WIRELESS MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE WITH AUTONOMOUS WI-FI CONTROL BASED ON USAGE OF BATTERY IN DEVICE

• US 20120033594A1
• Filed: 08/04/2010
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: KALBAG, Rohit Satish
• Granted Patent: US 8,948,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless mobile communication device may include a Wi-Fi data communication system, an operational condition detection system, and a Wi-Fi activation system. The operational condition detection system may include a battery use detector. The operational condition detection system may be configured to detect an operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device, other than actuation of a user-operated control, including when the battery use detector detects that the wireless mobile communication device is not operating on battery power or is operating while the battery is being charged. The Wi-Fi activation system may be configured to autonomously turn power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system upon detection of an operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device by the operational condition detection system, other than actuation of a user-operated control, including when the battery use detector detects that the wireless mobile communication device is not operating on battery power or is operating while the battery is being charged.

Claims

1. A wireless mobile communication device comprising:

a cellular data communication system configured to wirelessly connect to a cellular data communication network and to wirelessly communicate data between the wireless mobile communication device and the cellular data communication network;

a Wi-Fi data communication system configured to wirelessly connect to a Wi-Fi access point and to wirelessly communicate data between the wireless mobile communication device and the Wi-Fi access point

an operational condition detection system, including a battery use detector, configured to detect a turn-on operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device, other than actuation of a user-operated control, including when the battery use detector detects that the wireless mobile communication device is not operating on battery power or is operating while the battery is being charged; and

a Wi-Fi activation system configured to autonomously turn power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system upon detection of the turn-on operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device by the operational condition detection system, other than actuation of a user-operated control, including when the battery use detector detects that the wireless mobile communication device is not operating on battery power or is operating while the battery is being charged.

2. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein the Wi-Fi activation system is configured to autonomously turn power off to the Wi-Fi data communication system, after autonomously turning power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system, upon detection of a turn-off operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device by the operational condition detection system, other than actuation of a user-operated control.

3. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 2 wherein:

the operational condition detection system includes a Wi-Fi connection detector configured to detect when a connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been established; and

the turn-off operational condition is when the Wi-Fi connection detector detects that a Wi-Fi connection to a Wi-Fi access point cannot be established.

4. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 2 wherein:

the operational condition detection system includes a Wi-Fi connection detector configured to detect when a connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been broken; and

the turn-off operational condition is when the Wi-Fi connection detector detects that a Wi-Fi connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been broken.

5. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 2 wherein:

the operational condition detection system includes a Wi-Fi connection detector configured to detect when a connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been established; and

the turn-off operational condition is when the Wi-Fi connection detector detects that a Wi-Fi connection to a Wi-Fi access point is established and the battery use detector detects that the device is operating on battery power and the remaining charge in the battery is below a pre-determined level.

6. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 2 wherein the Wi-Fi activation system includes a power-on delay timer configured to prevent the Wi-Fi activation system from autonomously turning power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system, notwithstanding detection of a turn-on operational condition by the operational condition detection system, for a pre-determined waiting period after the Wi-Fi activation system has autonomously turned power off to the Wi-Fi data communication system.

7. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 6 wherein:

the operational condition detection system includes a motion sensor configured to sense motion of the wireless mobile communication device; and

the power-on delay timer is configured to prematurely terminate the pre-determined waiting period when the motion sensor senses that the wireless mobile communication device has moved substantially after initiation of the pre-determined waiting period.

8. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 1:

further comprising a data storage system configured to store a user-setting in the wireless mobile communication device indicating that the wireless mobile communication device should not transmit; and

wherein the Wi-Fi activation system is configured not to autonomously turn power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system, notwithstanding detection of the turn-on operational condition by the operational condition detection system, if the data storage system is storing a user-setting indicating that the wireless mobile communication device should not transmit.

9. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein the Wi-Fi data communication system is configured to implement one or more user-provided policies governing connection of the Wi-Fi data communication system to Wi-Fi access points.

10. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein:

the operational condition detection system includes a motion sensor configured to sense motion of the wireless mobile communication device; and

the turn-on operational condition includes when the motion sensor senses that the wireless mobile communication device has been substantially motionless.

11. Non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage media containing computer programming instructions which, when executed by a computer processing system within a wireless mobile communication device having:

a cellular data communication system configured to wirelessly connect to a cellular data communication network and to wirelessly communicate data between the wireless mobile communication device and the cellular data communication network;

a Wi-Fi data communication system configured to wirelessly connect to a Wi-Fi access point and to wirelessly communicate data between the wireless mobile communication device and the Wi-Fi access point; and

an operational condition detection system, including a battery use detector, configured to detect a turn-on operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device, other than actuation of a user-operated control, including when the battery use detector detects that the wireless mobile communication device is not operating on battery power or is operating while the battery is being charged;

cause the computer processing system to function as a Wi-Fi activation system which autonomously turns power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system upon detection of the turn-on operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device by the operational condition detection system, other than actuation of a user-operated control, including when the battery use detector detects that the wireless mobile communication device is not operating on battery power or is operating while the battery is being charged.

12. The non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage media of claim 11 wherein the computer programming instructions, when executed by the computer processing system, cause the Wi-Fi activation system to autonomously turn power off to the Wi-Fi data communication system, after autonomously turning power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system, upon detection of a turn-off operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device by the operational condition detection system, other than actuation of a user-operated control.

13. The non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage media of claim 12 wherein:

the operational condition detection system includes a Wi-Fi connection detector configured to detect when a connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been established; and

the turn-on operational condition is when the Wi-Fi connection detector detects that a Wi-Fi connection to a Wi-Fi access point cannot be established.

14. The non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage media of claim 12 wherein:

the operational condition detection system includes a Wi-Fi connection detector configured to detect when a connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been broken; and

the turn-off operational condition is when the Wi-Fi connection detector detects that a Wi-Fi connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been broken.

15. The non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage media of claim 12 wherein the computer programming instructions which, when executed by a computer processing system, cause the Wi-Fi activation system to have a power-on delay timer which prevents the Wi-Fi activation system from autonomously turning power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system, notwithstanding detection of the turn-on operational condition by the operational condition detection system, for a pre-determined waiting period after the Wi-Fi activation system has autonomously turned power off to the Wi-Fi data communication system.

17. The non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage media of claim 11 wherein the computer programming instructions, when executed by the computer processing system, cause the Wi-Fi activation system not to autonomously turn power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system, notwithstanding detection of the turn-on operational condition by the operational condition detection system, if a user-setting in the wireless mobile communication device indicates that the wireless mobile communication device should not transmit.

18. The non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage media of claim 11 wherein the computer programming instructions, when executed by the computer processing system, cause the Wi-Fi data communication system to implement one or more user-provided policies governing connection of the Wi-Fi data communication system to Wi-Fi access points.

19. The non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage media of claim 11 wherein:

the operational condition detection system includes a motion sensor configured to sense motion of the wireless mobile communication device; and

the turn-on operational condition includes when the motion sensor senses that the wireless mobile communication device has been substantially motionless.

16. The non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage media of claim 16 wherein:

the operational condition detection system includes a motion sensor configured to sense motion of the wireless mobile communication device; and

the computer programming instructions which, when executed by a computer processing system, cause the power-on delay timer to prematurely terminate the pre-determined waiting period when the motion sensor senses that the wireless mobile communication device has moved substantially after initiation of the pre-determined waiting period.