Power consumption management for functional preservation in a battery-powered electronic device

• US 8,001,400 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Fadell, Anthony M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh; Jaweed A
• Application Number:
  US11/565,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20080133956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,719 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 713/323, 713/324, 713/330
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• 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

Methods and apparatus for managing power consumption in a multi-function electronic device powered by one or more batteries are provided. In one embodiment, when the power available from the one or more batteries is diminished (e.g., below a certain threshold), management of power consumption in a battery-powered electronic device (e.g., a portable electronic device) can operate or be operated to preserve one or more functions supported by the electronic device. For example, the one or more functions can be preserved by: (i) alerting a user that they should act to avoid usage of other functions that are not being preserved, and/or (ii) disabling (e.g., automatically) one or more of the other functions that are not being preserved.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing battery usage of a battery powered electronic device, the electronic device supporting a plurality of different functions, the electronic device in communication with a remote service provider by way of a wireless network, the method comprising:

receiving a conditional rule for management of power consumption on the electronic device from the remote service provider;

operating the electronic device to provide one or more of a plurality of different functions in accordance with the received conditional rule;

monitoring the battery of the electronic device to obtain battery status information;

analyzing the battery status information in relation to future power requirements of a plurality of applications associated with a electronic device wherein the certain future power requirements are estimated from usage history;

comparing the analyzed battery status information with the conditional rule for management of power consumption received from the remote service provider;

generating a disable action based upon the comparing, the disable action arranged to disable at least one application executed by the electronic device;

determining whether to provide an override prompt;

presenting the override prompt to the user of the battery powered electronic device, the override prompt allowing the user of the portable electronic device to override the disable action;

disabling the at least one application when the override prompt is not selected; and

preserving electronic device functionality by directing available battery charge to the provided one or more of the plurality of different applications when the user has requested an override of the disable action.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic device supports media playback and wireless voice communication.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a handheld electronic device, a miniature electronic device, or a wearable electronic device.

4. A non-transitory computer readable medium including at least computer program code for optimizing battery usage of a battery powered portable electronic device, the portable electronic device supporting a plurality of different applications, the electronic device in communication with a remote service provider by way of a wireless network, the computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for receiving a conditional rule for management of power

consumption on the electronic device from the remote service provider;

computer program code for operating the portable electronic device to provide one or more of a plurality of different functions in accordance with the received conditional rule;

computer program code for monitoring the battery of the portable electronic device to obtain battery status information;

computer program code analyzing the battery status information in relation to future power requirements of a plurality of applications associated with the electronic device wherein the certain future power requirements are estimated from usage history;

computer program code for comparing the analyzed battery status information with the conditional rule for management of power consumption received from the remote service provider;

computer program code for generating a disable action based upon the comparing, the disable action arranged to disable at least one application executed by the electronic device;

computer program code for determining whether to provide an override prompt;

computer code for presenting the override prompt to the user of the battery powered electronic device, the override prompt allowing the user of the portable electronic device to override the disable action;

disabling the least one application when the override prompt is not selected; and

computer code for preserving electronic device functionality by directing available battery charge to the provided one or more of the plurality of different applications when the user has requested an override of the disable action.

5. A multi-application handheld electronic device in which power management can be provided on an application basis, the multi-application electronic device in communication with a remote service provider by way of a wireless network, the multi-application handheld electronic device comprising:

a display;

a battery;

a battery monitor configured to acquire battery status information from the battery; and

a processor operatively connected to the battery monitor, the processor configured to receive a conditional rule for management of power consumption on the multi-application hand-held electronic device from the remote service provider, receive the battery status information from the battery monitor, analyze the battery status information in relation to future power requirements of a plurality of applications associated with the multi-application handheld electronic device wherein the certain future power requirements are estimated from usage history and wherein the analysis is based upon the received conditional rule from the remote service provider, compare the analyzed battery status information with the conditional rule for management of power consumption received from the remote service provider;

generate a disable action based upon the comparing, the disable action arranged to disable at least one application executed by the electronic multi-application handheld device;

determine whether to provide an override prompt;

present the override prompt to the user of the battery powered multi-application handheld electronic device, the override prompt allowing the user of the multi-application handheld electronic device to override the disable action, preserve electronic device functionality, and disable the least one application when the override prompt is not selected.

6. The multi-application handheld electronic device as recited in claim 5, wherein the multi-application handheld electronic device supports at least a media playback application and a wireless voice communication application.

7. The multi-application handheld electronic device as recited in claim 6, wherein, when the battery status indicates that the battery is diminished, the processor is further configured to disable the media playback application so that a usage duration of the wireless voice communication application is extended.

8. The multi-application handheld electronic device as recited in claim 5, wherein the multi-application handheld electronic device is configured to prefer usage of a wireless voice communication application over a media playback application.