Computer power down upon emergency network notification

• US 6,412,074 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2001
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• 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:
  US09/943,862
• Time in Patent Office: 298 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300-340, 713/1, 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 save critical data to a computer-readable medium 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, wherein the notification of an impending emergency includes receiving a predetermined code.

6. The computer of claim 1, wherein receiving the notification of an impending emergency includes scanning the external network site for a set of predetermined text.

7. 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 component installed on the computer.

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

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

10. 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;

saving critical data to a computer-readable medium;

turning off the computer upon failure to detect an abort-shut-down input.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the impending potential local emergency comprises an impending potential local weather emergency.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving a notification of an impending local emergency includes receiving a predetermined code representing the emergency.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving a notification of an impending local emergency includes scanning the external network site for a predetermined set of text.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein turning off the computer includes triggering a set power state=off command of an advanced power management component installed on the computer.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein failure to detect an abort-shut-down includes receiving an immediate-shut-down input from an input device of the computer.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the immediate-shut-down input comprises a hot-key.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the immediate-shut-down input comprises a button selection.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the external network comprises the Internet.

19. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon to cause a suitably equipped computer to save 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.

20. The media of claim 19, wherein the impending potential local emergency comprises an impending potential local weather emergency.

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