Context sensitive backlight

• US 9,338,269 B1
• Filed: 06/14/2013
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Nelissen, Marco, Agopian, Mathias Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Srilakshmi K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reed, Stephen T
• Application Number:
  US13/918,534
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Systems and methods for controlling the lighted display of a mobile device are disclosed. The backlight of or active power supplied to a display is reduced or deactivated after a certain period based on the application running on the mobile device, rather than being a uniform deactivation time. The system and method can be used on a variety of mobile devices having a display screen.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

activating a backlight of an electronic display of a computing device;

accessing a backlight expiration value that indicates a first length of time for the backlight of the electronic display to be active;

in response to determining that the backlight of the electronic display has been active for the first length of time indicated by the backlight expiration value, reducing an intensity of the backlight of the electronic display;

receiving, at the computing device and while the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display is reduced, a user input; and

adjusting the backlight expiration value by an amount that is based on a length of time that elapsed between (i) reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display and (ii) receiving the user input at the computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the adjusted backlight expiration value indicates a second length of time for the backlight of the electronic display to be active, the second length of time being different than the first length of time; and

the method further comprises, after adjusting the backlight expiration value;

again activating the backlight of the electronic display by increasing the intensity of the backlight;

accessing the adjusted backlight expiration value; and

in response to determining that the backlight of the electronic display has been active for the second length of time indicated by the adjusted backlight expiration value, reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the adjusted backlight expiration value indicates a second length of time for the backlight of the electronic display to be active for subsequent occurrences of the backlight of the electronic display being active, wherein the second length of time is longer than the first length of time.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the backlight expiration value comprises increasing the backlight expiration value by an amount that is inversely related to the length of time that elapsed between (i) reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display and (ii) receiving the user input at the computing device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

activating the backlight of the electronic display comprises setting the backlight to a first intensity level; and

reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display comprises dimming the backlight from the first intensity level to a second intensity level.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display comprises turning off the backlight of the electronic display.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the computing device comprises a smartphone, and

the reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display occurs while the computing device is running a telephone application that allows telephone calls to be placed and received on the smartphone.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electronic display comprises a touchscreen electronic display.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the backlight is activated while the computing device is running a first application,

the backlight expiration value is a first application-specific backlight expiration value that is associated with the first application, and

the method further comprises;

again activating the backlight of the electronic display while the computing device is running a different, second application;

accessing a second application-specific backlight expiration value that is associated with the second application, in that the second application-specific backlight expiration value indicates a second length of time for the backlight of the electronic display to be active when the computing device is running the second application; and

in response to determining that the backlight of the electronic display has been active for the second length of time, as indicated by the second application-specific backlight expiration value and while the second application is being run on the computing device, reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising re-activating, in response to receiving the user input at the computing device while the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display is reduced, the backlight of the electronic display by increasing the intensity of the backlight.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display is reduced further in response to not receiving one or more types of user input during at least a portion of the first length of time that the electronic display has been active.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more computer processors, cause performance of operations comprising:

activating a backlight of an electronic display of a computing device;

accessing a backlight expiration value that indicates a first length of time for the backlight of the electronic display to be active;

in response to determining that the backlight of the electronic display has been active for the first length of time indicated by the backlight expiration value, reducing an intensity of the backlight of the electronic display;

receiving, at the computing device and while the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display is reduced, a user input; and

adjusting the backlight expiration value by an amount that is based on a length of time that elapsed between (i) reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display and (ii) receiving the user input at the computing device.

13. The storage device of claim 12, wherein:

the adjusted backlight expiration value indicates a second length of time for the backlight of the electronic display to be active, the second length of time being different than the first length of time; and

the operations further comprise, after adjusting the backlight expiration value;

again activating the backlight of the electronic display by increasing the intensity of the backlight;

accessing the adjusted backlight expiration value; and

in response to determining that the backlight of the electronic display has been active for the second length of time indicated by the adjusted backlight expiration value, reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display.

14. The storage device of claim 12, wherein the adjusted backlight expiration value indicates a second length of time for the backlight of the electronic display to be active for subsequent occurrences of the backlight of the electronic display being active, wherein the second length of time is longer than the first length of time.

15. The storage device of claim 12, wherein adjusting the backlight expiration value comprises increasing the backlight expiration value by an amount that is inversely related to the length of time that elapsed between (i) reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display and (ii) receiving the user input at the computing device.

16. The storage device of claim 12, wherein:

activating the backlight of the electronic display comprises setting the backlight to a first intensity level; and

reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display comprises dimming the backlight from the first intensity level to a second intensity level.

17. The storage device of claim 12, wherein reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display comprises turning off the backlight of the electronic display.

18. The storage device of claim 12, wherein:

the computing device comprises a smartphone, and

the reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display occurs while the computing device is running a telephone application that allows telephone calls to be placed and received on the smartphone.

19. The storage device of claim 12, wherein the electronic display comprises a touchscreen electronic display.

20. The storage device of claim 12, wherein:

the backlight is activated while the computing device is running a first application,

the backlight expiration value is a first application-specific backlight expiration value that is associated with the first application, and

the operations further comprise;

again activating the backlight of the electronic display while the computing device is running a different, second application;

accessing a second application-specific backlight expiration value that is associated with the second application, in that the second application-specific backlight expiration value indicates a second length of time for the backlight of the electronic display to be active when the computing device is running the second application; and

in response to determining that the backlight of the electronic display has been active for the second length of time, as indicated by the second application-specific backlight expiration value and while the second application is being run on the computing device, reducing the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display.

21. The storage device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise re-activating, in response to receiving the user input at the computing device while the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display is reduced, the backlight of the electronic display by increasing the intensity of the backlight.

22. The storage device of claim 12, wherein the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display is reduced further in response to not receiving one or more types of user input during at least a portion of the first length of time that the electronic display has been active.

23. A computing device, comprising:

an electronic display that includes a backlight;

one or more processors; and

computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

activating the backlight of the electronic display;

accessing a backlight expiration value that indicates a first length of time for the backlight to be active;

in response to determining that the backlight of the electronic display has been active for the first length of time indicated by the backlight expiration value, reducing an intensity of the backlight;

receiving, at the computing device and while the intensity of the backlight of the electronic display is reduced, a user input; and

adjusting the backlight expiration value by an amount that is based on a length of time that elapsed between (i) reducing the intensity of the backlight and (ii) receiving the user input at the computing device.