Secure platform management with power savings capacity

• US 20100120406A1
• Filed: 01/21/2009
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Absolute Software Corporation
• Original Assignee: Phoenix Technologies Limited (Pharaoh Acquisition LLC)
• Inventors: Banga, Gaurav, Gupta, Ravi, Tarkhanyan, Anahit
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/81 by operating on the power supply, e.g. enabling or disabling power-on, sleep or resume operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An electronic device, for example, a laptop computer includes a processor, a transceiver module, for example, a Bluetooth module and a memory. The memory includes a platform proximity agent, which may be implemented as a series of instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to receive a Bluetooth signal from a corresponding provisioned Bluetooth device, for example, a cellular telephone. Next, determine whether the received signal exceeds both a strength threshold level and a predetermined time threshold level, where the signal strength and time threshold levels are established when the laptop and a corresponding cell phone are paired during a provisioning process. When the received signal strength and duration both exceed the corresponding policy based thresholds, the laptop enters (or remains in) a full power state with full access to the monitor and the platform. On the other hand, when the received signal strength and duration both fall below (or are less than) the corresponding policy based threshold, the laptop enters (or remains in) a reduced power, or locked state.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising:

receiving a transmission signal from a provisioned device;

determining whether the transmission signal strength exceeds a predetermined threshold level for a predetermined period of time; and

configuring the operating state of the electronic device according to a policy based rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission signal is a Bluetooth signal received from a provisioned platform management device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the provisioned platform management device is a cellular telephone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy based rule further includes at least one of a minimum threshold signal value and a minimum time value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the minimum threshold signal strength value and the minimum time value are received from an authorized user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the operating state of the electronic device includes one of the following:

changing from an unlocked state to a locked state;

changing from a locked state to an unlocked state; and

maintaining the current state.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the operating state of the electronic device includes one of the following:

changing from a fully powered state to a reduced power state;

changing from a reduced power state to a fully powered state; and

maintain the current power state.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the operating state of the electronic device is placed into a fully powered state when the strength of the received signal exceeds the minimum threshold signal value for a corresponding time period that exceeds the minimum time value.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the operating state of the electronic device is placed into a powered down state when the strength of the received signal is less than the minimum threshold signal value for a corresponding time period that exceeds the minimum time value.

10. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor;

a Bluetooth controller; and

a platform proximity agent, further including a series of instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

receive a Bluetooth signal from the Bluetooth controller,

determine whether the received signal exceeds a predetermined threshold level for a predetermined period of time, and

configure the operating state of the electronic device according to a policy based rule.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, further including a memory for maintaining the platform proximity agent.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the platform proximity agent causes the processor to place the electronic device into a fully powered state when the strength of the received signal exceeds the minimum threshold signal value for a corresponding time period that exceeds the minimum time value.

13. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the platform proximity agent causes the processor to place the electronic device into a powered down state when the strength of the received signal is less than the minimum threshold signal value for a corresponding time period that exceeds the minimum time value.

14. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the Bluetooth signal is provided by a provisioned platform management device.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the provisioned platform management device includes a cellular telephone.

16. A computer program product, comprising:

a processor readable medium having a series of instructions encoded thereon, the instructions when executed by a processor causes the processor to;

receive a Bluetooth signal from the Bluetooth controller;

determine whether the received signal exceeds a predetermined threshold level for a predetermined period of time; and

configure the operating state of the electronic device according to a policy based rule.