Battery charge reservation for emergency communications

• US 8,548,421 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ray, Amar Nath, Coppage, Carl M., Greene, Lynne T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gu, Andy
• Application Number:
  US12/257,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20100003950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless communications device and method for establishing a voltage threshold at which to turn off electronics of a wireless communications device includes determining a power threshold level at which a device is to be shut off when a battery of the device reaches or drops below the power threshold level. The determined power threshold level may be offset. The amount of power remaining for the battery in the communications device may be measured. The communication device may be shut off based on the offset power threshold level so as to preserve enough power for an emergency message to be generated and sent in the case of an emergency.

Claims

1. A wireless communications device comprising:

a display screen;

an electronics system configured to provide communications over a communications network;

a primary battery configured to power the electronics during a power-on mode;

a secondary battery configured to power the electronics in response to an emergency signal being received while said electronics are in a power-off mode;

wherein the electronics system;

establishes a voltage threshold of the primary battery to ensure that the wireless communications device, at the voltage threshold, has sufficient power for an emergency communication;

establishes an offsetted power threshold that is a multiplier of the voltage threshold;

displays, on the display, a battery power meter that indicates both the voltage threshold and the offsetted power threshold;

generates a pre-established emergency message in response to the emergency signal, wherein the pre-established emergency message is directed to an emergency service provider associated with the emergency signal, and wherein the secondary battery powers only a portion of the display screen while said electronics are in power-off mode, with a second portion of the display screen remaining unpowered, such that the display screen is only partially powered to allow the display screen to retain some functionality while conserving power of the secondary battery.

2. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a hard-key configured to automatically generate the emergency signal in response to a user activation, wherein the pre-established emergency message is sent to an emergency service provider associated with the hard-key and is not a call.

3. The wireless communications device according to claim 2, wherein said hard-key is powered by said secondary battery.

4. The wireless communications device according to claim 2, wherein said hard-key has a light source that illuminates the hard-key with less light than other hard-keys.

5. The wireless communications device according to claim 2, wherein the emergency signal is identified by pulses generated in response to a user pressing said hard-key in a predefined sequence.

6. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein the secondary battery is limited to powering said electronics to only when the emergency signal is received while said electronics are in the power-off mode.

7. A method for establishing a voltage threshold at which to turn off electronics of a wireless communications device so as to preserve enough power to communicate an emergency message over a communications network, the method comprising:

determining an amount of power used by the wireless communications device to perform a powered-down emergency communication, including performing an emergency power-up sequence, powering only a portion of a display screen of the wireless communication device while a second portion of the display screen remains unpowered, connecting with the communications network, communicating a pre-established message to the communications network in response to selection by a user of a dedicated button of the wireless communications device, and providing a notification that the message was communicated to the user of the wireless communications device; and

establishing a voltage threshold level of a battery of the wireless communications device that, when measured, causes the electronics to turn off so as to ensure that the wireless communications device has sufficient power to power only the portion of the display screen while the second portion of the display screen remains unpowered and communicate the pre-established message to an emergency service provider associated with the selection;

setting a turn-off voltage threshold parameter in the wireless communications device based on an offsetted power threshold level, the offsetted power threshold level based on a multiplier of the voltage threshold, the turn-off voltage threshold parameter causing the wireless communications device to turn off at a certain battery voltage level to ensure sufficient battery power remains to perform at least one powered-down emergency communication; and

displaying, on a battery power meter, both the voltage threshold level and the offsetted power threshold level.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising storing an offset value in a memory location of the communications device.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising providing a user a selectable option to turn on and off offsetting of the power threshold level.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising in response to receiving an emergency message request, while the wireless communications device is powered-down, utilizing at least a portion of the remaining power in the battery to communicate the pre-established emergency message.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising in response to a user attempting to turn on the wireless communications device, after being powered-down, displaying a message notifying the user that emergency message capabilities will be reduced or lost if power-up continues and enables the user to select whether to continue with power-up.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein communicating the emergency message includes communicating a text message.