Mobile electronic device having a geographical position dependent light and method and system for achieving the same

• US 20060172745A1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Knowles, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,627,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for controlling an illuminating device on a mobile electronic device comprising determining in a global position of the device in real-time, determining a state of at least one light condition currently affecting ambient light at the global position and adjusting the intensity of the illuminating device in response to the state of the at least one light condition. Light conditions include weather conditions and a position of the sun at a particular global position. A mobile electronic device having a geographically dependent illuminating device is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an illuminating device on a mobile electronic device comprising:

determining a global position of the device in real-time;

determining a state of at least one light condition currently affecting ambient light at the global position; and

adjusting the intensity of the illuminating device in response to the state of the at least one light condition.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the global position comprises using a global positioning system.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising determining at least one of a current weather condition and a current sun position at the global position and, in response, determining the state of the at least one light condition.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising retrieving from a memory, at least one of current weather condition data and current sun position data at the global position.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the retrieving comprises communicating via a wireless network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the illuminating device comprises one of a backlight for a display on the device;

an LCD display;

a light for illuminating at least one of a keypad and a keyboard; and

a light mounted on a vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of predefining a range of ambient light values that correspond to a range of states of the at least one light condition.

8. The method according to claim 7, comprising determining an ambient light value based on the state of the at least one light condition.

9. The method according to claim 8, comprising adjusting the intensity of the illuminating device in response to the ambient light value.

10. The method according to claim 1, comprising adjusting the intensity of the illuminating device dynamically.

21. A data carrier product containing a sequence of instructions which when executed causes the performance of the method according to claim 1.

22. A computer software product containing a sequence of instructions which when executed causes the performance of the method according to claim 1.

23. An integrated circuit product containing sequences of instructions which when executed causes the performance of the method according to claim 1.

11. A mobile electronic device having an automatically controlled illuminating device comprising:

the illuminating device; and

a controller adapted to determine a current global position of the device and adjusting the intensity of the illuminating device according to a state of at least one light condition currently affecting ambient light at the global position.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the controller is coupled to a (a) positioning system for determining global position and (b) a first memory storing data relating to states of at least one light condition at various global positions.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the controller is coupled to a second memory storing data used to calculate the global position.

14. The device of claim 13, comprising a receiver configured to receive signals from a positioning system to determine the global position.

15. The device of claim 11, comprising a display, said illuminating device comprising a backlight for illuminating the display.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the receiver is housed in the device.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first and second memory is housed in the device.

18. The device of claim 13, comprising a communication subsystem for communicating with the first memory wirelessly through a network.

19. The device of claim 13, wherein one of the first memory and the second memory is housed in the device and the device communicates with the other one of the first memory and second memory wirelessly through a network.

20. A system for controlling an illuminating device on a mobile electronic device comprising:

a positioning system;

the mobile electronic device;

the illuminating device coupled to the device;

at least one memory storing data relating to current states of at least one light condition at various global positions; and

the mobile electronic device comprising a controller coupled to the positioning system and the at least one memory, for determining the global position of the device and adjusting the intensity of the illuminating device according to a state of at least one light condition affecting ambient light at the global position.