Determining the context of a computing device that is powered off

• US 8,387,078 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Memmott, James Lester
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN H
• Application Number:
  US11/863,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,979 Days
• Field of Search: 719/310, 719/330, 709/224, 713/324
• US Class Current: 719/330
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In some embodiments a remote request is received relating to a context of a computer after the computer has been powered off. A sensor of the computer is turned on to obtain context information of the computer from the sensor. The obtained context information is provided from the computer to a remote device while the computer is still powered off. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a context aware circuit, a remote request from a remote device, the remote request relating to a context of a computer after the computer has been powered off;

turning on, by the context aware circuit, a sensor of the computer to obtain context information of the computer from the sensor; and

providing, by the context aware circuit, the obtained context information from the computer to the remote device while the computer is still powered off,

wherein the context aware circuit continues to be powered so that the context aware circuit can respond to the remote request over a network, and

wherein the context aware circuit turns the sensor off after the context information has been obtained from the sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the context information includes one or more of location, latitude, longitude, altitude, temperature, direction, acceleration, speed, pressure, presence of a user, presence of others than a user, presence of one or more persons, body temperature, and humidity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the context information includes any type of information that sensed at or near the computer.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising displaying information of the computer that is associated with the context.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the context indicates the computer is located in a home environment, and wherein the displayed information comprises personal information.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the context indicates the computer is located in an office environment, and wherein the displayed information comprises office information.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising configuring the computer to print to a printer based on a location of the computer, wherein the context indicates the location.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving the remote request from a computing device located remotely in relation to the computer.

9. An apparatus including at least one processor comprising:

a context aware circuit, the context aware circuit is configured to;

receive a remote request from a remote device, the remote request relating to a context of a computer after the computer has been powered off;

turn on a sensor of the computer to obtain context information of the computer from the sensor; and

provide the context information to the remote device while the computer is still powered off,

wherein the context aware circuit continues to be powered so that the context aware circuit can respond to the remote request over a network, and

wherein the context aware circuit turns the sensor off after the context information has been obtained from the sensor.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the context information includes one or more of location, latitude, longitude, altitude, temperature, direction, acceleration, speed, pressure, presence of a user, presence of others than a user, presence of one or more persons, body temperature, and humidity.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the context information includes any type of information that sensed at or near the computer.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the context aware circuit is included in an input/output controller.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising an active management technology device to interact between the remote device and the context aware circuit.

14. A system including at least one processor comprising:

a sensor; and

an input/output controller includes a context aware circuit, the context aware circuit is configured to;

receive a remote request from a remote device, the remote request relating to a context of a computer after the computer has been powered off;

turn on a sensor of the computer to obtain context information of the computer from the sensor; and

provide the context information to the remote device while the computer is still powered off,

wherein the context aware circuit continues to be powered so that the context aware circuit can respond to the remote request over a network, and

wherein the context aware circuit turns the sensor off after the context information has been obtained from the sensor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor is a sensor of one or more of location, latitude, longitude, altitude, temperature, direction, acceleration, speed, pressure, presence of a user, presence of others than a user, presence of one or more persons, body temperature, and humidity.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor is a sensor that is able to sense any type of information at or near the computer.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the input/output controller further includes an active management technology device to interact between the remote device and the sensor.