Apparatus and method for managing operation of a mobile device

• US 9,594,899 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2011
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Brett, Bevin R., Petersen, Paul M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pyzocha, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/006,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20140013428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect

Abstract

A power charger includes a first storage area to store control software, a charging circuit to send power through an interface, and a processor to generate at least one control signal based on the control software. The power to be sent through the interface is to charge a battery of a device coupled to the interface, and the at least one control signal includes information to cause a monitoring operation to be performed to determine a status of the device.

Claims

1. A power charger comprising:

a first storage area to store control software;

a charging circuit to send power through an interface;

a processor to generate at least one control signal based on the control software,

wherein the power to be sent through the interface is to charge a battery of a device to be coupled to the interface and wherein the at least one control signal includes information to cause a monitoring operation to be performed to determine a status of the device based on a security scan, wherein in response to the determined status of the device, the processor to provide a back-up signal to the device to request back-up data to be provided from the device to the power charger; and

a second storage area to store the back-up data to be received from the device through the interface, the back-up data to be received simultaneously as the device is being charged by the power charger, wherein after the status of the device is determined, the processor is to provide another control signal to the device to cause a restoration operation to be simultaneously performed at the device while the device is to be charged by the power charger, the another control signal is to be sent to the device after the monitoring operation is to be performed and while the device is to be charged by the power charger.

2. The power charger of claim 1, wherein the monitoring operation is to include performance of the security scan of one or more files stored in the device.

3. The power charger of claim 1, wherein the processor is to receive information from the device through the interface and wherein the received information is to provide an indication of the status of the device based on the monitoring operation.

4. The power charger of claim 1, wherein the status determined by the monitoring operation corresponds to presence of an error in the device.

5. The power charger of claim 4, wherein the error corresponds to contamination of at least one of a file, data, or software in the device.

6. The power charger of claim 5, wherein the contamination is from at least one of a bad sector of a storage medium, a virus, or another contaminating agent.

7. The power charger of claim 1, wherein the at least one control signal is to be sent to the device through the interface as power is simultaneously sent to the device through the interface for charging the battery.

8. The power charger of claim 1, wherein the interface is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface.

9. The power charger of claim 1, further comprising:

a port to removably receive a connector coupled to the interface.

13. The power charger of claim 1, wherein the monitoring operation to be performed at a predetermined time after the device is connected to the power charger.

14. The power charger of claim 1, wherein the monitoring operation is to be performed when a triggering signal is received from the device.

15. The power charger of claim 1, wherein the monitoring operation is to be performed when a predetermined event is detected.

16. The power charger of claim 1, wherein the processor to determine if power of the device is on, and the processor to send a signal to the device to perform a reboot operation when the processor determines that power of the device is on.

10. A portable computer comprising:

a display of the portable computer;

a first storage area to store control software;

a charging circuit to send power through an interface;

a processor to generate at least one control signal based on the control software,

wherein the power to be sent through the interface is to charge a battery of a device to be coupled to the interface and wherein the at least one control signal includes information to cause a monitoring operation to be performed to determine a status of the device based on a security scan, wherein in response to the determined status of the device, the processor to provide a back-up signal to the device to request back-up data to be provided from the device to the portable computer; and

a second storage area to store back-up data to be received from the device through the interface, the back-up data to be received simultaneously as the device is being charged by the charging circuit, wherein the processor is to provide another control signal to the device to cause a restoration operation to be simultaneously performed in the device while the device is to be charged by the portable computer, the another control signal is to be sent to the device after the monitoring operation is to be performed and while the device is to be charged by the portable computer.

11. The portable computer of claim 10, wherein the monitoring operation is to include performance of the security scan of one or more files stored in the device.

12. The portable computer of claim 10, wherein:

the processor is to receive information from the device through the interface,

the information is to provide an indication of the status of the device based on the monitoring operation, and

the status corresponds to presence of an error in the device.