [0020] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of identifying electronic equipment, according to an exemplary embodiment; and

[0021] Figure 7 is a block diagram of the system for identifying electronic equipment, according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings. The aforementioned accompanying drawings show by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, specific exemplary embodiments and implementations consistent with principles of the present inventive concept. These implementations are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the inventive concept, and it is to be understood that other implementations may be utilized and that structural changes and/or substitutions of various elements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of present inventive concept. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be construed in a limited sense. Additionally, the various exemplary embodiments as described may be implemented in the form of software running on a general purpose computer, in the form of a specialized hardware, or combination of software and hardware.

[0023] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, references to "the method" include one or more methods, and/or operations of the type described herein which will become apparent to those persons skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and so forth.

[0024] The term "comprising," which is used interchangeably with "including," "containing," or "characterized by," is inclusive or open-ended language and does not exclude additional, un-recited elements or method operations. The phrase "consisting of" excludes any element, operation, or ingredient not specified in the claim. The phrase "consisting essentially of" limits the scope of a claim to the specified materials or operations and those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed inventive concept.

[0025] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this inventive concept belongs.

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an environment that houses a plurality of electronic equipment, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1 , an environment 10 includes a plurality of electronic equipment 100-1 , 100-2, 100-n. The environment 10 may be, for example, a room in a building such as a warehouse or factory. Alternatively, the environment 10 may be provided for the explicit purpose of housing the electronic equipment. As another alternative, the environment 10 may be located outdoors in a location in which the plurality of electronic equipment 100-1 , 100-2, 100-n. An example may be an array of solar panel assemblies, or other array of electronic equipment that is provided outdoors. The type of environment is not particularly limited, as long as the environment may house or otherwise include the electronic equipment 100 in a suitable environment for the operation of the electronic equipment 100. In the present disclosure, individual pieces of electronic equipment will be referenced by individual reference numbers 100-1 , 100-2, 100-n, and the electronic equipment will be referenced collectively by reference number 100 where the description would apply to all electronic equipment 100-1 , 100-2, 100-n equally in order to increase the clarity of description and avoid duplication of description.

[0028] The electronic equipment 100 may be, for example, an antenna array, a solar panel assembly, a computer server, or other piece of electronic equipment that includes a processor to process electronic signals and that is commonly provided together as a plurality of units in close proximity. In the present exemplary embodiment, the electronic equipment 100 are all the same type of equipment. However, the inventive concept is not limited to this, and different types of electronic equipment 100 provided together are contemplated. For example, electronic equipment 100-1 may be computer server and electronic equipment 100-2 may be an antenna, and electronic equipment 100-3 may be a computer client terminal, etc. Alternatively, for example, electronic equipment 100-1 may be a computer server having first capabilities, and electronic equipment 100-2 may be a computer server having second capabilities, etc. where the first capabilities are different than the second capabilities. The capabilities may include, for example, memory type and/or size, monitor type and/or size, processing speed, housing style, features performed by the electronic equipment, etc. The electronic equipment 100 may also have different model numbers or be from different manufacturers.

[0029] The electronic equipment 100 may be arranged in an array of electronic devices as shown in the example of FIG. 1 . In FIG. 1 , electronic equipment 100-1 to 100-4 are arranged in a first row, and electronic equipment 100- 5 to 100-8 are arranged in second row, and so on, such that the electronic equipment 100 forms a 4x4 array of electronic equipment. While sixteen electronic equipment 100 are shown in FIG. 1 , it will be appreciated that the number is not limited to this and the number of electronic equipment 100 arranged in the array may be greater or fewer than sixteen. Moreover, the array is not limited to a 4x4 array but may be any size of array. Alternatively, the electronic equipment 100 might not be in an array, and may be, for example, electronic equipment distributed throughout an office. The electronic equipment, however, is typically part of fixed installations where the size and weight and installation of the equipment would require significant effort to re-locate the electronic equipment to a workshop for maintenance.

[0030] For example, in one exemplary embodiment, the environment 10 may be a room housing a computer farm, and the electronic equipment 100 may be computer servers of the computer farm, such that the computer servers form a farm rack. In such a computer server farm, the number of computer servers is typically very large, on the order of 100s or 1000s.

[0031] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an example of an electronic equipment, according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic equipment 200 may include a housing 205 that includes a motherboard 210 having a microcontroller (μθ) 214 and a memory 216 provided thereon, a network interface (l/F) 230, and an alert device. The alert device may be, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) indicator 240 and/or a speaker 250 for emitting a sound. However, in some exemplary embodiments, only one of the LED indicator 240 or the speaker 250 are provided. While the network l/F 230 and the alert device are shown provided on the motherboard 210, in other exemplary embodiments, the network l/F 230 and the alert device (including the LED indicator 240 and/or the speaker 250 may be provided off the motherboard, for example located on a separate printer circuit board (PCB) and/or substrate and communicatively connected to the motherboard 210. It is noted that FIG. 2 shows both a LED indicator 240 and a speaker 250.

[0032] The microcontroller 214 accesses memory 216 in order to execute code to control various electronic functional components 270 of the electronic device 200. It should be noted that the electronic functional components 270 are shown located inside a housing 205 of the electronic device 200. However, in other exemplary embodiments, the electronic functional components may be located externally to the electronic device 200 and are communicatively coupled to the electronic device 200 by wired or wireless means. Moreover, the electronic functional components 270 may be provided one a separate printed circuit board (PCB) and/or substrate from the motherboard 210. The microcontroller 214 may also access external devices through the network l/F 230. The microcontroller 214 may send a command to actuate the alert device, such as, for example, to light up the LED indicator 240 and/or produce an audible alert sound through the speaker 250. The microcontroller 214 may also access a unique identifier circuit 260.

[0033] In some exemplary embodiments, the electronic equipment 100 may be embodied as the electronic equipment 200. In such a case, the processor of the electronic equipment may be the microcontroller 214. The electronic equipment 200 as shown in FIG. 2 may be deployed in arrays as in FIG. 1 . The electronic equipment 200 of FIG. 2 may relay status information to a remote management center, as will be described in more detail later with reference to FIG. 7. In one exemplary embodiment, the electronic equipment 200 of FIG. 2 may be a solar panel assembly relaying status information about electricity generation to a remote management center. In another exemplary embodiment, the electronic equipment 200 of FIG. 2 may be an antenna of an antenna array. In either case it would be advantageous for maintenance staff to be able to easily locate under-performing equipment for the purpose of repair or replacement.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of another example of an electronic equipment, according to another exemplary embodiment. In this exemplary embodiment, the electronic equipment 100 may be embodied in the form of a computer server 300. Computer server 300 acts as a platform for many types of equipment. The following descriptions can be applied to a video server, for example, which includes the computer server 300 as part of its platform.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, the computer server 300 includes a motherboard 310 including a microprocessor 314 and a memory 316 which operate to execute instructions. Thus, in this exemplary embodiment, the processor of the electronic equipment 100 may be the microprocessor 314 of the computer server 300. The memory 316 may include a non-volatile memory and/or a volatile memory. Additionally, the motherboard 310 receives input from one or more input devices 320, such as a keyboard, mouse, touch device or microphone. The motherboard 310 may be connected to a removable storage device 330, such as a portable hard drive, optical media (CD or DVD) reader, disk media reader or a reader of any other tangible medium from which a computer can read executable code.

[0036] The computer server 300 may be provided with a network interface (l/F) 370 and a network controller 375, through which the computer server 300 may communicate with a network 390. The network l/F 370 may include a plurality of network interfaces. The network l/F 370 may be a wireless and/or wired interface. In the case of a wired l/F, the network l/F 370 may include a connector for connecting cables or fiber optics and the network controller 375 may format information for communication over the cables or fiber optics. In the case of a wireless interface, the network l/F 370 and the network controller 375 may be configured to provide wireless communication via various wireless protocols, such as the 802.1 1 standards, BLUETOOTH® and/or cellular protocols. While one network l/F 370 and one network controller 375 are shown in FIG. 3, in other exemplary embodiments, the computer server 300 may include a plurality of network l/Fs 370 and corresponding network controllers 375. Alternatively, the network l/Fs 370 may be controlled by a single network controller 375. In the case in which a plurality of network l/Fs are provided, each network l/F may be assigned to communicate with a different wired or wireless protocol. In this way, the network l/F 370 and network controller 375 may provide for remote control of the computer server 300. The remote control may be provided by a physical remote control (e.g. a transceiver) or by a web based browser application running on a remote system.

[0037] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a system for identifying electronic equipment, according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, a system 600 may include a remote management center 610 (e.g., a remote management computer) communicatively coupled to an electronic equipment 660 via a network 650. The network 650 has various network resources 640 to facilitate communication. The remote management center 610 may send an identification request 620 to the electronic equipment 660 via the network 650. The electronic equipment 660 may also send status information 630 to the remote management center 610 via the network 650 in response to the identification request 620. Alternatively, the electronic equipment 660 may generate status information 630 and send the status information 630 to the remote management center 610 without an identification request. That is, the electronic equipment 660 may generate and send status information 630 periodically. The status information 630 may include alerts for alerting the remote management center 610 when internal monitoring functions of the electronic equipment 660 sense an unusual condition. The electronic equipment 660 may be the electronic equipment 200 or the electronic equipment 300 according to the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0038] The remote management center 610 may be one or more desktop computers, one or more industrial computers or one or more mobile handsets such as, but not limited to, smart phones. The remote management center 610 may thus perform control of the electronic equipment 660 via communication over the network 650. The remote control may be performed via a hard wired interface or wireless system with Ethernet communication protocols for example.

[0039] Returning to FIG. 3, the computer server 300 may be provided with an alert device similar to the alert device of the electronic equipment 200 shown in FIG. 2. Thus, a detailed description will not be provided. The computer server may also be provided with a display 350 to output data and other information to a user, as well as to request additional instructions from the user. In some exemplary embodiments, the display 350 may serve as an alert device as will be described in more detail later. In some exemplary embodiments, the display 350 may further act as an input device 320 for receiving input from and interacting with a user. That is, the display 350 may be provided with a touch screen feature for receiving input from the user. The computer server 300 further includes a unique identifier circuit 360. The unique identifier circuit 360 creates a robust identity for the computer server 300, and will be described in more detail later with reference to FIG. 4.

[0040] The computer server 300 may communicate with the network 390. The network 390 may be a public network or a private network. For example, the network 390 may be a LAN or WLAN. Alternatively, the network 390 may be the Internet. The computer server 300 may be connected to network resources 380 provided for the network 390 which connect to the Internet or other components of a local public or private network. The network resources 380 may provide instructions and data to the computer server 300 from a remote location on the network 390. As discussed above, the connections to the network resources 380 may be via wireless protocols, such as the 802.1 1 standards, BLUETOOTH® or cellular protocols, or via physical transmission media, such as cables or fiber optics. The network resources 380 may include storage devices for storing data and executable instructions at a location separate from the computer server 300. In FIG. 3, the network resources 380 are shown schematically as located in the network 390. However, it will be understood that the location of the network resources 380 are not particularly limited, such that the network resources 380 may be provided by an individual entity on the network 390 or may be provided may a plurality of entities on the network 390 in a distributed computing fashion.

[0041] Computer servers that are in widespread use in server farm environments often form the building blocks for other types of equipment. When the computer servers are serviced, components can be replaced and configurations altered. For example, using the exemplary embodiment of the computer server 300 illustrated in FIG. 3, during servicing the motherboard 310, network interface 370, network controller 375, and/or the removable storage device 330 may be repaired or replaced. The motherboard 310, network interface 370, network controller 370 and/or removable storage device 330 have unique serial numbers, but do not form a secure method of unit identification because the motherboard 310, network interface 370, network controller 370 and/or removable storage device 330 can be replaced.

[0042] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a detailed example of a unique identifier circuit, according to an exemplary embodiment. The unique identifier circuit shown in FIG. 4 may be used as the unique identifier circuit 260 or the unique identifier circuit 360 of the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4, the unique identifier circuit 400 includes a microprocessor 420 and a memory 430. The memory 430 may store a unique identifier. In FIG. 4, the memory 430 is shown as being located in or on the microprocessor 420. In this case, the unique identifier may be provided hard-coded into the microprocessor 420. However, in other exemplary embodiments, the unique identifier 430 may be provided in a memory 430 provided separately from the microprocessor 420, for example on a same substrate or PCB, or on a separate substrate or a separate PCB from that of the microprocessor 420. In either case, the microprocessor 420 is communicatively coupled to the memory 430 for accessing the unique identifier stored therein. The microprocessor 420 may be, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The memory 430 may be, for example, a ROM, an EPROM, or a nonvolatile memory, and as described above in some exemplary embodiments may be provided integrally with the microprocessor 430. [0043] The unique identifier circuit 400 is independent of the electronic device 100. For example, the unique identifier circuit 400 may be provided on a separate printed circuit board (PCB) from the motherboard or other components of the electronic equipment 100. In such a configuration, the separate PCB is electrically connected to the motherboard of the electronic equipment 100 by a bus 415, such as a serial or parallel bus.

[0044] The unique identifier may be encrypted, and thus provides a secure method of identification. The encryption prevents modification by service personnel during servicing of the electronic equipment 100. Therefore any component of the electronic equipment 100 can be changed, or even the entire platforms of the electronic equipment 100 may be changed, or the network internet protocol (IP) address can be reconfigured without affecting the unique identifier. The unique identifier circuit 400 located inside the electronic equipment 100 interfaces with the electronic equipment 100 via serial or parallel bus communications over the bus 415.

[0045] The unique identifier circuit 400 may provide a hardware gate-keeping function, such that when the unique identifier circuit 400 is removed from the electronic equipment 100, the electronic equipment 100 is prevented from executing completely the instructions of an intended software application. For example, in executing the intended software application, the microcontroller 214 of the electronic equipment 200, or the microprocessor 314 of the computer server 300 accesses the microprocessor 420 of the unique identifier circuit 400 in order to verify the unique identifier circuit 400 is installed and/or functioning properly. Only when the microcontroller 214 or the microprocessor 314 is able to verify the unique identifier circuit 400 is installed and/or functioning properly does microcontroller 214 or the microprocessor 314 continue to execute the instructions of the intended software application. However, in some exemplary embodiments, the unique identifier circuit 400 may be provided without the hardware gate-keeping function.

[0046] In some instances a service organization may be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the electronic equipment 100. In these cases the service organization may direct service personnel who are local to the electronic equipment 100, to a specific piece of electric equipment 100-x from among the plurality of electronic equipment 100-1 , 100-2, 100-n for servicing, maintenance, or repair. For example, in some cases, the local service personnel might not be familiar with an electronic equipment of interest, and the service organization may provide remote assistance for identification of the specific piece of electronic equipment of interest. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 1 , the electronic equipment of interest may be one among a group of visually similar electronic equipment 100 such that visual identification becomes difficult for the local service personnel.

[0047] In order to address these situations, the service organization controls the piece of electronic equipment 100-x that is of interest of the plurality of electronic equipment 100 and instructs the piece of electronic equipment 100-x to identify itself from among the plurality of electronic equipment 100 within the environment 10. For example, with respect to the computer server exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3, the service organization or remote management center 61 0 transmits a command message including a unique identifier of a computer server of interest to each of the plurality of computer servers 300 in the environment 10. The computer servers 300 in environment 10 execute the process illustrated by the flowchart 500 in FIG. 6. [0048] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of identifying electronic equipment, according to an exemplary embodiment. The operations of the method may be executed by the electronic equipment 200 or the computer server 300 according to the exemplary embodiments described above. For example, the microcontroller 214 of the electronic equipment 200 or the microprocessor 314 of the computer server 300 executes the operations of the method. In the description that follows, the computer server 300 is described as an example. However, it will be understood that the operations may be performed by the electronic equipment according to any of the exemplary embodiments described herein.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 6, the electronic equipment 100 receives a request for identification (operation 510). The request for identification may be provided by the remote management center 610. For example, the service organization or remote management center transmits a command message including a unique identifier of the computer server of interest to each of the plurality of computer servers in the environment 10. The microprocessor 314 of each of the computer servers 300 extracts the unique identifier of the computer server of interest (operation 520). The microprocessor 314 accesses the unique identifier circuit 360 of the computer server 300 and receives the unique identifier via a communications protocol (operation 530). For example, the microprocessor 314 reads the unique identifier stored in the memory 430 of the unique identifier circuit 360 of the computer server 300. The microprocessor 314 compares the read unique identifier with the unique identifier extracted from the command message (operation 540). The microprocessor 314 then determines whether the read unique identifier matches the identifier extracted from the command message (operation 550). When the unique identifiers do not match (operation 550, No), the microprocessor 314 takes no action, and the process ends (operation 560). On the other hand, when the unique identifiers match (operation 550, Yes), the microprocessor 314 sends a message back to the remote management center 610 that the unique identifier in the command message matches the unique identifier stored in the unique identifier circuit 360 of the computer server 300 (operation 570). The microprocessor 314 further provides a visual and/or audible indication at the computer server 300. The visual and/or audible indication continues until the local service personnel intervenes at the computer server 300 to cancel the alert, or to take other action. For example, the microprocessor 314 may control the computer server 300 to flash the whole display 350, or a portion of the display 350. For example, in an exemplary embodiment in which the display 350 is an LCD display, a backlight of the LCD of the display 350 may be flashed. Alternatively, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, the microcontroller 214 may control the to flash the LED indicator 240, or to provide a sound through the speaker 250. Thus, the microcontroller 214 or the microprocessor 314 may control to make a visible cue, or sound an audible alert, thereby causing the electronic equipment of interest to identify itself from among the plurality of electronic equipment 100. Operators at the remote management site would then be able to inform technicians or local service personnel at the site that unit identification has commenced and that the technicians or local service personnel can locate electronic equipment of interest 100-x from among the plurality of electronic equipment 100 by the alert. The alert may be pre-programmed at the electronic equipment 100, or alternatively, the type of alert may be indicated in the control message sent by the remote management center. [0050] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of an identification of an individual piece of electronic equipment in the environment of FIG. 1 , according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, assuming the electronic equipment 100-6 is the electronic equipment of interest. As shown with reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the microcontroller 214 or the microprocessor 314 would control the electronic equipment 100-6 to provide a visual flashing of its display. As shown in FIG. 5, the electronic equipment 100-6 may be easily located from among the surrounding electronic equipment 100.

[0051] Such a feature may be included in management software responsible for supporting remote electronic equipment.

[0052] Returning to FIG. 7, the remote management center 610 monitors status information 630 supplied to the remote management center 610 by electronic equipment 660, which represents the electronic equipment of FIG. 2 or 3. When remote management center 610 receives abnormal status information from one of the electronic equipment 660, the remote management center 610 may send an identification request 620 to have the electronic equipment identify itself.

[0053] It will be appreciated that the exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept can be realized in the form of hardware, software or a combination of hardware and software. Any such software may be stored in the form of volatile or non-volatile storage, for example a storage device like a ROM, whether erasable or rewritable or not, or in the form of memory such as, for example, RAM, memory chips, device or integrated circuits or on an optically or magnetically readable medium such as, for example, a CD, DVD, magnetic disk or magnetic tape or the like. [0054] It will be appreciated that the storage devices and storage media are exemplary embodiments of machine-readable storage that are suitable for storing a program or programs including instructions that, when executed, implement certain exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept. Accordingly, certain exemplary embodiments provide a program including code for implementing a method, apparatus or system as claimed in any one of the claims of this specification, and a machine-readable storage storing such a program. Still further, such programs may be conveyed electronically via any medium, for example a communication signal carried over a wired or wireless connection, and exemplary embodiments suitably encompass the same.

[0055] According to various exemplary embodiments, an electronic equipment of interest may be requested via remote control to identify itself visually and/or audibly.

[0056] The foregoing exemplary embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the inventive concept. The present inventive concept can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. Also, the description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims, and many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Although the inventive concept has been described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that modifications and variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive concept, as defined by the following claims.