Portable device battery technique
First Claim
1. A method for use in a portable device powered by a battery, comprising the steps of:
- at a point at which the battery is depleted to a predetermined power level, developing a signal which indicates that the battery will be completely depleted within a predetermined amount of time even though there actually remains sufficient power in the battery to power said portable device for a further period of time in addition to the predetermined amount of time; and
powering off said portable device upon the passing of the predetermined amount of time unless a user performs a predetermined action prior thereto.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
When a user has a portable telephone near the absolute end of its available battery power, the user can be caused to behave in a manner that more likely results in the preservation of some battery power for subsequent high priority high priority calls by conveying the illusion that the battery will soon be, or is, depleted even though there actually remains sufficient power in the battery to power the portable telephone for an additional period of time. To this end, at a predetermined time, e.g., two minutes, prior to a projected time at which the battery is expected to have power for only a particular additional amount of time, e.g., eight minutes, the user is signaled with an almost-out-of-power warning. This warning indicates that there remains in the battery enough power to operate the portable telephone only until the projected time, notwithstanding that there actually remains in the battery sufficient power to operate the portable telephone for the additional time beyond the projected time. To enhance the illusion of early battery power depletion, the portable telephone powers off at the projected time. Furthermore, any battery power indicator provides the user with an artificially low power reading that indicates that the battery power will be completely depleted at the projected time. At any point after initiation of the almost-out-of-power warning, the user may take an affirmative action to make available the additional power remaining in the battery. At that point, the display is restored to an accurate indication.
41 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A method for use in a portable device powered by a battery, comprising the steps of:
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at a point at which the battery is depleted to a predetermined power level, developing a signal which indicates that the battery will be completely depleted within a predetermined amount of time even though there actually remains sufficient power in the battery to power said portable device for a further period of time in addition to the predetermined amount of time; and powering off said portable device upon the passing of the predetermined amount of time unless a user performs a predetermined action prior thereto. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for use in a portable communication device powered by a battery, comprising the steps of:
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when said portable device is on, signaling a user with a short-term almost-out-of-power warning starting a first predetermined period of time prior to a projected time at which the battery is expected to have power for only a particular additional amount of time; and turning off the portable communication device at the projected time as if the portable communication device then had no remaining battery power unless a predetermined indication was received from the user after initiation of said signaling. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for use by a portable device powered by a battery, comprising the steps of:
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when said portable device is on, signaling a user with a short-term almost-out-of-power warning for a predetermined time immediately prior to a projected time at which the battery is expected to have power for only a particular additional amount of time; and turning off said portable device at the projected time so that it appears as if said portable device has no remaining battery power unless a predetermined indication has been received from the user before the expiration of said predetermined time; wherein said times are calculated, and said signaling is performed, only relative to periods that said portable device actually is, or has sufficient battery power to be, on.
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23. The invention as defined in 22 wherein said portable device is a portable communication device.
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24. A method for use a portable device powered by a battery, comprising the steps of:
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when said portable device is on, signaling a user with a short-term almost-out-of-power warning starting at a predetermined time prior to a projected time at which the battery is expected to have power for only a particular additional amount of time; and turning off the portable device at the projected time as if the portable device then had no remaining battery power unless a predetermined indication was received from the user after said predetermined time. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for use with a portable device powered by a battery, comprising the steps of:
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when said portable device is on, signaling a user with a short-term almost-out-of-power warning starting when said battery is depleted to a first predetermined power level which is greater than a second predetermined power level which is sufficient to operate the portable device for a predetermined reserve amount of time; and turning off the portable device and inhibiting its further operation when the battery is depleted to the second predetermined power level as if the portable device had no remaining battery power for operating the portable device when a predetermined indication is not received from the user between the time that the battery reaches the first predetermined power level and prior to the battery reaching the second predetermined power level.
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29. A method for use with a portable device powered by a battery, comprising the steps of:
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detecting depletion of the battery to a predetermined first point; issuing an almost-out-of-power warning; detecting depletion of the battery to a predetermined second point, said second point being such that there yet remains at least sufficient power in said battery to power said portable device for the difference in time between (i) detection of depletion of the battery to said predetermined first point and (ii) the time difference between detection of depletion of the battery to said predetermined first point and detection of depletion of the battery to said predetermined second point; and operating said portable device in response to detecting depletion of the battery to said predetermined second point so that it appears as if said portable device has no remaining battery power when a predetermined indication has not been received from the user by the expiration of said predetermined time and yet said portable device can receive said predetermined indication. - View Dependent Claims (30)
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31. A method for use with a portable device powered by a battery which has a regular operating mode, comprising the steps of:
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detecting depletion of the battery to a predetermined first point; issuing an almost-out-of-power warning; detecting depletion of the battery to a predetermined second point, said second point being such that there yet remains at least sufficient power in said battery to power said portable device for the difference in time between (i) detection of depletion of the battery to said predetermined first point and (ii) the time difference between detection of depletion of the battery to said predetermined first point and detection of depletion of the battery to said predetermined second point; and deactivating said portable device in response to detecting depletion of the battery to a predetermined second point, so that it appears as if said portable device has no remaining battery power when a predetermined indication was not received from the user by the expiration of said predetermined time and yet said portable device can receive said predetermined indication. - View Dependent Claims (32)
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33. A method for use by a portable device operated by a battery, said method comprising the steps of:
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issuing an almost-out-of-power warning when the battery is depleted to a point at which it is able to power the device for an additional Y minutes; powering off said device Z minutes later, Z being less than Y, unless a user has provided a predetermined indication within Z minutes after said warning was issued. - View Dependent Claims (34)
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35. Apparatus for use in a portable communications device powered by a battery, comprising:
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means, responsive to the battery being depleted to a predetermined power level, for developing a signal which indicates that the battery is nearly depleted and will be completely depleted within a predetermined amount of time even though there actually remains sufficient power in the battery to power said portable device for a further period of time in addition to the predetermined amount of time; and means for powering off said portable communications device upon the passing of the predetermined amount of time unless a user performs a predetermined action prior thereto. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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37. Apparatus use in a portable communications device powered by a battery, comprising:
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means, operative when said portable device is on, for signaling a user with a short-term almost-out-of-power warning starting when said battery is depleted to a first predetermined power level which is greater than a second predetermined power level which is sufficient to continuously operate the portable communications device for a predetermined reserve amount of time; and means for turning off the portable communication device and inhibiting its further operation when the battery is depleted to the second predetermined power level as if the portable communication device had no remaining battery power for operating the portable communications device when a predetermined indication is not received from the user between the time that the battery reaches the first predetermined power level and prior to the battery reaching the second predetermined power level.
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38. A portable device powered by a battery, comprising:
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means for signaling a user with a short-term almost-out-of-power warning when said portable device is on, said short-term almost-out-of-power warning being started at a predetermined time prior to a projected time at which the battery is expected to have power for only a particular additional amount of time; and means for turning off the portable communication device at the projected time as if the portable device then had no remaining battery power unless a predetermined indication is received from the user after said predetermined time.
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Specification