Low power paging of consumer electronics

• US 9,442,549 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Francisco, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Suryawanshi, Suresh
• Application Number:
  US14/136,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20140189383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 713/310
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are configured to monitor signals received via a transmission medium by a paging monitor to detect an activity trigger. Systems, apparatuses, and methods are further configured to, in response to detecting the activity trigger, cause, by the paging monitor, a main receiver to transition from an energy conservation mode to an active mode to monitor the transmission medium for data traffic.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a wakeup signal comprising an address identifying the computing device and an instruction to be performed by the computing device, wherein the wakeup signal is orthogonal to data signals received by the computing device when the computing device is awake;

transitioning to an active mode in response to the wakeup signal;

performing the instruction comprised in the wakeup signal; and

returning to a low-power mode of operation upon completion of performing the instruction comprised in the wakeup signal.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the wakeup signal is out of band with respect to the data signals;

and

wherein the data signals are part of a multicast transmission on a data carousel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data signals comprise firmware updates.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the wakeup signal and the data signals are combined prior to the receiving by the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the address comprised in the wakeup signal identifies a plurality of computing devices including the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction comprised in the wakeup signal is one of a pre-determined vocabulary of instructions.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the data signals comprise updates to the pre-determined vocabulary of instructions.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a transmitter configured to be coupled to a transmission medium and configured to transmit a wakeup signal comprising an address identifying a computing device to be woken and an instruction to be performed by the computing device, wherein the wakeup signal is orthogonal to data signals used to transmit data to the computing device when the computing device is awake.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the wakeup signal out of band with respect to the data signals and to transmit the data signals as part of a multicast transmission on a data carousel.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data comprises firmware updates.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the transmitter further comprises a combiner that combines the wakeup signal and the data signals.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the address comprised in the wakeup signal identifies a plurality of computing devices including the computing device.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the instruction comprised in the wakeup signal is one of a pre-determined vocabulary of instructions.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the data comprises updates to the pre-determined vocabulary of instructions.

13. A system comprising:

a transmitter configured to be coupled to a transmission medium and configured to transmit a wakeup signal comprising an address identifying a computing device to be woken and an instruction to be performed by the computing device, wherein the wakeup signal is orthogonal to data signals used to transmit data to the computing device when the computing device is awake; and

the computing device, wherein the computing device is configured to receive wakeup signals and data transmitted via the transmission medium and to transition from an energy conservation mode to an active mode in response to the wakeup signal comprising the address identifying the computing device, and wherein the computing device is configured to perform the instruction and to return to the energy conservation mode upon completion of performing the instruction.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the wakeup signal out of band with respect to the data signals, and wherein the data signals used to transmit data are part of a multicast transmission on a data carousel.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the transmitter further comprises a combiner that combines the wakeup signal and the data signals.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the address comprised in the wakeup signal identifies a plurality of computing devices including the computing device.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the instruction comprised in the wakeup signal is one of a pre-determined vocabulary of instructions.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit updates to the pre-determined vocabulary of instructions as part of the data signals.