Patent · US Expired

Power management apparatus and method for managing power application to individual circuit cards

US5944831A · kind A · utility

66Cited by
6References
28Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 13, 1997
Grant dateAug 31, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 13, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02D10/00
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Communication interface PCCards are commonly attached, both physically and electrically, to a notebook computer whether the communication interface PCCards are connected to a communication channel or disconnected from the communication channel. It has further been discovered that communication interface PCCards consume power when attached to the notebook computer and that power consumption is advantageously reduced and battery life extended by detecting when the communication channel is disconnected from the communication interface PCCard and terminating power supplied to the communication interface PCCard when the communication channel is disconnected. A power management method in a computer system having a PCCard connected to a communication channel includes detecting a disconnection of the communication channel from the PCCard and terminating power supplied to the PCCard in response to the detection of the disconnection of the communication channel.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.