Suspension and/or throttling of processes for connected standby

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10684641-B2
Application number	US-201715467422-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2017
Priority date	Aug 10, 2011
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for assigning power management classifications to a process, transitioning a computing environment into a connected standby state based upon power management classifications assigned to processes, and transitioning the computing environment from the connected standby state to an execution state. That is, power management classifications, such as exempt, throttle, and/or suspend, may be assigned to processes based upon various factors, such as whether a process provides desired functionality and/or whether the process provides functionality relied upon for basic operation of the computing environment. In this way, the computing environment may be transitioned into a low power connected standby state that may continue executing desired functionality, while reducing power consumption by suspending and/or throttling other functionality. Because some functionality may still execute, the computing environment may transition into the execution state in a responsive manner to quickly provide a user with up-to-date information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a computing device, the method comprising:
transitioning the computing device from an executing state to a connected standby state based on process classifications assigned to processes executing on the computing device, the process classifications comprising: a suspendable processes classification, a throttleable processes classification, and an exempt processes classification, the transitioning comprising:
transitioning, by the computing device, a suspendable process from an execution state to a suspended state based on the suspendable process being classified in the suspendable processes classification; and
transitioning, by the computing device subsequent to the suspendable process being transitioned to the suspended state, a throttleable process from the execution state to the throttled state based on the throttleable process being classified in the throttleable processes classification.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising classifying the suspendable process in the suspendable processes classification according to a dependency graph.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising classifying the throttleable process in a throttleable processes classification according to a dependency graph.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising classifying an exempt process in an exempt process classification according to a dependency graph indicating that another process depends on the exempt process.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising classifying an exempt process in an exempt process classification according to a user assignment.

6. The method of claim 1 where processes classified in the throttleable processes classification are cycled, while the computing device is in the connected standby state, between the execution state and the suspended state.

7. The method of claim 1 where the suspended state is a non-execution state.

8. A computing device that comprises at least one processor and memory that are configured to perform actions comprising:
transitioning the computing device from an executing state to a connected standby state based on process classifications assigned to processes executing on the computing device, the process classifications comprising: a suspendable processes classification, a throttleable processes classification, and an exempt processes classification, the transitioning comprising:
transitioning a suspendable process from an execution state to a suspended state based on the suspendable process being classified in the suspendable processes classification; and
transitioning, subsequent to the suspendable process being transitioned to the suspended state, a throttleable process from the execution state to the throttled state based on the throttleable process being classified in the throttleable processes classification.

9. The computing device of claim 8 , the actions further comprising classifying the suspendable process in the suspendable processes classification according to a dependency graph.

10. The computing device of claim 8 , the actions further comprising classifying the throttleable process in a throttleable processes classification according to a dependency graph.

11. The computing device of claim 8 , the actions further comprising classifying an exempt process in an exempt process classification according to a dependency graph indicating that another process depends on the exempt process.

12. The computing device of claim 8 , the actions further comprising classifying an exempt process in an exempt process classification according to a user assignment.

13. The computing device of claim 8 where processes classified in the throttleable processes classification are cycled, while the computing device is in the connected standby state, between the execution state and the suspended state.

14. The computing device of claim 8 where the suspended state is a non-execution state.

15. At least one hardware computer readable storage media that is not a signal per se and that comprises memory that includes computer-executable instructions that, based on execution by a computing device, configure the computing device to perform actions comprising:
transitioning the computing device from an executing state to a connected standby state based on process classifications assigned to processes executing on the computing device, the process classifications comprising at least: a suspendable processes classification and a throttleable processes classification, the transitioning comprising:
transitioning a suspendable process from an execution state to a suspended state based on the suspendable process being classified in the suspendable processes classification; and
transitioning, subsequent to the suspendable process being transitioned to the suspended state, a throttleable process from the execution state to the throttled state based on the throttleable process being classified in the throttleable processes classification.

16. The at least one hardware computer readable storage media of claim 15 , the actions further comprising classifying the suspendable process in the suspendable processes classification according to a dependency graph.

17. The at least one hardware computer readable storage media of claim 15 , the actions further comprising classifying the throttleable process in a throttleable processes classification according to a dependency graph.

18. The at least one hardware computer readable storage media of claim 15 , the actions further comprising classifying an exempt process in an exempt process classification according to a dependency graph indicating that another process depends on the exempt process.

19. The at least one hardware computer readable storage media of claim 15 , the actions further comprising classifying an exempt process in an exempt process classification according to a user assignment.

20. The at least one hardware computer readable storage media of claim 15 where processes classified in the throttleable processes classification are cycled, while the computing device is in the connected standby state, between the execution state and the suspended state, or where the suspended state is a non-execution state.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Berry Jon

Classifications

• G06F1/3206 Primary

  Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality · CPC title

• Y02D30/50

  in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate · CPC title

• Y02D10/00

  Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management · CPC title

• G06F9/4418

  Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake · CPC title

• G06F9/4893

  taking into account power or heat criteria (power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206) · CPC title