Portable device battery technique

• US 5,838,140 A
• Filed: 01/17/1997
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Rosenthal, Eugene J.
• Primary Examiner(s): TOATLEY, GREGORY J
• Application Number:
  US08/785,268
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 320/133, 320/135, 320/136, 320/134, 340/636, 324/483
• US Class Current: 320/133
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0264 by selectively disabling software applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

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.

Claims

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;

wherein said portable device has at least first and second operating modes, said first mode being a standby mode and said second mode being an active mode, and wherein said predetermined and further periods of time are computed on a basis selected from one of the following bases

(i) as if said portable communication device is only operated in said first mode,

(ii) as if said portable communication device is only operated in said second mode, and

(iii) as if said portable communication device is operated in a combination of said first mode and said second mode.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said predetermined time is selected by the user.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said combination is a predetermined combination.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said predetermined combination is determined as a function of the historical use of the portable device by the user.

5. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said predetermined combination is a function permanently stored in the portable device.

6. 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 operate 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;

wherein said portable device has at least first and second operating modes, said first mode being a standby mode and said second mode being an active mode, and wherein said predetermined amount of time is computed as if the portable device is operated in whichever of said first and second modes the portable device is operating in when said computation is made and wherein said further period of time is calculated as if said portable device is operating only in said second mode regardless of which mode said portable device is actually operating in.

7. A method for use in a portable communication device powered by a battery, comprising the steps of:

when said portable communication 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;

wherein said portable communication device has at least first and second operating modes, said first mode being a standby mode and said second mode being a conversation mode, and wherein said predetermined amount of time is computed as if the portable communication device is operated in whichever of said first and second modes the portable communication device is operating in when said computation is made and wherein said further period of time is calculated as if said portable communication device is operating in said second mode regardless of which mode said portable communication device is actually operating in.

8. A method for use by a portable device powered by a battery, comprising the steps of:

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;

wherein said portable device has at least first and second operating modes, said first mode being a standby mode and said second mode being an active mode, and wherein said times are computed as if said portable device is operated in whichever of said first and second modes said portable device is operating in when said computation is made and wherein said particular additional amount of time is calculated only on the basis of said portable device operating in said second mode.

9. A method for use with a portable device powered by a battery, comprising the steps of:

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 operate 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 said predetermined second point and yet said portable device can receive said predetermined indication;

wherein said portable device has at least first and second operating modes, said first mode being a standby mode and said second mode being an active mode, and wherein said first and second points are set based on operation of said portable communication device only in said active mode.

10. The invention as defined in claim 9 further wherein said portable device is a portable communication device and said active mode is a conversation mode.

11. A method for use by a portable device operated by a battery, said method comprising the steps of:

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;

wherein said portable device has at least first and second operating modes, said first mode being a standby mode and said second mode being an active mode, and wherein said Y and Z minutes are determined as if said portable communication device is only operated in said active mode.

12. Apparatus for use in a portable device powered by a battery, comprising:

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 device upon the passing of the predetermined amount of time unless a user performs a predetermined action prior thereto;

wherein said portable device has at least first and second operating modes, said first mode being a standby mode and said second mode being an active mode, and wherein said predetermined and further periods of time are determined as if said portable communication device is only operated in said active mode.

13. The invention as defined in claim 12 wherein said predetermined and further periods of time accrue only while said portable device is powered on.

14. A portable device powered by a battery, comprising:

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 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;

wherein said times accumulate only while said portable device is operating, and

wherein said portable device has at least first and second operating modes, said first mode being a standby mode and said second mode being an active mode, and wherein said particular additional amount of time is determined as if said portable device is only operated in said active mode regardless of the mode of operation of said portable device prior to said projected time.