BUSINESS ENERGY MANAGEMENT BASED ON USER NETWORK ACCESS AND CALENDAR DATA

• US 20100077241A1
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pagan, William G., Bandholz, Justin P., Piazza, William J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,433,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections

Abstract

A method and computer program product for controlling energy utilization includes receiving user activities from each of a plurality of users into one or more software application, associating each user activity with a defined workspace having one or more remotely controllable electronic devices, and controlling energy utilization of the one or more electronic devices within each defined workspace according to the user activities associated with the defined workspace. Energy utilization is reduced in a defined workspace during a time period that there is no user activity associated with the workspace. Optionally, the step of receiving user activities may include detecting that a user has logged onto a remote computer that is not located within the defined workspace, or users inputting activities into a software application, such as one or more instances of an electronic calendar.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving user activities from each of a plurality of individual users into one or more software application;

associating each user activity with a defined workspace having one or more remotely controllable electronic devices; and

controlling energy utilization of the one or more electronic devices within each defined workspace according to the user activities that are associated with the defined workspace.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the software application includes an electronic calendar.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more electronic devices is selected from the group consisting of electrical outlets, computers, printers, light fixtures, HVAC damper, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reducing energy utilization in one or more defined workspaces during a time period that there is no user activity associated with the one or more defined workspaces.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of receiving user activities includes detecting that a user has logged off or shut down a computer located within the defined workspace.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of receiving user activities includes detecting that a user has logged onto a remote computer that is not located within the defined workspace.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the remote computer accesses a network through

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of reducing energy utilization includes adjusting an HVAC damper that supplies warm or cool air to the defined workspace.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of reducing energy utilization includes turning off lights within the defined workspace.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of reducing energy utilization includes turning off electrical outlets within the defined workspace.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of reducing energy utilization includes turning off telephone jacks within the defined workspace.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein the user activities include computer network activity, and wherein the step of reducing energy utilization includes managing power consumption by network equipment in response to the computer network activity.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of managing power consumption by network equipment includes reconfiguring a network router or switch.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein the user activities received from two or more of the plurality of individual users is associated with a common defined workspace.

15. A computer program product for controlling energy utilization, the computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer useable program code comprising:

computer usable program code configured to receive user activities from each of a plurality of individual user nodes on a network;

computer usable program code configured to associate each user activity with a defined workspace having one or more remotely controllable electronic devices; and

computer usable program code configured to control energy utilization of the one or more electronic devices within each defined workspace according to the activity associated with the defined workspace.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, the computer useable program code further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to reduce energy utilization in one or more defined workspaces during a time period that there is no user activity associated with the one or more defined workspaces.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, the computer useable program code further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to turn off the one or more remotely controllable electronic devices in response to receiving no activity associated with the defined workspace in which the devices are located.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the one or more remotely controllable electronic devices is selected from the group consisting of an electrical outlet, computer, printer, light fixture, HVAC damper, and combinations thereof.