Method and means for adjusting the timing of user-activity-dependent changes of operational state of an apparatus

• US 6,516,421 B1
• Filed: 02/17/2000
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Peters, Matthew Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Heckler, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US09/506,233
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 713/323, 713/502
• US Class Current: 713/502
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Provided is a method and components of an apparatus for implementing a method for assisting with adjustment of the timing of user-inactivity-dependent changes of operational state of an apparatus, by identifying user interactions following a change of operational state, determining when the user'"'"'s interactions or lack of interaction following the change of state suggest that a change to an inactivity time period is desirable, and either automatically changing the inactivity time period or prompting the user to change the time period.

Claims

1. A method for assisting a user of an apparatus with modification of the timing of a user-inactivity-dependent change of operational state of the apparatus, the method including:

monitoring user interactions with the apparatus and determining when a predefined inactivity period has expired without user interaction;

changing the operational state when the inactivity period has expired without user interaction during that period;

determining whether the user interacts with the apparatus within a predefined time period following the change of operational state;

in response to the determination of whether the user interacts with the apparatus within the predefined time period following the change of operational state, initiating a modification of the inactivity period.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a display device and the change of operational state is display of a screen saver via the display device.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the change of operational state is switching to a low power standby mode.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the change of operational state is switching off one or more components of the apparatus.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the change of operational state is logging off a user or warning a user of imminent log off.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a data processing apparatus including an operating system software component which implements functions to perform the steps of:

determining when a predefined inactivity period has expired without user interaction;

initiating the change of operational state when the inactivity period has expired without user interaction during that period;

determining whether the user interacts with the apparatus within a predefined time period following the change of operational state; and

in response to the determination of whether the user interacts with the apparatus within the predefined time period following the change of operational state, initiating a modification of the inactivity period.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the modification of the inactivity period is initiated in response to a determination of a lack of user interaction within the predefined time period.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the modification of the inactivity period is only initiated upon indication of completion of the current user task and only if the determination is negative for all occurrences of the change of operational state during the current user task.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein initiating modification comprises initiating display of a user interface component from which the user can specify a modified inactivity period.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the user interface component is displayed upon indication of completion of a current task.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein initiating modification comprises automatically modifying the inactivity period.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the inactivity period is increased when the user interacts with the apparatus within the predefined time period following the change of operational state.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the change of operational state is activation of a security mechanism.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the security mechanism includes password protection.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the modification of the inactivity period is initiated in response to a positive determination of user interaction within the predefined time period.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the modification of the inactivity period is only initiated if the user interacts with the apparatus within the predefined time period following the change of operational state for each of N consecutive occurrences of the change of operational state, where N>

1.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the modification of the inactivity period is only initiated if the user interacts with the apparatus within the predefined time period following the change of operational state for at least M occurrences of the change of operational state within a single continuous period of time in which the apparatus remains switched on, where M>

1.

18. A component for an apparatus in which one or more operational state changes occur in response to expiry of respective predefined periods of user-inactivity, for assisting a user of the apparatus with modification of the timing of a user-inactivity-dependent change of operational state of the apparatus, the component including:

means for monitoring user interactions with the apparatus and determining when a predefined inactivity period has expired without user interaction;

means for initiating a change of operational state when an inactivity period expires without user interaction during that period;

means for determining whether the user interacts with the apparatus within a predefined time period following the change of operational state;

means, responsive to the determination of whether the user interacts with the apparatus within the predefined time period following the change of operational state, for initiating a modification of the inactivity period.

19. An operating system software component for running on a data processing apparatus in which one or more operational state changes occur in response to expiry of respective predefined periods of user-inactivity, the operating system implementing functions for controlling the operation of the data processing apparatus to perform the steps of:

monitoring user interactions with the apparatus and determining when a predefined inactivity period has expired without user interaction;

initiating the change of operational state when the inactivity period has expired without user interaction during that period;

determining whether the user interacts with the apparatus within a predefined time period following the change of operational state; and

in response to the determination of whether the user interacts with the apparatus within the predefined time period following the change of operational state, initiating a modification of the inactivity period.