Determining the context of a computing device

• US 9,876,702 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2016
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Memmott, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN H
• Application Number:
  US15/240,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20160359716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 device after the device has been powered off. A sensor of the device is turned on to obtain context information of the device from the sensor. The obtained context information is provided from the device to a remote device while the device is still powered off. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a context aware circuit, a remote request relating to a context of a device after the device has been powered off;

turning on, by the context aware circuit, a sensor of the device to obtain context information of the device from the sensor;

providing, by the context aware circuit, the obtained context information from the device to a remote device while the device is still powered off; and

turning off, by the context aware circuit, the sensor after the context information has been obtained from the sensor.

2. 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.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the context information includes any type of information that is sensed at or near the device.

4. An apparatus comprising:

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

5. The apparatus of claim 4, 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.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the context information includes any type of information that is sensed at or near the device.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the context aware circuit is included in an input/output controller.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising an active management technology device to interact between the remote device and the context aware circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the context aware circuit is included in an input/output controller.

10. The apparatus of claim 4, 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 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, to provide the context information to a remote device while the system is still powered off, and to turn off the sensor after the context information has been obtained from the sensor.

12. 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.

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

14. 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.

15. 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.

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

17. 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.