Systems and methods for providing information regarding resource consumption or environmental impact associated with usage of a computer

• US 9,535,813 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Michelson, Bruce David
• Primary Examiner(s): IPAKCHI, MARYAM M
• Application Number:
  US13/055,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20110125482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,058 Days
• Field of Search: 703 1- 28, 702/182, 702/188, 705/500, 705/7, 705/11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3225 of memory devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3086 where the reporting involves the use of self describing data formats, i.e. metadata, markup languages, human readable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3423 where the assessed time is active or idle time
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system and a method pertain to monitoring on the computing device resource consumption, storing resource consumption data obtained from the monitoring, receiving a request from the user for information regarding resource consumption or environmental impact associated with the user'"'"'s operation of the computing device, and presenting to the user information regarding resource consumption or environmental impact.

Claims

1. A method by a computing device, comprising:

monitoring, by the computing device, resource consumption of the computing device pertaining to a user'"'"'s operation of the computing device the computing device having a display, internal components, and a housing surrounding the internal components, the internal components comprising a processor and memory, wherein the resource consumption monitored comprises energy consumption of the computing device comprising energy consumption of the display, the processor, and the memory;

storing, by the computing device, resource consumption data obtained from the monitoring, the resource consumption data comprising data of the energy consumption;

receiving, by the computing device, a request from the user for information regarding the resource consumption or environmental impact of the resource consumption, or both, associated with the user'"'"'s operation of the computing device;

presenting, by the computing device, the information to the user via the display;

providing a recommendation to the user regarding how the user can reduce the resource consumption; and

receiving a request from the user to run a simulation that adopts the recommendation, running the simulation, and presenting a result of the simulation to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a laptop computer, and wherein the recommendation is directed to extending battery life of a battery of the laptop computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the resource consumption comprises monitoring paper consumption by a printer associated with the computing device, wherein the computing device is a desktop computer, and wherein the recommendation is directed to reducing electrical consumption of at least one of the display, the processor, or the memory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request from the user comprises detecting selection by the user of a key, wherein the key comprises a virtual key or icon displayed on the display, or the key comprises a dedicated environmental physical key of a keyboard of the computing device, wherein the method comprises the user opting to receive the recommendation from the computing device regarding usage of the computing device by the user, wherein the computing device provides the recommendation to the user via the display, and wherein the recommendation is directed to at least one of reducing the resource consumption, reducing cost of the operation of the computing device, or extending battery life of a battery of the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting information regarding resource consumption or environmental impact, or both, comprises presenting a graphical representation of how well or poorly the user is doing in terms of limiting resource consumption or environmental impact.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the information regarding resource consumption or environmental impact comprises comparing the resource consumption data with best practices data that identify computer usage practices that are recommended from a resource consumption and environmental impact standpoint, and wherein the computing device is a personal computer or a notebook computer.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving a request from the user for the recommendation, the recommendation regarding how the user can reduce the resource consumption or the environmental impact, or both, associated with the user'"'"'s operation of the computing device, and wherein presenting the recommendation comprises presenting the recommendation to the user via the display.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

logic executable by a computing device to store resource consumption data obtained from monitoring a user'"'"'s operation of the computing device, the resource consumption data comprising data of resource consumption by the computing device comprising energy consumption of components of the computing device and pertaining to the user'"'"'s operation of the computing device, the components comprising a display and internal components, the internal components comprising a processor and memory surrounded by a housing of the computing device;

logic executable by the computing device to receive at the computing device a request from the user for information regarding the resource consumption or environmental impact of the resource consumption, or both, associated with the user'"'"'s operation of the computing device; and

logic executable by the computing device to present to the user via the display a graphical representation regarding the resource consumption or the environmental impact, or both;

logic executable by the computing device to provide a recommendation to the user regarding how the user can reduce the resource consumption; and

logic executable by the computing device to receive a request from the user to run a simulation that adopts the recommendation, run the simulation, and present a result of the simulation to the user.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the logic executable to receive the request from the user for information comprises logic executable by the computing device to detect selection by the user of a dedicated environmental key of the computing device.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the logic executable to present a graphical representation comprises logic executable by the computing device to present a graphical image that conveys how well or poorly the user is doing in terms of limiting resource consumption or environmental impact.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising logic executable by the computing device to compare the resource consumption data with best practices data that identify computer usage practices that are recommended from a resource consumption or environmental impact standpoint, wherein the computing device is a laptop computer or a desktop computer.

12. A computing device comprising:

a display;

a processor and memory; and

a housing surrounding the processor and the memory, wherein the memory stores code executable by the processor to;

monitor resource consumption of the computing device pertaining to a user'"'"'s operation of the computing device, the resource consumption comprising consumption of electricity by the display, the processor, and the memory;

present information regarding the resource consumption to a user, the information comprising a graphical representation;

provide a recommendation to the user regarding how the user can reduce the resource consumption; and

receive a request from the user to run a simulation that adopts the recommendation, run the simulation, and present a result of the simulation to the user.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the computing device is a desktop computer, wherein the processor comprises a central processing unit (CPU), and wherein the graphical representation indicates how well the user is limiting the resource consumption.

14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the computing device is a laptop computer, and wherein the recommendation is directed to extending battery life of a battery of the laptop computer.

15. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the information presented comprises another recommendation to replace the computing device in response to availability of a newer computing device that is more energy efficient than the computing device.