Conservation of battery power in mobile devices having communication capabilities
First Claim
1. A mobile data communications system having at least one base station and at least one mobile device, comprising:
- a wireless communication subsystem in each mobile device for communicating with said at least one base station, a beacon for signaling at least one of a presence of a base station and a need for a mobile device to associate or communicate with a base station; and
a beacon detection circuit in a mobile device for performing at least one of activating said wireless communication subsystem in said mobile device, and alerting a user of said mobile device to conduct communication with a base station, when said beacon is received by said beacon detection circuit.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method, apparatus and computer program product that in a mobile data communications system having at least one base station, at least one beacon and at least one mobile device, enables the mobile devices to conserve power. A wireless communication subsystem in each mobile device communicates with the base station. A beacon either signals the presence of a main base station or the need for the mobile device to attempt to associate or communicate with the base station. A beacon detection circuit in a mobile device activates the wireless communication subsystem in the mobile device when the beacon is received by the beacon detection circuit, which may be a passive circuit using no power, or a very low power receiver.
-
Citations
51 Claims
-
1. A mobile data communications system having at least one base station and at least one mobile device, comprising:
-
a wireless communication subsystem in each mobile device for communicating with said at least one base station, a beacon for signaling at least one of a presence of a base station and a need for a mobile device to associate or communicate with a base station; and
a beacon detection circuit in a mobile device for performing at least one of activating said wireless communication subsystem in said mobile device, and alerting a user of said mobile device to conduct communication with a base station, when said beacon is received by said beacon detection circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A mobile device for use in a mobile data communications system having at least one base station, and a beacon, said mobile device comprising:
-
a wireless communication subsystem for communicating with said base station, and a beacon detection circuit in said mobile device for performing at least one of activating said wireless communication subsystem in said mobile device and alerting a user of said mobile device to conduct communication with a base station, when said beacon is received by said beacon detection circuit. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. A method for operating a mobile data communications system having at least one base station and at least one mobile device, comprising:
-
monitoring for at least one of proximity to a base station of said at least one mobile device and an alert from a beacon; and
performing at least one of activating a wireless communication subsystem in said at least one mobile device for communicating with said base station when in proximity to a base station, or in response to said alert, and providing an alert to a user of said mobile device that there is a message to be received. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
-
-
41. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a mobile data communications system having at least one base station and at least one mobile device, to execute steps comprising:
-
monitoring for at least one of proximity of a base station to said at least one mobile device and an alert from a beacon; and
performing at least one of activating a wireless communication subsystem in said at least one mobile device for communicating with said base station when in proximity to a base station, or in response to said alert, and providing an alert to a user of said mobile device that there is a message to be received. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
-
Specification