Secure platform management with power savings capacity

• US 8,346,234 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2009
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Absolute Software Corporation
• Original Assignee: Absolute Software Corporation
• Inventors: Banga, Gaurav, Gupta, Ravi, Tarkhanyan, Anahit
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behnamian, Shahriar
• Application Number:
  US12/321,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20100120406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 455/455, 455/41.2, 455/552.1, 455/411, 455/410, 455/13.4, 455/522, 455/574, 455/127.1, 455/127.5, 455/343.5, 370/338, 370/346
• US Class Current: 455/418
• 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: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/81 by operating on the power supply, e.g. enabling or disabling power-on, sleep or resume operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An electronic device, for example, a laptop computer includes a processor, a transceiver module, for example, a Bluetooth module and a memory. The memory includes a platform proximity agent, which may be implemented as a series of instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to receive a Bluetooth signal from a corresponding provisioned Bluetooth device, for example, a cellular telephone. Next, determine whether the received signal exceeds both a strength threshold level and a predetermined time threshold level, where the signal strength and time threshold levels are established when the laptop and a corresponding cell phone are paired during a provisioning process. When the received signal strength and duration both exceed the corresponding policy based thresholds, the laptop enters (or remains in) a full power state with full access to the monitor and the platform. On the other hand, when the received signal strength and duration both fall below (or are less than) the corresponding policy based threshold, the laptop enters (or remains in) a reduced power, or locked state.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising:

receiving, from a user, at the electronic device, a policy based rule that includes a minimum threshold signal strength value and a threshold time value,

wherein the minimum threshold signal strength value and the threshold time value are specified by the user using the electronic device;

receiving, at the electronic device, a transmission signal from a provisioned platform management device;

the electronic device determining whether the transmission signal strength is less than the minimum threshold signal strength value for a duration of time exceeding the threshold time value; and

the electronic device configuring the operating state of the electronic device according to the policy based rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission signal is a Bluetooth signal received from the provisioned platform management device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the provisioned platform management device is a cellular telephone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the operating state of the electronic device includes one of the following:

changing from an unlocked state to a locked state;

changing from a locked state to an unlocked state; and

maintaining the current state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the operating state of the electronic device includes one of the following:

changing from a fully powered state to a reduced power state;

changing from a reduced power state to a fully powered state; and

maintain the current power state.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the operating state of the electronic device is placed into a fully powered state when the strength of the received signal exceeds the minimum threshold signal value for a corresponding time period that exceeds the minimum time value.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the operating state of the electronic device is placed into a powered down state when the strength of the received signal is less than the minimum threshold signal value for a corresponding time period that exceeds the minimum time value.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes an operating system, and wherein configuring the operating state of the electronic device comprises placing the operating system in a low power state.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

after the operating system has been placed in a low power state, placing the operating system into a hibernate mode such that control of the electronic device is transferred to system firmware executing on the electronic device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the operating state comprises powering down a monitor on the electronic device into a secured state.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the provisioning process comprises:

the electronic device, displaying on a monitor, a list of several devices in range of the electronic device; and

the electronic device receiving, from the user, data that identifies the provisioned platform management device, as being selected by the user from among the list of several devices.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of the electronic device determining and the electronic device configuring are both performed by a firmware agent executing on the electronic device.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor;

a Bluetooth controller; and

a platform proximity agent, further including a series of instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

receive a Bluetooth signal from the Bluetooth controller,

receive, from a user over the Bluetooth signal, a policy based rule that includes a minimum threshold signal strength value and a threshold time value,

wherein the minimum threshold signal strength value and the threshold time value are specified by the user using the electronic device;

receive, at the electronic device, a Bluetooth transmission signal from a provisioned platform management device;

determine whether the received Bluetooth transmission signal strength is less than the minimum threshold signal strength value for a duration of time exceeding the threshold time value, and

configure the operating state of the electronic device according to the policy based rule.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, further including a memory for maintaining the platform proximity agent.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the platform proximity agent causes the processor to place the electronic device into a fully powered state when the strength of the received signal exceeds the minimum threshold signal value for a corresponding time period that exceeds the minimum time value.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the platform proximity agent causes the processor to place the electronic device into a powered down state when the strength of the received signal is less than the minimum threshold signal value for a corresponding time period that exceeds the minimum time value.

12. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the Bluetooth signal is provided by a provisioned platform management device.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the provisioned platform management device includes a cellular telephone.

20. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the platform proximity agent resides in the firmware.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, causes:

receiving a Bluetooth signal from a Bluetooth controller;

receiving, from a user over the Bluetooth signal, a policy based rule that includes a minimum threshold signal strength value and a threshold time value, wherein the minimum threshold signal strength value and the threshold time value are specified by the user using an electronic device coupled to the processor readable medium;

receiving a Bluetooth transmission signal from a provisioned platform management device;

determining whether the received Bluetooth transmission signal strength is less than the minimum threshold signal strength value for a duration of time exceeding the threshold time value; and

configuring operating state of the electronic device according to the policy based rule.