Determining the context of a computing device

• US 9,438,465 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2013
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Memmott, James Lester
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN H
• Application Number:
  US13/771,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 performed by a computer processor, the method comprising:

powering off a computer;

receiving a remote request relating to a context of the computer after the computer has been powered off;

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

providing the obtained context information from the computer to a remote device while the computer is still powered off.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising turning off the sensor after the context information has been obtained from the sensor.

3. 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.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the context information comprises any type of information sensed at or near the computer.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a processor comprising a context aware circuit to power off a computer, to receive a remote request relating to a context of the computer after the computer has been powered off, to turn on a sensor of the computer to obtain context information of the computer from the sensor, and to provide the context information to a remote device while the computer is still powered off.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, the context aware circuit further to turn off the sensor after the context information has been obtained from the sensor.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, 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.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the context information includes any type of information sensed at or near the computer.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the context aware circuit is included in an input/output controller.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising an active management technology device to interact between the remote device and the context aware circuit.

11. A system comprising:

a sensor; and

an input/output controller to power off the system, to receive a remote request relating to a context of the system after the system has been powered off, to turn on the sensor to obtain context information of the system from the sensor, and to provide the context information to a remote device while the system is still powered off.

12. The system of claim 11, the input/output controller further to turn off the sensor after the context information has been obtained from the sensor.

13. The system of claim 11, 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.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor is a sensor that is able to sense any type of information at or near the computer.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the input/output controller further includes an active management technology device to interact between the remote device and the sensor.