Mobile systems with seamless transition by activating second subsystem to continue operation of application executed by first subsystem as it enters sleep mode

• US 20090172450A1
• Filed: 03/03/2009
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hong W. Wong, Wah Yiu Kwong
• Inventors: Kwong, Wah Yiu, Wong, Hong W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,738,951 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/324
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A computer system includes two or more subsystems. In one example, a first subsystem is executing a multimedia application using data stored in a first storage device. A copy of the data is also stored in a second storage device associated with a second subsystem. The second subsystem may be a dedicated multimedia player controller. When the first subsystem is to enter a sleep state, the second subsystem may continue to process the multimedia data stored in the second storage device. The second subsystem may also use the same audio port that the first subsystem was using before it enters the sleep state. Appropriate transition point may be determined by the second subsystem to ease audio disruption.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first subsystem, the first subsystem comprising a first power source, a first display, a first storage device and a first output device, wherein the first subsystem is to execute a first application using data in the first storage device; and

a second subsystem coupled to the first subsystem and is to execute a second application, the second subsystem being able to access the first storage device and the first output device, the second subsystem comprising a second display and a second storage device storing at least a subset of the data in the first storage device, wherein when the first subsystem is to enter a sleep state while executing the first application, the second subsystem is to continue operations of the first application by executing the second application using the data in the second storage device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first application and the second application are configured to perform similar operations.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first subsystem is to execute the first application using the first display and the first output device, and wherein the second subsystem is to execute the second application using the second display and the first output device when the second subsystem is coupled to the first subsystem.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first output device is an audio device.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein a first signal is to be generated by the first subsystem and received by the second subsystem to indicate that the first subsystem is to enter the sleep state.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the synchronizing information is to be sent by the first subsystem to the second subsystem.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second subsystem is to execute the second application using the synchronizing information and responsive to receiving the first signal.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein when the second subsystem is to access the data in the first storage device, a second signal is to be generated by the second subsystem and received by the first subsystem to indicate that the first subsystem is to exit the sleep state.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein after the second subsystem completes accessing the data in the first storage device, the first subsystem is to return to the sleep state.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first application and the second application are audio player applications.

11. The system of claim 3, wherein the second subsystem comprises a second output device, and wherein the second subsystem is to execute the second application using the second output device when then second subsystem is de-coupled from the first subsystem.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second subsystem comprises a second power source, and wherein the second power source is to provide power when the second subsystem is de-coupled from the first subsystem.

13. A system, comprising:

a first subsystem configured to execute a first multimedia application using data stored in a first storage device associated with the first subsystem;

a second subsystem coupled to the first subsystem and capable of being de-coupled from the first subsystem, the second subsystem configured to execute a second multimedia application using data stored in a second storage device associated with the second subsystem, wherein the data stored in the second storage device is at least a subset of the data stored in the first storage device; and

logic to transition execution of the first multimedia application to execution of the second multimedia application when the first subsystem is to enter a sleep state.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the logic to transition the execution of the first multimedia application comprises logic to signal to the second subsystem that the first subsystem is to enter the sleep state and logic to send synchronizing information from the first subsystem to the second subsystem.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

logic to enable the second subsystem to execute the second multimedia application using a multimedia decoder or playback device associated with the second subsystem.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising logic to enable the second subsystem to access the data stored in the first storage device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the logic to enable the second subsystem to access the data stored in the first storage device comprises logic to wake up the first subsystem.

18. A method, comprising:

from a first subsystem, sending synchronizing information to a second subsystem, the synchronizing information associated with data stored in the first subsystem and in the second subsystem, the synchronizing information sent when the first subsystem is to enter a sleep state; and

from a second subsystem, using the synchronizing information to process the data stored in the second subsystem, wherein the data stored in the second subsystem is at least a subset of the data stored in the first subsystem, and wherein the first subsystem and the second subsystems are configured to execute one or more similar applications.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

from the second subsystem, sending a signal to the first subsystem to wakeup the first subsystem when the second subsystem needs to access data stored in the first subsystem.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second subsystem is to process the data stored in the second subsystem using at least one output device associated with the first subsystem when coupled to the first subsystem.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the second subsystem is to process the data stored in the second subsystem using its own output device when de-coupled from the first subsystem.