Low power subsystem for portable computers

• US 20020086719A1
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Inventors: Kardach, James, Kedia, Pankaj
• Application Number:
  US09/752,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20020086719A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An embedded subsystem is coupled to a shared database is synchronized with the notebook and has access to the hard drive. The subsystem is in operation when the notebook is in low power mode.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transitioning a processing unit of a computer system into a low power mode;

processing verbal interface with a low power subsystem coupled with a computer system, the subsystem containing a speech recognition unit; and

after the processing unit has transitioned into the low power mode, accessing data contained within a memory device of the computing system, via a low-power subsystem.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is contained within a database shared by the subsystem and the memory device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data contained in the computing system includes multimedia data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing data from a network via the low-power subsystem.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the network is accessed using a wireless interface.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the network is an electronic store allowing an electronic purchase.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the data accessed to the user.

8. The method of claim 8, wherein the data is presented via an audio medium.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data is displayed.

10. A system comprising:

a central processing unit;

a memory device coupled to the central processing unit; and

a user interface to receive verbal instructions from a user; and

a low-power subsystem having a database synchronized the memory device and a processor with access to the database and a voice recognition unit to interface with the user interface verbally, the low-power subsystem in operation when the central processing unit enters a low power mode.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a housing unit containing the central processing unit and the low-power subsystem.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein data contained within the database includes multimedia data.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a wireless network interface.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the wireless network interface connects with a local area network.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the wireless network interface connects with a wide area network.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising a video display to display data from the shared database.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the user interface is wireless.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising an audio headset to receive audio data transmitted from the wireless user interface.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a cellular phone to receive data transmitted from the wireless user interface.

20. A machine-readable storage medium tangibly embodying a sequence of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method comprising:

transitioning a processing unit of a computer system into a low power mode;

processing verbal interface with a low power subsystem coupled with the computer system, the subsystem containing a speech recognition unit; and

after the processing unit has transitioned into the low power mode, accessing data contained within a memory of the computing system, via the low-power subsystem.

21. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the data to be accessed is contained within a database shared by the subsystem and the processing unit.

22. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the data contained in the computing system includes multimedia data.

23. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, further comprising accessing data from a network via the low-power subsystem.

24. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the network is accessed using a wireless interface.

25. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the network is an electronic store allowing an electronic purchase.

26. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, further comprising:

presenting the data accessed to a user.

27. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the data is presented via an audio medium.

28. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the data is displayed.