Selective low power management prioritization in a mobile device

• US 8,555,100 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2008
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Liao, Robert H.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, RAYMOND NGAN
• Application Number:
  US12/331,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20100146312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: 713300-340, 4555521-574, 455/426.1, 717170-172
• US Class Current: 713/324
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0264 by selectively disabling software applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A device may include an output device to provide information to a user. The device may further include logic configured to receive an input that identifies an activity to enable while in a low power condition, monitor a power condition of the device, determine that the power condition is the low power condition, and deactivate or disable activities other than the identified activity when the power condition is the low power condition.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, as a configuration setting of a device prior to entering by the device into a low power condition, a user input that identifies an activity to enable while in the low power condition,

wherein the activity comprises a listing of two or more activities or events ranked based on a priority of each of the two or more activities or events when the device is in the low power condition;

monitoring a power condition of the device;

determining that the power condition is the low power condition; and

deactivating or disabling activities other than the identified activity when the power condition is the low power condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more activities or events comprise at least one activity or event comprises at least two one of a telephone call, a short message service (SMS) message, a web browsing session, a media player session, a 3G network session, or a Wi-Fi network session.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, when one of the at least two activities or events comprises a telephone call or a SMS message, the one of the at least two activities or events further designates a sender or recipient of the telephone call or the SMS message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deactivating or disabling activities in the listing of two or more activities or events upon continued reduction in a power level of the device, wherein the deactivating or disabling is performed based on an order the activities are ranked in the listing, with lower ranked activities or events being deactivated or disabled before higher ranked activities or events.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring a power condition further comprises determining a percentage of remaining power.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining that the power condition is the low power condition further comprises:

determining whether the percentage of remaining power is less than a low power threshold.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving, as a configuration setting of a device prior to entering by the device into a low power condition, a user input that identifies an activity to enable while in the low power condition;

monitoring a power condition of the device;

determining that the power condition is the low power condition; and

deactivating or disabling activities other than the identified activity when the power condition is the low power condition,

wherein deactivating or disabling activities other than the identified activity when the power condition is the low power condition further comprises;

identifying a set of power reducing activities;

determining whether any of the set of power reducing activities are included in the identified activity;

disabling the activities included in the set of power reducing activities when any of one of the set of power reducing activities are not included in the identified activity; and

disabling activities included in the set of power reducing activities other than the one of the set of power reducing activities included in the identified activity when any one of the set of power reducing activities is included in the identified activity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the set of power reducing activities comprises a listing of activities or functions of the device that reduce power in the device.

9. A device, comprising:

an output device to provide information to a user; and

a processor configured to;

receive input from the user that identifies an activity to enable while in a low power condition,

wherein the input that identifies the activity to enable while in the low power condition is received before an attempt to execute the activity and before the device is in the low power condition;

monitor a power condition of the device;

determine that the power condition is the low power condition;

deactivate or disable activities other than the identified activity when the power condition is the low power condition;

receive a request for a disabled or deactivated activity; and

provide a notification, to the user via the output device, that the requested activity is not available.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the identified activity comprises at least one of a telephone call, a short message service (SMS) text message, a web browsing session, a media player session, a 3G network session, or a Wi-Fi network session.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the identified activity comprises a ranked listing of two or more activities or events, wherein the two or more activities or events are ranked based on priority of each of the two or more activities or events when the device is in the low power condition.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the processor to deactivate or disable activities other than the received activity when the power condition is the low power condition further comprises a processor configured to:

identify a set of power reducing activities;

determine whether any of one of the set of power reducing activities are included in the received activity;

disable the activities included in the set of power reducing activities when any of one of the set of power reducing activities are not included in the received activity; and

disable activities included in the set of power reducing activities other than the one of the set of power reducing activities included in the received activity when any one of the set of power reducing activities is included in the received activity.

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

determine that the power condition is a second low power condition; and

deactivate or disable one or more activities or events included in the ranked listing based on a relative ranking of the activities or events in the ranked listing when the power condition is the second low power condition.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the second low power condition exists when there is insufficient power to support all activities or events included in the ranked listing.

15. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receive, as a configuration setting of a device prior to entering by the device into a low power condition, an identification of a low power activity from a user,

wherein the low power activity comprises a listing of two or more activities or events ranked based on a priority of each of the two or more activities or events when the device is in the low power condition;

monitor a power condition of the device;

determine that the power condition is the low power condition;

deactivating or disabling activities other than an identified low power activity when the power condition is the low power condition.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further including instructions for causing the at least one processor to:

receive the identification of the low power activity from the user via a configuration settings user interface associated with the device.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further including instructions for causing the at least one processor to:

receive the identification of the low power activity from a remote device via a network interface.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to:

deactivate or disable activities in the listing of two or more activities or events upon continued reduction in a power level of the device, wherein the deactivating or disabling is performed based on an order the activities are ranked in the listing, with lower ranked activities or events being deactivated or disabled before higher ranked activities or events.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to deactivate or disable activities other than the identified activity when the power condition is the low power condition further cause the at least one processor to:

identify a set of power reducing activities;

determine whether any of the set of power reducing activities are included in the identified activity;

disable the activities included in the set of power reducing activities when any of one of the set of power reducing activities are not included in the identified activity; and

disable activities included in the set of power reducing activities other than the one of the set of power reducing activities included in the identified activity when any one of the set of power reducing activities is included in the identified activity.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to:

determine that the power condition is a second low power condition indicating that there is insufficient power to support all activities or events included in the ranked listing; and

deactivate or disable one or more activities or events included in the ranked listing based on a relative ranking of the activities or events in the ranked listing when the power condition is the second low power condition.