Power management system for a computer
DCFirst Claim
1. A method of controlling power supplied to a computer, wherein the computer can perform any of a plurality of boot processes, the method comprising:
- monitoring external device interrupt lines during a period in which power is not supplied to the computer;
if an external device interrupt is received during the period, supplying power to the computer by sending a control signal to a switchable power supply, the switchable power supply being coupled to the computer for supplying power thereto;
sending boot status command to the computer to identify which boot process of the plurality of distinct boot processes the computer is to perform; and
booting up the computer in accordance with the identified boot process.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A power management system for a personal computer comprises a power management processor, a switchable power supply and a keep alive power supply. The processor is powered by the keep alive power supply that continuously provides power. The computer is powered by a power supply that is switchable in response to a control signal. The processor preferably controls the switchable power supply. The processor is coupled to receive external device interrupts from a plurality of external devices that instruct the processor when to turn the switchable power supply on and off. The processor is also coupled to the computer through an interface. The power management system also includes a method for turning the computer on and off. A preferred method uses the processor to control the power provided to the computer. The preferred method also uses the processor to dictate whether the computer will perform a long boot that brings the computer to an operational state, identifies the computer'"'"'s configuration, and tests memory, or a short boot that brings the computer to an operational state in a much shorter time. A preferred method for turning the computer off includes the ability to exit program being run by the computer, and saving the hardware state of the computer on the hard disk.
50 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of controlling power supplied to a computer, wherein the computer can perform any of a plurality of boot processes, the method comprising:
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monitoring external device interrupt lines during a period in which power is not supplied to the computer; if an external device interrupt is received during the period, supplying power to the computer by sending a control signal to a switchable power supply, the switchable power supply being coupled to the computer for supplying power thereto; sending boot status command to the computer to identify which boot process of the plurality of distinct boot processes the computer is to perform; and booting up the computer in accordance with the identified boot process. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method for turning off power provided to a computer from a power source, the computer being capable of performing a plurality of operations, including a save state operation, the method comprising:
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sending a signal to the computer upon receipt of an external device interrupt; performing the save state operation with the computer in response to the sending of the signal; specifying, by the computer, tasks to be performed while the power source of the computer is switched off, wherein the tasks include a plurality of operations in accordance with a stored code; switching of the power source of the computer; and performing the specified tasks after switching off the power source of the computer. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of waking up a computer to execute an application in response to an event, the method comprising:
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restoring power to the computer in response to the event, the computer being in a powered off state immediately before the event occurs; sending a boot status signal to the computer, the boot status signal identifying which one of a plurality of distinct boot processes the computer is to perform; booting the computer in accordance with the identified boot process; loading the application into a main memory of the computer; and executing the application on the computer. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification