Information processing apparatus and operating state control method

• US 20010018329A1
• Filed: 12/26/2000
• Published: 08/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tada, Masahiro, Tanaka, Yoshiteru
• Application Number:
  US09/746,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20010018329A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A personal computer is capable of communicating with a portable telephone by radio. A radio communication module establishes a radio link to the portable telephone. A field strength monitor section detects a field strength in a state where the radio link has been established. A power management control section sets the personal computer in a power save state when the field strength detected by the field strength monitor section lowers to a predetermined level.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a portable device by radio, comprising:

means for establishing a radio link to the portable device;

means for detecting a field strength in a state where the radio link has been established; and

means for setting the information processing apparatus in a power save state when the field strength detected by said detection means lowers to a predetermined value.

2. The apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein said setting means returns said information processing apparatus from the power save state when the field strength detected by said detection means exceeds a predetermined value.

3. The apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the power save state has a plurality of stages with different power consumption amounts, and said setting means determines a stage of the power save state to be set on the basis of the field strength detected by said detection means.

4. An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a portable device by radio, comprising:

means for establishing a radio link to the portable device;

means for detecting a field strength in a state where the radio link has been established; and

means for controlling a specified program on the basis of the field strength detected by said detection means.

5. The apparatus according to

claim 4

, wherein

the specified program is a program for executing logoff processing of canceling a state of logon to said information processing apparatus from said portable device, and

said controlling means activates the program when the field strength detected by said detection means lowers to a predetermined value.

6. The apparatus according to

claim 4

, wherein

the specified program is a user program for personal information management, and

said controlling means inhibits the user program when the field strength detected by said detection means lowers to a predetermined value.

7. An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a portable device by radio, comprising:

means for executing logon processing to said information processing apparatus from said portable device on the basis of user authentication information transmitted from the portable device by radio;

means for detecting a field strength from the portable device; and

means for executing logoff processing of canceling a state of logon to said information processing apparatus from said portable device when the field strength detected by said detection means lowers to a predetermined value.

8. The apparatus according to

claim 7

, further comprising:

means for determining whether or not the portable device for which the radio link has been established leaves a radio communicable zone in accordance with the field strength detected by said detection means; and

means for setting said information processing apparatus in the power save state when the portable device for which the radio link has been established leaves the radio communicable zone.

9. The apparatus according to

claim 8

, further comprising means for returning said information processing apparatus from the power save state to an operating state when the portable device moves from an incommunicable zone to the radio communicable zone.

10. An operating state control method of controlling an operating state of an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a portable device by radio, comprising the steps of:

detecting a field strength in a state where a radio link to the portable device has been established; and

setting the information processing apparatus in a power save state when the field strength detected in the detection step lowers to a predetermined value.

11. The method according to

claim 10

, further comprising a step of returning the portable device from the power save state when the field strength detected in the detection step exceeds a predetermined value.

12. The method according to

claim 10

, further comprising a step of

determining a stage of the power save state to be set from a plurality of stages with different power consumption amounts on the basis of the field strength detected in the detection step.

13. An operating state control method of controlling an operating state of an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a portable device by radio, comprising the steps of:

detecting a field strength in a state where a radio link to the portable device has been established; and

controlling a specified program on the basis of the field strength detected in the detection step.

14. The method according to

claim 13

, wherein

the specified program is a program for executing logoff processing of canceling a state of logon to said information processing apparatus from said portable device, and

the controlling step comprises activating the program when the field strength detected in the detection step lowers to a predetermined value.

15. The method according to

claim 13

, wherein

the specified program is a user program for personal information management, and

said controlling step comprises inhibiting the user program when the field strength detected in the detection step lowers to a predetermined value.

16. An operating state control method of controlling an operating state of an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a portable device by radio, comprising the steps of:

executing logon processing to said information processing apparatus from said portable device on the basis of user authentication information transmitted from the portable device by radio;

detecting a field strength from the portable device; and

executing logoff processing of canceling a state of logon to said information processing apparatus from said portable device when the field strength detected in the detection step lowers to a predetermined value.

17. The method according to

claim 16

, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether or not the portable device for which the radio link has been established leaves a radio communicable zone in accordance with the field strength detected by said detection means; and

setting said information processing apparatus in the power save state when the portable device for which the radio link has been established leaves a radio communicable zone.

18. The method according to

claim 17

, further comprising a step of returning said information processing apparatus from the power save state to an operating state when the portable device moves from an incommunicable zone to the radio communicable zone.