Method and apparatus for adjusting a sleep mode display mechanism of an electronic device

• US 9,823,725 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2014
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Dharawat, Parikshit
• Primary Examiner(s): ELAMIN, ABDELMONIEM I
• Application Number:
  US14/456,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20160041593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• 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: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

An electronic device performs a method for adjusting a sleep mode display mechanism. The method includes determining, responsive to a trigger, whether a trusted device is proximate to the electronic device. The method further includes adjusting a sleep mode display mechanism of the electronic device when the trusted device is determined to be proximate to the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

responsive to receiving an indication of a triggering event, determining whether an electronic device is proximate to a trusted device that is authenticated by the electronic device;

responsive to determining that the electronic device is proximate to the trusted device, adjusting a sleep mode display mechanism of the electronic device at least by adjusting, based on a determined distance range from a plurality of distance ranges between the trusted device and the electronic device, an amount of content that is displayed at a display component of the electronic device while one or more components of the electronic device are in a sleep mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering event comprises a primary processor of the electronic device awakening from the sleep mode for a first time duration to perform a function before returning to the sleep mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering event comprises an audio trigger detected while a primary processor of the electronic device is in the sleep mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the sleep mode display mechanism comprises activating the sleep mode display mechanism.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sleep mode display mechanism is set to be activated for a first time duration and then deactivated after expiration of the first time duration.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the amount of content that is displayed at the display component comprises causing the display component to display expanded content instead of first content, the display component displaying the first content when the electronic device is not proximate to the trusted device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, after expiration of a time duration without receiving an indication of another triggering event to determine whether the electronic device is proximate to the trusted device, causing the display component to display the first content instead of the expanded content.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first content comprises an icon that indicates a message, and wherein the expanded content comprises at least a portion of content within the message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined distance range comprises a first determined distance range from the plurality of distance ranges, and wherein the method further comprises:

further adjusting, based on a second determined distance range from the plurality of distance ranges between the trusted device and the electronic device, the amount of content that is displayed at the display component of the electronic device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the electronic device is proximate to the trusted device comprises determining whether a short-range communication signal has been received from the trusted device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether the electronic device is proximate to the trusted device further comprises determining at least one of:

whether a signal strength of the short-range communication signal exceeds a signal strength threshold;

or

whether a signal quality of the of the short-range communication signal exceeds a signal quality threshold.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the amount of content that is displayed at the display component comprises adjusting a privacy setting that controls the sleep mode display mechanism.

13. An electronic device comprising:

a primary processor;

a secondary processor coupled to the primary processor;

a display component coupled to at least one of the primary processor or the secondary processor;

a sensing component coupled to at least one of the primary processor or the secondary processor,

wherein the at least one of the primary processor or the secondary processor is configured to;

responsive to receiving an indication of a triggering event, determine, based on information received by the sensing component, whether the electronic device is proximate to a trusted device that is authenticated by the electronic device; and

responsive to determining that the electronic device is proximate to the trusted device, adjust a sleep mode display mechanism of the electronic device at least by adjusting, based on a determined distance range from a plurality of distance ranges between the trusted device and the electronic device, an amount of content that is displayed at the display component while one or more of the primary processor or the display component are in a sleep mode.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the secondary processor is configured to adjust the amount of content that is displayed at the display component by causing the display component to display expanded content instead of displaying first content, the display component displaying the first content when the electronic device is not proximate to the trusted device.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the secondary processor is configured to cause the display component to display the expanded content under control of at least one of:

the primary processor;

or

prior programming of the secondary processor.

16. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the primary processor is configured to:

periodically awaken from the sleep mode to an awake mode for a first time duration to perform a function and, during the first time duration, to operate with the sensing component to determine whether the electronic device is proximate to the trusted device; and

responsive to determining that the electronic device is proximate to the trusted device, signal the secondary processor to adjust the sleep mode display mechanism of the electronic device.

17. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising an audio input component, wherein the secondary processor is configured to monitor input into the audio input component for an audio trigger while the primary processor is in the sleep mode, wherein the audio trigger is the triggering event that initiates determining whether the electronic device is proximate the trusted device.

18. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the electronic device is configured with a privacy setting that is manually set to limit the content displayed on the display component when the primary processor is in the sleep mode, and wherein the at least one of the primary processor or the secondary processor is configured to adjust the sleep mode display mechanism by overriding the privacy setting for a first time duration.

19. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the sensing component comprises a short-range communication component.

20. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the determined distance range comprises a first determined distance range from the plurality of distance ranges, and wherein the at least one of the primary processor or the secondary processor is further configured to:

further adjust, based on a second determined distance range from the plurality of distance ranges between the trusted device and the electronic device, the amount of content that is displayed at the display component.