Display control

• US 10,269,327 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2016
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zero360 Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zero360 Incorporated
• Inventors: Karsten, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US15/239,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20170193965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 345 89, 345420, 345440, 345589, 345619, 345690, 725 28, 725 90, 386231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0686 with two or more screen areas displaying information with different brightness or colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/023 using energy recovery or conservation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method for controlling a display includes segmenting the display; assigning an importance level to at least one of the segments; and selectively setting the luminance of said segment in dependence on its importance level.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a display, the method comprising:

segmenting the display into two or more simultaneously visible segments;

assigning an importance level to individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments; and

selectively setting a luminance of the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments in dependence on the assigned importance level as well as predicted future battery usage.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the setting of the luminance of the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments comprises supplying power to the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments, a level of the power delivered to the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments being determined by the importance level assigned to the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the level of power supplied to the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments determines the luminance of the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments.

4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising determining the available battery charge required to power said display and the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments.

5. A method according to claim 4 comprising setting the luminance of one of the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments in dependence on the available battery charge, a relative luminance of individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments in dependence on their relative assigned importance levels and the available battery charge.

6. A method according to claim 4, further comprising predicting future battery usage and setting the luminance of the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments in dependence on the predicted future battery usage.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein predicting the future battery usage comprises predicting anticipated user behaviour based on previous usage data of one or more users or one or more indirect triggers.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments is defined by software, and wherein one or more of a position and geometry of the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments varies in dependence on an operation of an underlying software application.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein at least one of individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments is defined by a particular physical area of the display, and wherein a geometry of the particular physical area is configurable.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the assigning of an importance level to a segment of individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments is based on one or more user inputs;

wherein the display is a touchscreen of a device and the one or more user inputs comprises at least one of;

a pinch action on said display;

finger proximity to the device; and

movement of the device.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein importance levels are assigned without any direct user interaction.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein importance levels are one or more of determined or assigned based on at least one or more of the following:

environmental conditions in which the display is located;

a detected location of the display;

a detected motion of the display;

a user operating mode; and

one or more of a nature or type of graphical interface elements being displayed.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein importance levels are one or more of determined or assigned based on an ambient light level.

14. A method according to claim 12 wherein an importance level is assigned based on a calendar event;

wherein a calendar application is assigned an importance level in dependence on the calendar event.

15. A method according to claim 12 wherein importance levels are one or more of determined or assigned based on received biometric data;

wherein the biometric data comprises heart rate data.

16. A method according to claim 12 wherein an importance level is determined based on the information being displayed on a segment of the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments.

17. A device having a display, the device comprising:

means for segmenting the display into two or more simultaneously visible segments;

means for assigning an importance level to individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments; and

means for selectively setting a luminance of a segment of the individual ones of the two or more simultaneously visible segments in dependence on the assigned importance level and a predicted future battery usage.

18. A device according to claim 17, the device being portable;

and comprising a smartphone or a wearable device.

19. A device according to claim 17 further comprising a user interface for segmenting the display into the two or more simultaneously visible segments.

20. A device according to claim 17 further comprising a user interface for assigning one or more importance levels to the two or more simultaneously visible segments.