Apparatus and method for remotely powering-down a wireless transceiver

• US 6,618,580 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2001
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Parrott, William M., Seacombe, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US09/781,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20020062197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 455/574, 455/343, 455/92, 455/140, 455/151.1, 455/151.2, 455/41, 340/7.36, 340/7.37, 340/7.32, 340/7.33, 713/310, 713/320, 713/324, 713/330
• US Class Current: 713/310
• 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: H04B 1/202 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A portable computer or a similar electronic device having a wireless data communication device such as a Bluetooth transceiver is provided with a power down procedure activated by a remote control device. For example, a single key remote control device emits a radio frequency signal bearing a power down control signal that is transmitted to the portable computer. The control signal is received by a receiver separate from the wireless communication device and initiates a power down process that first causes the portable computer to wake up from a sleep state, if the computer is in a sleep or similar state. The communication device or the computer then invokes a driver that either directly initiates a power down sequence or that invokes another program that initiates a power down sequence. A log file is written during power down that indicates the state of the computer at the time that the power down control signal was received.

Claims

1. A method of powering down an electronic device having a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

receiving with the electronic device a power down message transmitted from a remote control device, the electronic device initiating a power down procedure in response to the power down message;

shutting down an application program associated with the wireless communication device attached to the electronic device as part of the power down procedure;

powering down the wireless communication device after shutting down the application program; and

powering down the electronic device after powering down the wireless communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a portable computing device and the wireless communication device is a wireless modem.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless communication device operates in accordance with a Bluetooth protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the power down message is encoded within an RF signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device receives the power down message with a receiver distinct from the wireless communication device, the receiver matched to a transmitter used to transmit the power down message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiver is powered down after the wireless communication device and before the electronic device is powered down.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the electronic device receives the power down message with a receiver distinct from the wireless communication device, the receiver matched to a transmitter used to transmit the power down message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiver is powered down after the wireless communication device and before the electronic device is powered down.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the power down procedure references a log file before attempting to power down the wireless communication device and does not attempt to power down the wireless communication device if the log file indicates that the wireless communication device is powered down.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the power down procedure references a log file before attempting to power down the wireless communication device and does not attempt to power down the wireless communication device if the log file indicates that the wireless communication device is powered down.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device has a sleep mode and the electronic device is powered up from the sleep mode at an initial stage of the power down procedure.

12. A method of powering down a portable computing device having a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

receiving a power down message transmitted from a remote control device with a receiver distinct from the wireless communication device, the receiver associate with the portable computing device and matched to a transmitter used to transmit the power down message, the portable computing device initiating a power down procedure in response to the power down message, the power down procedure referencing a log file within the portable computing device;

shutting down an application program associated with the wireless communication device as part of the power down procedure;

checking the log file to determine if the wireless communication device has been powered down;

powering down the wireless communication device after checking the log file and shutting down the application program;

updating the log file to reflect that the wireless communication device has been powered down;

powering down the receiver after powering down the wireless communication device; and

powering down the portable computing device after powering down the receiver.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic device has a sleep mode and the electronic device is powered up from the sleep mode at an initial stage of the power down procedure.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless communication device operates in accordance with a Bluetooth protocol.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the power down message is encoded within an RF signal from the transmitter.