Method, apparatus and system for power management through backlight and other peripheral controls

• US 9,250,691 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Vandeputte, Casey, Salluzzi, Teodoro
• Primary Examiner(s): MANOHARAN, MUTHUSWAMY GANAPATHY
• Application Number:
  US12/964,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20120151236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,881 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/343.5, 713/324, 345/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for power management in a mobile computing device is provided. In one aspect, the mobile computing device comprises a display with a backlight that is power by a power supply under the control of a processor. The mobile computing device is also configured to execute a web browser or other application that access a network resource. Activation of the backlight is controlled in coordination with the network resource in order to manage drain of power from the power supply.

Claims

1. A method for power management in a mobile computing device comprising:

activating a display in said mobile computing device such that a first amount of power is drawn from a power supply of said mobile computing device;

maintaining a timer for measuring periods of inactivity at said mobile computing device;

said timer configured to deactivate said display when said timer reaches a predefined threshold;

initiating a data transfer operation to retrieve content for presentation on said display;

in response to said initiating, advancing said timer to said predefined threshold by setting said timer to a value greater than a current period of inactivity, to deactivate said display such that a second amount of power is drawn from said power supply, said second amount being less than said first amount;

during retrieval of said content, detecting a flag in said content indicating that a predefined portion of said content has been downloaded, said flag at a location in said content that indicates the predefined portion being downloaded, the flag comprising a warning that download of said content is complete or nearly complete;

in response to said detecting, automatically reactivating said display; and

automatically activating at least one of a light emitting diode indicator, a speaker, or a haptic output device in response to said detecting;

wherein;

said data transfer operation is for retrieving said content from a remote computing apparatus connected to said mobile computing device;

said remote computing apparatus is at least one of a server connected to said computing device via a network and said data transfer operation is a download from said server;

another computing device connected via a peer-to-peer connection to said computing device;

a storage device locally connectable to said computing device;

said display comprises a backlight and said activating comprising activating said backlight and said deactivating comprises deactivating said backlight; and

said data transfer operation comprises at least one of a file transfer, an application installation, playing an audio file, implementing a device boot-up sequence, and installation of a device theme.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said deactivating comprises one of dimming said display and turning off said display such that said second amount is zero.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising reactivating said display during said data transfer operation upon detecting a device interaction other than the detection of said flag.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising deactivating said display if said device interaction ceases and said flag has not been detected.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said device interaction comprises one of receipt of input via an input apparatus connected to said mobile computing device;

when an automatic refresh of web page occurs;

when any additional content other than said content is received by said device;

an alarm;

a calendar notification;

when a secure web page generates a warning of automatic connection termination due to inactivity.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising reactivating said display if said data transfer operation fails before said flag has been detected.

7. A mobile computing device comprising:

a power supply;

a display connected to said power supply;

a processor connected to said power supply and said display;

said processor configured to;

activate said display such that a first amount of power is drawn from said power supply of said mobile computing device;

maintain a timer for measuring periods of inactivity at said mobile computing device;

said timer for deactivating said display when said timer reaches a predefined threshold;

initiate a data transfer operation to retrieve data for presentation on said display;

in response to said initiating, advance said timer to said predefined threshold by setting said timer to a value greater than a current period of inactivity, to deactivate said display such that a second amount of power is drawn from said power supply, said second amount being less than said first amount;

during retrieval of said content, detect a flag in said content indicating that a predefined portion of said content has been downloaded, said flag at a location in said content that indicates the predefined portion being downloaded, the flag comprising a warning that download of said content is complete or nearly complete;

in response to said detecting, automatically reactivate said display; and

automatically activate at least one of a light emitting diode indicator, a speaker, or a haptic output device in response to said detecting;

wherein;

said data transfer operation is for retrieving said content from a remote computing apparatus connected to said mobile computing device;

said remote computing apparatus is at least one of a server connected to said computing device via a network and said data transfer operation is a download from said server;

another computing device connected via a peer-to-peer connection to said computing device;

a storage device locally connectable to said computing device;

said display comprises a backlight and said activating comprising activating said backlight and said deactivating comprises deactivating said backlight; and

said data transfer operation comprises at least one of a file transfer, an application installation, playing an audio file, implementing a device boot-up sequence, and installation of a device theme.

8. The mobile computing device claim 7 wherein said deactivating comprises dimming said display or turning off said display such that said second amount is zero.

9. The mobile computing device claim 7 wherein said processor is further configured to reactivate said display during said data transfer operation upon detecting a device interaction other than the detection of said flag.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 9 wherein said processor is further configured to deactivate said display if said device interaction ceases and said flag has not been detected.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 9 wherein said device interaction comprises one of receipt of input via an input apparatus connected to said mobile computing device;

when an automatic refresh of web page occurs;

when any additional content other than said content is received by said device;

an alarm;

a calendar notification;

when a secure web page generates a warning of automatic connection termination due to inactivity.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 7 wherein said processor is further configured to reactivate said display if said data transfer operation fails before said flag has been detected.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program, wherein execution of the computer program is for:

activating a display in said mobile computing device such that a first amount of power is drawn from a power supply of said mobile computing device;

maintaining a timer for measuring periods of inactivity at said mobile computing device;

said timer configured to deactivate said display when said timer reaches a predefined threshold;

initiating a data transfer operation to retrieve data for presentation on said display;

in response to said initiating, advancing said timer to said predefined threshold by setting said timer to a value greater than a current period of inactivity, to deactivate said display such that a second amount of power is drawn from said power supply;

said second amount being less than said first amount;

during retrieval of said content, detecting a flag in said content indicating that a predefined portion of said content has been downloaded, said flag at a location in said content that indicates the predefined portion being downloaded, the flag comprising a warning that download of said content is complete or nearly complete;

in response to said detecting, automatically reactivating said display; and

automatically activating at least one of a light emitting diode indicator, a speaker, or a haptic output device in response to said detecting;

wherein;

said data transfer operation is for retrieving said content from a remote computing apparatus connected to said mobile computing device;

said remote computing apparatus is at least one of a server connected to said computing device via a network and said data transfer operation is a download from said server;

another computing device connected via a peer-to-peer connection to said computing device;

a storage device locally connectable to said computing device;

said display comprises a backlight and said activating comprising activating said backlight and said deactivating comprises deactivating said backlight; and

said data transfer operation comprises at least one of a file transfer, an application installation, playing an audio file, implementing a device boot-up sequence, and installation of a device theme.