Wireless mobile communication device with autonomous Wi-Fi control based on usage of battery in device

• US 8,948,145 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2010
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kalbag, Rohit Satish
• Primary Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAILE, FEBEN
• Application Number:
  US12/850,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20120033594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 370/328, 370/329, 370/252, 370/338
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless mobile communication device may include a Wi-Fi data communication system, an operational condition detection system, and a Wi-Fi activation system. The operational condition detection system may include a battery use detector. The operational condition detection system may be configured to detect an operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device, other than actuation of a user-operated control, including when the battery use detector detects that the wireless mobile communication device is not operating on battery power or is operating while the battery is being charged. The Wi-Fi activation system may be configured to autonomously turn power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system upon detection of an operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device by the operational condition detection system, other than actuation of a user-operated control, including when the battery use detector detects that the wireless mobile communication device is not operating on battery power or is operating while the battery is being charged.

Claims

1. A wireless mobile communication device comprising:

a cellular data communication system configured to wirelessly connect to a cellular data communication network and to wirelessly communicate data between the wireless mobile communication device and the cellular data communication network;

a Wi-Fi data communication system configured to wirelessly connect to a Wi-Fi access point and to wirelessly communicate data between the wireless mobile communication device and the Wi-Fi access point;

an operational condition detection system, configured to detect;

(1) a turn-on operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device, other than actuation of a user-operated control, and (2) turn-off operational conditions of the wireless mobile communication device other than actuation of a user-operated control,

the operational condition detection system including;

a motion detector configured to sense motion of the wireless mobile communication device; and

a Wi-Fi connection detector, responsive to a Wi-Fi connection of the Wi-Fi data communication system, configured to (i) detect when a connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been established, and (ii) detect when a connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been established, and (ii) detect when a connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been broken; and

a Wi-Fi activation system configured to a) autonomously turn power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system upon detection of the turn-on operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device by the operational condition detection system, other than actuation of a user-operated control, and b) autonomously turn power off to the Wi-Fi data communication system, after autonomously turning power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system, upon detection of any of the turn-off operational conditions of the wireless mobile communication device by the operational condition detection system, other than actuation of a user-operated control, wherein;

one of the turn-off operational conditions includes when the Wi-Fi connection detector detects that the Wi-Fi connection of the Wi-Fi data communication system to the Wi-Fi access point has been broken after establishment of a Wi-Fi connection to said Wi-Fi access point,

when said Wi-Fi connection to said Wi-Fi access point has been broken, data incapable of being sent from said wireless mobile communication device to said Wi-Fi access point is capable of being sent from said wireless mobile communication device to said cellular data communication network by the cellular data communication system of the wireless mobile communication device, and

the Wi-Fi activation system also is configured to autonomously turn power off to the Wi-Fi data communication system responsive to detection of more than a predetermined amount of motion of the wireless communication device by the motion detector, as another of the turn-off operational conditions.

2. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein:

another turn-off operational condition is when the Wi-Fi connection detector detects that a Wi-Fi connection to a Wi-Fi access point cannot be established.

3. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 1:

further comprising a data storage system configured to store a user-setting in the wireless mobile communication device indicating that the wireless mobile communication device should not transmit; and

wherein the Wi-Fi activation system is configured not to autonomously turn power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system, notwithstanding detection of the turn-on operational condition by the operational condition detection system, if the data storage system is storing a user-setting indicating that the wireless mobile communication device should not transmit.

4. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein the Wi-Fi data communication system is configured to implement one or more user-provided policies governing connection of the Wi-Fi data communication system to Wi-Fi access points.

5. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein said motion is detected relative to a location and irrespective of a time period over which the motion is measured.

6. A wireless mobile communication device comprising:

a cellular data communication system configured to wirelessly connect to a cellular data communication network and to wirelessly communicate data between the wireless mobile communication device and the cellular data communication network;

a Wi-Fi data communication system configured to wirelessly connect to a Wi-Fi access point and to wirelessly communicate data between the wireless mobile communication device and the Wi-Fi access point;

an operational condition detection system, configured to detect;

(1) a turn-on operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device other than actuation of a user-operated control, and (2) turn-off operational conditions of the wireless mobile communication device other than actuation of a user-operated control,

the operational condition detection system including;

a battery use detector; and

a Wi-Fi connection detector, responsive to a Wi-Fi connection of the Wi-Fi data communication system, configured to;

(i) detect when a connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been established, and (ii) detect when a connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been broken; and

a Wi-Fi activation system configured to a) autonomously turn power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system upon detection of the turn-on operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device by the operational condition detection system, other than actuation of a user-operated control, and b) autonomously turn power off to the Wi-Fi data communication system, after autonomously turn power off to the Wi-Fi data communication system, upon detection of any of the turn-off operational conditions of the wireless mobile communication device by the operational condition detection system, other than the actuation of a user-operated control, wherein;

one of the turn-off operational conditions includes when the Wi-Fi connection detector detects that the Wi-Fi connection of the Wi-Fi data communication system to the Wi-Fi access point ahs been broken, after establishment of a Wi-Fi connection to said Wi-Fi access point,

when said Wi-Fi connection to said Wi-Fi access point has been broken, data incapable of being sent from said wireless mobile communication device to said Wi-Fi access point is capable of being sent from said wireless mobile communication device to said cellular data communication network by the cellular data communication system of the wireless mobile communication device, and

another of the turn-off operational conditions includes when the Wi-Fi connection detector detects that a Wi-Fi connection to a Wi-Fi access point is established, that the battery use detector detects that the device is operating on battery power, and that the remaining charge in the battery is below a pre-determined level.

7. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 6 wherein:

another turn-off operational condition is when the Wi-Fi connection detector detects that a Wi-Fi connection to a Wi-Fi access point cannot be established.

8. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 6 wherein the Wi-Fi activation system includes a power-on delay timer configured to prevent the Wi-Fi activation system from autonomously turning power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system, notwithstanding detection of the turn-on operational condition by the operational condition detection system, for a pre-determined waiting period after the Wi-Fi activation system has autonomously turned power off to the Wi-Fi data communication system.

9. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 8 wherein:

the operational condition detection system further includes a motion sensor configured to sense motion of the wireless mobile communication device; and

the power-on delay timer is configured to prematurely terminate the pre-determined waiting period when the motion sensor senses that the wireless mobile communication device has moved substantially after initiation of the pre-determined waiting period.

10. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 6,

wherein said Wi-Fi activation system is configured to autonomously turn power off to the Wi-Fi data communication system responsive to detection of more than a predetermined amount of motion of the wireless mobile communication device by the motion detector.

11. wireless mobile communication of claim 10, wherein said motion is detected relative to a location and irrespective of a time period over which the motion is measured.

12. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 6:

further comprising a data storage system configured to store a user-setting in the wireless mobile communication device indicating that the wireless mobile communication device should not transmit; and

wherein the Wi-Fi activation system is configured not to autonomously turn power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system, notwithstanding detection of the turn-on operational condition by the operational condition detection system, if the data storage system is storing a user-setting indicating that the wireless mobile communication device should not transmit.

13. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 6 wherein the Wi-Fi data communication system is configured to implement one or more user-provided policies governing connection of the Wi-Fi data communication system to Wi-Fi access points.

14. A wireless mobile communication device comprising:

a cellular data communication system configured to wirelessly connect to a cellular data communication network and to wirelessly communicate data between the wireless mobile communication device and the cellular data communication network;

a Wi-Fi data communication system configured to wirelessly connect to a Wi-Fi access point and to wirelessly communicate data between the wireless mobile communication device and the Wi-Fi access point;

an operational condition detection system, configured to detect;

(1) a turn-on operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device other than actuation of a user-operated control, and (2) a turn-off operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device other than actuation of a user-operated control,

the operational condition detection system including a Wi-Fi connection detector, responsive to a Wi-Fi connection of the Wi-Fi data communication system, configured to;

(i) detect when a connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been established, and (ii) detect when a connection to a Wi-Fi access point has been broken; and

a Wi-Fi activation system configured to a) autonomously turn power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system upon detection of the turn-on operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device by the operational condition detection system, other than actuation of a user-operated control, and b) autonomously turn power off to the Wi-Fi data communication system, after autonomously turning power on the Wi-Fi data communication system, upon detection of a turn-off operational condition of the wireless mobile communication device by the operational condition detection system, other than actuation of a user-operated control, wherein;

the Wi-Fi activation system includes a power-on delay timer configured to prevent the Wi-Fi activation system from autonomously turning power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system, notwithstanding detection of a turn-on operational condition by the operational condition detection system, for a pre-determined waiting period after the Wi-Fi activation system has autonomously turned power off to the Wi-Fi data communication system,

the turn-off operational condition includes when the Wi-Fi connection detector detects that the Wi-Fi connection of the Wi-Fi data communication system to the Wi-Fi access point has been broken, after establishment of a Wi-Fi connection to said Wi-Fi access point, and

when said Wi-Fi connection to said Wi-Fi access point has been broken, data incapable of being sent from said wireless mobile communication device to said Wi-Fi access point is capable of being sent from said wireless mobile communication device to said cellular data communication network by the cellular data communication system of the wireless mobile communication device.

15. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 14 wherein:

the operational condition detection system further includes a motion sensor configured to sense motion of the wireless mobile communication device; and

the power-on delay timer is configured to prematurely terminate the pre-determined waiting period when the motion sensor senses that the wireless mobile communication device has moved substantially after initiation of the pre-determined waiting period.

16. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 14:

further comprising a data storage system configured to store a user-setting in the wireless mobile communication device indicating that the wireless mobile communication device should not transmit; and

wherein the Wi-Fi activation system is configured not to autonomously turn power on to the Wi-Fi data communication system, notwithstanding detection of the turn-on operational condition by the operational condition detection system, if the data storage system is storing a user-setting indicating that the wireless mobile communication device should not transmit.

17. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 14 wherein the Wi-Fi data communication system is configured to implement one or more user-provided policies governing connection of the Wi-Fi data communication system to Wi-Fi access points.

18. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 14,

wherein said Wi-Fi activation system is configured to autonomously turn power off to the Wi-Fi data communication system responsive to detection of more than a predetermined amount of motion of the wireless mobile communication device by the motion detector.

19. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 18, wherein said motion is detected relative to a location and irrespective of a time period over which the motion is measured.

20. The wireless mobile communication device of claim 14 wherein:

another turn-off operational condition is when the Wi-Fi connection detector detects that a Wi-Fi connection to a Wi-Fi access point cannot be established.