Mode Dependent Configuration of Portable Electronic Device

• US 20110163977A1
• Filed: 07/23/2010
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Barnhoefer, Ulrich, Alten, Brett Gregory
• Application Number:
  US12/842,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20110163977A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Improved ways to operate a portable electronic device in a mode-dependent manner are disclosed. In one embodiment, the portable electronic device is a multi-function portable electronic device that can be configured differently based on a particular mode being used. Advantageously, with mode-based configurations, the portable electronic device can operate efficiently and effectively in various different modes. The mode-based configurations can save power, increase efficiency, and/or speed up operation of the device.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a portable electronic device, said method comprising:

determining whether the portable electronic device is in an e-reader mode; and

configuring the portable electronic device to operate in accordance with a e-reader system profile if said determining determines that the portable electronic device is in the e-reader mode.

2. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein said method comprises:

accessing a user preference or a user profile, and

wherein said configuring of the portable electronic device to operate in accordance with the e-reader configuration is based on the e-reader system profile and the user preference or the user profile.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device includes a plurality of electrical components, and wherein one or more of the electrical components are inactivated if operating the portable electronic device in the e-reader mode.

4. A method as recited in claim 3,

wherein said method further comprises:

configuring the portable electronic device to operate in accordance with a default system profile if said determining determines that the portable electronic device is not in the e-reader mode,

wherein the portable electronic device stores a plurality of distinct system profiles, the distinct system profiles including at least the e-reader system profile and the default system profile, and

wherein said method further comprises;

accessing the e-reader system profile if said determining determines that the portable electronic device is in the e-reader mode; and

accessing the default system profile if said determining determines that the portable electronic device is not in the e-reader mode.

5. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein said method further comprises:

presenting an e-book on a display device associated with the portable electronic device, and

wherein said configuring of the portable electronic device to operate in accordance with the e-reader system profile comprises controlling the display device in a manner dependent on the e-reader system profile.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said configuring of the portable electronic device to operate in accordance with the e-reader system profile comprises disabling at least one integrated circuit chip, and to enable at least one specialized e-reader integrated circuit chip.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device includes a graphical processing unit and a low-power display controller, and wherein said configuring of the portable electronic device to operate in accordance with the e-reader system profile comprises disabling the graphical processing unit and enabling the low-power display controller.

8. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a processing unit configured to perform computer program code;

a display;

a display controller configured to control the display; and

a configuration manager operatively connected to the processing unit and/or the display controller, said configuration manager being configured to;

(i) monitor whether the portable electronic device is in an e-reader mode, (ii) determine an appropriate profile for the e-reader mode, and (iii) operate the portable electronic device in accordance with the determined profile while the portable electronic device is in the e-reader mode.

9. A portable electronic device as recited in claim 8, wherein said portable electronic device comprises:

a touch sensitive input device, said touch sensitive input device being operated in a first mode if the portable electronic device is not in the e-reader mode, and said touch sensitive input device being operated in a second mode if the portable electronic device is in the e-reader mode.

10. A portable electronic device as recited in claim 8, wherein comprises:

a touch sensitive input device, said touch sensitive input device being operated in a first mode if the portable electronic device is not in the e-reader mode, and said touch sensitive input device being operated in a second mode if the portable electronic device is in the e-reader mode.

11. A portable electronic device as recited in claim 8, wherein said display controller is disabled or operates in a reduced power mode if said touch sensitive input device is operated in the e-reader mode.

12. A portable electronic device as recited in claim 8, wherein the profile comprises one or more of a system profile, a user profile, a content profile, or a presentation profile.

13. A portable electronic device as recited in claim 12, wherein said configuration manager is further configured determine the profile from two or more of the one or more of a system profile, a user profile, a content profile, or a presentation profile.

14. A method for operating a portable electronic device to present an e-book on a display device associated with the portable electronic device, said method comprising:

determining whether an e-book is to be presented on the display device;

accessing an e-book presentation profile corresponding to the e-book if it is determined that the e-book is to be presented on the display device;

configuring the portable electronic device in accordance with the e-book presentation profile; and

presenting the e-book on the display device of the configured portable electronic device.

15. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code stored thereon for configuring a portable electronic device to present an e-book on a display device associated with the portable electronic device, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for accessing an e-book presentation profile corresponding to the e-book;

computer program code for configuring the portable electronic device in accordance with the e-book presentation profile; and

computer program code for presenting the e-book on the display device of the configured portable electronic device.

16. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code stored thereon for operating a portable electronic device to present an e-book on a display device associated with the portable electronic device, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for determining whether an e-book is to be presented on the display device;

computer program code for identifying a page of the e-book to be presented;

computer program code for accessing an e-book presentation profile corresponding to the e-book;

computer program code for determining a configuration of the portable electronic device for the identified page based on the e-book presentation profile;

computer program code for configuring the portable electronic device in accordance with the determined configuration; and

computer program code for presenting the e-book on the display device of the configured portable electronic device.

17. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 16, wherein said computer program code for presenting comprises:

computer program code for accessing page content for the identified page; and

computer program code for presenting the page content for the identified page.

18. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein said method comprises:

computer program code for determining whether a next page of the e-book is to be presented;

computer program code for determining a next configuration of the portable electronic device for the next page based on the e-book presentation profile;

computer program code for configuring the portable electronic device in accordance with the determined next configuration; and

computer program code for presenting the next page of the e-book on the display device of the configured portable electronic device.

19. A method for operating a portable electronic device to present an e-book on a display device associated with the portable electronic device, said method comprising:

determining whether the portable electronic device is in an e-reader mode;

identifying an e-book to be presented;

providing a plurality of virtual frame buffers for storage of e-book content for the e-book in a data storage device of the portable electronic device;

configuring the portable electronic device to operate in the e-reader mode if said determining determines that the portable electronic device is in the e-reader mode; and

presenting at least a portion of the e-book on the display device of the configured portable electronic device using the e-book content stored in the virtual frame buffers.

20. A method as recited in claim 19,

wherein said providing of the plurality of virtual frame buffers for the e-book in memory within the portable electronic device comprises:

generating page data to be stored in the virtual frame buffers at the portable electronic device; and

storing the page data to the memory hosting the virtual frame buffers.

21. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein said method further comprises:

configuring the portable electronic device to operate in accordance with a e-reader profile if said determining determines that the portable electronic device is in the e-reader mode.