Compaq Computer Corporation, Inc.

Dan V Forlenza

James Luke Mondshine

Kevin R Frost

Greg B Memo

Tim L Zhang

Lonnie J Pope

Bill E Jacobs

A computer system is capable of playing audio CDs in a CD-ROM drive independent of the operating system by using an embedded CD-ROM drive application or a CD-ROM drive controller. When an audio CD mode switch of the computer system is in an &ldquo;on&rdquo; state and the main power switch of the computer is in an &ldquo;off state&rdquo; the computer system is in an audio CD mode. When the computer is placed in such an audio CD mode, the computer either loads the embedded CD application from a non-volatile memory region such as read-only-memory (ROM) region or enables the CD-ROM drive controller of the CD-ROM drive to receive a CD selection and transmit the selections to the CD-ROM drive. The embedded CD application includes an embedded CD-ROM device driver for driving the CD-ROM drive to process audio CDs, power-on-self test (POST) code for selectively powering and initializing hardware device in the computer system, initialization code for the embedded CD-ROM device driver, and system management interrupt/keyboard controller interface code used for processing the selection of a CD button of the computer system.

Computer system capable of playing audio CDs in a CD-ROM drive independent of an operating system

A portable computer system incorporating a multi-purpose status display module that is visible when the main video display is in either an open or locked condition. The status display module is used as an autonomous, real-time battery gauge. The battery gauge display allows a user to monitor the charge status of a battery pack when the system is powered up, when the battery is being recharged by an AC adapter, or when the portable computer is placed into a secondary operating mode. Control signals for the status display are generated by a multi-purpose microcontroller. Battery charge conditions are displayed from 0% to 100% in 10% increments, allowing the computer user to accurately estimate the amount of computing time sustainable by an installed battery pack. The battery gauge display functions independently of the portable computer's operating system, and the computer user need not initiate a software process in order to ascertain remaining battery life. The invention is particularly useful when the portable computer system is being utilized as a stand-alone CD player or in other non-standard operating modes.

Real-time battery gauge display

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Cypress, TX, United States of America

Dan V Forlenza