Suspension and/or throttling of processes for connected standby

• US 9,671,816 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2014
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Berry, Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wang, Zhipeng
• Application Number:
  US14/336,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20140351619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/00 Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• 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 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/485 Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution G06F9/4881 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4893 taking into account power or heat criteria power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for assigning power management classifications to a process, transitioning a computing environment into a connected standby state based upon power management classifications assigned to processes, and transitioning the computing environment from the connected standby state to an execution state. That is, power management classifications, such as exempt, throttle, and/or suspend, may be assigned to processes based upon various factors, such as whether a process provides desired functionality and/or whether the process provides functionality relied upon for basic operation of the computing environment. In this way, the computing environment may be transitioned into a low power connected standby state that may continue executing desired functionality, while reducing power consumption by suspending and/or throttling other functionality. Because some functionality may still execute, the computing environment may transition into the execution state in a responsive manner to quickly provide a user with up-to-date information.

Claims

1. A method performed on a computing device that includes at least one processor, memory, and a computing environment, the method comprising:

transitioning, by the computing device, the computing environment from a connected standby state to an execution state, the transitioning based on process classifications assigned to processes by a classification component of the computing device, the process classifications comprising;

a suspendable processes classification, a throttleable processes classification, and an exempt processes classification, the transitioning comprising;

restoring a suspended process to an execution state, where the suspended process was previously classified by the classification component in the suspendable processes classification of the process classifications; and

restoring, before the suspended process is restored to the execution state, a throttled process to the execution state, where the throttled process was previously classified by the classification component in the throttleable processes classification of the process classifications.

2. The method of claim 1 where processes classified in the throttleable processes classification are cycled, while the computing environment is in the connected standby state, between the execution state and a non-exec ng suspended state based on a throttling schedule.

3. The method of claim 1 where the computing environment comprises at least one of a tablet operating system, desktop operating system, or mobile device operating system.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

restoring a parent suspended process to the execution state before restoring a corresponding child suspended process to the execution state.

5. The method of claim 4 where the child suspended process is configured to consume a second resource from the parent suspended process.

6. The method of claim 1 where processes classified in the suspendable processes classification are placed in the non-executing suspended state while the computing environment is in the connected standby state.

7. The method of claim 1 where processes classified in the exempt processes classification are in the execution state while the computing environment is in the connected standby state.

8. A system comprising:

a computing device that includes at least one processor, memory, a computing environment, and a transition component that is configured to;

transition the computing environment from a connected standby state to an execution state, the transitioning based on process classifications assigned to processes by a classification component of the computing device, the process classifications comprising;

a suspendable processes classification, a throttleable processes classification, and an exempt processes classification, the transition comprising;

restoring a suspended process to an execution state, where the suspended process was previously classified by the classification component in the suspendable processes classification of the process classifications; and

restoring, before the suspended process is restored to the execution state, a throttled process to the execution state, where the throttled process was previously classified by the classification component in the throttleable processes classification of the process classifications.

9. The system of claim 8 where processes classified in the throttleable processes classification are cycled, while the computing environment is in the connected standby state, between the execution state and anon-executing suspended state based on a throttling schedule.

10. The system of claim 8 where the computing environment comprises at least one of a tablet operating system, desktop operating system, or mobile device operating system.

11. The system of claim 8, the transitioning further comprising:

restoring a parent suspended process to the execution state before restoring a corresponding child suspended process to the execution state.

12. The system of claim 11 where the child suspended process is configured to consume a second resource from the parent suspended process.

13. The system of claim 12 where processes classified in the suspendable processes classification are placed in the non-executing suspended state while the computing environment is in the connected standby state.

19. The system of claim 8 where processes classified in the exempt processes classification are in the execution state while the computing environment is in the connected standby state.

14. At least one hardware computer readable storage media that is not a signal per se and that comprises:

memory that comprises computer-executable instructions that, based on execution by a computing device that includes at least one processor, memory, and a computing environment, configure the computing device to perform actions comprising;

transitioning the computing environment from a connected standby state to an execution state, the transitioning based on process classifications assigned to processes by a classification component of the computing device, the process classifications comprising;

a suspendable processes classification, a throttleable processes classification, and an exempt processes classification, the transitioning comprising;

restoring a suspended process to an execution state, where the suspended process was previously classified by the classification component in the suspendable processes classification of the process classifications; and

restoring, before the suspended process is restored to the execution state, a throttled process to the execution state, where the throttled process was previously classified by the classification component in the throttleable processes classification of the process classifications.

15. The hardware computer readable storage media of claim 14, the actions further comprising restoring a parent suspended process to the execution state before restoring a corresponding child suspended process to the execution state.

16. The hardware computer readable storage media of claim 15 where the child suspended process is configured to consume a second resource from the parent suspended process.

17. The hardware computer readable storage media of claim 14 where processes classified in the suspendable processes classification are placed in the non-executing suspended state while the computing environment is in the connected standby state.

18. The hardware computer readable storage media of claim 14 where processes classified in the exempt processes classification are in the execution state while the computing environment is in the connected standby state.