Breathing status LED indicator

• US 6,658,577 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2002
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Bell, Jory, Huppi, Brian Q., Capener, Christopher L., Stringer, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Application Number:
  US10/197,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20020178388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300-340
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675

Abstract

A new and improved status LED indicator provides a pleasing visual appeal. An embodiment of the present invention includes a sleep-mode indicator for laptop computers. The LED indicator is energized by pulse-width modulated electrical pulses. The effect of these pulses on the indicator varies in intensity and mimics a rhythm typical of breathing. It is another aspect of the invention to provide an electrical apparatus that generates a sleep-mode indicator blinking pattern based on a sinusoidal function using PWM (pulse width modulation) designs.

Claims

1. A sleep mode indicator apparatus for a laptop computer, said apparatus indicating to users that said laptop computer being in sleep mode, said apparatus comprising:

a CPU for causing said computer to enter into sleep mode;

a micro-controller coupled to said CPU for computer operations during sleep mode;

a LED circuit coupled to said micro-controller for generating electrical pulses to energize a LED indicator, said electrical pulses including a repetition of a series of PWM pulses occurring at a frequency, each pulse having an identical peak current level, said electrical pulses further including pulse Widths varying in accordance with a non-linear duty cycle function.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said non-linear duty cycle function includes a positively-biased sinusoidal function.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said sinusoidal function includes a quiet period during which the function value remains at 0% duty cycle.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said sinusoidal function has numerical duty cycle values over the period of said repetition.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said repetition has a period of approximately 1.8 seconds.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said sinusoidal repetition has a peak value of 25% duty cycle.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said frequency for said series of PWM pulses ranges from 100 to 200 Hertz.

8. A status indicator apparatus for an electronic device, said apparatus indicating to users of said computer a certain status, said apparatus comprising:

a micro-controller; and

a LED circuit coupled to said micro-controller for generating electrical pulses to energize a LED indicator, said electrical pulses including a repetition of a series of PWM pulses occurring at a frequency, each pulse having an identical peak current level, said electrical pulses further including pulse widths varying in accordance with a non-linear duty cycle function, said non-linear function including a positively biased sinusoidal function having a quiet period during which the function value remains at zero.

9. A sleep mode indicator apparatus for a laptop computer, said apparatus indicating to users of said computer that it being in sleep mode, said apparatus comprising:

a CPU for causing said computer to enter into sleep mode;

a micro-controller coupled to said CPU for computer operations during sleep mode;

a LED circuit coupled to said micro-controller for generating electrical pulses to energize a LED indicator, said electrical pulses including a repetition of a series of PWM pulses occurring at a frequency, said frequency ranging from 100 to 200 Hertz, each pulse having an identical peak current level, said electrical pulses further including pulse widths varying in accordance with a non-linear duty cycle function, said non-linear function including a positively biased sinusoidal function having a peak value less than 100% duty cycle, said sinusoidal function further including a quiet period during which the function value remains at zero.