Proximity based method and apparatus for reducing electrical energy consumed by a personal computer with a sleep mode

• US 7,017,057 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2001
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sahasrabudhe, Rohit R., Magee, Timothy David
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONNOLLY, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US09/951,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20030051181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 713/168, 713/300, 713/320, 713/324, 345/212
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A personal computer that enters sleep mode to conserve electrical energy is responsive to a proximity detector and a proximity timer. As long as a user is near the computer, as determined by the proximity detector, the computer is controlled by an activity timer, and enters sleep mode upon being idle for a predetermined period of time. When the proximity detector determines that the user has left the computer unattended, the proximity detector starts the proximity timer. When the proximity timer expires, the computer enters sleep mode. Because the proximity timer operates only when the user has left the computer unattended, the proximity timer may be set to expire earlier than the activity timer. Consequently, the computer may enter sleep mode earlier than would otherwise be possible, and thereby consumes less energy.

Claims

1. Apparatus for reducing electrical energy consumption, the apparatus comprising:

a personal computer that enters a sleep mode responsive to a control signal;

a proximity detector of transmitted registration messages emitted by a nearby wireless telephone, the registration messages identifying the wireless telephone to a wireless telephony system base station; and

logic for generating the control signal when the proximity detector bus to detect the transmitted registration messages from the nearby wireless telephone.

2. Apparatus for reducing electrical energy consumption, the apparatus comprising:

a personal computer that enters a sleep mode responsive to a control signal;

a proximity detector of transmitted messages emitted by a nearby wireless key in response to at least one polling signal; and

logic for starting a proximity timer responsive to the proximity detector, comparing a value of the proximity timer to a value of a proximity timer threshold, and generating the control signal when the value of the proximity timer exceeds the value of the proximity timer threshold.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sleep mode is a full state sleep mode.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sleep mode is a component sleep mode.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sleep mode is a display sleep mode.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sleep mode is a processor sleep mode.

7. A method of conserving electrical energy, comprising the steps of:

determining, by a proximity detector of transmitted registration messages emitted by a cellular telephone, whether the cellular telephone is nearby a personal computer; and

putting the personal computer into a sleep mode when the cellular telephone is determined to be away from the personal computer.

8. A method of conserving electrical energy, comprising:

determining, by a proximity detector of at least one transmitted wireless signal emitted by a wireless key, whether the wireless key is away from a personal computer; and

putting the personal computer into a sleep mode at least partially based on the wireless signal, wherein the wireless signal is transmitted in response to at least one wireless signal generation strategy selected from the group of strategies consisting of;

generating at least one wireless signal in response to at least one polling signal, and intermittently generating at least one wireless signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sleep mode is a full state sleep mode.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the sleep mode is a component sleep mode.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the sleep mode is a display sleep mode.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the sleep mode is a processor sleep mode.