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| United States Patent |
6,658,576 |
| Lee |
December 2, 2003 |
Energy-conserving communication apparatus selectively switching
between a main processor with main operating instructions and keep-alive
processor with keep-alive operating instruction
Abstract
An energy-conserving computer or information communication apparatus
comprising keep-alive communication circuitry, keep-alive memory circuitry,
keep-alive control means, and keep-alive operating instructions for establishing
instant communications without consuming main energy. Preferably, a power source
carried on a signal-transmitting phone line or cable is used as keep-alive
power. Also provided is an energy-conserving operating system capable of
entering an energy-conserving operating state in addition to the normal
operating state and the sleep, off, or standby state. Consequently, for the
first time, the energy-conserving communication apparatuses or computers can
stay normally offline (like telephones) for establishing instant and universal
communications therebetween via the Internet, and allow to proceed with the
download of communication information in the energy-conserving operating state
similar to the conventional sleep state, without entering the power-consuming
normal operating state.
| Inventors: |
Lee; Howard Hong-Dough (Bloomfield, MI)
|
| Assignee: |
SmartPower Corporation (Bloomfield, MI)
|
| Appl. No.: |
409017 |
| Filed: |
September 29, 1999 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
713/320 ; 713/1; 713/2;
713/300; 713/322; 713/323; 713/324 |
| Current International Class:
|
G06F 1/32 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
713/300,320,323,324,330,340,1,2,322
|
References Cited [Referenced
By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
De, V.; Borkar, S.; "Technology and design challenges
fro low power and high performance", Low Power Electronics and Design,
1999, Proceedings. 1999 International Symposium on , Aug. 16-17, 1999,
Pages(s): 163-168.. |
Primary Examiner: Lee;
Thomas
Assistant Examiner: Trujillo; James K.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An energy-conserving computer remotely
reachable for establishing instant communications, comprising: (a) a switchable
power-supply system comprising switching means, for selectively providing
switchable main power; (b) a group of switchable circuit means in power
connection with said switchable power-supply system, said group of switchable
circuit means comprising main microprocessor circuitry, nonvolatile memory
storage and a set of main operating instructions; (c) a keep-alive power-supply
system for providing keep-alive DC power; (d) a group of keep-alive circuit
means in power connection with said keep-alive power-supply system, said group
of circuit means comprising a keep-alive communication circuit, keep-alive
memory circuitry, and keep-alive control means; and (e) keep-alive operating
instructions stored in said keep-alive memory circuitry; whereby said keep-alive
operating instructions are provided for allowing said keep-alive control means
to request said keep-alive communication circuit to detect a communication
signal in a keep-alive state in which said switchable power-supply system is
deactivated for not supplying said switchable main power to the group of said
switchable circuit means.
2. The energy-conserving computer of claim 1,
wherein said keep-alive communication circuit is adapted to comprise circuitry
means for performing conversion between digital and analog signals in said
keep-alive state.
3. The energy-conserving computer of claim 1, wherein
said keep-alive control means is adapted to comprise keep-alive microprocessor
circuitry for controlling said keep-alive communication circuit and said
keep-alive memory circuitry to respectively receive and store incoming
information having a size smaller than a storage size available on said
keep-alive memory circuitry, so as to render said energy-conserving computer
reachable and operable for establishing instant communications in said
keep-alive state.
4. The energy-conserving computer of claim 1, wherein
said keep-alive operating instructions are provided for allowing said keep-alive
control means to activate said switchable power-supply system to supply said
switchable power selectively (i) if in response to detection of said
communication signal, no communication link is able to be established within a
predetermined period of time, (ii) if said nonvolatile memory storage needs to
be accessed, or (iii) if a manual power-up signal is detected.
5. The
energy-conserving computer of claim 1, wherein said group of switchable circuit
means further comprises a switchable communication circuit rendered actuatable
in response to said communication signal for establishing communication with a
remote communication system.
6. The energy-conserving computer of claim
1, wherein said group of switchable circuit means further comprises volatile
memory circuitry for storing information randomly accessible to said main
microprocessor circuitry and wherein said keep-alive operating instructions
comprise task information readily available to said keep-alive control means for
restoring previous task activity from said nonvolatile memory storage to said
volatile memory circuitry when said switchable power-supply system is activated.
7. The energy-conserving computer of claim 1, (a) wherein said group of
switchable circuit means further comprises volatile memory circuitry for storing
information randomly accessible to said main microprocessor circuitry and (b)
wherein said switchable power-supply system is adapted to independently provide
(i) a first power supply to said volatile memory circuitry and said main
microprocessor circuitry and (ii) a second power supply to said nonvolatile
memory storage, so as to allow said energy-conserving computer to direct
information retrieval and storage only on said volatile memory circuitry for
gaining full operating speed.
8. The energy-conserving computer of claim
1, (a) wherein said group of switchable circuit means further comprises volatile
memory circuitry for storing information randomly accessible to said main
microprocessor circuitry, (b) wherein said switchable power-supply system is
adapted to receive AC power from an external AC-power source and to
independently provide (i) a first switchable power supply to said volatile
memory circuitry and said main microprocessor circuitry and (ii) a second
switchable power supply to said nonvolatile memory storage, and (c) wherein said
keep-alive power-supply system comprises a battery power source arranged to
provide backup DC power to said switchable power-supply system when said AC
power is suddenly absent, so as to allow said energy-conserving computer to
safely direct information retrieval and storage only on said volatile memory
circuitry for gaining full operating speed.
9. The energy-conserving
computer of claim 1, wherein said group of switchable circuit means further
comprises means actuatable for dissipating heat.
10. The
energy-conserving computer of claim 1, wherein said group of switchable circuit
means further comprises cooling means for selectively dissipating heat, and
wherein said switching means is adapted to comprise a relay rendered
temperature-sensitive for supplying a switchable power supply from said
switchable power-supply system to said cooling means only when the temperature
inside said energy-conserving computer exceeds a preset value.
11. The
energy-conserving computer of claim 1, wherein said switchable power is selected
from the group consisting of AC power, regulated DC power, DC power, and their
combinations.
12. The energy-conserving computer of claim 1, wherein
said keep-alive power-supply system comprises means for providing said
keep-alive DC power from a power source selected from the group consisting of a
signal-transmitting medium carrying keep-alive power, an external AC-power
source, battery, rechargeable battery, fuel-cell means, and their combinations.
13. The energy-conserving computer of claim 1, wherein said switchable
power-supply system and said keep-alive power-supply system further comprise
separate power sources each selected from the group consisting of an external
AC-power source, battery, rechargeable battery, fuel-cell means, and their
combinations for respectively providing said switchable power and said
keep-alive DC power.
14. An energy-conserving communication apparatus
remotely reachable for establishing instant communications, comprising: (a) a
switchable power-supply system comprising switching means, for selectively
providing switchable power to a main circuit means utilizing a set of main
operating instructions; (b) a keep-alive power-supply system connectable with a
signal-transmitting medium that carries a keep-alive power source, for providing
keep-alive power from said keep-alive power source to a keep-alive circuit means
utilizing a set of keep-alive operating instructions; and (c) said keep-alive
circuit means in power connection with said keep-alive power-supply system,
comprising (i) a keep-alive communication circuit coupled to said
signal-transmitting medium, and (ii) keep-alive control means for controlling an
activity of said switching means, so as to enter a keep-alive state in which
said switchable power-supply system is deactivated while said keep-alive
communication circuit remains operable for detecting a communication signal
initiated from a remote communication system.
15. The energy-conserving
communication apparatus of claim 14, wherein said signal-transmitting medium is
selected from the group consisting of at least one cable, coaxial cable, optical
fiber, hybrid fiber coaxial cable, CATV cable, and their combinations each being
utilized for carrying a respective keep-alive power source and communication
signal.
16. The energy-conserving communication apparatus of claim 14,
wherein said keep-alive power-supply system comprises an additional power source
selected from the group consisting of battery, rechargeable battery, and their
combinations for supplying backup DC power.
17. The energy-conserving
communication apparatus of claim 14, wherein said switchable power is selected
from the group consisting of AC power, regulated DC power, DC power, and their
combinations.
18. The energy-conserving communication apparatus of claim
14, wherein said switchable power-supply system further comprises means for
providing said switchable power from a power source selected from the group
consisting of an external AC-power source, battery, rechargeable battery,
fuel-cell means, and their combinations.
19. The energy-conserving
communication apparatus of claim 14 further comprising a group of switchable
circuit means in power connection with said switchable power-supply system,
wherein said group of switchable circuit means comprises main microprocessor
circuitry and nonvolatile memory storage operable when said switchable
power-supply system is activated for providing said switchable power.
20. The energy-conserving communication apparatus of claim 14 further
comprising a group of switchable circuit means in power connection with said
switchable power-supply system, wherein said group of switchable circuit means
comprises means actuatable in response to said communication signal for printing
incoming information.
21. The energy-conserving communication apparatus
of claim 14 further comprising a group of switchable circuit means in power
connection with said switchable power-supply system, wherein said group of
switchable circuit means comprises means actuatable for dissipating heat.
22. The energy-conserving communication apparatus of claim 14 further
comprising a group of switchable circuit means in power connection with said
switchable power-supply system, wherein said group of switchable circuit means
comprises cooling means for selectively dissipating heat, and wherein said
switching means is adapted to comprise a relay rendered temperature-sensitive
for supplying a switchable power supply from said switchable power-supply system
to said cooling means only when the temperature inside said energy-conserving
communication apparatus exceeds a preset value.
23. The
energy-conserving communication apparatus of claim 14 further comprising a group
of switchable circuit means in power connection with said switchable
power-supply system, wherein said group of switchable circuit means comprises a
switchable communication circuit coupled to said signal-transmitting medium and
rendered actuatable for establishing communication in response to detection of
said communication signal.
24. The energy-conserving communication
apparatus of claim 14 further comprising a group of switchable circuit means in
power connection with said switchable power-supply system, wherein said group of
switchable circuit means comprises a switchable communication circuit coupled to
said signal-transmitting medium, and wherein said group of keep-alive circuit
means further comprises (i) keep-alive memory circuitry and (ii) keep-alive
operating instructions stored in said keep-alive memory circuitry for allowing
said keep-alive control means to request said keep-alive communication circuit
to detect said communication signal in a keep-alive state and to actuate said
switchable communication circuit for establishing communication in detection of
said communication signal.
25. An energy-conserving operating system
comprising the steps of: (a) activating a set of keep-alive operating
instructions for providing an energy-conserving operation that utilizes
keep-alive microprocessor circuitry; (b) powering up to provide a main operation
that utilizes main microprocessor circuitry and a set of main operating
instructions, if detecting a power-up signal; and (c) powering down to provide
said energy-conserving operation in which said main microprocessor circuitry is
deactivated, if detecting a power-down signal; wherein said keep-alive operating
instructions provide said energy-conserving operation requiring less computation
power as compared with said main operating instructions.
26. The
energy-conserving operating system of claim 25, wherein said set of keep-alive
operating instructions is adapted to comprise a communication program operable
in said energy-conserving operation for requesting a keep-alive communication
circuit to be activated for detecting a ring signal.
27. The
energy-conserving operating system of claim 25, wherein said set of main
operating instructions is adapted to comprise a communication program operable
in said main operation for requesting a communication circuit to be activated
for detecting a ring signal.
28. The energy-conserving operating system
of claim 25, wherein said activating is adapted to load said set of keep-alive
instructions to keep-alive random-access-memory circuitry and wherein said
powering up is adapted to restore said main operating instructions from
nonvolatile memory storage to main random-access-memory circuitry.
29.
The energy-conserving operating system of claim 25, wherein said activating is r
adapted to load said set of keep-alive instructions to a predetermined region of
keep-alive random-access-memory modules that can be continuously kept alive, and
wherein said powering up is adapted to restore said main operating instructions
from nonvolatile memory storage to another predetermined region of
random-access-memory modules that can be powered selectively up or down.
30. The energy-conserving operating system of claim 25, wherein said set
of keep-alive operating instructions is adapted to create keep-alive task
information for restoring previous task activity when said powering up is
executed, said keep-alive task information being created, updated, and saved to
keep-alive random-access-memory circuitry before said powering down is executed.
31. The energy-conserving operating system of claim 25, wherein said set
of keep-alive operating instructions is adapted to create keep-alive task
information for restoring previous task activity when said powering up is
executed, said keep-alive task information being created, updated, and saved to
keep-alive random-access-memory circuitry and nonvolatile memory storage before
said powering down is executed.
32. The energy-conserving operating
system of claim 25, wherein said activating is adapted to load said set of
keep-alive instructions to keep-alive random-access-memory circuitry and wherein
said powering up is adapted to enter (i) a first operating state in which said
set of main operating instructions will be restored via actuating nonvolatile
memory storage for retrieving information therefrom to main random-access-memory
circuitry, (ii) a second operating state in which information retrieval and
storage will be limited to only said main random-access-memory circuitry, so as
to execute said main operating instructions at full operating speed, and (iii) a
third operating state in which any newly modified files will be stored from said
main random-access-memory circuitry to said nonvolatile memory storage in
detection of said power-down signal.
33. The energy-conserving operating
system of claim 25, wherein said powering down and said powering up are adapted
respectively to deactivate and to activate a switchable power-supply system for
not providing and for providing power to a plurality of circuit means including
said main microprocessor circuitry and nonvolatile memory utilized for providing
said main operation, so as to provide said energy-conserving operation and said
main operation, respectively.
34. The energy-conserving operating system
of claim 25, wherein said powering down is adapted to be executed after any
newly modified files are stored to nonvolatile memory storage.
35. The
energy-conserving operating system of claim 25 further comprising a step of
allocating part of keep-alive random-access-memory circuitry for storing
incoming information to be received in said energy-conserving operation.
36. The energy-conserving operating system of claim 25 further
comprising a step of powering up to a communication state in which a switchable
power-supply system is activated to provide a switchable power supply only to a
switchable communication circuit and nonvolatile memory storage for respectively
receiving and storing incoming information to be received, if only a ring signal
is detected.
37. The energy-conserving operating system of claim 25
further comprising the steps of (i) allowing a user to request a forwarding or
routing service, and (ii) if said forward or routing service is requested,
initiating another communication link to another remote communication apparatus
accordingly.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally
to the field of information communications and more particularly to
energy-conserving information communication apparatuses (including computers)
kept alive through the least amount of energy technologically possible for
establishing instant communications, to an energy-conserving operating system
operable between an energy-conserving and a main operating state, to in Internet
service provider or Internet communication system for providing requested
communications, and to the methods therefor, so as to allow the
energy-conserving information communication apparatuses to stay connected via
the Internet, yet without requiring to stay online as seen in the conventional
practice.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A modern computer system
is mostly equipped with a modem for sending and receiving facsimile information
as well as for gaining access to the Internet. Thus far, however, it cannot
replace a typical fax machine because of its inconvenience in usage and
inefficiency in power consumption. Inconvenience in usage is directly associated
with the booting process of computer from a power-off state to an operating
state, which is time consuming. In contrast, any fax machine is readily operable
for receiving or transmitting facsimile information. With respect to power
consumption, a conventional fax machine requires roughly 10 watts of power in
order to maintain its standby state for detecting an incoming call. Much higher
power consumption is expected for maintaining a conventional computer system at
a corresponding standby state, in which its power supply unit (including a
cooling fan), motherboard (including expansion cards), hard-disk drive, CD
drive, and monitor will all incur various degrees of energy waste and will also
reduce mechanical/electronic life expectancy due to mechanical rotation.
Recently, a great deal of effort has been made to conserve power usage
in information-processing apparatuses, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,491,721 and
5,588,054 dealing with modems, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,713 dealing with computer
systems. The prior arts basically improve power utilization after AC power is
converted to regulated DC power through utilizing a power management processor
to place a computer system selectively between a normal state and a standby
state. However, improvement of a modem or a power-supply unit alone can neither
enable a whole computer to operate more power-efficiently nor resolve the
inconvenience mentioned hereinabove.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,524 suggests a
power supply system utilizing a command supply (i.e., switchable) to power both
a fan and peripherals, which may not be desirable in view of U.S. Pat. No.
5,513,361 describing a fan controllable to dissipate heat discharged from its
host CPU (central processing unit). Similar to other prior arts, U.S. Pat. No.
5,579,524 also defines that its standby state represents the lowest power
consumption mode for a computer system, equivalent to turning the computer off,
and thus a user should save work in progress, close applications, and exit to
the system prompt. In accordance with the conventional practice, consequently,
no previous task or activity is restorable or resumable once a computer system
enters the conventional standby state. To the contrary, it is highly desirable
to maintain an application software program active so as to allow a computer
system to be instantaneously and remotely accessible for receiving facsimile
information once an incoming call is detected and so as to enable a user to
instantaneously continue his/her unfinished tasks or files without reloading the
software and the files. These features are attainable for a conventional
computer continuously maintained at a sleep mode, but at the cost of incurring
substantial energy waste as well as mechanical/electronic failure.
While
U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,524 deals with supplying main power selectively to a system
board as a whole, U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,694 discloses a new keyboard with a power
control key and suggests that its system board is divided into three zones
energized respectively by battery power, standby power, and main power. The
former affords neither power conserving nor instantaneous accessibility because
its system board as a whole is energized and de-energized, respectively. On the
other hand, the latter defines that the elements energized selectively by main
power are standard sub-system (such as RAMs, ROMs, disc drives), expansion
buses, etc. Removal of the main power will save energy, but will also totally
vaporize all vital information stored in the RAMs. As a result, any conventional
computer needs to go through the booting procedure in order to re-find all of
the necessary addresses from a hard-disk drive for reloading previously loaded
software programs back to the RAMs. Because the booting procedure is
timeconsuming, no conventional computer is instantaneously accessible for
establishing communication once entering the conventional standby state.
Also well known is that a conventional PC power supply can only be
turned on or off manually for either supplying or not supplying power. If to be
idled for a prolonged period of time, a computer should be manually turned off
rather than placed into a sleep mode in accordance with the conventional
practice utilized in the Microsoft's window operating system that is clearly
embodied in a familiar screen display "It's now safe to turn off your computer."
Once turned off, however, it is simply inoperable. On the other hand, once
turned on, it will continuously incur energy waste and shorten the life
expectancy of a cooling fan even in the sleep mode.
It is the
conventional practice from which communications between personal computers (PCs)
and the Internet has thus evolved. However, the Internet allows only a PC to
initiate a communication link to an Internet server for retrieving information
therefrom or for transmitting e-mails therethrough, which is considered to be a
passive mode of communications. Specifically, any e-mail has to send to a POP
(post office protocol) server for storage and to idle therein for manual
retrieval. In other words, the conventional practice does not allow anyone to be
notified with the arrival of an e-mail unless he/she occurs to log onto the POP
server. Likewise, even based on gateway software, the service of "instant
message" offered by America Online Inc. is workable only for the PCs that are
powered on and stayed online. The latter requires that a phone line be
continuously occupied, which is impractical. Although communications between PCs
may be achieved through a software program called Symantec PC anywhere, it is
required that the conventional PCs be manually powered on for each use, which is
also impractical and unacceptable as compared with the phone system. Another
conventional example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,671 discloses a system for
controlling data access in a computer network, in which a server is able to
register "a virtual telephone call" from a subscriber telephone number to a
service telephone number associated with the requested data stored in the server
so as to bill the subscriber for his/her access at a preset charge. Because the
data are stored in the server or the Internet, the virtual telephone call and
utility of the prior patent are used only for establishing the charge, not for
establishing communication with another client or PC. In essence, the
conventional practice does not allow any power-off or even offline PCs to
receive any information from the Internet, not mention to communicate directly
with each other.
My allowed prior patent application (Ser. No.
09/026,032, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,175) discloses an energy-conserving
power-supply system having keep-alive power and a control system for actuating
the supply of either main DC power or AC power so as to maximize energy savings.
My other patent application (Ser. No. 09/293,089, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,354)
takes consideration of the shortcomings of the prior art mentioned hereinabove,
providing a new type of line-operated or battery-operated computer for achieving
not only optimized energy savings and extended battery life but instantaneous
and remote accessibility, thus totally eliminating conventional, time-consuming,
manual shutdown and booting processes, for the first time. The present
application takes a further step to give birth to a next-generation information
communication system or computer remotely reachable for establishing instant
communications just like telephones. Not only will my present application allow
the energy-conserving information communication apparatuses or computers to stay
connected in a globe scale for establishing instant and direct communications,
but it will greatly contribute to energy savings in view of their mass market.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a first primary preferred
embodiment of the present invention is to provide an energy-conserving computer
system remotely reachable for establishing instant communications, comprising
(a) switchable power-supply system comprising switching means for selectively
distributing switchable power; (b) a group of switchable circuits coupled to the
switchable power-supply system, comprising a main microprocessor and nonvolatile
memory storage; (c) keep-alive power-supply system for continuously distributing
keep-alive power; (d) a group of keep-alive circuits coupled to the keep-alive
power-supply system, comprising keep-alive memory means, a keep-alive
communication circuit, and keep-alive control means; and (e) keep-alive
operating instructions provided for allowing the keep-alive control means to
request the keep-alive communication circuit to detect a communication signal in
a keep-alive state in which the switchable power-supply system is deactivated
for conserving energy. The keep-alive communication circuit may be adapted to
comprise circuitry means for performing data conversion between digital and
analog signals in the keep-alive state. Preferably, the keep-alive control means
is adapted to comprise a keep-alive microprocessor for controlling the
keep-alive communication circuit and the keep-alive memory circuitry to
respectively receive and store any incoming information having a size smaller
than a storage size available on the keep-alive memory circuitry, so as to
render the energy-conserving computer reachable and operable for establishing
instant communication in the keep-alive state. The keep-alive operating
instructions are provided for allowing the keep-alive control means to activate
the switchable power-supply system to supply the switchable power to the main
microprocessor selectively (i) if in response to detection of the communication
signal, no communication link is able to be established within a predetermined
period of time, (ii) if the nonvolatile memory storage needs to be accessed, or
(iii) if a manually-activated power-up signal is detected. The group of
switchable circuit means preferably comprises selectively (i) a switchable
communication circuit rendered actuatable in response to the communication
signal for establishing communication with a remote communication system, (ii)
volatile memory storage for loading information randomly accessible to the main
microprocessor, (iii) means actuatable for dissipating heat, and/or (iv)
temperature-sensitive cooling means. Preferably, the keep-alive operating
instructions stored in the keep-alive memory means comprise task information
readily available to the keep-alive control means for restoring a plurality of
main tasks from the nonvolatile memory storage to the volatile memory storage
when the switchable power-supply system is activated for providing the
switchable power. The switchable power may be AC power, regulated DC power, DC
power, and their combinations. On the other hand, the keep-alive DC power may be
provided or generated from a power source selected from the group consisting of
a signal-transmitting medium carrying keep-alive power, an external AC-power
source, battery, rechargeable battery, fuel-cell means, and their combinations.
Preferably, the switchable power-supply system and the keep-alive power-supply
system comprise separate power sources for providing the switchable power or the
keep-alive DC power, so that power is always available from one source or
another. In short, the energy-conserving computer system not only is remotely
accessible at any time but conserves energy to the greatest extent.
A
second primary preferred embodiment of the present invention is to provide an
energy-conserving communication apparatus remotely reachable for establishing
instant communications, comprising (a) a switchable power-supply system
comprising switching means for selectively providing switchable power; (b) a
keep-alive power-supply system connectable with a signal-transmitting medium
(such as a cable, optical fiber, hybrid fiber coaxial cable, CATV cable, and
their combinations) that carries a keep-alive power source, for providing
keep-alive power from the keep-alive power source; and (c) a group of keep-alive
circuit means coupled to the keep-alive power-supply system, comprising (i) a
keep-alive communication circuit coupled to the signal-transmitting medium, and
(ii) keep-alive control means for controlling an activity of the switching
means, so as to allow the energy-conserving communication apparatus to enter a
keep-alive state in which the switchable power-supply system is deactivated
while the keep-alive communication circuit remains operable for detecting a
communication signal initiated from a remote communication system. The
keep-alive power-supply system may further comprise an additional power source
of battery for supplying backup keep-alive DC power. The switchable power may be
AC power, regulated DC power, DC power, and their combinations provided or
generated from a power source selected from the group consisting of an external
AC-power source, battery, rechargeable battery, fuel-cell means, and their
combinations. The energy-conserving communication apparatus may further comprise
a group of switchable circuit means coupled to the switchable power-supply
system, selectively including (i) a main microprocessor and nonvolatile memory
storage operable when the switchable power-supply system is activated for
providing the switchable power, (ii) means actuatable in response to the
communication signal for printing incoming information, (iii) means actuatable
(or temperature-sensitive) for dissipating heat, and/or (iv) a switchable
communication circuit coupled to the signal-transmitting medium and rendered
actuatable for establishing communication in response to detection of the
communication signal. Preferably, the group of keep-alive circuit means further
comprises (i) keep-alive memory circuitry and (ii) keep-alive operating
instructions stored in the keep-alive memory circuitry for allowing the
keep-alive control means to request the keep-alive communication circuit to
detect the communication signal in a keep-alive state and to actuate the
switchable communication circuit for establishing communication in detection of
the communication signal. Accordingly, the energy-conserving communication
apparatus is rendered remotely reachable for establishing instant communication
utilizing only the power source of a typical phone line, for the first time.
A third primary preferred embodiment of the present invention is to
provide an energy-conserving operating system capable of selectively performing
a keep-alive (or energy-conserving) operation and a main (or normal) operation.
Specifically, comprised are the steps of (a) activating a set of keep-alive
operating instructions continuously operable for governing when to activate a
set of main operating instructions that requires more random access memory than
the set of keep-alive operating instructions, so as to selectively enter an
energy-conserving state and a main operating state; (b) powering down to the
energy-conserving state in which the set of main operating instructions is
rendered inoperable, if selectively detecting no activity for a preset period of
time or detecting a power-down signal; and (c) powering up to the main operating
state in which the set of main operating instructions is rendered operable, if
detecting a power-up signal. Preferably, the set of keep-alive operating
instructions is adapted to comprise a communication program operable in the
energy-conserving state and/or the main operating state for requesting a
keep-alive communication circuit to be activated for detecting a ring signal.
The activating is adapted to load the set of keep-alive instructions to
keep-alive random-access-memory circuitry (especially to a predetermined region
or address) and wherein the powering up is adapted to restore the main operating
instructions from nonvolatile memory storage to main random-access-memory
circuitry (especially to another predetermined region or address) that can be
powered selectively up or down. The set of keep-alive operating instructions is
adapted to create keep-alive task information for restoring previous task
activity when the powering up is executed, the keep-alive task information being
created, updated, and saved to keep-alive random-access-memory circuitry and/or
nonvolatile memory storage before the powering down is executed. Furthermore,
the powering up is adapted to enter (i) a first operating state in which the set
of main operating instructions will be restored via actuating nonvolatile memory
storage for retrieving information therefrom to main random-access-memory
circuitry, (ii) a second operating state in which information retrieval and
storage will be limited to only the main random-access-memory circuitry, so as
to execute the main operating instructions at full operating speed, and (iii) a
third operating state in which any newly modified files will be stored from the
main random-access-memory circuitry to the nonvolatile memory storage in
detection of the power-down signal. Preferably, the powering down and the
powering up are adapted respectively to deactivate and to activate a switchable
power-supply system for not providing and for providing power main
microprocessor circuitry and volatile memory circuitry utilized for execution of
the main operating instructions, so as to enter the energy-conserving state and
the main operating state, respectively. The powering down is further adapted to
be executed after any newly modified files are stored to nonvolatile memory
storage. Further comprised are (i) a step of allocating part of keep-alive
random-access-memory circuitry for storing incoming information to be received
in the energy-conserving state, (ii) a step of powering up to a communication
state in which a switchable power-supply system is activated to provide a
switchable power supply only to a switchable communication circuit and
nonvolatile memory storage for respectively receiving and storing incoming
information to be received, if only a ring signal is detected, and (iii) a step
of allowing a user to request a forwarding or routing service.
A fourth
primary preferred embodiment of the present invention is to provide an Internet
communication system comprising (a) communication means connected to the
Internet and rendered operable for sending a ring signal and thus for initiating
an outgoing communication link to an offline communication device; (b) a control
system for controlling operation of the communication means; and (c) operating
instructions available to the control system for requesting the communication
means to send the ring signal in accordance with a request submitted through an
incoming communication link from a remote communication device, so as to allow
the Internet communication system to provide requested communication from the
remote communication device to the offline remote communication device via the
Internet. Herein the offline remote communication device may be a server
computer, a desktop computer, a portable computer, a notebook computer, a
wireless phones, or a cellular phone each comprising a respective communication
circuit that stays normally in an offline state capable of receiving an incoming
ring signal. Preferably, the communication means comprises a communication-link
means such as a telephone line, cable, optical fiber, hybrid fiber coax,
cellular phone channel, satellite communication channel, wireless communication
channel, and their combinations, for initiating a plurality of the outgoing
communication links. The communication means is further adapted to comprise a
plurality of local communication circuitry connected to the Internet at separate
locations, each of the local communication circuitry being rendered operable for
initiating a plurality of the outgoing communication links and for establishing
another plurality of the incoming communication links. The operation
instructions are adapted to selectively comprise (i) a step of selecting one of
the local communication circuitry that is situated at a location with an area
code in accordance with the request to send the ring signal to the offline
remote communication device, or (ii) a step of automatically terminating the
outgoing communication link selectively if the remote communication device
terminates the incoming or the outgoing communication link, or if the Internet
communication system completes the sending of requested information to the
offline remote communication device and detects no activity on the outgoing
communication link for a preset period of time. The Internet communication
system may further comprise memory storage for storing information to be
transmitted between the remote communication device and the offline remote
communication device. The operating instructions are provided for requesting the
communication means to send a message to the offline remote communication device
through the outgoing communication link to instantly notify the delivering of
the information.
A fifth primary preferred embodiment of the present
invention is to provide a method for enabling an Internet service provider to
provide requested communications, comprising the steps of (a) providing
communication means operable (i) for establishing an incoming communication link
to the Internet when receiving an incoming ring signal from a remote
communication device and (ii) for initiating an outgoing communication link
through sending an outgoing ring signal to an offline remote communication
device; (b) providing a control system for controlling operation of the
communication means; and (c) providing operating instructions rendered available
to the control system for instructing the communication means to send the
outgoing ring signal and thus to initiate the outgoing communication link in
accordance with a request submitted from the remote communication device, so as
to allow the remote communication device to communicate with the offline remote
communication device via the Internet. The step of providing communication means
is adapted to provide a plurality of local communication circuitry connected to
the Internet at separate locations, each of the local communication circuitry
being further rendered operable for establishing a plurality of the incoming
communication links and for initiating another plurality of the outgoing
communication links. The step of providing operation instructions is adapted to
provide a step of selecting one of the local communication circuitry that is
situated at a location with an area code in accordance with the request to send
the outgoing ring signal to the offline remote communication device, at the rate
of a local call or a reduced rate. The method may further comprise a step of
providing a forwarding or routing service.
A sixth primary preferred
embodiment of the present invention is to provide a communication operating
system for enabling an Internet communication system to provide requested
communication links, the communication operating system comprising the steps of
(a) allowing the Internet communication system to establish a plurality of
incoming communication links each to be initiated by a remote communication
apparatus to access the Internet; (b) determining if the remote communication
apparatuses each submits a request for communicating further with an offline
communication apparatus; and (c) if yes, instructing the Internet communication
system to send an outgoing ring signal to a respective one of the offline
communication apparatuses accordingly so as to establish another plurality of
outgoing communication links. The communication operating system may further
afford a forwarding or routing service.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE
DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional computer.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an energy-conserving computer remotely
accessible for establishing instant and direct communications, in accordance
with a first primary preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG.
3 is a block diagram of an energy-conserving computer system comprising an
energy-conserving communication apparatus in accordance with a second primary
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram
of an energy-conserving communication device kept alive through the power
carried by a phone line in accordance with the second primary preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an
energy-conserving operating system operable selectively between a keep-live and
a main operating state, in accordance with a third primary preferred embodiment
of the present invention.
FIG 6 is a simplified diagram of an Internet
service provider rendered operable for initiating an outgoing communication link
to an offline remote communication device in accordance with fourth and fifth
primary prod embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart
of an ISP operating system used in conjunction with an ISP for allowing a
plurality of remote communication apparatuses to access another plurality of
offline remote communication apparatuses, in accordance with fifth and sixth
primary preferred embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In conventional practice, FIG.
1, a line-operated power-supply unit 110 utilized in a computer system 100
basically contains an AC-power receptacle 111, a manual power switch 112 for
manually inputting AC power (either 115 or 220 VAC) from a wall AC outlet (i.e.,
an external AC source) 103, an AC outlet 113 for outputting 115 VAC to power a
monitor 130 at the same time, a cooling fan 114, and a power circuit 105. Power
circuit 105 has several DC-power outputs (including .+-.12 VDC, .+-.5 VDC,
powergood, and ground lines) for supplying regulated DC power to a host computer
motherboard 120, a hard-disk drive 140, a CD drive 150, and a floppy-disk drive
160. In circuit communication with motherboard 120, each of the last three
drives receives +12 VDC and +5 VDC directly from power circuit 105. Motherboard
120 is mounted with a microprocessor (MPU) 121, read only memory (ROM) 122,
random-access memory (RAM) 123, a power management circuit (PMC) 124, an
internal modem 125, a sound card 126, a video card 127, and a battery 128. A fan
129 mounted on MPU 121 always keeps rotating in order to remove heat dissipated
from MPU 121. Motherboard 120 is also in circuit communication with a keyboard
170, a mouse 180, and a phone line 190. PMC 124 renders computer system 100
operable in several states including an off, standby, or suspended state for
conserving power.
In accordance with the conventional practice,
substantial energy waste is inevitable even if computer system 100 is placed in
its standby state. First, power-supply unit 110 has to continuously supply
regulated DC power to the entire circuitry of motherboard 120, including the
whole entity of MPU 121, all memory modules (RAM and ROM), all expansion slots
and respective expansion cards or boards 124-127. Second, the cooling fan for
dissipating heat generated by the power-supply unit is designed to rotate
continuously, once computer system 100 is turned on, thus incurring energy waste
even in the standby or off state. Third, regulated DC power is continuously
supplied to peripheral drives including hard-disk drive 140, CD drive 150, and
floppy-disk drive 160. Fourth, AC power output to an external line-operated
device (for example, monitor 130) is not signal actuatable; thus, energy waste
is inevitable not only within but outside the computer system, once AC power is
turned on. On the other hand, once entering the conventional power-off state,
computer system 100 receives no power and all information previously stored in
RAM will be lost totally. Consequently, no previous task is restorable or
resumable, even if computer system 100 can be remotely actuated.
Accordingly, a first primary preferred embodiments of the present
invention are to provide an energy-conserving computer remotely reachable for
establishing instant and direct communications.
Referring now to FIG. 2,
illustrated is a block diagram of an energy-conserving computer 200 basically
comprising an energy-conserving power-supply system 210 and an energy-conserving
motherboard 220. Comprised in energy-conserving power-supply system 210 are an
AC-power receptacle 211 for receiving AC power from a wall AC outlet 203 (i.e.,
an external AC source) and for supplying an AC-power supply 211A, a relay 213R
for distributing a switchable AC power supply 213S to an AC outlet 213, a
rechargeable battery 212, and a switchable power-supply circuit 214 for
providing regulated DC power (converted from AC power) to relays 214R and 215R
and for supplying a keep-alive power supply 214K to a keep-alive power connector
221K. Relays 213R, 214R and 215R are signal controllable respectively through
interface lines 213C, 214C and 215C that are in circuit communication with
keep-alive MP circuitry 222K of a microprocessor (or CPU) 222, thus capable of
receiving a control signal in a keep-alive state for actuating the distribution
of switchable AC power supply 213S, switchable DC-power supplies 214S and 215S.
Switchable DC-power supply 214S is further distributed to a plurality of outlets
including a power line 214M for supplying main DC power with various voltage
outputs to a main power connector 221M stationarily disposed on
energy-conserving motherboard 220, and power lines for energizing secondary
storage including a hard-disk drive 240, a CD drive 250, and a floppy-disk drive
260. On the other hand, relay 215R is provided for selectively distributing
switchable DC power 215S to cooling fans 219 and 229 (respectively enclosed in
energy-conserving power-supply system 210 and disposed on microprocessor 222).
Preferably, relay 215R is a thermostat (i.e., a temperature-sensitive switch)
arranged in such a manner as to be actuated at the time when detecting that the
temperature inside energy-conserving computer 200 or preferably microprocessor
222 exceeds a preset value. In any events, these additional relays allow the
activities of cooling fans 219 and 229 to be controlled separately from host and
peripheral devices including energy-conserving motherboard 220, hard-disk drive
240, CD drive 250, floppy-disk drive 260, a keyboard 285, and a mouse 280.
In brief, energy-conserving power-supply system 210 is rendered to
comprise keep-alive power-supply circuitry for continuously supplying
low-amperage DC power (e.g., 500 mA or less) and switchable power-supply
circuitry for selectively supplying high-amperage DC power (typically, from 1 to
24 A) only when needed.
Comprised in energy-conserving motherboard 220
are keep-alive power-supply circuitry 220K and switchable power-supply circuitry
220M, which is totally different from motherboard 120 in a conventional type
from the view point of power distributing and characteristics. More
specifically, energy-conserving motherboard 220 is afforded with keep-alive
power connector 221K for receiving keep-alive power supply 214K and with main
power connector 221M for receiving main DC power through power line 214M, so as
to limit keep-alive power consumption within the region defined by keep-alive
power-supply circuitry 220K. Further comprised in energy-conserving motherboard
220 are microprocessor 222 having keep-alive MP circuitry 222K and main MP
circuitry 222M, keep-alive memory modules 223K and main memory modules 223M,
keep-alive expansion slots 271K-273K and switchable expansion slots 274M-276M,
and jumpers 272J and 273J. Preferably, keep-alive MP circuitry 222K servers as a
center controller for controlling an activity of relays 213R-215R in the
keep-alive state. Keep-alive memory modules 223K and main memory modules 223M
may be rewritable random access memory (i.e., primary memory) that is fast in
speed but volatile in nature. However, because of being continuously powered,
keep-alive memory modules 223K become nonvolatile in effect. Preferably,
keep-alive memory modules 223K are SRAM (static random-access memory) chips or
modules and/or a combination of SRAM and ROM modules. Use of the SRAM modules
eliminates the need to refresh the contents of information stored therein many
times a second; thus, the task information needed to be kept alive can be
retained through power of a small battery during the keep-alive state. Use of
ROM chips or modules allows some preset basic operating instructions (such as a
flowchart to be discussed in FIG. 3) to be resident without loading software
each time. Jumpers 272J and 273J each with two pins respectively render
expansion slots 272K and 273K selectively alive (currently) and inactive (when
opened) in the keep-alive state, allowing the keep-alive and switchable
power-supply circuitry to be manually reconfigured at need.
Expansion
slots are input/output (I/O) connectors in effect. Modem and network cards can
be detachably established circuit connection with ISA-bus-type expansion slots
271K and 272K, so as to be kept alive for receiving facsimile information and
for being interfaced by a LAN (local area network). Another ISA-bus-type slot
276M can be used to detachably establish circuit connection with a 16-bit sound
card. Expansion slot 274M is of a PCI-bus type suitable for detachably
establishing circuit connection with a 32-bit PCI video card that is in circuit
connection further with a monitor 230 through a bus 230B. Thus, neither sound
card 276M, video card 274M nor empty bus slots is powered, thus totally
eliminating any power waste inevitably incurred by a conventional computer
placed in the conventional standby state.
Bus connectors are also I/O
connectors in nature. FIG. 2 shows that peripheral drives including hard-disk
drive 240, CD drive 250, and floppy-disk drive 260 are connected respectively
through buses 240B, 250B, and 260B to bus connectors that are part of switchable
power-supply circuitry 220M. On the other hand, a phone line 290 is coupled to a
modem card 281 disposed on slot 271K that is part of keep-alive power-supply
circuitry 220K. Also part of keep-alive power-supply circuitry 220K are
connectors currently connected by keyboard 285 and mouse 280.
All of the
elements or circuitry disposed on energy-conserving motherboard 220 can be
categorized into two groups, i.e., a group of keep-alive circuitry with
reference numerals ended with "K" (including keep-alive power connector 221K,
keep-alive MP circuitry 222K, keep-alive memory modules 223K, and keep-alive
expansion slots 271K-273K) and a group of switchable circuitry with reference
numerals ended with "M" (including main power connector 221M, main MP circuitry
222M, and switchable expansion slots 274M-276M). The group of keep-alive
circuitry includes not only keep-alive memory modules 223K but a CMOS clock
circuit (not shown) that is required for continuously providing a current time
and date, while the group of switchable circuitry is selectively energized by
switchable power-supply circuitry 220M only when needed. To facilitate
installation, the connectors or slots comprised in the keep-alive power-supply
circuitry (especially keep-alive power connector 221K, and slots 223K and
271K-273K) may be adapted into a green color, while the switchable power-supply
circuitry (especially main power connector 221M, slots 223M and 274M-276M) are
in red. Another alternative is to respectively label the power connectors and
slots, so as to render the keep-alive and the switchable connectors (or slots)
visually distinguishable from each other for the purpose of detachably
establishing circuit communication with corresponding keep-alive and switchable
circuit cards (including memory modules) properly.
Preferably, either
keep-alive memory modules 223K or nonvolatile memory storage such as hard-disk
drive 240 is adapted to comprise an area predefined specifically for storing
incoming information. Any transferring of the incoming information requires
going through a step of virus detection, so as to prevent spreading of virus, if
any, to other areas of the nonvolatile memory storage.
In brief,
energy-conserving motherboard 220 comprises (a) keep-alive power-supply
circuitry 220K for continuously distributing low-amperage keep-alive DC power to
at least one connector (or bus slot) each for detachably establishing circuit
communication with a circuit board (or a memory module) to be kept alive, (b) a
first group of circuitry in power connection with the keep-alive power-supply
circuitry, wherein the first group of circuitry includes keep-alive memory
(preferably, SRAM) for storing task information to be retained and preferably
keep-alive MP circuitry, (c) switchable power-supply circuitry 220M comprising
switching means for selectively supplying high-amperage regulated main DC power
(converted from AC power), only when needed, to a plurality of connectors for
detachably establishing circuit communication with circuit cards to be
selectively powered by the main DC power, and (d) a second group of circuitry in
power connection with the switchable power-supply circuitry, wherein the second
group of circuitry includes volatile memory and main MP circuitry that are known
to become increasingly power hungry. Accordingly, energy-conserving computer 200
becomes remotely accessible through a modem and instantaneously restorable to
resume previous activity, through use of the very least amount of power
technologically possible.
Keep-alive MP circuitry 222K renders
energy-conserving computer 200 controllable from the keep-alive state without
requiring additional hardware such as a power management circuit board utilized
in conventional practice. The keep-alive state of the present invention
possesses all functions available to a conventional operating state, yet
consumes power not much different from a conventional power-off state. In
contrast, a conventional computer in the power-off state is totally inaccessible
unless being manually powered up and going through a time-consuming booting
process.
Keep-alive memory modules 223K are provided for retaining task
information that renders energy-conserving computer 200 instantaneously
restorable especially to resume previous activity if detecting a signal from
mouse 280 or keyboard 285. In contrast, the conventional computer cannot retain
its previous activity once entering the power-off state and inevitably requires
a time-consuming booting process that is not practical for facsimile and
telephone-answering applications.
Referring now to FIG. 3, illustrated
is a second primary preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing an
energy-conserving computer 300 comprising basically an energy-conserving
communication 400 (to be detailed in FIG. 4) disposed on an energy-conserving
motherboard 320 coupled to an energy-conserving power-supply system 310.
Energy-conserving power-supply system 310 has various components nearly
identical to energy-conserving power-supply system 210 displayed in FIG. 2,
except for an additional relay 316R for providing a switchable power supply 316S
to a main power connector 321M. Relays 214R and 316R are controlled by a
keep-alive control circuit 430 (to be shown in FIG. 4) through interface lines
314C and 316C. Furthermore, energy-conserving motherboard 320 has a much limited
region of keep-alive power-supply circuitry 320K for distributing keep-alive
power to a manual-operable button 381 on a mouse 380 and a hybrid expansion slot
371 (having keep-alive and switchable portions 371K and 371M) for accommodating
energy-conserving communication apparatus 400.
The supply of separate
switchable power supplies to main memory modules 223M (i.e., volatile memory
storage) and main MP circuitry 322M and to hard-disk drive 240 (i.e.,
nonvolatile memory storage), and rechargeable battery 212 is arranged to provide
backup DC power to switchable power-supply circuitry 214 when the AC power is
suddenly absent, so as to allow energy-conserving computer 300 to "safely" gain
full operating speed via performing information retrieval and storage only on
the volatile memory storage. In contrast, operation of a conventional computer
requires that the process of information retrieval and storage be frequently
associated with a hard-disk drive, a very sluggish operation. The sluggishness
becomes even more severe when the sleep mode of the conventional practice turns
off and on the rotation of the hard-disk drive frequently.
Referring now
to FIG. 4, further illustrated is the second primary preferred embodiment of the
present invention in which energy-conserving communication apparatus 400 and/or
energy-conserving computer 300 will be kept alive through the keep-alive power
carried on a signal-transmitting medium, i.e., phone line 290 specifically in
this preferred embodiment. Other signal-transmitting media suitable for the
purpose of carrying communication signals and power may include a cable, coaxial
cable, optical fiber, hybrid fiber coaxial cable, CATV cable, and their
combinations.
Energy-conserving communication apparatus 400 is rendered
to comprise a phone modular socket 401 for removably accommodating a phone
modular jack with the signal-transmitting medium of phone line including a tip
line 402T and a ring line 402R that are powered at 48 V DC from storage
batteries for communication circuitry and at 90 to 145 V AC (at 20, 30, 40, or
50 kHz superimposed upon the DC operating current) from local AC generators for
ring circuitry. A keep-alive power-supply circuit 410 is afforded for regulating
the power carried on the phone line so as to output keep-alive DC power to a
ring detect circuit (or keep-alive communication circuit) 420, a control circuit
430, and SRAM 440. Ring detect circuit 420 in circuit connection with the phone
line is adapted to detect a ring signal carried by 90 to 145 V AC. Coupled to
ring detect circuit 420 is a relay 471R that is normally at a first position for
readily alerting control circuit 430 through an RI (ring indicator) pin if there
is an incoming call. Upon detection of an incoming call from a remote
communication system, control circuit 430 not only switches relay 471R into a
second position for establishing connection with a communication circuit 450 but
actuates a relay 472R for supplying main DC power from a switchable power-supply
circuit 460 to communication circuit 450. Control circuit 430 further monitors
the activities of communication circuit 450 through a DTR (data terminal ready)
pin, a RD (received data) pin, and a TD (transmitted data) pin, so as to switch
off relays 471R and 472R when detecting no activity. Preferably, switchable
power-supply circuit 460 receiving AC power from an AC-power receptacle 465
connected to a wall AC outlet 480 is coupled to a rechargeable battery 461, so
as to supply main DC power from rechargeable battery 461 in the sudden absence
of the AC power. In addition to AC and battery power, switchable power-supply
circuit 460 may supply and generate switchable power from other power sources
such as fuel cells. Switchable power-supply circuit 460 ensures that output
communication signals conform to the FCC Part 68 rules.
With additional
mechanisms for printing, energy-conserving communication apparatus 400 can be a
new type of fax machine that consumes neither battery nor AC power completely in
its keep-alive state. Switchable power-supply circuit 460 may include another
relay adapted to be temperature sensitive for supplying a switchable power
supply to actuate a cooling fan to dissipate heat only when the temperature
inside the energy-conserving communication apparatus exceeds a preset value.
Switchable power-supply circuit 460, rechargeable battery 461, and
AC-power receptacle 465 shown in FIG. 4 may be disposed exteriorly as replaced
respectively by switchable power-supply circuit 214, rechargeable battery 212,
and AC-power receptacle 211 shown in FIG. 3, so that energy-conserving
communication apparatus 400 is an expansion card to be plugged into hybrid
expansion slot 371 on energy-conserving motherboard 320 (FIG. 3). The
integration of FIGS. 3 and 4 makes energy-conserving communication apparatus 400
itself an energy-conserving computer readily for establishing communication and
for storing incoming information to SRAM 440 or hard-disk drive 240 (i.e.,
nonvolatile memory storage).
For use in digital applications,
communication circuit 450 is adapted to comprise a modem chip (or an
analog-to-digital converter and a digital-to-analog converter respectively) for
demodulating and modulating data. SRAM 440 serving as keep-alive memory
circuitry is provided for storing operating instructions, incoming information,
and/or task information associated with energy-conserving computer 300.
Preferably, the operating instructions are adapted to comprise a step of
requesting energy-conserving communication apparatus 400 be readily prepared so
as to actuate communication circuit 450 for receiving incoming information when
ring detect circuit 420 detects a ring (or communication) signal.
Also
preferred is a manually-operable input means such as manual-operable button 381
on mouse 380 (shown in FIG. 3) for manually requesting energy-conserving
communication apparatus 400 and/or energy-conserving computer 300 to instantly
enter a first, a second, a third, and a fourth state. In the first state, the
step of requesting is actuated so as to switch relays 471R and 472R off and to
allow ring detect circuit 420 to be effective for detecting an incoming call. In
the second state, manual-operable button 381 requests control circuit 430 to
actuate switchable power-supply circuit 460 for providing main power to
interface with main MP 322M (seen also in FIG. 3) for resuming its previous
activity (through restoring main tasks from nonvolatile memory storage to main
RAM memory) in accordance with the task information stored in SRAM 440. After
the main tasks are loaded, the third state become effective in which information
retrieval and storage will be performed only on the main RAM circuitry (via
turning relay 316R on, but relay 214R off) so as to gain full operating speed.
In the fourth state, manual-operable button 381 switches relay 471R on so as to
render energy-conserving communication apparatus 400 instantly ready for dialing
out.
The operating instructions comprise the steps of (i) determining if
incoming information received from a remote communication system (such as a
computer or phone) requests any data-forwarding or routing service, (ii) if yes,
selectively instructing communication circuit 450 or requesting the remote
communication system to further initiate another communication link to another
remote communication system in accordance with a forwarding or routing
instruction stored in SRAM 440, and (iii) transmitting requested information or
at least a message to the another remote communication system (such as another
computer, pager, portable or mobile communication device). When carrying the
another remote communication system, a person becomes instantly reachable for
receiving any urgent electronic mails.
The operating instructions are
further adapted to comprise the steps of (i) requesting communication circuit
450 to be actuated for receiving incoming information in response to a
communication signal (or ring), (ii) storing the incoming information to another
volatile memory means, (iii) checking if the incoming information contains any
virus, and (iv) if not, storing the incoming information to SRAM 440 or
hard-disk drive 240.
For the first time, energy-conserving communication
apparatus 400 can keep energy-conserving computer 300 alive and ready for
establishing instant and direct communications through the power carried on the
phone line 420T and 420R, thus totally eliminating any energy (such as battery
and AC power) waste.
Referring now to FIG. 5, disclosed is a third
primary preferred embodiment of the present invention that is an
energy-conserving operating system for rendering an energy-conserving
communication apparatus 400 (or computer 300) capable of selectively entering a
keep-alive (i.e., energy-conserving) state in which only limited operating
instructions preferably including a communication program need to be resident on
keep-alive RAM circuitry, and a normal (i.e., main operating) state in which
operating instructions are fully loaded to main RAM circuitry for execution.
Note that "S" stands for "Step" hereinafter and the energy-conserving operating
system will be discussed in conjunction with FIG. 4. Comprised in the
energy-conserving operating system is a set of keep-alive instructions that can
be hardwired to a ROM chip (i.e., nonvolatile but non-changeable) or loaded to
SRAM 440 through software installation so as to be resident on the keep-alive
memory circuitry and readily executable by control circuit 430, once the
energy-conserving communication apparatus 400 is activated at the first time
(S501). When a wake-up signal (S502) is detected, control circuit 430 further
determines if it is a ring signal (S503) and if a communication program is
active (S504). If it is a ring signal but no active communication program is
available, a communication program will be activated (S505) for establishing
communication. If SRAM 440 has enough storage for keeping the communication
program resident, S504 and S505 can be eliminated. In case that SRAM 440 does
not have enough storage, switchable power-supply circuitry will be activated for
allowing nonvolatile or secondary storage (such as a hard-disk drive) to store
incoming information (S506-S508). Otherwise, the incoming information will be
preferably stored to SRAM 440 and the energy-conserving operating system enters
S509 for displaying the receiving of the incoming information on an active
screen. An optional step (S510) is to activate an audio or video signal for
alerting a user the receiving of the incoming information. In case that the user
is away from energy-conserving communication apparatus 400 and is reachable
through an offline communication device, a data routing service can be requested
(S511). Then, a call to the offline communication device will be initiated
(S512). If the communication task is completed (S513), switchable power-supply
circuit 460 is deactivated when needed (S522).
Should the wake-up signal
be a power-up (including manually-activated) signal, the energy-conserving
operating system is routed to S514 in which switchable power-supply circuit 460
is activated. Then, task information stored in keep-alive memory will allow a
main operating system and previous tasks to be quickly restored (S515 and S516)
from nonvolatile memory storage to main RAM circuitry, without going through the
conventional tedious boot process. Optionally shown in S517 is to validate
logging password before granting a user an access to the energy-conserving
communication apparatus 400. The user can also manually perform any task and
store new information to secondary memory storage (S518). If no activity is
detected in a predetermined period of time (S519), the task information will be
updated and stored to keep-alive memory (S520) and a keyboard device is
optionally locked (S521). Finally, switchable power-supply circuit 460 is
deactivated, thus routing the process back to S502 for staying in the keep-alive
state of the present invention. Thus, the present invention not only totally
eliminates the conventional, time-consuming, manual shutdown/booting processes
but renders energy-conserving communication apparatus 400 remotely accessible
for establishing instant and direct communications for the first time.
In summary, the third primary preferred embodiment of the present
invention discloses an energy-conserving operating system capable of selectively
performing a keep-alive (or energy-conserving) operation and a main (or normal)
operation. Specifically, comprised are the steps of (a) activating a set of
keep-alive operating instructions continuously operable for governing when to
activate a set of main operating instructions that requires more random access
memory than the set of keep-alive operating instructions, so as to selectively
enter an energy-conserving state and a main operating state; (b) powering down
to the energy-conserving state in which the set of main operating instructions
is rendered inoperable, if selectively detecting no activity for a preset period
of time or detecting a power-down signal; and (c) powering up to the main
operating state in which the set of main operating instructions is rendered
operable, if detecting a power-up signal. Preferably, the set of keep-alive
operating instructions is adapted to comprise a communication program operable
in the energy-conserving state and/or the main operating state for requesting a
keep-alive communication circuit to be activated for detecting a ring signal.
The activating is adapted to load the set of keep-alive instructions to
keep-alive random-access-memory circuitry (especially to a predetermined region
or address) and wherein the powering up is adapted to restore the main operating
instructions from nonvolatile memory storage to main random-access-memory
circuitry (especially to another predetermined region or address) that can be
powered selectively up or down. The set of keep-alive operating instructions is
adapted to create keep-alive task information for restoring previous task
activity when the powering up is executed, the keep-alive task information being
created, updated, and saved to keep-alive random-access-memory circuitry and/or
nonvolatile memory storage before the powering down is executed. Furthermore,
the activating is adapted to load the set of keep-alive instructions to
keep-alive random-access-memory circuitry and the powering up is adapted to
enter (i) a first operating state in which the set of main operating
instructions will be restored via actuating nonvolatile memory storage for
retrieving information therefrom to main random-access-memory circuitry, (ii) a
second operating state in which information retrieval and storage will be
limited to only the main random-access-memory circuitry, so as to execute the
main operating instructions at full operating speed, and (iii) a third operating
state in which any newly modified files will be stored from the main
random-access-memory circuitry to the nonvolatile memory storage in detection of
the power-down signal. Preferably, the powering down and the powering up are
adapted respectively to deactivate and to activate a switchable power-supply
system for not providing and for providing power to a plurality of circuit means
including main microprocessor circuitry and volatile memory circuitry utilized
for execution of the main operating instructions, so as to enter the
energy-conserving state and the main operating state, respectively. The powering
down is further adapted to be executed after any newly modified files are stored
to nonvolatile memory storage. Further comprised are (i) a step of allocating
part of keep-alive random-access-memory circuitry for storing incoming
information to be received in the energy-conserving state, (ii) a step of
powering up to a communication state in which a switchable power-supply system
is activated to provide a switchable power supply only to a switchable
communication circuit and nonvolatile memory storage for respectively receiving
and storing incoming information to be received, if only a ring signal is
detected, and (iii) a step of allowing a user to request a forwarding or routing
service.
By offering the keep-alive state, the third primary preferred
embodiment of the present invention eliminates any need for larger RAM circuitry
and powerful MP circuitry for use in the keep-alive state, i.e., eliminating
unnecessary energy waste on unwanted generation of heat. Consequently, neither
heat dissipation, mechanical failure (possibly incurred by the continuous
rotation of a cooling fan), nor unpleasant noise will be of any concern.
Referring now to FIG. 6, a fourth primary preferred embodiment of the
present invention is an ISP (Internet service provider) 600 for providing
requested communication links initiated from a remote computer (or communication
device) 631 to an offline remote computer (or communication device) 632 or 633
via the Internet. The Internet is based on a TCP (transmission control protocol)
and IP (Internet protocol) family of protocols that govern how online computers
communicate with each other. A conventional ISP only allows a PC to initiate
communication with the Internet for retrieving information therefrom or for
transmitting e-mails therethrough. This is a passive communication because the
conventional ISP cannot reach any conventional PC that is neither powered on nor
kept online continuously. Furthermore, a conventional PC is designed to be shut
down and offline if not to be used for a prolonged period of time. Once shut
down or offline, neither the conventional PCs nor notebook computers is operable
or accessible from remote. For these reasons, none of the conventional ISPs has
suggested to provide an "impractical" service of sending a ring signal for
establishing communication to a conventional offline PC.
With the advent
of an energy-conserving computer (or communication apparatus) disclosed
hereinabove, for the first time, the present invention provides a motive to
demand an Internet service provider (ISP) be able to dial out or to send a ring
signal for establishing a requested communication link. Thus, the third primary
preferred embodiment of the present invention is to provide a new type of ISP
capable of initiating requested communication links to any energy-conserving
communication apparatuses or computers of the present invention can be reached
(for receiving incoming information or for retrieving data stored therein) at
any time through the Internet without stays online. In contrast, any
conventional PC has to keep online, i.e., occupying a phone all the time and
incurring substantial energy waste, in order to be reachable.
provided
is an energy-conserving computer or communication that can be kept alive and
readily accessible from remote for establishing communication. Consequently.
As shown in FIG. 6, ISP 600 has Internet communication systems 610A and
610B each basically comprising an Internet communication unit 601A or 601B
connected an ISP backbone 605 (with a speed up to 45 Mbs) at a separate
location. ISP backbone 605 has connectivity with an Internet backbone carrier
site often at an MAE (Metropolitan Area Exchange) 603 that further connects the
Internet at a NAP (Network Access Point) 604 currently with a bandwidth of
45-622 Mbs.
Comprised in Internet communication units 601 are Internet
communication circuitry, a control system, and operating instructions. The
Internet communication circuitry is adapted to be operable (i) for establishing
a first communication link selectively initiated by a remote communication
device (or computer), and (ii) for selectively initiating a second communication
link (i.e., making an outgoing call) to an offline remote communication device
(or computer). The operating instructions available to the control system are
provided for controlling an activity of the Internet communication circuitry,
especially in response to a request submitted from the remote communication
device to selectively initiate the second communication link, i.e., to dial a
phone number of the offline remote communication device
Specifically,
FIG. 6 shows that (i) remote computer 631 situated in Bloomfield (Mich.) has
dialed into Internet communication system 601A through a telephone line 640A at
a local call to establish a communication link 611A to ISP 600 and then to the
Internet, i.e., becoming online, and (ii) in response to a request submitted
from remote computer 631, ISP 600 instructs Internet communication system 601B
through ISP backbone and the Internet to initiate a second communication link
611B through a phone line 640B that is normally open to reach an offline remote
computer 632 situated in San Francisco (Calif.). Preferably, Internet
communication system 601B is situated at a location with an area code
corresponding to that of offline remote computer 632. Note that offline remote
computer 632 may be an apparatus selected from the group consisting of server
computers, desktop computers, portable computers, notebook computers, wireless
phones, communication devices, and their combinations preferably each of which
is a type of energy-conserving computer of the present invention, capable of
being remotely waked up and dialed in through an internal or external modem,
ISDN (integrated services digital network) adapter, DSL (digital subscriber
line) modem, or cable modem for establishing communication therebetween. The
result is that ISP 600 can now render an offline remote computer "online" at
need for establishing communication in accordance with a request of the remote
computer, for the first time. The immediate advantages are (i) to establish a
bidirectional communication from Bloomfield (Mich.) to San Francisco (Calif.) at
the rate of a local call or a reduced rate, and more importantly (ii) to leave
the phone lines normally open for receiving an incoming call (either voice or
data).
The operating instructions are adapted to allow the control
system to instruct Internet communication circuitry to selectively initiate
second communication link 611B in response to the request submitted from remote
computer 631, so that remote computer 631 can initiate communication with
offline remote computer 632 via the Internet. Further provided is a step of
requesting Internet communication system 610A or 610B to send a ring signal to
actuate offline remote computer 632 (i.e., an energy-conserving computer 300 of
the present invention) from its keep-alive and offline state to an operating and
online state so as to establish communication therebetween.
In case that
remote computer 631 is a conventional one, the operating instructions will be
adapted to comprise the steps of (i) determining if second communication link
611B can be established within a predetermined period of time (e.g., 5 seconds),
and (ii) if not, requesting the Internet communication circuitry to send signals
(including a ring and message) to actuate a telephone 635 (i.e., another remote
communication device) for alerting a user selectively through audio or visual
signals to manually actuate offline remote computer 632 from a power-off state
to an operating state so as to establish communication therebetween.
Internet communication circuitry comprised in each of Internet
communication units 601 is further adapted to be operable for establishing a
plurality of the first communication links and for initiating a plurality of the
second communication links. Each of the first communication links is directed to
a respective one of the second communication links, so that a plurality of the
remote computers can simultaneously utilize ISP 600 to dial out to reach a
plurality of the offline computers. Internet communication units 601 each
further comprises a communication-link medium selected from the group consisting
of telephone lines 640, at least one cable 641, at least one optical fiber
(shown as ISP backbone 605), at least one hybrid fiber coax 642, at least one
radio frequency channel, at least one cellular phone channel via cell stations
650, at least one satellite communication channel via a satellite communications
system (including a satellite 670 and earth stations 671A and 671B), at least
one terrestrial microwave channel, at least one wireless communication channel,
and their combinations for transmitting information, so that the communication
system can be dialed in by a plurality of remote computers or communication
devices and can dial out to reach the plurality of offline remote computers or
communication devices through the communication-link means for establishing
communications via the Internet. The frequency ranges of radio broadcasts
(FM/TV), cellular, and satellites are respectively 54-806, 825-890, and
2,000-40,000 MHz. While communications satellites and terrestrial microwaves
operate in the same microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum, the
microwaves of the latter travel in a line of sight between sending and receiving
stations.
A user can preset offline remote computer 632 to route the
information or message to another PC or a portable communication device such as
a cellular phone (or car phone) 634 moved from a cell region 660A to a cell
region 660B. Preferably, cellular phone 634 has a manual-operable button 635
designated for instantly requesting a data routing service.
Internet
communication systems 610 each further comprises memory-storage means 602
serving as an POP (post office protocol) server for storing information to be
provided from remote computer 631 to the offline remote computer 632, or vice
verse. The operating instructions are adapted to allow remote computer 631 (or
remote communication device) to send the information to memory-storage means 602
for storage and to request Internet communication systems 610 to send a message
to offline remote computer 632 (or offline remote communication device) for
instantly notifying the presence of the information. Consequently, a user will
have a chance to preview the information before retrieving or to prevent virus
being sent directly to offline remote computer 632.
The operating
instructions are adapted to comprising the steps of (i) allowing remote computer
631 to send information to memory-storage means 602 for storage, (ii) if
completed, requesting a selected one of communication units 601 to initiate
second communication link 611B, and (iii) sending a message to offline remote
computer 632 to instantly notify the presence of the information.
Further comprised in the operating instructions is a step of
automatically terminating second communication link 611B selectively when remote
computer 631 terminates the first or the second communication link (611A or
611B), when communication units 601 completes the sending of the message to
offline remote computer 632, or detects no activity second communication link
611B for a preset period of time.
The discussion hereinabove also
discloses a fifth primary preferred embodiment of the invention, providing a
method to allow an ISP operable for establishing instant and direct
communications between remote communication devices. The method comprises the
steps of (a) providing an Internet communication system having a plurality of
Internet communication circuitry connected to the Internet at separate
locations, each of which being rendered accessible by at least one remote
communication apparatus each for establishing a first communication link to the
Internet; and (b) rendering the plurality of Internet communication circuitry
each operable for dialing out to at least one offline communication apparatus
each for establishing a second communication link in accordance with a request
submitted from a respective one of the at least one remote communication
apparatus, so that the at least one communication apparatus each can reach a
respective one of the at least one offline communication apparatus through a
respective one of the first communication links, the Internet, and a respective
one of the second communication links. Further comprised are the steps of (i)
instructing the Internet communication system to dial out for establishing the
second communication link at the rate of a local call or a reduced rate, and
(ii) providing a forwarding or routing service.
Referring now to FIG. 7,
a sixth primary preferred embodiment of the present invention is a communication
operating system to be discussed as follows in conjunction with an Internet
communication system (ICS) provided by an ISP as shown in FIG. 6. Comprised in
the communication operating system are instructions made available to ISP 600
(S701) that allow a plurality of first communication links to be requested by
remote PCs (or remote communication devices) and accordingly initiate at least a
second plurality of second communication links from ISP 600 to offline remote
PCs (or offline remote communication devices). To simplify the illustration,
only two sets of operation (S702a-S712a and S702b-S712b) are displayed and only
the former is discussed. S702a determines if a first communication link is
requested by a PC. If yes, ICS allows the PC to establish the first
communication link therefrom so as to access the Internet. In response to a
request from the PC (S704a), ICS initiates a second communication link to an
offline remote PC (S705a). When a data routing service is requested, ICS further
initiates and establish a third communication link from ISP 600 to another
offline PC (S706a and S707a). S708a and S709a respectively determine the
activeness and the termination status of the second and/or the third
communication link(s). If the second and/or the third communication link(s) be
terminated (S710a), the activeness of the first communication link will be
checked (S710a) and routed to S704a or terminated (S712a). Finally, the process
is routed back to S702a for establishing another first communication link to be
requested by another PC. Thus, the communication operating system renders the
ICS operable for allowing a plurality of the remote PCs (or remote communication
devices) to reach another plurality of the offline remote PCs (or offline remote
communication devices). In other words, the communication operating system
leaves the phone lines normally open while renders the "offline" remote PCs or
communication devices reachable for establishing communication.
In
summary, the sixth primary preferred embodiment of the present invention is to
provide a communication operating system for use in an Internet communication
system, comprising the steps of (a) allowing the Internet communication system
to establish a plurality of incoming communication links each to be initiated by
a remote communication apparatus to access the Internet; (b) determining if the
remote communication apparatuses each submits a request for communicating
further with an offline communication apparatus; and (c) if yes, instructing the
Internet communication system to send an outgoing ring signal to a respective
one of the offline communication apparatuses accordingly so as to establish
another plurality of outgoing communication links. The communication operating
system may further afford a forwarding or routing service.
Finally, it
is clearly understood that such embodiments are provided by way of illustration
and example only and are not to-be taken by way of limitation as numerous
variations, changes, modification, and substitutions will occur to those skilled
in the art without departing from the invention herein. Accordingly, it is
intended that the invention be limited only by the spirit and scope of the
appended claims.
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