Methods and apparatus for power state based backup

• US 8,819,471 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Alsina, Thomas, Freedman, Gordon J., Ganatra, Nitin K., McNeil, Kenneth B., Krugler, Eric, Kelly, Sean B., Schmidt, Edward T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bae, Ji H
• Application Number:
  US13/227,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20120311366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/340
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability

Abstract

Methods and apparatus that receive, at a wireless device, power through wire or inductive pad are described. The received power is monitored to back up data from the device to a server in a network through an OTA (over the air) wireless interface. The data is transmitted to the server to back up the data on the device. While backing up the data, whether the power has been removed from the device is determined. The backing up of the data in the device can be terminated automatically and without user request, in response to the determination that the power has been removed.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a memory configured to store information;

a power detector configured to monitor the recharge status of an internal battery during a backup process to back up the information stored in the memory, wherein monitoring includes detecting when recharging of the internal battery has stopped and when recharging of the internal battery has resumed;

a network radio configured to transmit the information to a remote device during the backup process; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a backup management module, the backup management module executed by a processor to automatically, and without user request, terminate the backup process when the recharging of the internal battery has stopped and automatically resume the backup process when the recharging of the internal battery has resumed.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the internal battery is recharged from an external power source via connection to an external power port.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein recharging of the internal battery stops when the external power source is disconnected.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the internal battery is recharged from an external power source via an inductive pad.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein recharging of the internal battery stops when the portable electronic device is a predefined distance away from the inductive pad.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the internal battery is recharged via a solar panel.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the internal battery stops recharging when there is lack of access to a solar source by the solar panel when the device relocates.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the backup process comprises performing a plurality of backup operations, wherein the backup process is in progress with at least one of the backup operations remaining to be performed when the backup process is terminated.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the backup process is terminated without performing the at least one of the backup operations.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein resuming the backup process comprises performing the at least one of the backup operations.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the backup process is in progress for one of the backup operations, wherein the one backup operation is atomic and wherein the backup process is terminated after all of the one backup operation is completed.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the backup process is in progress for one of the backup operations, wherein the backup process is terminated before the one backup operation is completed.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the backup process further comprises:

tracking a terminated state of the backup process, wherein the terminated state indicates which of the backup operations have been completed when the backup process is terminated.

14. A computer implemented method, comprising:

backing up information from a device to a remote location;

monitoring the recharge status of an internal battery while the information is being backed up;

detecting that the internal battery has stopped recharging;

automatically terminating, and without user request, the backing up of the information in response to the detection that the internal battery has stopped recharging;

detecting that the internal battery has resumed recharging after the backing up of the information has been terminated; and

resuming the backing up of the information in response to the detection that the internal battery has resumed recharging.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 14, wherein monitoring the recharge status of the internal battery comprises detecting whether an external power source is connected to the device.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 14, wherein backing up information comprises transmitting the information from the device to the remote location by performing a plurality of backup operations.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 16, wherein at least one of the backup operations has not been performed when the backing up of the information is terminated.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 16, wherein the backup operations include a current backup operation for a current file of the device, and wherein the backing up of the information comprises performing all of the current backup operation when the internal battery has stopped recharging, wherein the current backup operation is atomic.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 18, wherein the backing up of the information is terminated after all of the current backup operation is completed.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 16, wherein automatically terminating the backing up of the information includes tracking an anchor configured to indicate which backup operations have been completed when the backing up of the information is terminated.

21. A machine-readable non-transitory storage medium having instructions therein, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform a method, the method comprising:

backing up information from a device to a remote location;

monitoring the recharge status of an internal battery while the information is being backed up;

detecting that the internal battery has stopped recharging;

automatically terminating, and without user request, the backing up of the information in response to the detection that the internal battery has stopped recharging;

detecting that the internal battery has resumed recharging after the backing up of the information has been terminated; and

resuming the backing up of the information in response to the detection that the internal battery has resumed recharging.

22. The medium of claim 21, wherein monitoring the recharge status of the internal battery comprises detecting whether an external power source is connected to the device.

23. The medium of claim 21, wherein backing up information comprises transmitting the information from the device to the remote location by performing a plurality of backup operations.

24. The medium of claim 23, wherein at least one of the backup operations has not been performed when the backing up of the information is terminated.

25. The medium of claim 23, wherein the backup operations include a current backup operation for a current file of the device, and wherein the backing up of the information comprises performing all of the current backup operation when the internal battery has stopped recharging, wherein the current backup operation is atomic.

26. The medium of claim 25, wherein the backing up of the information is terminated after all of the current backup operation is completed.

27. The medium of claim 23, wherein automatically terminating the backing up of the information includes tracking an anchor configured to indicate which backup operations have been completed when the backing up of the information is terminated.