PORTABLE DEVICE BATTERY OPTIMIZATION ROUTING SYSTEM

• US 20100063756A1
• Filed: 09/09/2008
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Agrawal, Kavita K., Hussaini, Muna S., Bodin, William K., Rybczynski, Gregory W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/63
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3647 for determining the ability of a battery to perform a critical function, e.g. cranking
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health

Abstract

A battery life management unit for managing the battery life of a portable device. The battery life management unit determines a scheduled event for a user of a portable device and estimates whether battery power of the portable device will last throughout the scheduled event. If the battery power of the portable device is estimated not to last throughout the scheduled event, the battery life management unit determines whether a location of the scheduled event provides one or more battery charging resources. If the location of the scheduled event provides one or more battery charging resources, the battery life management unit reserves a battery charging resource for the user of the portable device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a scheduled event for a user of a portable device;

estimating whether battery power associated with the portable device will last throughout the scheduled event;

determining whether a location of the scheduled event provides one or more battery charging resources if the battery power associated with the portable device is estimated not to last throughout the scheduled event; and

reserving a battery charging resource for the user of the portable device if the location of the scheduled event provides one or more battery charging resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the scheduled event comprises accessing a calendar associated with the user of the portable device to identify the scheduled event and determine information associated with the scheduled event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said estimating whether the battery power associated with the portable device will last throughout the scheduled event comprises:

determining a projected battery power at the start of the scheduled event, a duration of the scheduled event, a role of the user during the scheduled event, and portable device attributes; and

estimating whether the battery power associated with the portable device will last throughout the scheduled event based, at least in part, on the projected power at the start of the scheduled event, the duration of the scheduled event, the role of the user during the scheduled event, and the portable device attributes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more battery charging resources comprises one or more power outlets and/or a wireless charging area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said reserving a battery charging resource for the user of the portable device comprises accessing a network-based reservation system to reserve a battery charging resource.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said accessing the network-based reservation system to reserve a battery charging resource comprises accessing the network-based reservation system to reserve a power outlet and a seat at the location of the scheduled event that is near the power outlet, or to reserve a seat within a wireless charging area at the location of the scheduled event.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the battery power of the portable device is estimated not to last throughout the scheduled event and the location of the scheduled event does not provide one or more battery charging resources, prompting the user to take a backup battery to the scheduled event.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the battery power of the portable device is estimated to last throughout the scheduled event, automatically switching the portable device to a preferred power scheme, or prompting the user to select a power scheme out of a plurality of preferred power schemes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said reserving a battery charging resource for the user of the portable device comprises:

determining if all the battery charging resources provided at the location of the scheduled event are reserved;

if all the battery charging resources provided at the location of the scheduled event are not reserved, reserving one of the battery charging resources for the user of the portable device; and

if all the battery charging resources provided at the location of the scheduled event are reserved, determining a priority rating for the user of the portable device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the priority rating for the user of the portable device is higher than one or more priority ratings of event participants with reservations for a battery charging resource; and

if the priority rating for the user of the portable device is higher than one or more priority ratings of event participants with reservations for a battery charging resource, causing a reservation of an event participant with a lowest priority rating to be cancelled and reserving a battery charging resource for the user of the portable device.

11. The method of claim 1, if the user of the portable device does not obtain a reservation for a battery charging resource at the location of the scheduled event, further comprising:

detecting when the portable device is running out of power during the scheduled event;

identifying one or more additional portable devices and associated event participants using reserved battery charging resources at the location of the scheduled event; and

determining power status of the one or more additional portable devices and whether the associated event participants are available to share power with the user of the portable device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

notifying the user of the portable device of the associated event participants that are available to share power; and

in response to a selection by the user of the portable device, sending a request to a selected one of the associated event participants that are available to share power.

13. One or more machine-readable media having stored therein a program product, which when executed a set of one or more processor units causes the set of one or more processor units to perform operations that comprise:

determining a scheduled event for a user of a portable device;

estimating whether battery power associated with the portable device will last throughout the scheduled event;

determining whether a location of the scheduled event provides one or more battery charging resources if the battery power associated with the portable device is estimated not to last throughout the scheduled event; and

reserving a battery charging resource for the user of the portable device if the location of the scheduled event provides one or more battery charging resources.

14. The machine-readable media of claim 13, wherein the program product when executed causes the set of one or more processor units to perform operations that comprise accessing a calendar associated with the user of the portable device to identify the scheduled event and determine information associated with the scheduled event.

15. The machine-readable media of claim 13, wherein the program product when executed causes the set of one or more processor units to perform operations that comprise:

determining a projected battery power at the start of the scheduled event, a duration of the scheduled event, a role of the user during the scheduled event, and portable device attributes; and

estimating whether the battery power associated with the portable device will last throughout the scheduled event based, at least in part, on the projected power at the start of the scheduled event, the duration of the scheduled event, the role of the user during the scheduled event, and the portable device attributes.

16. The machine-readable media of claim 13, wherein the program product when executed causes the set of one or more processor units to perform operations that comprise accessing a network-based reservation system to reserve a battery charging resource for the user of the portable device.

17. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processing units; and

a memory unit coupled to the one or more processing units, the memory unit having stored therein program instructions that are executable by the one or more processing units to;

determine a scheduled event for a user of a portable device;

estimate whether battery power associated with the portable device will last throughout the scheduled event;

determine whether a location of the scheduled event provides one or more battery charging resources if the battery power associated with the portable device is estimated not to last throughout the scheduled event; and

reserve a battery charging resource for the user of the portable device if the location of the scheduled event provides one or more battery charging resources.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the memory unit further comprises program instructions that are executable by the one or more processing units to access a calendar associated with the user of the portable device to identify the scheduled event and determine information associated with the scheduled event.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the memory unit further comprises program instructions that are executable by the one or more processing units to:

determine a projected battery power at the start of the scheduled event, a duration of the scheduled event, a role of the user during the scheduled event, and portable device attributes; and

estimate whether the battery power associated with the portable device will last throughout the scheduled event based, at least in part, on the projected power at the start of the scheduled event, the duration of the scheduled event, the role of the user during the scheduled event, and the portable device attributes.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the memory unit further comprises program instructions that are executable by the one or more processing units to accessing a network-based reservation system to reserve a battery charging resource for the user of the portable device.