The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 10, 2007
Filed:
Dec. 19, 2003
Robert Allen, Cedar Park, TX (US);
William O. Bain, Leander, TX (US);
Robert Allen, Cedar Park, TX (US);
William O. Bain, Leander, TX (US);
Dell Products L.P., Austin, TX (US);
Abstract
A system and method for determining the type of power source supplying electrical power to a power adapter for a portable computer. In an embodiment of the invention, a power adapter for a portable computer is provided with a first power identification circuit for generating system information relating to operation on an AC power source and a second power identification circuit for generating system information relating to operation on a DC power source. A power source detector is operable to detect whether the electrical power supplied to the power adapter is AC or DC power and to enable the first or second power identification circuit, respectively, thereby generating a data signal indicating the respective type of power source. The data signal is provided to a subsystem manager in the computer to allow identification of the type of external power source. The information regarding the type of external power source can be used by the portable computer to control various operating parameters, including the charging state of the battery and the power consumption levels of various system components.