Presence-Based Power Management

• US 20100082175A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Gartner, Jeffrey G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,547,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/011 Emotion or mood input determined on the basis of sensed human body parameters such as pulse, heart rate or beat, temperature of skin, facial expressions, iris, voice pitch, brain activity patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The illustrative embodiment describes a system that manages the energy usage of a user'"'"'s appliance based on: (i) the user'"'"'s location, and (ii) the user'"'"'s “presence information.” The “presence information” of a user is defined as a status indicator that includes, but is not limited to: the ability and willingness of a user to communicate and a user'"'"'s mood. For example, when a user is lonely and at work, the office door should open, but when the user is not lonely and at work, the user'"'"'s instant messages should be shut off. The illustrative embodiment comprises: an appliance; and an energy-usage controller for de-activating an energy-consuming element of the appliance based on presence information of a user of the appliance.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an appliance; and

an energy-usage controller for de-activating an energy-consuming element of the appliance based on presence information of a user of the appliance.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the presence information of the user comprises an indicium of the willingness of the user to accept a telecommunications message.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the presence information of the user comprises an indicium of the ability of the user to accept a telecommunications message via a specific mode of communication.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the presence information of the user comprises an indicium of the mood of the user.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a location detector for detecting the location of the user of the appliance;

wherein the appliance is at a first location; and

wherein the energy-usage controller also de-activates the energy-consuming element of the appliance when;

(1) the location detector detects that the user of the appliance is not at a first location, and

(2) the location detector detects that the user of the appliance is at a second location that is different from the first location.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a location detector for detecting the location of the user of the appliance;

wherein the appliance is at a first location; and

wherein the energy-usage controller also activates the energy-consuming element of the appliance when;

(1) the location detector detects that the user of the appliance is not at a first location, and

(2) the location detector detects that the user of the appliance is at a third location that is different from the first location.

7. A system comprising:

an appliance; and

an energy-usage controller for activating an energy-consuming element of the appliance based on presence information of a user of the appliance.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the presence information of the user comprises an indicium of the willingness of the user to accept a telecommunications message.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the presence information of the user comprises an indicium of the ability of the user to accept a telecommunications message via a specific mode of communication.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the presence information of the user comprises an indicium of the mood of the user.

11. The system of claim 7 further comprising:

a location detector for detecting the location of the user of the appliance;

wherein the appliance is at a first location; and

wherein the energy-usage controller also activates the energy-consuming element of the appliance when;

(1) the location detector detects that the user of the appliance is not at a first location, and

(2) the location detector detects that the user of the appliance is at a second location that is different from the first location.

12. The system of claim 7 further comprising:

a location detector for detecting the location of the user of the appliance;

wherein the appliance is at a first location; and

wherein the energy-usage controller also de-activates the energy-consuming element of the appliance when;

(1) the location detector detects that the user of the appliance is not at a first location, and

(2) the location detector detects that the user of the appliance is at a third location that is different from the first location.

13. A system comprising:

an appliance at a first location;

an energy-usage controller for de-activating an energy-consuming element of the appliance when;

(1) the user of the appliance is not at a first location, and

(2) the user of the appliance is at a second location that is different from the first location.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the energy-usage controller is also for de-activating the energy-consuming element of the appliance when presence information of the user comprises an indicium of the willingness of the user to accept a telecommunications message.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the energy-usage controller is also for de-activating the energy-consuming element of the appliance when presence information of the user comprises an indicium of the ability of the user to accept a telecommunications message via a specific mode of communication.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the energy-usage controller is also for de-activating the energy-consuming element of the appliance when presence information of the user comprises an indicium of the mood of the user.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the energy-usage controller is also for activating the energy-consuming element of the appliance when:

(1) the user of the appliance is not at a first location, and

(2) the user of the appliance is at a third location that is different from the first location.

18. A system comprising:

an appliance at a first location;

an energy-usage controller for activating an energy-consuming element of the appliance when;

(1) the user of the appliance is not at a first location, and

(2) the user of the appliance is at a second location that is different from the first location.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the energy-usage controller is also for activating the energy-consuming element of the appliance when presence information of the user comprises an indicium of the willingness of the user to accept a telecommunications message.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the energy-usage controller is also for activating the energy-consuming element of the appliance when presence information of the user comprises an indicium of the ability of the user to accept a telecommunications message via a specific mode of communication.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the energy-usage controller is also for activating the energy-consuming element of the appliance when presence information of the user comprises an indicium of the mood of the user.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the energy-usage controller is also for de-activating the energy-consuming element of the appliance when:

(1) the user of the appliance is not at a first location, and

(2) the user of the appliance is at a third location that is different from the first location.