Mechanism for remotely accessing a portable computer including wireless communication functionality

• US 7,890,138 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Polzin, R. Stephen, Edwards, William T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): MITCHELL, NATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/478,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20080004013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,691 Days
• Field of Search: 455/557, 455/73, 455/435.1, 455/550.1
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/43 wireless channels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

A portable computer system such as a laptop computer system includes a computing subsystem that includes a processor that may execute instructions that implement application software, and a storage coupled to the processor that may store information. The laptop computer system also includes a wireless subsystem that may communicate with a wireless network. In addition, the wireless subsystem may receive an incoming communication and determine whether a requesting user is an authorized user. The processor may retrieve at least a portion of the information from the storage and send the retrieved information to a destination via email, for example, in response to a request by the requesting user for the information.

Claims

1. A laptop computer system comprising:

a computing subsystem comprising;

a processor configured to execute instructions that implement application software;

a storage coupled to the processor and configured to store information;

wherein the computing subsystem is configured to operate in a normal mode and a server mode; and

a wireless subsystem coupled to the computing subsystem, wherein the wireless subsystem is configured to communicate with a wireless network and to receive an incoming communication via the wireless network, wherein the incoming communication includes a request for at least a portion of the information in the storage;

wherein the wireless subsystem is further configured notify the processor in response to determining the request is from an authorized user;

wherein in response to being notified by the wireless subsystem, the processor is further configured to;

place the computing subsystem into the server mode of operation;

retrieve the at least a portion of the information from the storage; and

send the at least a portion of the information to a destination specified in the request; and

wherein the wireless subsystem is further configured to identify whether the authorized user has administrative privileges.

2. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to terminate the communication and to retrieve no information if the wireless subsystem has determined that the request is not from an authorized user.

3. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless subsystem is configured to perform functions associated with digital signal processing of audio signals.

4. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 3, wherein the wireless subsystem is configured to determine whether a request is from an authorized user using voice recognition.

5. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 3, wherein the wireless subsystem is configured to determine whether a request is from authorized user using tone demodulation.

6. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to send the at least a portion of the information to a destination address specified in the request using email.

7. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to synthesize the at least a portion of the information into voice data, and the wireless subsystem is further configured to send the voice data as audio.

11. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the incoming communication comprises a telephone call.

12. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the incoming communication comprises a datagram.

8. A laptop computer system comprising:

a computing subsystem comprising;

a processor configured to execute instructions that implement application software;

a storage coupled to the processor and configured to store information;

wherein the computing subsystem is configured to operate in normal mode and a server mode; and

a wireless subsystem coupled to the computing subsystem, wherein the wireless subsystem is configured to communicate with a wireless network and to receive an incoming communication via the wireless network, wherein the incoming communication includes a request for at least a portion of the information in the storage;

wherein the wireless subsystem is further configured notify the processor in response to determining the request is from an authorized user;

wherein wireless subsystem includes a processing unit having a second processor that is configured to execute instructions to determine whether voice data in the request matches voice data of an authorized user; and

wherein in response to being notified by the wireless subsystem, the processor is further configured to;

place the computing subsystem into the server mode of operation;

retrieve the at least a portion of the information from the storage; and

send the at least a portion of the information to a destination specified in the request.

9. A laptop computer system comprising:

a computing subsystem comprising;

a processor configured to execute instructions that implement application software;

a storage coupled to the processor and configured to store information;

wherein the computing subsystem is configured to operate in normal mode and a server mode; and

a wireless subsystem coupled to the computing subsystem, wherein the wireless subsystem is configured to communicate with a wireless network and to receive an incoming communication via the wireless network, wherein the incoming communication includes a request for at least a portion of the information in the storage;

wherein the wireless subsystem is further configured notify the processor in response to determining the request is from an authorized user;

wherein wireless subsystem is configured to identify whether the request is from an authorized user by providing voice data in the request to the processor of the computing system; and

wherein in response to being notified by the wireless subsystem, the processor is further configured to;

place the computing subsystem into the server mode of operation;

retrieve the at least a portion of the information from the storage; and

send the at least a portion of the information to a destination specified in the request.

10. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions to determine whether the voice data in the request matches voice data of an authorized user.

13. A laptop computer system comprising:

a processor configured to execute instructions that implement application software;

a storage coupled to the processor and configured to store information; and

a wireless module configured to communicate with a wireless network;

wherein the wireless module is further configured to receive an incoming communication via the wireless network, and to notify the processor in response to determining the incoming communication is from an authorized user; and

wherein the incoming communication includes a request for at least a portion of the information in the storage;

wherein in response to being notified by the wireless module, the processor is configured to;

operate in a server mode of operation;

retrieve the at least a portion of the information from the storage; and

send the at least a portion of the information to a destination specified in the request; and

wherein the wireless module is further configured to identify whether the authorized user has administrative privileges.

14. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to terminate the communication and to retrieve no information if the wireless module has determined that the request is not from an authorized user.

15. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 13, wherein the wireless module is configured to perform functions associated with digital signal processing of audio signals.

18. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to send the at least a portion of the information to a destination address specified in the request using email.

19. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to synthesize the at least a portion of the information into voice data, and the wireless module is further configured to send the voice data as audio.

20. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 13, wherein in response to identifying that the requesting is from an authorized user having administrative privileges, the wireless module is configured to process additional requests from the requesting user to perform system management tasks.

16. A laptop computer system comprising:

a processor configured to execute instructions that implement application software;

a storage coupled to the processor and configured to store information; and

a wireless module configured to communicate with a wireless network;

wherein the wireless module is further configured to receive an incoming communication via the wireless network, and to notify the processor in response to determining the incoming communication is from an authorized user; and

wherein the incoming communication includes a request for at least a portion of the information in the storage;

wherein in response to being notified by the wireless module, the processor is configured to;

operate in a server mode of operation;

retrieve the at least a portion of the information from the storage; and

send the at least a portion of the information to a destination specified in the request; and

wherein the wireless module is configured to perform functions associated with digital signal processing of audio signals on voice data included in the request.

17. The laptop computer system as recited in claim 16, wherein wireless module includes a processing unit having a second processor that is configured to execute instructions to determine whether the voice data in the request matches voice data of an authorized user.