Conserving power on a mobile device

• US 8,060,154 B1
• Filed: 03/26/2009
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Kondamuri, Pradeep Kumar, Bali, Soshant
• Primary Examiner(s): Lauture; Joseph
• Application Number:
  US12/412,146
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 455/574, 455/127.5, 455/522, 455/558, 455/502, 455/343, 455/343.1, 455/343.4, 455/69
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method, system, and media is presented for conserving power on a mobile device. The method, system, and media include receiving an initial request to communicate data from the mobile device using a radio of the device. This request may be presented while the mobile device is in a power-conservation mode and come from an application running on the mobile device. The method, system, and media may then determine a period of time to wait to grant the initial request so that the mobile device is not immediately transitioned out of the power-conservation mode. This enables the device to conserve power by extending the duration that the mobile device is in the power-conservation mode. The method, system, and media then grants the initial request at an expiration of the period of time.

Claims

1. Computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, enable a mobile device that includes a radio to perform a method of conserving power, the method comprising:

while the mobile device is in a power-conservation mode, receiving from an application running on the mobile device an initial request to communicate data from the mobile device using the radio;

determining a period of time to wait to grant the initial request so that the mobile device is not immediately transitioned out of the power-conservation mode,

(1) wherein transitioning out of the power-conservation mode is necessary to communicate the data;

(2) wherein waiting the period of time will conserve the power by extending a duration that the mobile device is in the power-conservation mode; and

(3) wherein the period of time is calculated using an algorithm that takes radio-usage history on the device as an input and assumes that an inter-arrival time between requests is a variable with random distribution;

preventing a granting of the initial request until the period of time elapses; and

granting the initial request at an expiration of the period of time.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein determining the period of time includes performing a delay-determination process comprising:

providing an opportunity to set a value of a confidence level, which will indicate a probability that a subsequent radio-usage request will be received prior to the granting of the initial request;

setting the confidence level to a value such that the probability is greater than a given percentage;

deriving a result by evaluating a natural logarithm function that includes the confidence level as an input, thereby producing a logarithmic result;

determining a rate parameter, which will indicate an expected number of radio-usage requests per second, and wherein the rate parameter is a function of a duration of time between prior requests to use the radio; and

dividing the logarithmic result by the rate parameter to calculate the period of time.

3. The media of claim 2, further comprising setting the confidence level at about 95 percent.

4. The media of claim 2, further comprising continually updating the rate parameter based on the duration of time between prior requests to use the radio.

5. The media of claim 4, wherein continually updating the rate parameter includes reviewing the duration of time between a set of radio-usage requests that were received during a prior window of time, which is defined by one or more of a prior set of minutes, hours, or days.

6. The media of claim 2, wherein deriving the logarithmic result includes evaluating the natural logarithm function of one minus the confidence level.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein determining the period of time includes using numerical methods to iteratively solve a Poisson process.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein determining the period of time includes setting the period of time at about 10 minutes.

9. The media of claim 1, further comprising granting the request if the period of time exceeds a maximum period of time, and the maximum period of time has expired even if the period of time has not expired.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the maximum period of time is a determined by considering an amount of charge remaining in a battery of the mobile device.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein the maximum period of time is determined by multiplying a predetermined period of time corresponding to a fully charged battery by a multiplier, wherein the multiplier is selected based on the amount of charge remaining in the battery.

12. The media of claim 1, further comprising establishing a transmission control protocol connection to communicate the data.

13. The media of claim 1, wherein the power-conservation mode includes one or more of:

a standby mode, and

a non-radio-using mode.

14. Computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, enable a device that includes a radio to perform a method of conserving power, the method comprising:

while the device is in a power-conservation mode, receiving from an application running on the device an initial request to communicate data from the mobile device using the radio;

determining a period of time to wait to grant the initial request so that the mobile device is not immediately switched out of the power-conservation mode, wherein determining the period of time includes,

(1) setting a confidence level value such that a probability that a subsequent radio-usage request will be received prior to the granting of the initial request is greater than a given percentage;

(2) deriving a logarithmic result by evaluating a natural logarithm function that includes the confidence level as an input;

(3) determining a rate parameter by observing a duration of time between prior requests to use the radio; and

(4) dividing the logarithmic result by the rate parameter to calculate the period of time;

denying the initial request for the period of time; and

granting the initial request at the earlier of the expiration of the period of time or the expiration of a maximum period of time.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the maximum period of time is a function of an amount of charge remaining in a battery of the device.

16. The media of claim 14, wherein deriving said logarithmic result includes evaluating the natural logarithm function of one minus said confidence level.

17. Computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, enable a mobile device that includes a radio to perform a method of conserving power, the method comprising:

determining that the mobile device is in a power-conservation mode;

receiving from an application running on the mobile device an initial request to communicate data from the mobile device using the radio while the mobile device is in the power-conservation mode;

determining a duration of time that granting the initial request is to be delayed so as to not bring the mobile device immediately out of the power-conservation mode, wherein determining the duration of time includes,

(1) determining a first period of time by evaluating a Poisson distribution function that includes a confidence level and a rate parameter as an input;

(2) determining a second period of time by evaluating a battery charge function that includes a remaining charge in a battery of the mobile device as an input;

(3) comparing the first period of time to the second period of time; and

(4) selecting the period of time having a lower value as the duration of time;

delaying a grant of the initial request until the duration of time elapses; and

granting the initial request at an expiration of the duration of time.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein determining the first period of time includes,

(1) providing an opportunity to set a value of a confidence level, which will indicate a probability that a subsequent radio-usage request will be received prior to the granting of the initial request;

(2) setting the confidence level to a value such that the probability is greater than a given percentage;

(3) deriving a result by evaluating a natural logarithm function that includes the confidence level as an input, thereby producing a logarithmic result;

(4) determining a rate parameter, which will indicate an expected number of radio-usage requests per second;

wherein the rate parameter is a function of the duration of time between prior requests to use the radio; and

(5) dividing the logarithmic result by the rate parameter to calculate the first period of time.

19. The media of claim 17, wherein deriving the logarithmic result includes evaluating the natural logarithm function of one minus the confidence level.

20. The media of claim 17, further comprising setting a third period of time to a predetermined value;

comparing the first, second, and third period of time; and

selecting the period of time having a lowest value as the duration of time.

21. The media of claim 17, further comprising immediately granting the initial request upon receiving a user request to update the application even if the duration of time has not elapsed, wherein the user request is received via an input device coupled to the mobile device.