WO2002035365A1

WO2002035365A1 - System and method for dynamically controlling a computer sub-system using a portable content device

Info

Publication number: WO2002035365A1
Application number: PCT/US2001/045118
Authority: WO
Inventors: John H. Mallard, Iii; Sanjeev Kumar
Original assignee: PortalPlayer Inc
Current assignee: PortalPlayer Inc
Priority date: 2000-10-27
Filing date: 2001-10-24
Publication date: 2002-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 2003-04-27
Also published as: AU2002227080A1

Abstract

A system and method for permitting a portable music device (18) to operate one or more sub-systems of a computer system (10) permits the portable device to use the capabilities and resources of the computer to play audio files.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DYNAMICALLY CONTROLLING A COMPUTER SUB-SYSTEM USING A PORTABLE CONTENT DEVICE

The present invention relates to portable content devices, and more particularly, to dynamically controlling a computer sub-system using such devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Portable content devices, such as portable digital music players, have become very popular. Typically, a user of one of these portable devices must hook the portable device up to a personal computer using a typical cable in order to transfer data between the device and the computer. For example, in the context of a portable music player, a user typically connects the player to the universal serial bus (USB) port of a personal computer with a physical cable in order to download new digital songs from the personal computer onto the portable device.

Unfortunately, portable content devices, such as digital music players, normally utilize the various sub-systems (e.g., audio, video, etc.) of the computer that they are connected with in order to play the content stored thereon. For example, in the context of a portable digital music player, the player would utilize the audio sub-system of the connected computer in order to play the music content stored thereon. This generally requires the user's computer to be physically switched on, thereby providing power to all of the computer's sub-systems, not just the sub-systems used by the portable content device. Unfortunately, this results in an inefficient usage of energy by the computer, since power is also being provided by the computer to non-utilized sub-systems. It would be desirable to utilize only the sub-systems needed by a portable content device, while allowing the remaining sub-systems to be maintained in a non-active (very low powered) state.

Thus, there is a need in the art for a system and method that affords dynamic control of a computer's sub-systems by a connected portable content device, thereby allowing the portable content device to activate only those needed computer sub-systems to play the content media. It is to these ends that the present invention is directed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A portable content device may be connected with a computer system and data may be transmitted between the device and the computer system via the interconnecting cable or other interface. In addition, in accordance with the invention, connecting the portable content device with the computer system may also enable the portable content device to dynamically control different sub-systems of the computer. Once connected, the portable device may access only those computer sub-systems needed to execute the content stored thereon, such as the computer's audio sub-system, for example. All of the computer's subsystems need not be in an activate state. Advantageously, non-utilized computer sub- systems may remain inactive (suspended), thereby achieving a significant reduction in the power used by the computer while executing the device content.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a diagram of a system for dynamically controlling a computer's subsystems by a portable content device in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a respective block diagram of the computer of Fig. 1 showing different computer sub-systems that may be activated by the portable content device;

Fig. 3 is an alternative embodiment of a system for dynamically controlling a computer's sub-systems by an interface component in accordance with the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for dynamically controlling a computer's sub-systems by a portable content device in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Fig. 1 is a diagram of system for dynamically controlling a computer's sub-systems by a portable content device in accordance with the invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the system includes a computer 10, such as a personal desktop computer, or a portable computer, such as a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a PDA device, or any other similar computing device. The computer 10 may include a display device 12, a CPU unit 14, one or more user input devices, such as a mouse 16 and a keyboard 18 and may also include a network communications port 20 for communicating with additional devices over a network, such as the Internet. The computer 10 may also include a device communications port 22, such as a serial, parallel, infra-red, or universal serial bus communications port, for communicating with other local devices, such as a printer (not shown), a personal digital assistant (not shown), or a portable content device 24, and one or more speakers 26 for enabling sounds to be output therefrom.

The CPU unit 14 may house a permanent storage system 28, such as a hard disk drive, optical disk drive, tape drive, or the like, which may store one or more software applications for operating the computer 10. Examples of software applications that may be stored on the permanent storage system 28 may include an operating system such as Windows or Mac OS, for example, various word processing, multimedia, and database applications, entertainment applications, network communications applications, such as a web browser software application, etc. 1^'he computer 10 may also have a resident memory 30 and the various software applications from the disk 28 may be transferred to the memory 30 to be executed by a CPU 32.

In accordance with the invention, a portable content device 24 may be connected with the computer 10. The portable content device 24 may include its own device communications port 22 and may be connected with the computer by physically attaching a cable 34 to the respective device communication ports 22 on the portable content device 24 and the computer 10, or by using other communication means, such as a wireless interface, for example. Data may be transmitted between the device 24 and the computer 10 via the interconnecting cable 34 or other interface. The portable content device 24 may also include its own resident memory 36, such as a flash memory, for example, for temporarily storing the data received from the computer 10. The portable content device 24 may be powered by a battery (not shown) or other similar powering means, and may also include one or more software applications 38 for operating the portable content device 24 in accordance with the invention that may be executed by a CPU therein 39.

Connecting the portable content device 24 with the computer 10 allows data, such as music files for example, to be transmitted between the portable content device 24 and the computer 10. In addition, in accordance with the invention, connecting the portable content device 24 with the computer 10 may also enable the portable content device 24 to dynamically control different sub-systems of the computer 10. This dynamic control capability is described in more detail below.

Fig. 2 is a representative block diagram of the computer of Fig. 1 showing different sub-systems of the computer 10 that may be activated by the portable content device 24 in accordance with the invention. As shown, the computer 10 may include a power subsystem 40, such as including the computer's power supply (not shown) and fan unit (not shown), a storage sub-system 42, such as including the computer's permanent storage system 28, a video sub-system 44, such as including the computer's video processor (not shown) and other video processing hardware/software, an audio sub-system 46, such as including the computer's audio processor and other audio processing hardware/software (not shown), and an I/O sub-system 48, such as including the computer's I/O hardware/software (not shown). In combination, the above sub-systems (as well as others) comprise a conventional computer system.

Generally, when a computer system is activated, each of the computer's subsystems are powered, and may be readily accessed by the computer at any time. In order to conserve power and energy, techniques have been developed to "suspend" operation of (provide very low power to) certain of the computer's sub-systems when not being used. Typically, such sub-systems are effectively powered down and are inactive (although a very low amount of power is provided to the sub-systems). In order to access these "suspended" sub-systems, they must be re-activated. That is, the power level to these subsystems needs to be increased to reactivate the sub-systems. Once fully powered, the subsystems may be readily accessed by the computer.

In accordance with the invention, the portable content device 24 can dynamically control a connected computer's sub-systems, such as those shown in Fig. 2. To accomplish this dynamic control, the portable content device 24 may interact with the operating system of the computer for a Windows-based system in order to control particular sub-systems of the computer when the computer has been powered down. In the alternative, the commands for controlling the sub-systems of the computer system may be mapped into memory to permit control of those sub-systems. For example, the FAT table from the file system may be mapped into memory so that other systems may determine the location of files on the hard disk drive even if the operating system is not active.

The following exemplary description contextualizes the above detailed description as relating to a portable music device. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other peripheral devices may be utilized without departing from the invention. A portable music device may be connected with a computer as described above. Once connected, the portable music device may access only those computer sub-systems needed to play the music stored thereon, such as the computer's audio sub-system, for example. All of the computer's sub-systems need not be in an activate state. Advantageously, non-utilized computer sub-systems may remain inactive (suspended), thereby achieving a significant reduction in the power used by the computer while playing the music content.

Fig. 3 is an alternative embodiment of the system in accordance with the invention. The system shown in Fig. 3 is similar to that of Fig. 1, and like elements are represented by like reference numbers and need not be described. In Fig. 3, the portable content device 24 (Fig. 1) is embodied as an interface component 50 coupled with the computer's motherboard. Although embodied differently, the interface component 50 is capable of operating in accordance with the invention as described above. Thus, only those computer sub-systems needed to play the content stored thereon need be accessed and the remaining computer sub-systems may remain inactive (suspended), thereby affording a significant reduction in the power used by the computer while playing the content.

Fig. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for dynamically controlling a computer's sub-systems in accordance with the invention. In step 40, the portable music device may be electrically connected (docked) to the computer as is well known. In step 42, the portable music device may access the music sub-systems of the computer. In step 44, the portable music device may retrieve the music information from the computer and then play the music through the computer's audio sub-system in step 46.

While the foregoing has been described with reference to particular embodiments of the invention, such as a system and method for dynamically controlling a connected computer's sub-systems, the invention is not limited to such embodiments and may be applicable to any system capable of performing the described advantages. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes in these embodiments may be made without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a computer system having one or more sub-systems, comprising: connecting a device to the computer system; and accessing one or more predetermined sub-systems of the computer system directly by the device to use the functionality of the sub-systems.