Method and apparatus for reducing power consumption based on use pattern of user

• US 10,296,072 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2016
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Um, Tae-kwang, Kim, Du-seok, Park, Hyun-cheol, Cho, Ho-sik, Hwang, Cheol-ju
• Primary Examiner(s): Hammonds, Marcus
• Application Number:
  US15/017,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20160239069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 455574
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A device and method of managing power are provided. The device includes a user input unit configured to receive a user input from a user, an output unit configured to output information based on the user input, and a controller configured to, when the user input is not received, determine whether or not an out-focus status in which the user does not use the device has started, determine, when it is determined that the out-focus status has started, a period in which the out-focus status is to be maintained based on information about a probability of the out-focus status according to a context of the device, and stop, when the period in which the out-focus status is to be maintained is equal to or greater than a reference time period, an application executed in the device.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a touch screen; and

at least one processor configured to at least;

when a user input is not received for a preset time period via the touch screen, turn off the touch screen and determine that an out-focus status in which the user does not use the device has started,

based on both the out-focus status being started and a current context of the device, identify a probability of the out-focus status being maintained,

based on the identified probability of the out-focus status being maintained, calculate an expected period in which the out-focus status is to be maintained from when the out-focus status has started, and

based on both the out-focus status being started and the expected period being equal to or greater than a reference time period, stop an operation of an application which is being executed in a background on the device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the out-focus status in which the user does not use the device indicates at least one of a status in which the touch screen does not output the information or a status in which the user does not receive the information output from the touch screen.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the context of the device comprises at least one of a time, a location of the device, a status of the device, or an environment surrounding the location of the device.

4. The device of claim 1,

wherein, after the application is stopped, the at least one processor is further configured to receive the user input via the touch screen from the user, and

wherein, when the user input is received from the user, the at least one processor is further configured to resume the stopped application.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive a call connection request from a server,

wherein, when the call connection request is received, the at least one processor is further configured to control the touch screen to output information indicating reception of the call connection request, and

wherein, when a user input for confirming the call connection request in response to the output information is not received, the at least one processor is further configured to determine that the out-focus status has started.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine the expected period in which the out-focus status is to be maintained, based on a value of a probability of the out-focus status corresponding to a time period after the out-focus status has started,

wherein the value of the probability is obtained from among information about probabilities of the out-focus status according to time.

7. The device of claim 1,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine reliability of the expected period in which the out-focus status is to be maintained based on information about the probability of the out-focus status according to the context of the device, and

wherein, when the reliability of the expected period in which the out-focus status is to be maintained is equal to or greater than a reference, the at least one processor is further configured to stop the application executed in the background on the device.

8. The device of claim 7,

wherein the information about the probability of the out-focus status according to the context of the device comprises information about probabilities of the out-focus status according to locations of the device,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine the reliability of the expected period in which the out-focus status is to be maintained based on a probability value corresponding to a location of the device when the out-focus status has started, and

wherein the probability value is obtained from among the information about the probabilities of the out-focus status according to the locations of the device.

9. The device of claim 7,

wherein the information about the probability of the out-focus status according to the context of the device comprises information about probabilities of the out-focus status according to statuses of the device,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine the reliability of the expected period in which the out-focus status is to be maintained based on a probability value corresponding to a status of the device when the out-focus status has started, and

wherein the probability value is obtained from among the information about the probabilities of the out-focus status according to the statuses of the device.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a transceiver configured to exchange data about the application with the server, even if the user input is not received,

wherein, when the expected period in which the out-focus status is to be maintained is equal to or greater than the reference time period, the at least one processor is further configured to control the transceiver to stop exchanging the data.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein, even if information about an event is received from a server, the at least one processor is further configured not to request the transceiver to output information indicating reception of the event when the expected period in which the out-focus status is to be maintained is equal to or greater than the reference time period.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive updated data with respect to the application from a server even if the user input is not received,

wherein, when the expected period in which the out-focus status is to be maintained is equal to or greater than the reference time period, the at least one processor is further configured to control the transceiver not to receive the updated data from the server.

13. A method of managing power comprising:

when a user input is not received from a user for a preset time period via a touch screen, turning off the touch screen and determining that an out-focus status in which the user does not use the device has started;

based on both the out-focus status being started and a current context of the device, identifying a probability of the out-focus status being maintained,

based on the identified probability of the out-focus status being maintained, calculating an expected period in which the out-focus status is to be maintained from when the out-focus status has started; and

based on both the out-focus status being started and the expected period being equal to or greater than a reference time period, stopping an operation of an application which is being executed in a background on the device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the out-focus status in which the user does not use the device, indicates at least one of a status in which the touch screen of the device does not output information or a status in which the user does not receive the information output from the touch screen of the device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the context of the device comprises at least one of a time, a location of the device, a status of the device, or an environment surrounding the location of the device.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

after the application is stopped, receiving the user input via the touch screen from the user; and

when the user input is received from the user, resuming the stopped application.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

when a call connection request is received from a server, outputting information indicating reception of the call connection request,

wherein, when a user input for confirming the call connection request in response to the output information is not received, the determining of the out-focus status comprises determining that the out-focus status has started.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon one or more computer programs including instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to control for executing the method according to claim 13.