Power-allocation interface

• US 8,949,628 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2011
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Pocklington, Richard, Russello, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Phuoc H
• Application Number:
  US13/036,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20120221868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: 455/573, 713/300, 320/135, 709/213
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Management of battery resources of an electronic device are disclosed. The electronic device has a battery, a display in communication with the battery, multiple subsystems in communication with the battery, and a user interface in communication with the subsystems. On the display is presented an indication of usage of the battery resources by the subsystems in executing functions by the device. With the interface, a user directive is received to reallocate the usage of the battery resources. The usage of the battery resources are thus reallocated in accordance with the user directive.

Claims

1. A method of managing battery resources of an electronic device having a battery, a display in communication with the battery, two or more device subsystems in communication with the battery, and a user interface in communication with two or more device subsystems, the method comprising:

displaying a power manager application screen, on the display, with an indication of usage of the battery resources by the two or more device subsystems in executing a function by the electronic device, wherein the power manager application screen presents a power draw for the function;

receiving, with the interface, a user directive to reallocate the usage of the battery resources; and

reallocating the usage of the battery resources in accordance with the user directive, wherein presenting the indication of usage of the battery resources comprises presenting an estimated time to depletion of the battery resources in accordance with a hypothetical change in execution parameters of a first plurality of functions.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the indication of usage of the battery resources is a window.

3. The method recited in claim 2 wherein presenting the indication of usage of the battery resources comprises presenting an estimated time to depletion of the battery resources by executing a second plurality of functions by the device different from the first plurality of functions.

4. The method recited in claim 2 wherein presenting the indication of usage of the battery resources comprises presenting an estimated time to depletion of the battery resources in accordance with a hypothetical change in execution parameters of the first plurality of functions.

5. The method recited in claim 1 wherein presenting the indication of usage of the battery resources comprises presenting an indication of relative usage of the battery resources separately by two or more functions.

6. The method recited in claim 5 wherein receiving the user directive comprises receiving a user directive to terminate execution of at least one of the two or more functions.

7. The method recited in claim 6 wherein reallocating the usage of the battery resources comprises terminating execution of the at least one of the two or more functions in accordance with the user directive.

8. The method recited in claim 7 wherein reallocating the usage of the battery resources further comprises:

identifying unused portions of the battery resources allocated to the terminated function;

deallocating the identified portions of the battery resources; and

allocating the deallocated portions of the battery resources to at least one other of the two or more functions.

9. The method recited in claim 5 wherein reallocating the usage of the battery resources comprises defining a time limit for execution for at least one of the two or more functions.

10. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the usage of the battery resources is performed by the device in accordance with a static allocation of battery resources.

11. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the usage of the battery resources is performed by the device in accordance with a dynamic allocation of battery resources.

12. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the electronic device comprises a handheld communications device.

13. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a battery;

a display in communication with the battery and the processor;

two or more device subsystems in communication with the battery and the processor; and

a user interface in communication with the processor and two or more device subsystems, wherein the processor executes a power manager application, the power manager application has;

instructions to present on the display an indication of usage of the battery resources by the two or more device subsystems in executing a plurality of functions by the electronic device, wherein the power manager application presents a power draw for the plurality of functions, wherein presenting the indication of usage of the battery resources comprises presenting an estimated time to depletion of the battery resources in accordance with a hypothetical change in execution parameters of the plurality of functions;

instructions to receive, with the interface, a user directive to reallocate the usage of the battery resources; and

instructions to reallocate the usage of the battery resources in accordance with the user directive.

14. The electronic device recited in claim 13 wherein the instructions to present the indication of usage of the battery resources comprise instructions to present a power manager application screen to display the indication of usage of the battery resources.

15. The electronic device recited in claim 14 wherein the instructions to present the indication of usage of the battery resources comprise instructions to present an estimated time to depletion of the battery resources by executing a second set of two or more functions by the device different from the plurality of functions.

16. The electronic device recited in claim 14 wherein the instructions to present the indication of usage of the battery resources comprise instructions to present an estimated time to depletion of the battery resources in accordance with a hypothetical chance in execution parameters of the plurality of functions.

17. The electronic device recited in claim 13 wherein the instructions to present the indication of usage of the battery resources comprise instructions to present an indication of relative usage of the battery resources separately by each of the plurality of functions.

18. The electronic device recited in claim 13 wherein the instructions to receive the user directive comprise instructions to receive a user directive to terminate execution of at least one of the plurality of functions.

19. The electronic device recited in claim 18 wherein the instructions to reallocate the usage of the battery resources comprise instructions to terminate execution of the at least one of the plurality of functions in accordance with the user directive.

20. The electronic device recited in claim 19 wherein the instructions to reallocate the usage of the battery resources further comprise:

instructions to identify unused portions of the battery resources allocated to the terminated at least one of the plurality of functions;

instructions to deallocate the identified portions of the battery resources; and

instructions to allocate the deallocated portions of the battery resources to at least one other of the plurality of functions.

21. The electronic device recited in claim 13 wherein the instructions to reallocate the usage of the battery resources comprise instructions to define a time limit for execution for at least one of the plurality of functions.

22. The electronic device recited in claim 13 wherein the usage of the battery resources is performed by the device in accordance with a static allocation of battery resources.

23. The electronic device recited in claim 13 wherein the usage of the battery resources is performed by the device in accordance with a dynamic allocation of battery resources.

24. The electronic device recited in claim 13 wherein the electronic device comprises a handheld communications device.