METHOD, APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR POWER MANAGEMENT THROUGH BACKLIGHT AND OTHER PERIPHERAL CONTROLS

• US 20120151236A1
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Vandeputte, Casey, Salluzzi, Teodoro
• Granted Patent: US 9,250,691 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/324
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• 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

A method, apparatus and system for power management in a mobile computing device is provided. In one aspect, the mobile computing device comprises a display with a backlight that is power by a power supply under the control of a processor. The mobile computing device is also configured to execute a web browser or other application that access a network resource. Activation of the backlight is controlled in coordination with the network resource in order to manage drain of power from the power supply.

Claims

1. A method for power management in a mobile computing device comprising:

activating a display in said mobile computing device such that a first amount of power is drawn from a power supply of said mobile computing device;

deactivating said display such that a second amount of power is drawn from said power supply;

said second amount being less than said first amount when a processing operation is occurring that does not require at least one of generation of output and reception of input;

activating an output apparatus after at least a portion of said processing operation is complete.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said processing operation is a data transfer occurring between said mobile computing device and a remote computing apparatus connected to said mobile computing device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said activating of said output apparatus comprises at least one of reactivating said display or activating one of a light emitting diode indicator, generation of an audio signal or generation of haptic output from said device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein deactivating comprises one of dimming said display and turning off said display such that said second amount is zero.

5. The method of claim 2 and further comprising reactivating said display during said data transfer upon detecting a device interaction other than a completion of said at least a portion of said data transfer.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising deactivating said display if said device interaction ceases and said at least a portion of said data transfer has not completed.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said device interaction comprises one of receipt of input via an input apparatus connected to said mobile computing device;

when an automatic refresh of web page occurs;

when any type of data other than the data transfer is received by said device;

an alarm;

a calendar notification;

when a secure web page generates a warning of automatic connection termination due to inactivity.

8. The method of claim 2 further comprising reactivating said display if said data transfer fails before said at least a portion of said data transfer is complete.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein said remote computing apparatus is at least one of a server connected to said computing device via a network and said data transfer is a download from said server;

another computing device connected via a peer-to-peer connection to said computing device;

a storage device locally connectable to said computing device.

10. The method of claim 2 wherein said at least a portion of said processing operation is an entirety of said data transfer.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said display comprises a backlight and said activating comprising activating said backlight and said deactivating comprises deactivating said backlight.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said processing operation comprises at least one of a file transfer, an application installation, playing an audio file, implementing a device boot-up sequence, and installation of a device theme.

13. A mobile computing device comprising:

a power supply;

a display connected to said power supply;

a processor connected to said power supply and said display;

said processor configured to activate said display such that a first amount of power is drawn from said power supply of said mobile computing device;

said processor configured to deactivate said display such that a second amount of power is drawn from said power supply;

said second amount being less than said first amount when a processing operation is occurring which does not require at least one of generation of output and reception of input;

said processor further configured to activate an output apparatus after at least a portion of said processing operation is complete.

14. The mobile computing device claim 13 wherein said processing operation is a data transfer occurring between said mobile computing device and a remote computing apparatus connected to said mobile computing device.

15. The mobile computing device claim 13 wherein activating of said output apparatus comprises at least one of reactivating said display or activating one of a light emitting diode indicator, generation of an audio signal or generation of haptic output from said device.

16. The mobile computing device claim 13 wherein deactivating comprises dimming said display or turning off said display such that said second amount is zero.

17. The mobile computing device claim 14 wherein said processor is further configured to reactivate said display during said data transfer upon detecting a device interaction other than a completion of said at least a portion of said data transfer.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 17 wherein said processor is further configured to deactivate said display if said device interaction ceases and said at least a portion of said data transfer has not completed.

19. The mobile computing device of claim 17 wherein said device interaction comprises one of receipt of input via an input apparatus connected to said mobile computing device;

when an automatic refresh of web page occurs;

when any type of data other than the data transfer is received by said device;

an alarm;

a calendar notification;

when a secure web page generates a warning of automatic connection termination due to inactivity.

20. The mobile computing device of claim 14 wherein said processor is further configured to reactivate said display if said data transfer fails before said at least a portion of said data transfer is complete.

21. The mobile computing device of claim 14 wherein said remote computing apparatus is at least one of a server connected to said computing device via a network and said data transfer is a download from said server;

another computing device connected via a peer-to-peer connection to said computing device;

a storage device locally connectable to said computing device.

22. The mobile computing device of claim 14 wherein said at least a portion of said processing operation is an entirety of said data transfer.

23. The mobile computing device of claim 13 wherein said display comprises a backlight and said activating comprising activating said backlight and said deactivating comprises deactivating said backlight.

24. The mobile computing device of claim 13 wherein said processing operation comprises at least one of a file transfer, an application installation, playing an audio file, implementing a device boot-up sequence, and installation of a device theme.

25. A computer readable medium executable on a processor of a mobile computing device comprising a plurality of programming instructions according to a method which comprises:

activating a display in said mobile computing device such that a first amount of power is drawn from a power supply of said mobile computing device;

deactivating said display such that a second amount of power is drawn from said power supply;

said second amount being less than said first amount when a processing operation is occurring which does not require at least one of generation of output and reception of input;

activating an output apparatus after at least a portion of said processing operation is complete.