Mobile device with low-emission mode

• US 9,430,988 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2015
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BlueStream Development, LLC
• Original Assignee: BlueStream Development, LLC
• Inventors: Hancock, Charles K, Hancock, Kevin J
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): McLoone, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US14/679,994
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0613 The adjustment depending on the type of the information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0666 for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A mobile electronic device is disclosed with a low emission mode that limits the emission of light from the display to frequency ranges that have low reflection off of human skin. The display may be limited to images and text displayed in a red color. The low emission mode may also prevent sound from the mobile electronic device and allow text based sending and receiving of information in a low lit environment with minimal or no disturbance to users around the user of the mobile electronic device.

Claims

1. A method of reducing disturbance of a hand-held electronic communication device to non-users of the hand-held electronic communication device, the hand-held electronic communication device including a display that emits light and delivers notifications to the display regarding communications, a speaker control system and a speaker, the method comprising:

Receiving a command, with a processor, to change a display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device;

Changing the display from a normal mode to a low emmission mode in response to the command to change the display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device, wherein the normal mode emits light from the display that includes white light, and wherein the low emission mode presents information on the display, wherein the display, while in low emission mode, emits no white light and changes substantially all the light emitted from the display to be in one or more frequency ranges that are substantially absorbed by human skin;

Changing the speaker control system to a silent mode in response to the command to change the display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device, wherein the silent mode does not allow the speaker to emit sound;

Displaying the notifications, on the display, while in the low emission mode without accompanying sound and without white light;

Receiving a command, with the processor, to exit the low emission mode; and

displaying a notification of the command to exit low emission mode that requires confirmation from a user.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein Changing the display from the normal mode to the low emission mode of the hand-held electronic communication device includes restricting light emitted from the display to be in a frequency range of 405 to 480 THz to substantially restrict the light to only light which is absorbed by human skin.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the low emission mode limits light emitted from the display to substantially all red colored light.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the low emission mode limits light emitted from the display to substantially all green colored light.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the low emission mode limits light emitted from the display to substantially all blue colored light.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the display is a touch screen display, and wherein the touch screen display has a keyboard function that allows the touch screen display to accept keyboard input by representing a keyboard on the touch screen display and recognizing contact with the keyboard as input, the method further comprising:

changing the keyboard function, in response to the command to change the display mode, to show the keyboard on the touch screen display with a black background and keys of the keyboard with no white light, and only light in the one or more frequency ranges that are substantially absorbed by human skin.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the display has a control to adjust an intensity of one or more elements of the display, so that the light emitted from the one or more elements of the display is adjusted from a lowest intensity to a highest intensity, and where the low emission mode changes the intensity of one or more elements of the display to an intensity that is less than the highest intensity.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the low emission mode changes the intensity of one or more illuminated elements of the display to an intensity that is less than fifty percent of the highest intensity.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the low emission mode is used for displaying text communication in a low-lit environment.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the notifications include a call notification of a current attempt for real-time voice communication by a caller, wherein the call notification includes the command to exit low emission mode that requires confirmation from a user to begin voice communication with the caller.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein receiving the command, with the processor, to change the display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device further includes receiving input from a user to immediately place the hand-held electronic communication device into the low emission mode.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein receiving the command, with the processor, to change the display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device further includes receiving input through wireless communication from an external source with direction to place the hand-held electronic communication device into the low emission mode.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein receiving the command, with the processor, to change the display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device further includes receiving input to change the display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device to the low emission mode for a specified time period.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein receiving the command, with the processor, to change the display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device further includes receiving input to change the display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device to the low emission mode at a future specified time.

15. The method according to claim 1 wherein the low emission mode allows two or more text based communication programs to operate with the hand-held electronic communication device in the low emission mode.

16. A hand-held electronic communication device comprising:

a display;

memory;

speaker control system;

a speaker;

one or more processors; and

one or more modules stored in the memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more modules including instructions;

receiving a command by the one or more processors to change a display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device;

changing the display to a low emission mode in response to the command to change the display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device, wherein the low emission mode presents information on the display and delivers notifications to the display regarding communications, wherein the display, while in low emission mode, emits no white light and changes substantially all light emitted from the display to be in one or more frequencies of light that is substantially absorbed by human skin;

Changing the speaker control system to a silent mode in response to the command to change the display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device, wherein the silent mode does not allow the speaker to emit sound;

Displaying the notifications, on the display, while in the low emission mode without accompanying sound and without white light;

Receiving a command, with the processor, to exit the low emission mode; and

displaying a notification of the command to exit low emission mode that requires confirmation from a user.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a hand-held electronic communication device with a display, a speaker control system and a speaker, cause the hand-held electronic communication device to perform a method comprising:

receiving a command, by a processor, to change a display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device;

changing the display to a low emission mode in response to the command to change the display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device, wherein the low emission mode presents information on the display and delivers notifications to the display regarding communications, wherein the display, while in low emission mode, emits no white light and changes substantially all light emitted from the display to be in one or more frequencies of light that is substantially absorbed by human skin;

Changing the speaker control system to a silent mode in response to the command to change the display mode of the hand-held electronic communication device, wherein the silent mode does not allow the speaker to emit sound;

Displaying the notifications, on the display, while in the low emission mode without accompanying sound and without white light;

Receiving a command, with the processor, to exit the low emission mode; and

displaying a notification of the command to exit low emission mode that requires confirmation from a user.