Computer and remote control system using the same

• US 20040249641A1
• Filed: 05/04/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwak, Woon-Geun
• Application Number:
  US10/837,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20040249641A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A computer including a power supply to supply electric power to a system; a power controller that controls the power supply to cut and/or supply electric power; and a remote power control module including a ring signal sensor to sense a ring signal received through a public switched telephone network (PSTN); a data storage to store voice data including a predetermined voice message; a voice message emitter to convert the voice data into a signal compatible with the PSTN and to emit the voice message to the PSTN; and a microprocessor (MICOM) that controls the voice message emitter to emit the voice message to the PSTN when the ring signal is sensed via the ring signal sensor and controls the power supply to supply electric power based on a control signal received from the PSTN corresponding to the voice message. Accordingly, the computer is turned on and/or off using a PSTN.

Claims

1. A computer, comprising:

a power supply to supply an electric power to a system;

a power controller that controls the power supply to cut and/or supply the electric power; and

a remote power control module, comprising;

a ring signal sensor to sense a ring signal received through a public switched telephone network,

a data storage to store voice data including a predetermined voice message,

a voice message emitter to convert the voice data into a signal compatible with the public switched telephone network and to emit the voice message to the public switched telephone network, and

a microprocessor that controls the voice message emitter to emit the voice message to the public switched telephone network when the ring signal is sensed by the ring signal sensor and controls the power supply to supply electric power based on a control signal received from the public switched telephone network corresponding to the voice message.

2. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the voice message comprises:

a password input message to demand a password input, wherein the microprocessor controls the voice message emitter to emit the password input message through the public switched telephone network when the ring signal is sensed by the ring signal sensor.

3. The computer according to claim 2, wherein the control signal received through the public switched telephone network comprises a dual tone multi-frequency signal, and the remote power control module further comprises:

a signal converter to convert the dual tone multi-frequency signal received through the public switched telephone network into a digital signal, and

wherein the microprocessor distinguishes the password received corresponding to the password input message from the converted digital signal by the signal converter, and controls the power controller so that the power supply supplies the electric power when the password is identical to a preset password.

4. The computer according to claim 3, wherein the voice message comprises:

a password identifying message to identify whether the received password is identical to a preset password.

5. The computer according to claim 4, wherein the remote power control module is connected to the system through a peripheral component interconnect bus and the power supply supplies standby electric power through the peripheral component interconnect bus to the remote power control module to operate the remote power control module.

6. The computer according to claim 5, wherein the microprocessor determines through the peripheral component interconnect bus whether the power supply supplies the electric power to the system.

7. The computer according to claim 6, wherein the voice message comprises:

a power state message in relation to whether the power supply supplies the electric power to the system, and

the microprocessor controls the voice message emitter to emit the power state message through the public switched telephone network when the ring signal is sensed by the ring signal sensor and sensed that the power supply supplies the electric power to the system.

8. The computer according to claim 7, wherein the microprocessor controls an operating system of the computer to turn the computer off when the control signal corresponding to the power state message is received from the digital signal converted by the signal converter.

9. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the power controller is a super input/output to control input/out devices provided to the computer.

10. The computer according to claim 1, further comprising:

a basic input/output system read only memory to store a basic input/output system doing power on self test; and

a general purpose input/output having at least one input/output pin connected to the remote power control module,

wherein the remote power control module activates the input/output pin of the general purpose input/output if the remote power control module controls the power controller that the power supply supplies the electric power and the basic input/output system skips an operation to input a complementary metal oxide semiconductor password by checking whether the input/output pin of the general purpose input/output is activated at an operation to do the power on self test.

16. The computer according to claim 1, comprising:

a super input/output used as the power controller to control the electric power supply to supply and/or cut the electric power to the system by sensing whether a power button is turned on/off.

17. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the voice message emitter reads the voice data as a digital signal from the data storage, and converts the read voice data into an analog signal to emit the analog signal to the public switched telephone network.

18. The computer according to claim 1, the control signal received includes a dual tone multifrequency signal corresponding to buttons of a telephone terminal when a user presses the buttons of the telephone terminal.

11. A remote control system, comprising:

a computer comprising;

a power supply to supply an electric power to a system,

a power controller that controls the power supply to cut and/or supply the electric power,

a remote power control module comprising;

a ring signal sensor to sense a ring signal received through a public switched telephone network;

a data storage to store voice data including a predetermined voice message;

a voice message emitter to convert the voice data into a signal compatible with the public switched telephone network and to emit the voice message to the public switched telephone network; and

a microprocessor that controls the voice message emitter to emit the voice message to the public switched telephone network when the ring signal is sensed by the ring signal sensor and controls the power supply to supply the electric power based on a control signal received from the public switched telephone network corresponding to the voice message;

a remote computer connected to the computer through a network; and

a connection supporting server

wherein the computer further comprises a network controller that transmits network connection information to connect the remote computer, the computer, and the connection supporting server through the network when the computer is turned on by the received control signal.

12. The remote control system according to claim 11, wherein the network controller comprises:

an application program based on an operating system of the computer.

13. The remote control system according to claim 11, wherein the network connection information includes information about an Internet Protocol address of the computer.

14. The remote control system according to claim 13, wherein the connection supporting server comprises:

a mail server.

15. The remote control system according to claim 13, wherein the connection supporting server supplies the network connection information to a user through a short message service when the network connection information is received.

19. The computer according to claim 11, wherein the network connection information to connect the remote computer is automatically transmitted.

20. A remote control system, comprising:

a computer comprising;

a remote power control module including;

a ring signal sensor to sense a ring signal received through a public switched telephone network,

a data storage to store voice data including a predetermined voice message,

a voice message emitter to convert the voice data into a signal compatible with the public switched telephone network and to emit the voice message to the public switched telephone network, and

a microprocessor that controls the voice message emitter to emit the voice message to the public switched telephone network when the ring signal is sensed by the ring signal sensor, and controls an electric power supplied to the computer based on a control signal received from the public switched telephone network corresponding to the voice message.

21. The remote control system according to claim 20, comprising:

a local telephone terminal connected to the public switched telephone network via the computer.

22. The remote control system according to claim 21, further comprising:

a remote telephone terminal, wherein the ring signal sensor senses the ring signal received from the public switched telephone network when a user calls the local telephone terminal via the remote telephone terminal.

23. The remote control system according to claim 22, wherein the voice message emitter reads the voice data as a digital signal from the data storage, and converts the read voice data into an analog signal to emit the analog signal to the public switched telephone network.

24. The remote control system according to claim 22, wherein the control signal includes a dual tone multifrequency signal corresponding to buttons of the remote telephone terminal when a user presses the buttons of the remote telephone terminal.

25. The remote control system according to claim 24, wherein the remote power control module further comprises:

a signal converter to convert the dual tone multi-frequency signal received through the public switched telephone network into a digital signal.

26. The remote control system according to claim 25, wherein when the user pushes the buttons of the remote telephone terminal based on the voice message supplied from the public switched telephone network, the corresponding dual tone multifrequency signals are transmitted to the remote power control module and the microprocessor operates corresponding functions based on the dual tone multifrequency signals converted by the signal converter.

27. The remote control system according to claim 26, wherein the voice message comprises:

a power state message to indicate whether the computer is supplied with the electric power, wherein the microprocessor controls the voice message emitter to emit the power state message through the public switched telephone network.

28. The remote control system according to claim 27, wherein the microprocessor controls an operating system of the computer to turn the computer on/off based on the control signal.

29. A computer connected with a public switched telephone network, comprising:

a power supply to supply an electric power to the computer; and

a power controller to control the electric power supplied to the computer based on a control signal received through the public switched network.