Systems And Methods For Providing Information Regarding Resource Consumption Or Environmental Impact Associated With Usage Of A Computer

• US 20110125482A1
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Michelson, Bruce David
• Granted Patent: US 9,535,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3225 of memory devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3086 where the reporting involves the use of self describing data formats, i.e. metadata, markup languages, human readable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3423 where the assessed time is active or idle time
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system and a method pertain to monitoring on the computing device resource consumption, storing resource consumption data obtained from the monitoring, receiving a request from the user for information regarding resource consumption or environmental impact associated with the user'"'"'s operation of the computing device, and presenting to the user information regarding resource consumption or environmental impact.

Claims

1. A method for providing a computing device user with information regarding operation of the computing device, the method comprising:

monitoring on the computing device resource consumption;

storing resource consumption data obtained from the monitoring;

receiving a request from the user for information regarding resource consumption or environmental impact associated with the user'"'"'s operation of the computing device; and

presenting to the user information regarding resource consumption or environmental impact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring resource consumption comprises monitoring energy consumption by the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring resource consumption comprises monitoring paper consumption by a printer associated with the computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request from a user comprises detecting selection by the user of a physical green-colored key of a keyboard of the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting information regarding resource consumption or environmental impact comprises presenting a graphical representation of how well or poorly the user is doing in terms of limiting resource consumption or environmental impact.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the graphical representation comprises a graphical image of a tree.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting information regarding resource consumption or environmental impact comprises comparing the resource consumption data with best practices data that identify computer usage practices that are recommended from a resource consumption and environmental impact standpoint.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request from the user for recommendations regarding how the user can reduce resource consumption or environmental impact associated with the user'"'"'s operation of the computing device and presenting the recommendations to the user.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving a request from the user to run a simulation that assumes adoption of at least one of the presented recommendations, running the simulation, and presenting results of the simulation to the user.

10. A computer-readable medium comprising:

logic configured to store resource consumption data obtained from monitoring a users operation of a computing device;

logic configured to receive a request from the user for information regarding resource consumption or environmental impact associated with the user'"'"'s operation of the computing device; and

logic configured to present to the user a graphical representation regarding the resource consumption or environmental impact.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the logic configured to receive a request from a user comprises logic configured to detect selection by the user of a dedicated environmental key of the computing device.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the logic configured to present a graphical representation comprises logic configured to present a graphical image of a tree that conveys how well or poorly the user is doing in terms of limiting resource consumption or environmental impact.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising logic configured to compare the resource consumption data with best practices data that identify computer usage practices that are recommended from a resource consumption or environmental impact standpoint.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising logic configured to present recommendations regarding how the user can reduce resource consumption or environmental impact associated with the user'"'"'s operation of the computing device.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising logic configured to run a simulation that assumes adoption of at least one of the presented recommendations.