Energy-efficient media equipment device
First Claim
1. A method of operating a media equipment device having at least a full-power mode and an off-power mode of operation, the method comprising:
- receiving by a power supply interface in the media equipment device a voltage supply from a computer-controlled voltage source electrically coupled to the power supply interface of the media equipment device;
receiving a user-programmable schedule of intended use of the media equipment device;
detecting that a first threshold condition for automatically transitioning the media equipment device into the off-power mode is met based on the user-programmable schedule indicating that the media equipment device will be unused for at least a threshold duration;
determining an amount of time for restoring at least a portion of program schedule information to the media equipment device when the voltage supply is reconnected to the media equipment device;
calculating a scheduled power-up time to be a time at which a next scheduled use of the media equipment device occurs, offset by the amount of time for restoring the portion of the program schedule information;
storing the scheduled power-up time for automatically restoring power to the media equipment device in the future;
sending a power-off notification to disconnect the voltage supply to the power supply interface of the media equipment device; and
automatically disconnecting the voltage supply to the power supply interface of the media equipment device by the computer-controlled power source, thereby transitioning the media equipment device into the off-power mode such that the media equipment device receives substantially no external voltage.
14 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Method and systems for operating a media equipment device having at least a full-power mode and an off-power mode are provided. A voltage supply to the media equipment device may be controlled by the media equipment device itself or by an external power management unit to automatically power-off the media equipment device, and power the device back on a future time. Prior to powering off the media equipment device, a portion of program schedule information stored in the volatile memory of the media equipment device may be mirrored to nonvolatile memory and may be restored on a priority basis after the media equipment device is powered back up. An external power management unit for controlling the media equipment device may also automatically detect and identify devices in the home based on a power signature of the device and manage the operation of the device based on the identification.
23 Citations
44 Claims
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1. A method of operating a media equipment device having at least a full-power mode and an off-power mode of operation, the method comprising:
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receiving by a power supply interface in the media equipment device a voltage supply from a computer-controlled voltage source electrically coupled to the power supply interface of the media equipment device; receiving a user-programmable schedule of intended use of the media equipment device; detecting that a first threshold condition for automatically transitioning the media equipment device into the off-power mode is met based on the user-programmable schedule indicating that the media equipment device will be unused for at least a threshold duration; determining an amount of time for restoring at least a portion of program schedule information to the media equipment device when the voltage supply is reconnected to the media equipment device; calculating a scheduled power-up time to be a time at which a next scheduled use of the media equipment device occurs, offset by the amount of time for restoring the portion of the program schedule information; storing the scheduled power-up time for automatically restoring power to the media equipment device in the future; sending a power-off notification to disconnect the voltage supply to the power supply interface of the media equipment device; and automatically disconnecting the voltage supply to the power supply interface of the media equipment device by the computer-controlled power source, thereby transitioning the media equipment device into the off-power mode such that the media equipment device receives substantially no external voltage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A system of operating a media equipment device having at least a full-power mode and an off-power mode of operation, the system comprising a computer processor configured to:
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receive by a power supply interface in the media equipment device a voltage supply from a computer-controlled voltage source electrically coupled to the power supply interface of the media equipment device; receive a user-programmable schedule of intended use of the media equipment device; detect that a first threshold condition for automatically transitioning the media equipment device into the off-power mode is met based on the user-programmable schedule indicating that the media equipment device will be unused for at least a threshold duration; determine an amount of time for restoring at least a portion of program schedule information to the media equipment device when the voltage supply is reconnected to the media equipment device; calculate a scheduled power-up time to be a time at which a next scheduled use of the media equipment device occurs, offset by the amount of time for restoring the portion of the program schedule information; store the scheduled power-up time for automatically restoring power to the media equipment device in the future; send a power-off notification to disconnect the voltage supply to the power supply interface of the media equipment device; and automatically disconnect the voltage supply to the power supply interface of the media equipment device by the computer-controlled power source, thereby transitioning the media equipment device into the off-power mode such that the media equipment device receives substantially no external voltage. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification