USB Keyboard Plugged into Monitor Often Doesn't Work

Very often the USB keyboard plugged into the 27" Thuderbolt Display will not be recognized. It can be worked around by plugging the USB keyboard cable directly into MacBook Pro (which always works) but the whole point is to leave the office desktop peripherals connected to the monitor when the laptop is taken away. The keyboard is a new Apple full size USB US keyboard with integral numeric pad.

17" MacBook Pro late 2011, Lion (now 10.7.3) always up to date with all Apple software and Firmware, including all the Thunderbolt Firmware updates. The problem has been occuring since 10.7.1 or 10.7.2 (sorry, can't remember exactly what we started with but it definitely predates 10.7.3).

A temporary fix can be achieved by performing an SMC reset but the problem recurs afterwards episodically upon a subsequent instance of the computer being detached from the monitor and then reconnected.

Attachment/detachment (computer to monitor) can be either while machine is off, on, or asleep and the behaviour is the same.

Everything, all powered devices, are conencted to a new UPS with AVR and active power factor correction CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD and no events are being logged (that is, logging is active but nothing has occurred).

Thoughts, suggestions, other data about set up that I ought include?

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment.