LOW POWER DEVICE ACTIVATED BY AN EXTERNAL NEAR-FIELD READER
First Claim
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a controller including a central processing unit and a memory, said controller configured to maintain a sleep mode with the central processing unit off;
a near-field transponder coupled to the controller, configured to be activated by a continuous radio frequency signal from a proximate near-field reader; and
an activation coil coupled to the controller, configured to be energized by the continuous radio frequency signal from the near-field reader and signaling the controller when so energized;
said controller configured to transition to a run mode to turn on the central processing unit in response to said signaling from said activation coil.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Method, apparatus, and computer program product embodiments improve power saving in mobile devices. A mobile device includes a controller with a central processing unit and a programmed memory. In its unused state, the controller maintains a sleep mode with the central processing unit off and peripherals off, such as for a flat screen display. The mobile device also includes a passive near-field transponder with an EEPROM storage device. The near-field transponder is activated by a continuous radio frequency signal from a proximate near-field reader. The near-field transponder can receive data from the near-field reader, which the transponder can write into the EEPROM. The mobile device also includes an activation coil energized by the continuous radio frequency signal from the proximate near-field reader and signals the controller when so energized. When the activation coil is energized by the continuous radio frequency signal from the proximate near-field reader, it energizes the controller, turning it on. The controller then reads the received data from the transponder'"'"'s EEPROM and checks the validity of the received data to be sure that it is not the result of a spurious signal received by the near-field transponder. If the received data is determined to be valid, then the energized controller energizes the peripherals and the CPU and transfers the received data to the CPU. When the activation coil is no longer energized by a proximate near-field reader, the controller then returns to the sleep mode with the central processing unit off. In this manner, power saving in mobile devices is improved.
57 Citations
35 Claims
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
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a controller including a central processing unit and a memory, said controller configured to maintain a sleep mode with the central processing unit off; a near-field transponder coupled to the controller, configured to be activated by a continuous radio frequency signal from a proximate near-field reader; and an activation coil coupled to the controller, configured to be energized by the continuous radio frequency signal from the near-field reader and signaling the controller when so energized; said controller configured to transition to a run mode to turn on the central processing unit in response to said signaling from said activation coil. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method, comprising:
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maintaining a sleep mode with a central processing unit off; activating a near-field transponder by a continuous radio frequency signal from a proximate near-field reader; energizing an activation coil by the continuous radio frequency signal from the proximate near-field reader; and transitioning to a run mode and turning on the central processing unit in response to said energizing. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A computer program product, comprising:
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a computer readable medium including program instructions executable by a computer; program instructions in the computer readable medium for maintaining a sleep mode with a central processing unit off; and program instructions in the computer readable medium for transitioning to a run mode and turning on the central processing unit in response to energizing an activation coil by the continuous radio frequency signal from the proximate near-field reader. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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28. An apparatus, comprising:
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means for maintaining a sleep mode with a central processing unit off; means for activating a near-field transponder by a continuous radio frequency signal from a proximate near-field reader; means for energizing an activation coil by the continuous radio frequency signal from the proximate near-field reader; and means for transitioning to a run mode and turning on the central processing unit in response to said energizing.
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29. A method, comprising:
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maintaining a sleep mode with a central processing unit off; and transitioning to a run mode and turning on the central processing unit in response to energizing an activation coil by a continuous radio frequency signal from a proximate near-field reader. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification