Network based remote power management system and method for selectively powering on a hardware subsystems and determining energy usage billing information of a gateway device based on determination of source of received input signal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9537664-B2
Application number	US-200913513974-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2009
Priority date	Dec 9, 2009
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

A method and device are described including receiving an input signal at a device, determining a source of the received input signal and selectively powering on portions of the device responsive to the determination.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, said method comprising:
receiving an input signal at a gateway device;
determining a source of said received input signal, wherein said source of said received input signal is one of a user input and a network delivered content;
determining a mode if said source of said received input signal is said network delivered content, wherein said mode is one of a multicast mode and a network mode;
selectively powering on hardware subsystems of said gateway device responsive to said source determination and said mode determination; and
determining and transmitting credit information for energy usage to a billing center responsive to said mode determination.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising powering on hardware subsystems including at least one of a multicast receiver, a transport processor, an audio/video decoder, a user interface display processor, storage and a security processor, said security processor including conditional access processing responsive to said determination.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising powering on hardware subsystems including at least one of a transport processor, storage and a security processor, said security processor including conditional access processing responsive to said determination.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising powering on hardware subsystems including at least one of a multicast receiver, a transport processor, storage and a security processor, said security processor including conditional access processing responsive to said mode determination.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising using a two way channel in a digital cable infrastructure.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
determining if said received input signal includes a request to join a multicast group; and
joining said multicast group specified in said received input signal upon determining said received input signal includes a request to join a multicast group.

7. A gateway device comprising:
a modem for receiving an input signal;
a power management processor for determining a source of said received input signal, wherein said source of said received input signal is one of a user input and a network delivered content, determining a mode if said source of said received input signal is said network delivered content, wherein said mode is one of a multicast mode and a network mode, selectively powering on hardware subsystems of said device responsive to said source determination and said mode determination; and determining credit information for energy usage; wherein said two way modem transmits the credit information for energy usage to a billing center responsive to said mode determination.

8. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the power management processor powers on hardware subsystems including at least one of a multicast receiver, a transport processor, an audio/video decoder, a user interface display processor, storage and a security processor, said security processor including conditional access processing responsive to determining the source of said received input signal.

9. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the power management processor powers on hardware subsystems including at least one of a transport processor, storage and a security processor, said security processor including conditional access processing responsive to determining the mode of said received input signal.

10. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the power management processor powers on hardware subsystems including at least one of a multicast receiver, a transport processor, storage and a security processor, said security processor including conditional access processing responsive to determining the mode of said received input signal.

11. The device according to claim 7 , further comprising using a two way channel in a digital cable infrastructure.

12. The device according to claim 7 , wherein said power management processor further
determines if said received input signal includes a request to join a multicast group; and
controls said device to join said multicast group specified in said received input signal if said received input signal includes a request to join a multicast group.

13. The device according to claim 7 , wherein said device is customer premises gateway equipment.

Assignees

• Ramaswamy Kumar
• Thomson Licensing

Inventors

• Ramaswamy Kumar

Classifications

• H04L12/185

  with management of multicast group membership · CPC title

• H04L12/28

  characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] (wireless communication networks H04W {; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00}) · CPC title

• H04N21/4436

  Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver (power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418) · CPC title

• H04L12/2818

  from a device located outside both the home and the home network (access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007) · CPC title

• H04N21/443

  OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB · CPC title