METHOD FOR STARTING APPLICATION SMARTLY AND POWER-EFFICIENTLY

• US 20130144456A1
• Filed: 01/17/2012
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Askey Computer Corporation (ASUSTek Computer, Inc.), Askey Technology Jiangsu Ltd (ASUSTek Computer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Askey Computer Corporation (ASUSTek Computer, Inc.), Askey Technology Jiangsu Ltd (ASUSTek Computer, Inc.)
• Inventors: HSIEH, CHING-FENG, CHENG, CHANG-WEN
• Application Number:
  US13/351,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20130144456A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/298
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• 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 for starting an application smartly and power-efficiently is applicable to a portable electronic device installed with an application and hardware. The portable electronic device receives a voltage generated from a power supply, such as an internal battery power or an external power. After the portable electronic device has started, a connection between the application and the hardware is created. Upon detection that the voltage originates from the external power, the application is executed based on a preset schedule to start the hardware corresponding to the application until it is detected that the source of the voltage has been switched to the internal battery power. Upon the detection that the source of the voltage has been switched to the internal battery power, a user determines whether to change the state of use of the hardware, thereby rendering the portable electronic device smart and power-efficient.

Claims

1. A method for starting an application smartly and power-efficiently, applicable to a portable electronic device installed with an application and hardware, the portable electronic device receiving a voltage generated from at least one of an internal battery power and an external power, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) starting the portable electronic device through the voltage to create a connection between the application and the hardware, allowing the portable electronic device to record a state of use of the hardware with a hardware status table;

(b) identifying the voltage source and, after identifying the voltage source as the external power, executing the application based on a preset schedule stored in the portable electronic device to start the hardware and updating the state of use of the hardware started by execution of the application and recorded in the hardware status table, the preset schedule being a schedule of execution of the application; and

(c) determining whether a state of power supply to the portable electronic device allows the voltage to be supplied by the external power, wherein a negative determination is followed by a step of selectively keeping the state of use of the hardware and step (b).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the voltage source as the internal battery power in step (b) is followed by selectively keeping the state of use of the hardware and continuing the step of identifying the voltage source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, in step (a), the state of use of the hardware in the hardware status table is set to off beforehand.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising step (d) of rescheduling the execution of applications in the preset schedule and thereby allowing the portable electronic device to keep or change the state of use of the hardware by executing the applications as scheduled.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, in step (a), the application is at least one of a Wi-Fi application, a mobile network continuation application, a screen display control application, and a power-saving mode application.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, in step (a), the hardware is at least one of a Wi-Fi communication chip, a mobile network communication chip, and a display control chip.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein step (d) further comprises a sub-step of including in the preset schedule executing the mobile network continuation application by the portable electronic device, starting the mobile network communication chip, and generating a mobile network communication signal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, after step (d), step (e) involves executing the Wi-Fi application based on the preset schedule by the portable electronic device so as to drive the Wi-Fi communication chip to generate a radio communication signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, after step (e), step (f) involves including in the preset schedule executing an access point mode in the Wi-Fi application by the portable electronic device, thereby allowing the Wi-Fi communication chip to broadcast the mobile network communication signal.