COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE FOR INTELLIGENTLY ROUTING INFORMATION AMONG MULTIPLE USER INTERFACES

• US 20140065961A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cox, David Grant
• Granted Patent: US 9,300,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0267 by controlling user interface components
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A near field communications (NFC) device is disclosed that intelligently routes NFC data from a NFC device between multiple user interfaces based upon a power level of its internal batteries. The communications device utilizes a communications device user interface to send and/or receive the NFC data from the NFC device when its internal batteries are sufficient to operate the communications device user interface. The communications device begins to route some of this NFC data from being sent and/or received by the communications device user interface to a NFC user interface as its internal batteries deplete. Eventually, all of the NFC data will be sent to and/or received by the NFC user interface as the internal batteries of the communications device become so depleted that they are unable to reliably operate the communications device user interface.

Claims

1. A communications device, comprising:

a communications module configured to receive information while performing a service; and

a controller configured to route the information to a first user interface when a power level of a battery is sufficient to operate the first user interface and to begin to route some of the information to a second user interface that is different from the first user interface as the battery begins to deplete.

2. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the communications module is a near field communications (NFC) module that is configured to provide NFC with another NFC capable device.

3. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the first user interface provides an operator with a full complement of services that may be performed by the communications device when the power level of a battery is sufficient to operate the first user interface, and wherein the full complement of services is split between the first user interface and the second user interface as the battery begins to deplete.

4. The communications device of claim 3, wherein a first portion of the full complement of services can be performed by the second user interface and a second portion of the fall, complement of services cannot be performed by the second user interface, and wherein the second portion of the full complement of services are no longer being performed by the communications device when the power level indicates that the battery is unable to reliably operate the first user interface.

5. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to route the information to the second user interface when the power level indicates that the battery is unable to reliably operate the first user interface.

6. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the first communications module, the controller module, and the second interface are further configured to operate using a power harvested from a communications signal when the power level indicates that the battery is unable to reliably operate the first user interface.

7. The communications device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second communications module configured to receive second information while performing a second service that is different from the first service,

wherein the controller configured to route the second information to the first user interface when the power level is sufficient to operate the first user interface and to stop providing the second information as the battery begins to deplete.

8. The communications device of claim 7, wherein the first service relates to near field communications (NFC), and wherein the second service relates to communications other than NFC between the communication device.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving, via a communications module, information while performing a service;

routing the information to a first user interface when a power level of a battery is sufficient to operate the first user interface; and

routing a portion of the information to a second user interface that is different from the first user interface when the battery begins to deplete.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing an operator, via the first user interface, a full complement of services that may be performed by a communications device when the power level of a battery is sufficient to operate the first user interface; and

splitting the full complement of services is between the first user interface and the second user interface as the battery begins to deplete.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a first portion of the full complement of services is performed by the second user interface and a second portion of the full complement of services cannot be performed by the second user interface, and wherein the second portion of the full complement of services are no longer being performed by the communications device when the power level indicates that the battery is unable to reliably operate the first user interface.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

routing the information to the second user interface when the power level indicates that the battery is unable to reliably operate the first user interface.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

operating the second interface using a power harvested from a communications signal when the power level indicates that the battery is unable to reliably operate the first user interface.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, via a second communications module, second information while performing a second service that is different from the first service;

routing the second information to the first user interface when the power level is sufficient to operate the first user interface; and

terminating the routing of the second information as the battery begins to deplete.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first service relates to near field communications (NFC), and wherein the second service relates to communications other than NFC between the communication device.