Selective Blocking of Background Activity

• US 20140380075A1
• Filed: 06/19/2013
• Published: 12/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pulapaka, Hari, Gefflaut, Alain, Wilson, Emily, Berry, Jon Robert, Liu, Qian
• Granted Patent: US 9,292,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU

Abstract

Controlling background activity in a computing device or system during a low-power mode is described. In some example techniques, when a computing device or system is in a low power mode, a determination is made whether to block one or more trigger events from causing an activation of one or more respective background task operations. Based at least in part on the determination, at least one trigger event may be allowed to cause an activation of a respective background task operation during the low power mode.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory;

a user interface module stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to;

generate a user interface configured to accept input of settings for a low power mode of the computing system, the low power mode being a connected standby mode;

a quiet mode module stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to;

determine if conditions for the low power mode are satisfied;

if the quiet mode module determines that the conditions for the low power mode are satisfied, cause the computing system to enter the low power mode;

during the low power mode, determine whether to block one or more trigger events from causing activation of one or more respective background task operations; and

allow at least one trigger event of the one or more trigger events to cause an activation of a respective background task operation during the low power mode based at least in part on the determining whether to block the at least one allowed trigger event from causing activation of the respective background task operation.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the quiet mode module is further executable by the one or more processors to:

block at least one trigger event of the one or more trigger events from causing activation of at least one respective background task operation based at least in part on the determining whether to block the at least one blocked trigger event.

3. The computing system of claim 2, wherein the quiet mode module is further executable by the one or more processors to buffer at least one blocked trigger event in a trigger event buffer.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the quiet mode module determines to allow an allowed trigger event to cause activation of the respective background task operation during the low-power mode based at least in part on a background task related to the allowed trigger event and the respective background task operation.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein a condition of the conditions for the low-power mode comprises a time period and the quiet mode module determines the time period based at least in part on a history of user interaction with the computing system.

6. One or more computer-readable media encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

during a low power mode, determining whether to block one or more trigger events from causing an activation of one or more respective background task operations; and

allowing at least one trigger event of the one or more trigger events to cause an activation of a respective background task operation during the low power mode based at least in part on the determining whether to block the allowed trigger event.

7. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 6, the acts further comprising:

blocking at least one trigger event of the one or more trigger events from causing an activation of a respective background task operation based at least in part on the determining whether to block the blocked trigger event.

8. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 7, the acts further comprising buffering at least one blocked trigger event in a trigger event buffer.

9. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8, the acts further comprising leaving the low power mode and, after a leaving of the low power mode, allowing one or more buffered trigger events to cause the activation of one or more respective background task operations the buffered trigger events were blocked from activating.

10. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8, the acts further comprising:

discarding a first blocked trigger event blocked from causing a first activation of a respective background task operation when a second blocked trigger event blocked from causing a second activation of the respective background task operation is present in the trigger event buffer.

11. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8, the acts further comprising:

for a first blocked trigger event blocked from causing an first activation of a respective background task operation, discarding a second blocked trigger event already present in the trigger event buffer where the second blocked trigger event was blocked from causing a second activation of the respective background task operation; and

buffering the first blocked trigger event in the trigger event buffer.

12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10, the acts further comprising:

buffering a first blocked trigger event blocked from causing a first activation of a respective background task operation when a second blocked trigger event blocked from causing a second activation of the respective background task operation is already present in the trigger event buffer.

13. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein at least one notification sound related to a respective background task operation of a blocked trigger event is suppressed when the computing system is in the low power mode.

14. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 6, wherein a first allowed trigger event causes the computing system to leave the low-power mode when the respective background task operation is activated;

and

a second allowed trigger event is prevented from causing the computing system to leave the low-power mode when the respective background operation is activated.

15. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8, the acts further comprising:

causing the computing system to leave the low power mode at the end of a quiet mode time period; and

prior to the end of the quiet mode time period, determining a time occurring prior to the end of the quiet mode time period and allowing one or more buffered trigger events to cause the activation of one or more respective background task operations the buffered trigger events were blocked from activating without leaving the low power mode.

16. A computer implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems comprising one or more processors and memory, the memory storing executable instructions,

during an instance of a quiet mode for at least one of the computer systems, determining, for each of a plurality of trigger events, whether to block the trigger event from causing activation of one or more respective background task operations, a first respective background task operation that corresponds to a first trigger event of the plurality of trigger events being a first type of a plurality of types of background task operations, a second respective background task operation that corresponds to a second trigger event of the plurality of trigger events being a second type of background task operation of the plurality of types of background task operations; and

allowing a trigger event of the one or more trigger events to cause an activation of a respective background task operation during the quiet mode based at least in part on the determining whether to block the allowed trigger event.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 16, wherein the determining whether to block a trigger event of the one or more trigger events is based at least in part on a user setting related to a respective background task operation.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 16, further comprising:

blocking a trigger event of the one or more trigger events from causing an activation of a respective background task operation based at least in part on the determining whether to block the blocked trigger event; and

buffering the blocked trigger event in a trigger event buffer.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 18, further comprising:

causing a computer system of the one or more computer systems to leave the quiet mode at the end of a quiet mode time period;

prior to the end of the quiet mode time period, determining a time occurring prior to the end of the quiet mode time period and allowing one or more buffered trigger events to cause the activation of one or more respective background task operations the buffered trigger events were blocked from activating without leaving the quiet mode.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 18, further comprising:

discarding a first blocked trigger event blocked from causing a first activation of a first respective background task operation when a second blocked trigger event blocked from causing a second activation of the first respective background task operation is present in the trigger event buffer;

for a third blocked trigger event blocked from causing a first activation of a second respective background task operation, discarding a fourth blocked trigger event already present in the trigger event buffer where the fourth blocked trigger event was blocked from causing a second activation of the third respective background task operation and buffering the third blocked trigger event in the trigger event buffer; and

buffering a fifth blocked trigger event blocked from causing a first activation of a third respective background task operation when a sixth blocked trigger event blocked from causing a second activation of the third respective background task operation is already present in the trigger event buffer.