Reducing power usage in a personal computer
First Claim
1. A method for reducing power usage in a personal computer comprisingrepetitively performing the following sequence of steps:
- a. generating a wake-up signal, using a person sensor, in connection with a user beginning to interact with the computer,b. in response to the wake-up signal, switching the computer into a first mode in which at least a first portion of the computer is switched to a more fully powered mode, andc. keeping the computer in the first mode only as long as the user is interacting with the computer, and thereafter switching the computer into a second mode in which at least the first portion is switched to a less fully powered mode and in which the amount of power delivered respectively to the first portion and a second portion of the computer are based on the periods required for the portions respectively to return to fully operational states from being less fully powered.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Power usage in a personal computer is reduced by repetitively performing the following sequence of steps: a. generate a wake-up signal in connection with a user beginning to interact with the computer; b. in response to the wake-up signal, switch at least a portion of the computer into a more fully powered mode; and c. keep the portion of the computer in the more fully powered mode only as long as the user is delivering input to the computer, and thereafter immediately switch the portion of the computer into a less fully powered mode. A detector issues a wake-up signal when a user begins to interact with the computer; and control circuitry connected to the sensor switches between the more fully powered mode and the less fully powered mode. The sensor may be mounted in a keyboard that includes an array of keys, and a sensor mounted in a position to detect use of the keyboard even when the keyboard is in an unpowered state.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for reducing power usage in a personal computer comprising
repetitively performing the following sequence of steps: -
a. generating a wake-up signal, using a person sensor, in connection with a user beginning to interact with the computer, b. in response to the wake-up signal, switching the computer into a first mode in which at least a first portion of the computer is switched to a more fully powered mode, and c. keeping the computer in the first mode only as long as the user is interacting with the computer, and thereafter switching the computer into a second mode in which at least the first portion is switched to a less fully powered mode and in which the amount of power delivered respectively to the first portion and a second portion of the computer are based on the periods required for the portions respectively to return to fully operational states from being less fully powered. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for reducing power usage in a personal computer comprising
repetitively performing the following sequence of steps: -
a. generating a wake-up signal in response to a voltage generated by a piezoelectric device when a user touches a keyboard of the computer, b. in response to the wake-up signal, switching the computer into a first mode in which at least a keyboard control circuit is switched into a more fully powered mode, and c. keeping the computer in the first mode only as long as the user is interacting with the computer, and thereafter switching the computer into a second mode in which the keyboard control circuit is switched to a less fully powered mode and in which the amount of power delivered respectively to the keyboard control circuit and to a second portion of the computer are based on the periods required for the keyboard control circuit and the second portion of the computer respectively to return to fully operational states from being less fully powered.
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21. A method for reducing power usage in a personal computer comprising
repetitively performing the following sequence of steps: -
a. generating a wake-up signal, using a piezoelectric device, in connection with a user beginning to interact with a data input device of the computer, b. in response to the wake-up signal, switching the computer into a first mode in which at least a first portion of the computer is switched to a more fully powered mode, and c. keeping the computer in the first mode only as long as the user is interacting with the computer, and thereafter switching the computer into a second mode, in which the first portion is switched to a less fully powered mode and in which the amount of power delivered respectively to the first and a second portion of the computer in the second mode are based on the period required for the portions respectively to be returned to fully operational states from being less fully powered.
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Specification