Adaptive power saving

• US 8,078,896 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2009
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Karlsson, David
• Primary Examiner(s): AUVE, GLENN ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US12/402,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20100235664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 713/320, 713/323, 713/324
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands

Abstract

A device may enter a first active state associated with a device, exit the first active state and entering a sleep state associated with the device when user input is not received within a inactivity period, receive a first user input at the device during the sleep state, measure an elapsed time between a start of the sleep state and the first user input, and increase the inactivity period of the device when the elapsed time is less than a particular threshold.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

entering a first active state associated with a device;

exiting the first active state and entering a sleep state associated with the device when no user input is received within an inactivity period associated with the device;

receiving, after a first elapsed time, a first user input at the device during the sleep state;

exiting the sleep state and entering a second active state, based on the first user input;

exiting the second active state and re-entering the sleep state when no user input is received within the inactivity period;

receiving, after a second elapsed time, a second user input at the device during the sleep state; and

adjusting the inactivity period of the device when each of the first elapsed time and the second elapsed time is outside a time interval between a first threshold and a second threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the inactivity period includes one of:

exiting the sleep state and entering a third active state associated with another inactivity period that differs from the inactivity period of the device;

or

changing the inactivity period and re-entering the first active state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the inactivity period includes:

exiting the sleep state and entering a third active state associated with another inactivity period that is shorter than the inactivity period of the device, when each of the first elapsed time and the second elapsed time is greater than the second threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during the sleep state, reducing or eliminating power to a particular component of the device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

in the second active state, restoring power to the particular component of the device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when each of the first elapsed time and the second elapsed time is less than the first threshold, exiting the sleep state and entering a third active state associated with another inactivity period that is longer than the inactivity period of the device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the second elapsed time is greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, maintaining the device in the second active state.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first user input includes:

receiving input via an accelerometer, or a gyroscope of the device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during the first active state, when the first elapsed time elapsed is greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, remaining in the first active state.

10. A device comprising:

an input component to receive user input;

an output component; and

a processor to;

enter a sleep state following an inactivity period associated with each of a number of active states in which power is delivered to the output component;

decrease the power delivered to the output component in the sleep state;

receive user input during the sleep state;

determine an amount of time between a start of the sleep state and the user input;

determine, for successive ones of the number of active states, that the amount of time between the start of the sleep state and the user input is shorter than a first threshold value or longer than a second threshold value; and

enter another active state, subsequent to the successive ones of the number of active states, corresponding to a particular inactivity period that differs from an inactivity period corresponding to a previous active state with respect to the successive ones of the number of active states.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

restore the power to the output component in the other active state.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the particular inactivity period is longer than the inactivity period associated with the successive ones of the active states when the amount of time is shorter than the first threshold.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the particular inactivity period is shorter than the inactivity period associated with the successive ones of the active states when the amount of time is longer than the second threshold.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the input component includes at least one of:

a gyroscope, or an accelerometer.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the device includes:

a cell phone.

16. A computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions including instructions, that, when executed on one or more devices of a mobile communication device, cause the mobile communication device to:

enter a first active state associated with the mobile communication device;

enter, from the first active state, a sleep state associated with the mobile communication device when the mobile communication device does not receive user input within a first inactivity period associated with the first active state;

receive, after a first elapsed time, a first user input at the mobile communication device during the sleep state;

enter, from the sleep state, a second active state associated with the mobile communication device, based on the first user input;

re-enter, from the second active state, the sleep state when no user input is received at the mobile communication device within the first inactivity period;

receive, after a second elapsed time, a second user input at the mobile communication device during the sleep state;

determine that each of the first elapsed time and the second elapsed time is outside a time interval between a first threshold and a second threshold; and

enter, from the sleep state, a third active state associated with the mobile communication device, corresponding to a second inactivity period, wherein the first and second inactivity periods differ.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein, when each of the first elapsed time and the second elapsed time is less than the first threshold, the second inactivity period is longer than the first inactivity period.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions that cause the mobile communication device to enter the sleep state include instructions for reducing or eliminating power to an output component of the mobile communication device.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions that cause the mobile communication device to enter the second active state include instructions for restoring the power to the output component.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein, when each of the first elapsed time and the second elapsed time is greater than the second threshold, the second inactivity period is less than the first inactivity period.