Patent ID: 7254723

Claim:
An apparatus for managing current consumption of a peripheral device coupled with a host system, the host system having a current supply limit available for supplying current to the peripheral device, the peripheral device operating in a low current consumption mode and a peak current consumption mode which is intermittent over time, the peripheral device drawing a low current in the low current consumption mode which is lower than the current supply limit and drawing a peak current in the peak current consumption mode which is higher than the current supply limit, the apparatus comprising: a reservoir configured to store excess energy from the host system during the low current consumption mode where the low current drawn by the peripheral device is lower than the current supply limit available from the host system; a sensing element configured to sense whether the peripheral device is operating in the low current consumption mode or in the peak current consumption mode; an amplifier coupled to the sensing element and configured to receive a signal from the sensing element wherein the signal indicates whether the peripheral device is in the low current consumption mode or in the peak current consumption mode; and a switch coupled to the amplifier and configured to be switched by the amplifier to direct the excess energy from the host system to the reservoir for storage during the low current consumption mode of the peripheral device and to allow energy to be drawn from the reservoir to operate the peripheral device in the peak current consumption mode.