PLATFORM AND PROCESSOR POWER MANAGEMENT

• US 20160378170A1
• Filed: 06/28/2016
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Ren, Maciocco, Christian, Bakshi, Sanjay, Tai, Tsung-Yuan Charles
• Granted Patent: US 10,983,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present invention relates to platform power management.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. One or more machine-readable storage media having machine executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

collect information from one or more devices or applications external to the machine;

estimate an idle duration for the machine according to the collected information;

analyze the estimated idle duration;

determine when and how long to put the machine in a low power mode according to the analysis; and

enter the low power mode.

21. A method comprising:

collecting information from one or more devices or applications external to the machine;

estimating an idle duration for the machine according to the collected information;

analyzing the estimated idle duration;

determining when and how long to put the machine in a low power mode according to the analysis; and

entering the low power mode.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising updating a timer according to the estimated idle duration.

23. The method of claim 21 comprising sending a keep alive message to a communication device before expiration of a time out period.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the operation to estimate the idle duration comprises applying an exponential filter to estimate incoming idleness based on past history of idleness duration.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more applications include an email application.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more devices include a server.

27. One or more machine-readable storage media having machine executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more machine to perform operations comprising:

enter a low power mode for the machine;

identify priorities of at least two messages for the machine while in the low power mode;

hold the at least two messages for processing;

exit the low power mode and service one of the two held messages with higher priority; and

re-enter the low power mode.

28. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 27, wherein the at least two messages are held for processing so long as in the low power mode.

29. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 27, wherein the low power mode is a sleep state.

30. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 27, wherein the low power mode is exited periodically.

31. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 27, wherein the machine is a computer or a processor.