METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SCHEDULE OF EXECUTING APPLICATION IN TERMINAL DEVICE AND TERMINAL DEVICE IMPLEMENTING THE METHOD

• US 20140089701A1
• Filed: 09/25/2012
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kato, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,569,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4837 time dependent
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method may include associating, with a timer-B, a second application in a terminal device; setting the terminal device in a standby mode; and executing the second application when a processor in the terminal device wakes up after the timer-B measures a second amount of elapsed time. The timer-B may not initiate wake-up of the processor. The method may further include determining whether the second application is associated with the timer-B or a timer-A when the terminal device receives a command of setting the terminal device in the standby mode; and when the second application is determined as being associated with the timer-A, unassociating the second application with the timer-A. The timer-A may initiate wake-up of the processor when the timer-A measures another second amount of elapsed time while the terminal device is the standby mode. A timer associated with a first application may initiate wakeup of the processor.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

associating, with a second timer in a second timer group, a second application in a terminal device;

setting the terminal device in a standby mode; and

executing the second application when a processor in the terminal device wakes up after the second timer in the second timer group measures a second amount of elapsed time,

wherein the second timer in the second timer group is configured not to initiate wake-up of the processor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the second application is associated with the second timer in the second timer group or a second timer in a first timer group when the terminal device receives a command of setting the terminal device in the standby mode; and

when the second application is determined as being associated with the second timer in the first timer group, unassociating the second application with the second timer in the first timer group,

wherein the second timer in the first timer group is configured to initiate wake-up of the processor when the second timer in the first timer group measures another second amount of elapsed time while the terminal device is the standby mode.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second amount of elapsed time measured by the second timer in the second timer group is substantially equal to the second amount of elapsed time measured by the second timer in the first group.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing information regarding the second timer in the first timer group in a memory of the terminal device when the terminal device receives a command of setting the terminal device in the standby mode, and

retrieving the information regarding the second timer in the first timer group from the memory when the terminal device receives a command of setting the terminal device in an operating mode.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

waking up the processor when a first timer in the first timer group measures a first amount of elapsed time while the terminal device is in the standby mode.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

executing a first application when the processor wakes up.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first application is a data synchronization application.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the first amount of time is longer than the second amount of elapsed time measured by the second timer in the second timer group.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second timer in the second timer group repeats initialization of the second timer in the second timer group and measurement of the second amount of elapsed time until the terminal device receives a command of setting the terminal device in an operating mode.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second application is configured to monitor remaining electric charge of a battery associated with the terminal device.

11. A terminal device comprising:

a memory configured to store a second application;

a second timer in a second timer group; and

a processor configured to;

associate the second application with the second timer in the second timer group, and

execute the second application when the processor wakes up after the second timer in the second timer group measures a second amount of elapsed time,

wherein the second timer in the second timer group is configured not to initiate wake-up of processor.

12. The terminal device of claim 11, further comprising:

a second timer in a first timer group configured to initiate wake-up of the processor when the second timer in the first timer group measures another second amount of elapsed time while the terminal device is in the standby mode,

wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the second application is associated with the second timer in the second timer group or the second timer in the first timer group when the terminal device receives a command of setting the terminal device in the standby mode, and unassociate the second application with the second timer in the first timer group when the processor determines that the second application is associated with the second timer in the first timer group.

13. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to instruct the memory to store information regarding the second timer in the first timer group when the terminal device receives a command of setting the terminal device in the standby mode, and

retrieve the information regarding the second timer in the first timer group from the memory when the terminal device receives a command of setting the terminal device in an operating mode.

14. The terminal device of claim 12, further comprising:

a first timer in the first timer group configured to initiate wake-up of the processor when the first timer in the first timer group measures a first amount of elapsed time while the terminal device is in the standby mode.

15. The terminal device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to execute a first application when the processor wakes up.

16. The terminal device of claim 15, wherein the first application is a data synchronization application.

17. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the second timer in the second timer group repeats initialization of the second timer in the second timer group and measurement of the second amount of elapsed time until the terminal device receives a command of setting the terminal device in the operating mode.

18. The terminal device of claim 11 wherein the second application is configured to monitor remaining electric charge of a battery associated with the terminal device.

19. A computer-readable non-transitory medium comprising computer-executable instructions of:

associating, with a second timer in a second timer group, a second application in a terminal device;

setting the terminal device in a standby mode; and

executing the second application when a processor in the terminal device wakes up after the second timer in the second timer group measures a second amount of elapsed time,

wherein the second timer in the second timer group is configured not to initiate wake-up of the processor.

20. The computer-readable non-transitory medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions of:

determining whether the second application is associated with the second timer in the second timer group or a second timer in a first timer group when the terminal device receives a command of setting the terminal device in the standby mode; and

when the second application is determined as being associated with the second timer in the first timer group, unassociating the second application with the second timer in the first timer group,

wherein the second timer in the first timer group is configured to initiate wake-up of the processor when the second timer in the first timer group measures another second amount of elapsed time while the terminal device is the standby mode.