SELECTIVE HIBERNATION OF ACTIVITIES IN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20160147543A1
• Filed: 01/21/2016
• Published: 05/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Shiplacoff, Daniel Marc Gatan, Duarte, Matias Gonzalo, Lyon, Jeremy Godfrey
• Granted Patent: US 10,877,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3225 of memory devices
• 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 1/3243 Power saving in microcontroller unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3275 Power saving in memory, e.g. RAM, cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0264 by selectively disabling software applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In an electronic device capable of running multiple software applications concurrently, applications, documents, cards, or other activities can be selected for hibernation so as to free up system resources for other activities that are in active use. A determination is made as to which activities should hibernate, for example based on a determination as to which activities have not been used recently or based on relative resource usage. When an activity is to hibernate, its state is preserved on a storage medium such as a disk, so that the activity can later be revived in the same state and the user can continue with the same task that was being performed before the activity entered hibernation.

Claims

1. A method of operating a mobile device, the method comprising:

concurrently running a multitude of activities on the mobile device, each of the multitude of activities being distinct and representable on a display screen of the mobile device by a corresponding live interactive user interface;

placing a plurality of the activities that have not been used for a time period into hibernation;

taking, for each of the plurality of hibernating activities, a snapshot of the corresponding live interactive user interface;

replacing, for each of the plurality of hibernating activities, the corresponding live interactive user interface with a non-interactive user interface displaying a representation of the snapshot;

displaying, on the display screen, a first number of the non-interactive user interfaces in a linear arrangement; and

scrolling, in response to a user input, the first number of the non-interactive user interfaces and a second number of the non-interactive user interfaces towards an edge of the display screen by displaying, on the display screen, the first and second numbers of non-interactive user interfaces in a plurality of display positions that change based on a direction of the scrolling;

wherein the plurality of display positions includes a final display position corresponding to an ending of the scrolling; and

wherein hibernation of each of the hibernating activities is unaffected by the scrolling or a particular display position of the corresponding non-interactive user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dismissing a selected one of the hibernating activities based on a user selection of the corresponding non-interactive user interface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user selection comprises a user dragging the corresponding non-interactive user interface upward towards a top of the display screen.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reviving a selected one of the hibernating activities based on a user selection of the corresponding non-interactive user interface.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user selection comprises a user tapping on the corresponding non-interactive user interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each snapshot comprises a current live display of the corresponding live interactive user interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each snapshot comprises a static image.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

saving, in a storage device of the mobile device, activity state information for each of the hibernating activities.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the activity state information comprises a current state of each of the hibernating activities.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

freezing the hibernating activities, wherein at least a portion of a system resource of the mobile device is freed in response to freezing the hibernating activities.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically closing one or more of the hibernating activities after a period of time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of display positions further change based on a duration of the scrolling.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein each snapshot is taken based on the corresponding activity being placed into hibernation.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second numbers of the non-interactive user interfaces are arranged in a persistent positional relationship.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

changing the persistent positional relationship of the first and second numbers of the non-interactive user interfaces based on a dismissal or a user selection of one or more of the first and second numbers of the non-interactive user interfaces.

16. A mobile device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display screen;

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the mobile computing device to;

concurrently run a multitude of activities on the mobile device, each of the multitude of activities being distinct and representable on a display screen of the mobile device by a corresponding live interactive user interface;

place a plurality of the activities that have not been used for a time period into hibernation;

take, for each of the plurality of hibernating activities, a snapshot of the corresponding live interactive user interface;

replace, for each of the plurality of hibernating activities, the corresponding live interactive user interface with a non-interactive user interface displaying a representation of the snapshot;

display, on the display screen, a first number of the non-interactive user interfaces in a linear arrangement; and

scroll, in response to a user input, the first number of the non-interactive user interfaces and a second number of the non-interactive user interfaces towards an edge of the display screen by displaying, on the display screen, the first and second numbers of non-interactive user interfaces in a plurality of display positions that change based on a direction of the scrolling;

wherein the plurality of display positions includes a final display position corresponding to an ending of the scrolling; and

wherein hibernation of each of the hibernating activities is unaffected by the scrolling or a particular display position of the corresponding non-interactive user interface.

17. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile device to further:

dismiss a selected one of the hibernating activities based on a user selection of the corresponding non-interactive user interface.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the user selection comprises a user dragging the corresponding non-interactive user interface upward towards a top of the display screen.

19. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile device to further:

revive a selected one of the hibernating activities based on a user selection of the corresponding non-interactive user interface.

20. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the user selection comprises a user tapping on the corresponding non-interactive user interface.

21. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein each snapshot comprises a current live display of the corresponding live interactive user interface.

22. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein each snapshot comprises a static image.

23. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile device to further:

save, in a storage device of the mobile device, activity state information for each of the hibernating activities.

24. The mobile device of claim 23, wherein the activity state information comprises a current state of each of the hibernating activities.

25. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile device to further:

freeze the hibernating activities, wherein at least a portion of a system resource of the mobile device is freed in response to freezing the hibernating activities.

26. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile device to further:

automatically close one or more of the hibernating activities after a period of time.

27. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the plurality of display positions further change based on a duration of the scrolling.

28. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein each snapshot is taken based on the corresponding activity being placed into hibernation.

29. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a mobile device, cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising:

concurrently running a multitude of activities on the mobile device, each of the multitude of activities being distinct and representable on a display screen of the mobile device by a corresponding live interactive user interface;

placing a plurality of the activities that have not been used for a time period into hibernation;

taking, for each of the plurality of hibernating activities, a snapshot of the corresponding live interactive user interface;

replacing, for each of the plurality of hibernating activities, the corresponding live interactive user interface with a non-interactive user interface displaying a representation of the snapshot;

displaying, on the display screen, a first number of the non-interactive user interfaces in a linear arrangement; and

scrolling, in response to a user input, the first number of the non-interactive user interfaces and a second number of the non-interactive user interfaces towards an edge of the display screen by displaying, on the display screen, the first and second numbers of non-interactive user interfaces in a plurality of display positions that change based on a direction of the scrolling;

wherein the plurality of display positions includes a final display position corresponding to an ending of the scrolling; and

wherein hibernation of each of the hibernating activities is unaffected by the scrolling or a particular display position of the corresponding non-interactive user interface.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile device to perform operations further comprising:

dismissing a selected one of the hibernating activities based on a user selection of the corresponding non-interactive user interface.

31. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 30, wherein the user selection comprises a user dragging the corresponding non-interactive user interface upward towards a top of the display screen.

32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile device to perform operations further comprising:

reviving a selected one of the hibernating activities based on a user selection of the corresponding non-interactive user interface.

33. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 32, wherein the user selection comprises a user tapping on the corresponding non-interactive user interface.

34. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein each snapshot comprises a current live display of the corresponding live interactive user interface.

35. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein each snapshot comprises a static image.

36. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile device to perform operations further comprising:

saving, in a storage device of the mobile device, activity state information for each of the hibernating activities.

37. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 36, wherein the activity state information comprises a current state of each of the hibernating activities.

38. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile device to perform operations further comprising:

freezing the hibernating activities, wherein at least a portion of a system resource of the mobile device is freed in response to freezing the hibernating activities.

39. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile device to perform operations further comprising:

automatically closing one or more of the hibernating activities after a period of time.

40. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the plurality of display positions further change based on a duration of the scrolling.

41. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein each snapshot is taken based on the corresponding activity being placed into hibernation.