Patent ID: 8281159

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for managing power usage of a computing device based on power-management information received from a power grid, the method comprising: receiving, at the computing device, power-management information from the power grid that identifies a need for reduced power usage by the computing device; identifying, at the computing device, power-usage requirements of the computing device by: identifying at least one process currently being executed or scheduled to be executed by a processor of the computing device; identifying an amount of power required by the computing device to execute the process that is currently being executed or scheduled to be executed by the processor of the computing device; determining, at the computing device by analyzing both the power-management information received from the power grid and the power-usage requirements of the computing device, that the power usage of the computing device may be reduced without negatively impacting the process that is currently being executed or scheduled to be executed by the processor of the computing device; reducing the power usage of the computing device in response to determining that the power usage of the computing device may be reduced without negatively impacting the process that is currently being executed or scheduled to be executed by the processor of the computing device.