Depicting signal strength and battery level of a mobile communications device

• US 8,588,866 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2011
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Edwards, Chris Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US13/038,178
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 4555751-5754, 455/572, 715/772, 715848-852, 715/864
• US Class Current: 455/572
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/046 Dealing with screen burn-in prevention or compensation of the effects thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Signal strength and battery level are presented on a display associated with a mobile communications device. A scene is presented on the display, where the scene includes constituent items that collectively convey the battery level and the signal strength. Different states of the constituent items correspond to different states of the battery level and the signal strength. The constituent items together form a representation of a real-world situation.

Claims

1. One or more nontransitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of depicting a battery level and a signal strength of a mobile communications device (“

device”

), the method comprising;

storing a plurality of scenes, wherein each scene depicts a real-world situation, and wherein each scene includes a combination of a first set of one or more items that indicate the battery level and a second set of one or more items that indicate the signal strength;

determining one of the scenes to present on a display of the device based on a user preference for the scene;

presenting the scene on the display, wherein presenting the scene includes presenting the combination of the first set and the second set;

varying a depiction of the first set of one or more of the items to correspond to the battery level;

varying a depiction of a second set of one or more of the items to correspond to the signal strength;

wherein the first set of one or more items and the second set of one or more items are related by a context of the real-world situation, and wherein varying the depiction of the first set or varying the depiction of the second set includes varying a number of the items included in the respective set of one or more items.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein one or more of the real-world items is depicted based on a user preference.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein varying the depiction of the first set includes presenting the first set in varying degrees of contrast between a first state and a second state, and wherein varying the depiction of the second set includes presenting the second set in varying degrees of contrast between an initial state and a subsequent state.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein the first state corresponds to a relatively high battery level, and the second state corresponds to a relatively low battery level, or vice versa.

5. The media of claim 4, wherein the initial state corresponds to a relatively high signal strength, and the subsequent state corresponds to a relatively low signal strength, or vice versa.

6. The media of claim 3 wherein the first set and the second set are capable of being presented in varying degrees of contrast to each other.

7. The media of claim 3, wherein the first state transitions to the second state as the battery level transitions from a relatively high level to a relatively low level, or vice versa.

8. The media of claim 3, wherein the initial state transitions to the subsequent state as the signal strength transitions from a relatively high level to a relatively low level or vice versa.

9. One or more nontransitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of depicting a battery level and a signal strength of a mobile communications device (“

device”

), the method comprising;

storing a plurality of scenes, wherein each scene depicts a possible real-world situation, and wherein each scene includes a combination of a first depiction that indicates the battery level and a second depiction that indicates the signal strength;

determining one of the scenes to present on a display of the device based on a user preference for the scene;

presenting the determined scene on the display, wherein presenting the determined scene includes presenting the combination of the first depiction that indicates the battery level and the second depiction that indicates the signal strength;

wherein the first depiction and the second depiction collectively form the scene that depicts the possible real-world situation, and wherein the first and second depictions are related by a context of the real-world situation.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the first depiction does not take the form of a battery, such the first depiction would not normally be thought of as representing the battery level unless instruction was provided to make known that the first depiction represents the battery level.

11. The media of claim 9, wherein the second depiction does not take the form of a series of bars of varying height, such the second depiction would not normally be thought of as representing the signal strength unless instruction was provided to make known that the second depiction represents the signal strength.

12. The media of claim 9, wherein the first depiction includes attributes that transition from a first state to a second state as the battery level transitions from a first state to a second state.

13. The media of claim 9, wherein the second depiction includes attributes that transition from an initial state to a subsequent state as the signal strength transitions from an initial state to a subsequent state.

14. One or more nontransitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of depicting a battery level and a signal strength of a mobile communications device (“

device”

), the method comprising;

storing a plurality of scenes, wherein each scene depicts a possible real-world situation, and wherein each scene includes a combination of a first depiction that indicates the battery level and a second depiction that indicates the signal strength;

determining one of the scenes to present on a display of the device based on a user preference for the scene;

presenting the scene on the display, wherein

A) the scene includes the combination of the first depiction and the second depiction that collectively convey the battery level and the signal strength, and

B) different states of the first depiction correspond to different states of the battery level,

C) different states of the second depiction correspond to different states of the signal strength, and

D) the first depiction and the second depiction collectively form a representation of the real-world situation in which the first depiction and the second depiction are related by a context of the real-world situation;

wherein the scene is presented upon receiving a notification from a triggering component within the mobile communications device that causes the scene to be presented without user interaction.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein receiving the notification includes receiving the notification incident to an occurrence of a triggering event.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein the triggering event includes at least one of the following:

an opening of the mobile communications device;

a closing of the mobile communications device;

a toggling of a status of a hardware switch;

input from a button of the mobile communications device;

or

input from a soft key of the mobile communications device.

17. The media of claim 14, wherein the scene is presented as a screen saver on the mobile communications device.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein the screen saver is persistently displayed.