Determining when to delay sending updates to a display device

• US 9,093,050 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2012
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Orlov, Kirill V., Froment, Arnaud M., de Asis, Ezekiel Sanborn, Spivak, Maxim
• Primary Examiner(s): Tseng, Charles
• Application Number:
  US13/426,099
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0291 for reading, e.g. e-books constructional details of portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/36 characterised by the display of a graphic pattern, e.g. using an all-points-addressable [APA] memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/39 Control of the bit-mapped memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory

Abstract

Some examples determine when to accumulate updates to a display device. In some implementations, a display manager may determine that a graphical user interface element, such as a user interface window, has opened or closed. The display manager may accumulate updates to a display device for a period of time or until a predetermined number of the updates have been received. After the period of time has elapsed or after the predetermined number of the updates have been received, the display manager may send a single update to the display device. The single update may include or may be equivalent to the one or more updates.

Claims

1. An electronic book (eBook) reader device comprising:

one or more display devices;

a display controller;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving a first notification indicating that a user interface window is to be opened on at least one display device of the one or more display devices;

determining a first property associated with the user interface window;

accumulating a first set of updates to the at least one display device until a first number of updates of the first set of updates has been accumulated, the first number of updates of the first set of updates being determined based at least partly from the first property;

sending the first set of updates to the at least one display device;

receiving a second notification indicating that the user interface window is to be closed;

determining that an additional window was occluded by the user interface window;

determining a second property associated with the additional window;

accumulating a second set of updates until a second number of updates of the second set of updates has been accumulated, the second number of updates being determined based at least partly from the second property; and

sending the second set of updates to the at least one display device.

2. The eBook reader device of claim 1, wherein the first property includes at least one of:

a sensitivity setting associated with the user interface window;

a size of the user interface window;

a type of content displayed in the user interface window;

a shape of the user interface window;

or

a draw mode associated with the user interface window.

3. The eBook reader device of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether to perform a flash update based at least partly on at least one of;

the first number of updates of the first set of updates,

the second number of updates of the second set of updates,

a temperature of the at least one display device,

an ambient temperature, or

the first property associated with the user interface window.

4. The eBook reader device of claim 1, wherein the acts further comprise:

determining a characteristic associated with the at least one display device;

accumulating a third set of updates to the at least one display device until a third number of updates of the third set of updates have been accumulated, the third number of updates being determined from the characteristic; and

sending, to the at least one display device, the the third set of updates.

5. A method performed by one or more processors executing instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the method comprising:

determining that a first window displayed on a display device has opened;

delaying sending a first set of updates to a portion of the display device for a first period of time determined based at least partly on a first property associated with the first window;

sending the first set of updates to the display device after the first period of time has elapsed;

determining that the first window has closed;

determining that no additional windows were occluded by the first window;

delaying sending a second set of updates for a second period of time;

sending the second set of updates to the display device after the second period of time has elapsed;

delaying sending a third set of updates for a third period of time, the third period of time determined based at least partly on a display characteristic of the display device; and

sending the third set of updates to the display device after the third period of time has elapsed.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

performing a flash update of the display device based at least partly on at least one of;

the first set of updates,

the second set of updates,

the first period of time,

the second period of time,

a temperature associated with the display device, or

the first property associated with the first window.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether a second window is associated with the first window; and

modifying the first period of time based at least partly on a second property associated with the second window.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the first property includes at least one of:

a sensitivity setting associated with the first window;

a size of the first window;

a type of content displayed in the first window;

or

a shape of the first window.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining that a second window has closed;

determining that one or more additional windows were occluded by the second window;

determining an additional property associated with a topmost window of the one or more additional windows; and

delaying sending a fourth set of updates for a fourth period of time, the fourth period of time being determined at least partly from the additional property; and

after the fourth period of time has elapsed, sending to the display device the fourth set of updates.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

while delaying sending the first set of updates to the portion of the display device for the first period of time, updating a remaining portion of the display device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the remaining portion is used to display one or more icons or a third window.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the remaining portion is used to display at least one of a spinner icon, a signal strength icon, or a battery strength icon.

13. A computing device comprising:

a display device;

a display controller to perform updates to the display device;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving a first notification indicating that a window has opened;

accumulating a first set of updates to the display device for a first period of time, the first period of time selected based at least partly on a first property associated with the window;

sending the accumulated first set of updates to the display device after the first period of time has elapsed;

receiving a second notification indicating that the window has closed;

determining that one or more additional windows were occluded by the window;

determining a second property associated with a topmost window of the one or more additional windows;

accumulating a second set of updates until a second period of time has elapsed, the second period of time based at least partly on the second property; and

sending the second set of updates to the display device.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the first property includes at least one of:

a sensitivity setting associated with the window;

a size of the window;

a type of content displayed in the window;

or

a shape of the window.

15. The computing device of claim 13, the acts further comprising:

in response to receiving the second notification indicating that the window has closed, determining whether portions of the one or more additional windows were at least partially occluded by the window before the window closed.

16. The computing device of claim 15, further comprising:

accumulating a third set of updates associated with the at least partially occluded portions of the one or more additional windows.

17. The computing device of claim 13, the acts further comprising:

performing a flash update of the display device after sending the first set of updates to the display device.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising instructions executable by one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

determining that a first window has opened;

delaying sending a first set of updates to a display device for a first period of time determined based at least partly on a first property associated with the first window;

sending the first set of updates to the display device after the first period of time has elapsed;

determining that one or more additional windows were occluded by the first window;

determining a second property associated with a topmost window of the one or more additional windows; and

sending a second set of updates to the display device after a second period of time has elapsed, the second period of time determined based at least partly on the second property.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18, the acts further comprising:

performing a flash update of the display device based at least partly on the first property associated with the first window.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18, the acts further comprising:

performing a flash update of the display device based at least partly on the first set of updates.

21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18, the acts further comprising:

performing a flash update of the display device based at least partly on a temperature associated with the display device.

22. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the acts further comprise:

determining that no additional windows were occluded by the first window; and

sending a third set of updates to the display device after a third period of time has elapsed, the third period of time selected based at least partly on a characteristic of the display device.

23. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18, the acts further comprising:

performing a flash update of the display device based at least partially on one or more of;

the first property associated with the first window,

the second property associated with the topmost window,

the first set of updates,

the second set of updates, or

a temperature associated with the display device.