Method and apparatus for a power-efficient framework to maintain data synchronization of a mobile personal computer to simulate a connected scenario

• US 20070238440A1
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Gandhi, Prashant, Thakkar, Shreekant, Joshi, Mandar, Sengupta, Uttam, Varshney, Shobhit
• Granted Patent: US 7,725,093 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/343.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• 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 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and method for a power-efficient framework to maintain data synchronization of a mobile personal computer (MPC) are described. In one embodiment, the method includes the detection of a data synchronization wakeup event while the MPC is operating according to a sleep state. Subsequent to wakeup event, at least one system resource is disabled to provide a minimum number of system resources required to re-establish a network connection. In one embodiment, user data from a network server is synchronized on the MPC without user intervention; the mobile platform system resumes operation according to the sleep state. In one embodiment, a wakeup alarm is programmed according to a user history profile regarding received e-mails. In a further embodiment, data synchronizing involves disabling a display, and throttling the system processor to operate at a reduced frequency. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, during a sleep state, a data synchronization wakeup event;

disabling at least one system resource to provide a minimum number of system resources required to re-establish a wireless network connection;

synchronizing system data with a network server without user intervention in a low power state; and

resuming the sleep state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein disabling the at least one system resource further comprises:

disabling a display for operation in the low power state.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

throttling a system processor to operate at a reduced frequency.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing system data further comprises:

scanning all possible networks to establish Internet connectivity without user intervention;

establishing a secure wireless network connection; and

retrieving user e-mail from the network server according to a user profile.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying a user of a received user data according to a user profile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting, during a sleep state, a data synchronization wakeup event, further comprises:

receiving a wakeup notification according to a timer, wherein the timer is set to periodically wakeup a system according to a user history profile; and

querying a table to determine the minimum number of resources required to re-establish the network connection.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

creating a user history profile regarding e-mails received by the user; and

generating a computer wakeup schedule to synchronize system wakeup according to receive e-mail messages.

8. A method comprising:

detecting a wakeup notification according to a timer, wherein the timer is set to periodically wakeup a system according to a user history profile;

re-establishing a wireless network connection without user intervention;

synchronizing user data from a network server according to a user profile; and

returning to a previous sleep state.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein prior to detecting wakeup notification, the method further comprises:

creating a user history profile regarding e-mails received by the user; and

generating a computer wakeup schedule to synchronize system wakeup according to receive e-mail messages.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

programming a real time clock to periodically wakeup a mobile platform system according to a user history profile.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

programming a next wakeup alarm according to at least the user history profile.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein detecting wakeup notification further comprises:

disabling at least one system resource to provide a minimum number of system resources required to re-establish a network connection without user intervention in a low power state.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein disabling the at least one system resource further comprises:

disabling a display for operation in the low power state; and

throttling a system processor to operate at a reduced frequency.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein detecting wake-up notification further comprises:

checking a current battery life;

canceling future wake-up notification if the battery life is below a predetermined threshold; and

resuming sleep state.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein re-establishing the wireless network connection further comprises:

tracking a temperature of the MPC system;

setting a future wake-up notification if the temperature of the MPC system is above a predetermined threshold; and

returning the MPC system to the sleep state.

16. An article of manufacture having a machine accessible medium including associated data, wherein the data, when accessed by a machine, results in the machine performing operations comprising:

detecting a wakeup notification according to a timer, wherein the timer is set to periodically wakeup a system according to a user history profile;

disabling at least one system resource to provide a minimum number of system resources required to re-establish a network connection;

synchronizing system data with a network server without user intervention in a low power state; and

resuming operation according to a sleep state.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein prior to the operation of detecting wakeup notification, the machine is further caused to perform operations comprising:

creating a user history profile regarding e-mails received by the user; and

generating a computer wakeup schedule to synchronize system wakeup according to receive e-mail messages.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein prior to the operation of detecting wakeup notification, the machine is further caused to perform operations comprising:

disabling a display for operation in the low power sate; and

throttling a system processor to operate at a reduced frequency.

19. A system comprising:

a clock to trigger a wakeup alarm;

a battery power source;

a processor coupled to the battery, the processor having at least one power state condition to cause the processor to perform a selectable operating mode;

a chipset coupled to the processor, the chipset including logic to disabling at least one system resource to provide a minimum number of system resources to re-establish a wireless network connection when a data synchronization wakeup event is detected in response to a wakeup a communications interface to re-establish the wireless network logic to synchronize system data with a network server without user intervention and to resume the sleep state.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a display, the display to be disabled in response to detection of the data synchronization wakeup event.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the logic is further to throttle the processor to operate at a reduced frequency according to a selected operating mode.

22. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

wakeup logic, the wakeup logic to detect a wakeup notification according to a timer, when the timer is set to periodically wakeup the system according to a user history profile, the wakeup logic further to create a user history profile regarding e-mails received by the user and to generate a computer wakeup schedule to synchronize system wakeup according to received e-mail messages.