REDUCED-SIZE USER INTERFACES FOR BATTERY MANAGEMENT

• US 20160041597A1
• Filed: 08/04/2015
• Published: 02/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: GRAHAM, David Chance, CHAUDHRI, Imran, DYE, Alan C., FOSS, Christopher Patrick, IVE, Jonathan P., WILSON, Christopher, YANG, Lawrence Y., LYNCH, Kevin M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,939,872 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• 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: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A device with a touch-sensitive display and a battery can determine a battery level of the battery, and in accordance with a determination that the battery level is at or below a first threshold value, cause a haptic output and/or enter a low-power mode. While in low-power mode, the device may produce different outputs in response to user inputs than while in a normal power mode. In some embodiments, while in the low-power mode, the device may display only the time and an indication that the device is in a low-power mode.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, cause the electronic device to:

determine a battery level of a battery of the electronic device;

in accordance with a determination that the battery level is at or below a first threshold value, cause a haptic mechanism to issue a haptic output;

receive data indicative of a user input;

determine whether the data has been received within a predetermined time interval after the haptic output; and

in accordance with a determination that the data has been received within the predetermined time interval, display a battery alert on the touch-sensitive display.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions to cause the electronic device to determine the battery level while the touch-sensitive display is inactive.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the data indicative of a user input is a first data and the user input is a first user input, and wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions to cause the electronic device to:

after displaying the battery alert, receive second data indicative of a second user input;

determine whether the second data indicative of the second user input has been received within a second time interval after displaying the battery alert;

in accordance with a determination that the second data has been received within the second time interval, remove the displayed battery alert from the touch-sensitive display; and

in accordance with a determination that the second data has not been received within the second time interval;

determine an amount of time remaining before the battery level reaches a second threshold level, and

display the amount of time remaining.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the second user input corresponds to a movement of the electronic device.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions to cause the electronic device to:

while displaying the battery alert, detect a third user input; and

in response to detecting the third user input;

determine an amount of time remaining before the battery level reaches a second threshold level, and

display the amount of time remaining.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the third user input is a contact on the touch-sensitive display.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions to cause the electronic device to:

detect a swipe on the touch-sensitive display while the battery alert is displayed; and

in response to detecting the swipe, remove the displayed battery alert from the touch-sensitive display.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the swipe is a substantially downward swipe.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions to cause the electronic device to:

remove the displayed battery alert by displaying an animation that slides the displayed battery alert off-screen in the direction of the swipe.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions to cause the electronic device to:

remove the displayed battery alert from the touch-sensitive display by causing a display of the touch-sensitive display to become inactive.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions to cause the electronic device to:

display the battery alert by displaying an animation that slides the battery alert upwards from the bottom of the touch-sensitive display.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1,

wherein the electronic device further comprises at least one hardware button and a rotatable input mechanism,

wherein the electronic device is configured to, while in a normal power mode, produce a first output responsive to input at the touch-sensitive display, a second output responsive to input at the at least one hardware button, and a third output responsive to input at the rotatable input mechanism, and

wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions to cause the electronic device to:

in accordance with the determination that the battery level is at or below the first threshold value;

enter a low-power mode, the low-power mode characterized in that a fourth output is produced responsive to input at any of the touch-sensitive display, the at least one hardware button, or the rotatable input mechanism.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the fourth output is different from the first output, the second output, and the third output.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the fourth output comprises a display of the current time on the touch-sensitive display.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the fourth output comprises a display of an indication of the battery level of the battery on the touch-sensitive display.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the electronic device further comprises at least one of an accelerometer and a gyroscope, further comprising instructions to cause the electronic device to:

while in the normal power mode;

receive third data from the at least one of the accelerometer and the gyroscope, and

in accordance with a determination that the third data of the at least one of the accelerometer and the gyroscope exceeds a predetermined value, produce a fifth output.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions to cause the electronic device to:

while in the low-power mode;

receive the third data from the at least one of the accelerometer and the gyroscope, and

in accordance with a determination that the third data of the at least one of the accelerometer and the gyroscope exceeds the predetermined value, produce the fourth output.

18. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, a battery, and a haptic mechanism;

determining a battery level of the battery;

in accordance with a determination that the battery level is at or below a first threshold value, causing the haptic mechanism to issue a haptic output;

receiving data indicative of a user input;

determining whether the data has been received within a predetermined time interval after the haptic output; and

in accordance with a determination that the data has been received within the predetermined time interval, displaying a battery alert on the touch-sensitive display.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a battery;

a haptic mechanism;

a touch-sensitive display;

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the battery, the haptic mechanism, the touch-sensitive display, and the memory, the processor configured to;

determine a battery level of the battery;

in accordance with a determination that the battery level is at or below a first threshold value, cause the haptic mechanism to issue a haptic output;

receive data indicative of a user input;

determine whether the data has been received within a predetermined time interval after the haptic output; and

in accordance with a determination that the data has been received within the predetermined time interval, display a battery alert on the touch-sensitive display.