Computer power down upon emergency network notification

• US 6,286,106 B1
• Filed: 07/30/1997
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Flannery, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Application Number:
  US08/902,812
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 395/839, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.49, 713/300, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 710/19
• US Class Current: 713/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24

Abstract

A computer having an emergency protection program is disclosed. The emergency protection program turns off the computer in response to receiving a notification of an impending potential local emergency. In one embodiment, the program receives the notification from an external network site over an external network connection. In one embodiment, the program waits a predetermined amount of time prior to shutting down the computer, and also is responsive to an abort-shut down input to not shut down the computer, or an immediate-shut down input to immediately shut down the computer.

Claims

1. A computer comprising:

a processor;

a storage operatively coupled to the processor;

an external network connection operatively coupled to the processor; and

an emergency protection program executed from the storage by the processor to create a back up of critical data and turn off the computer in response to receiving a notification of an impending potential local emergency from an external network site over the external network connection.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the impending potential local emergency comprises an impending potential local weather emergency.

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein the emergency protection program periodically polls the external network site over the external network connection to receive the notification of the impending potential local emergency.

4. The computer of claim 1, wherein the external network site sends the notification of the impending potential local emergency to the emergency protection program without polling from the emergency protection program.

5. The computer of claim 1, further comprising a display device, wherein the emergency protection program displays an imminent-shut down warning on the display device.

6. The computer of claim 1, wherein the emergency protection program turns off the computer by triggering a set power state=off command of an advanced power management means installed on the computer.

7. The computer of claim 1, wherein the external network connection connects the computer to the Internet.

8. The computer of claim 1, wherein the external network site is a world-wide-web site on the Internet.

9. A computer comprising:

a processor;

a storage operatively coupled to the processor;

an external network connection operatively coupled to the processor to receive a notification of an impending potential local weather emergency;

an emergency protection program executed from the storage by the processor to periodically poll a external network site over the external network connection and in response to receiving the notification, to create a back up of critical data and turn off the computer;

a display device to display an imminent-shut down warning displayed by the emergency protection program, upon receiving the notification; and

an internal countdown-to-shut down timer started by the emergency protection program, upon receiving the notification.

10. A computer comprising:

a processor;

a storage operatively coupled to the processor;

an external network connection operatively coupled to the processor to receive a notification of an impending potential local weather emergency;

an emergency protection program executed from the storage by the processor to periodically poll a external network site over the external network connection and, in response to receiving the notification, to create a back up of critical data and turn off the computer;

a display device to display an imminent-shut down warning displayed by the emergency protection program upon receiving the notification; and

an input device, the emergency protection program detecting an immediate-shut down input from the input device, wherein the program immediately turns off the computer upon detecting the immediate-shut down input.

11. A computer comprising:

means for receiving a notification of an impending potential local emergency;

power management means for turning off the computer in response to a software trigger; and

, emergency protection means for creating a back up of critical data and triggering the power management means to turn off the computer in response to receiving the notification.

12. The computer of claim 11, wherein the impending potential local emergency comprises an impending potential local weather emergency.

13. The computer of claim 11, wherein the means for receiving a notification comprises an external network connection which connects the computer to the Internet.

14. The computer of claim 11, wherein the power management means comprises an advanced power management means installed on the computer.

15. A method for protecting a computer, comprising:

receiving a notification of an impending potential local emergency from an external network site over an external network;

displaying an imminent shut down warning on a display device of the computer and starting an internal countdown-to-shut down timer upon receiving the notification;

commencing creation of a back up of critical data;

detecting an abort-shut down input from an input device of the computer; and

,

turning off the computer upon a failure to detect the abort-shut down input and after the timer has timed out.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the impending potential local emergency comprises an impending potential local weather emergency.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the external network comprises the Internet.

18. A method for protecting a computer, comprising:

receiving a notification of an impending potential emergency from an external network site over an external network;

displaying an imminent shut down warning on a display device of the computer and starting an internal countdown-to-shut down timer upon receiving the notification;

commencing creation of a back up of critical data;

detecting an abort-shut down input from an input device of the computer; and

,

turning off the computer by triggering a set power state=off command of an advanced power management means installed on the computer, upon a failure to detect the abort-shut down input and after the timer has timed out.

19. A computer-readable media having a program stored thereon to cause a suitably equipped computer to execute a computer program, the computer program comprising:

means for receiving a notification of an impending potential local emergency from an external network site over an external network operatively coupled to the computer;

means for displaying a shut down warning on a display device of the computer and starting an internal countdown-to-shut down timer upon receiving the notification;

means for creating a back up copy of critical data;

means for detecting an abort-shut down input from an input device of the computer; and

,

means for turning off the computer upon a failure to detect the abort-shut down input and after the timer has timed out.

20. The media of claim 19, wherein the external network comprises the Internet.

21. A computer-readable media having a program stored thereon to cause a suitably equipped computer to execute a computer program, the computer program comprising:

means for receiving a notification of an impending potential local weather emergency from an external network site over an external network operatively coupled to the computer;

means for displaying a shut down warning display device of the computer and starting an internal countdown-to-shut down timer upon receiving the notification;

means for creating a back up copy of critical data;

means for detecting an abort-shut down input from an input device of the computer; and

,

means for turning off the computer upon a failure to detect the abort-shut down input and after the timer has timed out.

22. A computer-readable media having a program stored thereon to cause a suitably equipped computer to execute a computer program, the computer program comprising:

means for receiving a notification of an impending potential local weather emergency from an external network site over an external network operatively coupled to the computer;

means for displaying a shut down warning on a display device of the computer and starting an internal countdown-to-shut down timer upon receiving the notification;

means for creating a back up copy of critical data;

means for detecting an abort-shut down input from an input device of the computer;

an advanced power management means installed on the computer; and

means for turning off the computer by triggering a set power state=off command of the advanced power management means, upon a failure to detect the abort-shut down input and after the timer has timed out.

23. A computer-readable media having a program stored thereon to cause a suitably equipped computer to create a back up of critical data and execute a turn off process upon receiving notification of an impending potential local emergency from an external source operatively coupled to the computer.

24. The media of claim 23, wherein the impending potential local emergency comprises an impending potential local weather emergency.

25. The media of claim 23, wherein the external network comprises the Internet.

26. A computer comprising:

a processor;

a storage operatively coupled to the processor;

an external network connection operatively coupled to the processor; and

an emergency protection program executed from the storage by the processor to create a back up of critical data and turn off the computer in response to receiving a notification of an impending potential local emergency from an external network site over the external network connection and to display emergency protection program status information.

27. A computer comprising:

a processor;

a storage operatively coupled to the processor;

an external network connection operatively coupled to the processor;

a display device operatively coupled to the processor;

input device operatively coupled to the processor; and

an emergency protection program executed from the storage by the processor to display an imminent-shut down warning on the display device and to create a back up of critical data and turn off the computer in response to receiving a notification of an impending potential local emergency from an external network site over the external network connection, and wherein the emergency protection program starts an internal countdown-to-shut down timer upon receiving the notification of the impending potential local emergency, and further wherein the emergency protection program detects an abort-shut down input from the input device, and the program turns off the computer upon a failure to detect the abort-shut down input and after the timer has timed out.

28. A method for protecting a computer, comprising:

receiving a notification of an impending potential local emergency from an external network site over an external network;

displaying an imminent shut down warning on a display device of the computer and starting an internal countdown-to-shut down timer upon receiving the notification;

commencing the creation of a back up of critical data;

detecting an abort-shut down input from an input device of the computer;

turning off the computer upon a failure to detect the abort-shut down input and after the timer has timed out; and

detecting an immediate-shut down input from the input device of the computer; and

, turning off the computer after detecting the immediate-shut down input.

29. A computer comprising:

a processor;

a storage operatively coupled to the processor;

an external network connection operatively coupled to the processor to receive a notification of an impending potential emergency;

an emergency protection program executed from the storage by the processor to periodically poll an external network site over the external network connection and, in response to receiving the notification, to create a back up of critical data and turn off the computer;

a display device to display an imminent-shut down warning displayed by the emergency protection program, upon receiving the notification; and

an internal countdown-to-shut down timer started by the emergency protection program, upon receiving the notification.

30. A computer comprising:

a processor;

a storage operatively coupled to the processor;

an input device operatively coupled to the processor to receive a notification of an immediate-shut down input;

an emergency protection program executed from the storage by the processor, the emergency protection program to detect an immediate-shut down input from the input device and, in response to detecting the immediate-shut down input, to create a back up of critical data and turn off the computer;

a display device to display an imminent-shut down warning displayed by the emergency protection program, upon receiving the notification.

31. A method for protecting a computer, comprising:

receiving a notification of an impending potential emergency from an external network site over an external network;

displaying an imminent shut down warning on a display device of the computer and starting an internal countdown-to-shut down timer upon receiving the notification;

commencing creation of a back up of critical data;

detecting an abort-shut down input from an input device of the computer; and

,

turning off the computer by triggering a set power state=off command of an advanced power management means installed on the computer, upon a failure to detect the abort-shut down input and after the timer has timed out.