Mobile terminal and method of reducing power consumption for a dual display system

• US 8,571,605 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2009
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Jun Serk, Lee, Na Ri, Kim, Kang Min, Kim, Kyoung Joung, Kim, Jung Eun
• Primary Examiner(s): Prez-Gutirrez, Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fang, Keith
• Application Number:
  US12/507,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20100048253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile terminal and method of reducing power consumption in the mobile terminal are provided. The method includes displaying an operation screen in the first display module, determining a remaining battery power of the mobile terminal, and disabling the first display module and displaying the operation screen in the second display module in response to determining that the remaining battery power is less than a reference battery power.

Claims

1. A method of reducing power consumption in a mobile terminal having a first display module and a second display module, the method comprising:

displaying content of a first web page in a color mode in the first display module;

determining a remaining battery power of the mobile terminal;

disabling the first display module and displaying content of a second web page in a black-and-white mode in the second display module in response to determining that the remaining battery power is less than a reference battery power, wherein the displayed content of the second web page is the same as at least some of the displayed content of the first web page and comprises text included in the first web page without an image included in the first web page;

displaying a message in the second display module in response to determining that the remaining battery power is less than the reference battery power, wherein the displayed message comprises a first indication that the second display module is used instead of the first display module;

maintaining the display of the content of the first web page in the first display module and displaying a result screen in a black-and-white mode in the second display module in response to determining that the remaining battery power exceeds the reference battery power, wherein the result screen is obtained via a search performed via the displayed first web page; and

performing functions of a double-sided display using the first and second display modules,

wherein;

the first display module is disposed on a front side of a main body of the mobile terminal;

the second display module is disposed on a rear side of the main body; and

the first and second display modules form a symmetrical structure and face opposite directions from each other.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second display modules each include a touch screen and an e-paper.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the front side faces frontwardly; and

the rear side faces rearwardly.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the content of the second web page comprises displaying a selected portion of the content included in the first web page.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting the reference butte power according to a user input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed message further comprises a second indication that the remaining battery power is insufficient.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising entering a power-save mode by the mobile terminal when the first display module is disabled.

8. A mobile terminal comprising:

a main body;

a first display module located on a front surface of the main body and a second display module located on a rear surface of the main body; and

a controller configured to;

enable a display of content of a first web page in a color mode in the first display module;

determine a remaining battery power of the mobile terminal;

disable the first display module and display content of a second web page in a black-and-white mode in the second display module in response to determining that the remaining battery power is less than a reference battery power, wherein the displayed content of the second web page is the same as at least some of the displayed content of the first web page, and wherein the displayed content of the second web page comprises text included in first web page without an image included in the first web page;

enable display of a message in the second display module in response to determining that the remaining battery power is less than the reference battery power, wherein the displayed message comprises an indication that the second display module is used instead of the first display module;

maintain the enabled display of the content of the first web page in the first display module and display a result screen in a black-and-white mode in the second display module in response to determining that the remaining battery power exceeds the reference battery power, wherein the result screen is obtained via a search performed via the first web page; and

perform functions of a double-sided display using the first and second display modules,

wherein;

the first display module is disposed on the front surface of a main body of the mobile terminal;

the second display module is disposed on the rear surface of the main body; and

the first and second display modules form a symmetrical structure and face opposite directions from each other.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the first and second display modules each include a touch screen and an e-paper.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the mobile terminal to enter a power-save mode after the first display module is disabled.

11. A method of reducing power consumption in a mobile terminal comprising a main body, the method comprising:

performing functions of a double-sided display using a first display module located on a front surface of the main body and a second display module located on a rear surface of the main body, wherein the first display module and the second display module form a symmetrical structure and face opposite directions from each other;

displaying an operation screen in a color mode in the first display module;

determining that a remaining battery power of the mobile terminal is less than reference battery power;

disabling the first display module and entering a power-save mode;

displaying one or more menu items that can be executed in the power-save mode, wherein the one or more menu items are displayed in a black-and-white mode in the second display module;

displaying content of a second web page in the second display module, the displayed content comprising text included in a first web page without an image included in the first web page; and

displaying a message in the second display module in response to determining that the remaining battery power is less than the reference battery power, wherein the displayed message comprises an indication that the second display module is being used instead of the first display module.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second display modules each include a touch screen and an e-paper.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising performing an operation corresponding to the displayed one or more menu items in response to an input received at the mobile terminal.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying information in the second display module to indicate a period of time during which the operation can be performed according to the determined remaining battery power.

15. A mobile terminal comprising:

a main body;

a first display module located on a front surface of the main body and a second display module located on a rear surface of the main body; and

a controller configured to;

perform functions of a double-sided display using the first and second display modules, wherein the first and second display modules form a symmetrical structure and face opposite directions from each other;

enable display of an operation screen in a color mode in the first display module;

determine that a remaining battery power of the mobile terminal is less than a reference battery power;

disable the first display module, cause the mobile terminal to enter a power-save mode, and enable display of one or more menu items that can be executed in the power-save mode, the one or more items displayed in a black-and-white mode in the second display module;

enable display of content of a second web page in the second display module, the displayed content comprising text included in the first web page without displaying an image included in the first web page;

enable display of a message in the second display module in response to determining that the remaining battery power is less than the reference battery power, wherein the displayed message comprises an indication that the second display module is being used instead of the first display module.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the first and second display modules each include a touch screen and an e-paper.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to control an operation corresponding to the displayed one or more menu items in response to an input received by the mobile terminal.