Mobile device battery management
First Claim
1. A battery-powered mobile computing device comprising:
- a battery to provide power;
a processor;
a Global Positioning System (GPS) component to obtain information about the geographic location of the device, wherein;
the information about the geographic location of the device obtained using the GPS component has a first degree of accuracy, andobtaining information about the geographic location of the device using the GPS component consumes a first amount of battery power;
a wireless communication interface to obtain information about the geographic location of the device, wherein;
the information about the geographic location of the device obtained using the wireless communication interface has a second degree of accuracy that is less than the first degree of accuracy, andobtaining information about the geographic location of the device using the wireless communication interface consumes a second amount of battery power that is less than the first amount of battery power; and
a memory storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions including;
first instructions corresponding to a first applications that utilize information about a geographic location of the device;
second instructions corresponding to a location updater module, the location updater module to request either the GPS component or the wireless communication interface to obtain information about the geographic location of the device; and
third instructions corresponding to a location services module, the location services module to;
register the applications for access to information about the geographic location of the device;
determine whether any of the applications is active or was active at any time during a previous specified period of predetermined length; and
control the location updater module regarding whether to use the GPS component or the wireless communication interface to obtain the information about the geographic location of the device based, at least in part, on a determination as to whether any of the applications are active or were active at any time during a previous specified period,wherein the location services module controls the location updater module to use the GPS component to obtain the information about the geographic location of the device if any of the applications that utilize information about the current geographic location of the device are active or were active at any time during the previous specified period, andwherein the location services module controls the location updater module to use the wireless communication interface and not the GPS component to obtain the information about the geographic location of the device if no application on the battery-powered mobile computing device that utilizes information about the current geographic location of the device is active or was active at any time during the previous specified period.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products. Data representing a plurality of power management profiles for a battery-operated wireless computing device are stored on the device. The power management profiles correspond to different power consumption levels. Each power management profile defines a feature for determining a geographic location of the device from among a plurality of features that are available for determining the geographic location of the device, and a frequency for employing the feature to determine the geographic location of the device. A first battery level of the device is determined. If the determined battery level is lower than a first predetermined amount, the device switches from a first power management profile having a first consumption level to a second power management profile having a second consumption level that is lower than the first consumption level.
12 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A battery-powered mobile computing device comprising:
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a battery to provide power; a processor; a Global Positioning System (GPS) component to obtain information about the geographic location of the device, wherein; the information about the geographic location of the device obtained using the GPS component has a first degree of accuracy, and obtaining information about the geographic location of the device using the GPS component consumes a first amount of battery power; a wireless communication interface to obtain information about the geographic location of the device, wherein; the information about the geographic location of the device obtained using the wireless communication interface has a second degree of accuracy that is less than the first degree of accuracy, and obtaining information about the geographic location of the device using the wireless communication interface consumes a second amount of battery power that is less than the first amount of battery power; and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions including; first instructions corresponding to a first applications that utilize information about a geographic location of the device; second instructions corresponding to a location updater module, the location updater module to request either the GPS component or the wireless communication interface to obtain information about the geographic location of the device; and third instructions corresponding to a location services module, the location services module to; register the applications for access to information about the geographic location of the device; determine whether any of the applications is active or was active at any time during a previous specified period of predetermined length; and control the location updater module regarding whether to use the GPS component or the wireless communication interface to obtain the information about the geographic location of the device based, at least in part, on a determination as to whether any of the applications are active or were active at any time during a previous specified period, wherein the location services module controls the location updater module to use the GPS component to obtain the information about the geographic location of the device if any of the applications that utilize information about the current geographic location of the device are active or were active at any time during the previous specified period, and wherein the location services module controls the location updater module to use the wireless communication interface and not the GPS component to obtain the information about the geographic location of the device if no application on the battery-powered mobile computing device that utilizes information about the current geographic location of the device is active or was active at any time during the previous specified period. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of operating a battery-powered mobile computing device having a processor, a memory, and a battery, the method comprising:
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determining, by the device, whether an application that is available on the device and that uses information about a current geographic location of the device is active or was active at any time during a previous specified period of predetermined length; using, by the device, a first location-determining technique to determine the geographic location of the device if the application is active or was active at any time during the previous specified period of predetermined length, wherein the first location-determining technique uses a first amount of battery power; and using, by the device, a second location-determining technique to determine the geographic location of the device if no application available on the device is active or was active at any time during the previous specified period of predetermined length, wherein the second location-determining technique uses a second amount of battery power that is less than the first amount of battery power. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program comprising instructions that, if executed by a processor of a mobile computing device, operate to cause the mobile computing device to perform operations comprising:
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determining whether an application that is available on the device and that uses information about a current geographic location of the device is active or was active at any time during a previous specified period of predetermined length; using a first location-determining technique to determine the geographic location of the device if the application is active or was active at any time during the previous specified period of predetermined length, wherein the first location-determining technique uses a first amount of battery power; and using a second location-determining technique to determine the geographic location of the device if no application available on the device is active or was active at any time during the previous specified period of predetermined length, wherein the second location-determining technique uses a second amount of battery power that is less than the first amount of battery power. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A battery-operated mobile computing device comprising:
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a battery to provide power; a processor; a Global Positioning System (GPS) component to obtain information about the geographic location of the device, wherein obtaining information about the geographic location of the device using the GPS component consumes a first amount of battery power; a wireless communication interface to obtain information about the geographic location of the device, wherein obtaining information about the geographic location of the device using the wireless communication interface consumes a second amount of battery power that is less than the first amount of battery power; and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions including; first instructions corresponding to applications that utilize information about a geographic location of the device; second instructions corresponding to a location updater module, the location updater module to request either the GPS component or the wireless communication interface to obtain information about the geographic location of the device; and third instructions corresponding to a location services module, the location services module to; determine whether any of the applications is active or was active at any time during a previous specified period of predetermined length; and control the location updater module regarding whether to use the GPS component or the wireless communication interface to obtain the information about the geographic location of the device based, at least in part, on a determination as to whether any of the applications are active or were active at any time during a previous specified period, wherein the location services module controls the location updater module to use the GPS component to obtain the information about the geographic location of the device whenever any of the applications that utilize information about the current geographic location of the device are active or were active at any time during the previous specified period, and wherein the location services module controls the location updater module to use the wireless communication interface and not the GPS component to obtain the information about the geographic location of the device if no application on the device that utilizes information about the current geographic location of the device is active or was active at any time during the previous specified period. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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Specification