Depicting signal strength and battery level of a mobile communications device

• US 7,929,998 B1
• Filed: 03/04/2008
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Edwards, Chris Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Safaipour; Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US12/042,020
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 455/427, 4555751-5754, 455/572, 715/772, 715848-852, 715/864
• US Class Current: 455/572
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/046 Dealing with screen burn-in prevention or compensation of the effects thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems, products, and methods are disclosed for presenting signal strength and battery level of a mobile communications device and are provided. The method includes referencing an indication of the battery level, referencing an indication of the signal strength, wherein the signal strength is a strength of a wireless communications signal that the mobile communications device is receiving, determining an applicable scene that is to be used to present the battery level and the signal strength, and presenting the scene on a display of the mobile communications device to convey the battery level and the signal strength.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of depicting a battery level and a signal strength of a mobile communications device, the method comprising:

referencing an indication of the battery level;

referencing an indication of the signal strength, wherein the signal strength is a strength of a wireless communications signal that the mobile communications device is receiving;

determining an applicable scene that is to be used to present the battery level and the signal strength; and

presenting the scene on a display of the mobile communications device to convey the battery level and the signal strength,

wherein the scene includes a depiction of two items that collectively reflect a real-world situation,

wherein the first item includes a first set of one or more features that collectively represent the battery level, and

wherein the second item includes a second set of one or more features that collectively represent the signal strength.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications signal comes from a tower that forms part of a wireless telecommunications network.

3. The media of claim 1,

wherein the first item is capable of being presented in varying degrees of contrast between a first state and a second state, and

wherein the second item is capable if being presented in varying degrees of contrast between an initial state and a subsequent state.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein the first state corresponds to a relatively high battery level, and the second state corresponds to a relatively low battery level, or vice versa.

5. The media of claim 4, wherein the initial state corresponds to a relatively high signal strength, and the second state corresponds to a relatively low signal strength, or vice versa.

6. The media of claim 5, wherein the first item and the second item are capable of being presented in varying degrees of contrast to each other.

7. The media of claim 4, wherein the first state transitions to the second state as the battery level transitions from a relatively high level to a relatively low level, or vice versa.

8. The media of claim 5, wherein the initial state transitions to the second state as the signal strength transitions from a relatively high level to a relatively low level or vice versa.

9. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of depicting a battery level and a signal strength of a mobile communications device, the method comprising:

presenting a scene on a display of the mobile communications device, the scene consuming substantially all of the display and conveying information about the battery level and the signal strength, wherein a first depiction within the scene indicates the battery level, and wherein a second depiction within the scene indicates the signal strength, and wherein the first and second depictions collectively form the scene, which depicts a possible real-world situation.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the first depiction does not take the form of a battery, such the first depiction would not normally be thought of as representing the battery level unless instruction was provided to make known that the first depiction represents the battery level.

11. The media of claim 9, wherein the second depiction does not take the form of a series of bars of varying height, such the second depiction would not normally be thought of as representing the signal strength unless instruction was provided to make known that the second depiction represents the signal strength.

12. The media of claim 10, wherein the first depiction includes attributes that transition from a first state to a second state as the battery level transitions from a first state to a second state.

13. The media of claim 11, wherein the second depiction includes attributes that transition from an initial state to a subsequent state as the signal strength transitions from an initial state to a subsequent state.

14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of depicting a battery level and a signal strength of a mobile communications device, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a desire to present a scene on a display of the mobile communications device, wherein the scene includes constituent items that collectively convey the battery and the signal information;

presenting the scene on the display,

wherein a first constituent item includes aspects that can be presented in varying degrees of contrast to convey the battery level;

wherein a second constituent item includes aspects that can be presented in varying degrees of contrast to convey the signal level; and

wherein the first and second constituent items together form a representation of a real-world situation.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein receiving the indication includes receiving the indication from a triggering component within the mobile communications device that causes the scene to be presented without user interaction.

16. The media of claim 14, wherein receiving the indication includes receiving the indication incident to a happening of a triggering event.

17. The media of claim 16, wherein receiving the triggering event includes at least one of the following:

an opening of the mobile communications device;

a closing of the mobile communications device;

a toggling of a status of a hardware switch;

input from a button of the mobile communications device; and

input from a soft key of the mobile communications device.

18. The media of claim 14, wherein the scene is presented as a screen saver on the mobile communications device.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein the screen saver is persistently displayed.