U.S. patent application number 16/556102 was filed with the patent office on 2019-12-19 for power management of a mobile communications device.
This patent application is currently assigned to Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC. Invention is credited to Scott A. Fudally, Charbel Khawand.
Application Number | 20190387475 16/556102 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43757653 |
Filed Date | 2019-12-19 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190387475 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Khawand; Charbel ; et
al. |
December 19, 2019 |
Power Management of a Mobile Communications Device
Abstract
A user interface for power management of a mobile communications
device is described. In an implementation, power consumption used
in performance of a plurality of tasks is monitored by a mobile
communications device. A determination is made as to an amount of
power that remains in a battery of the mobile communications
device. A user interface is displayed on a display device of the
mobile communications device that describes an amount of time each
of the plurality of tasks may be performed based on the determined
amount of power that remains in the battery.
Inventors: |
Khawand; Charbel;
(Sammamish, WA) ; Fudally; Scott A.; (Duvall,
WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC |
Redmond |
WA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Microsoft Technology Licensing,
LLC
|
Family ID: |
43757653 |
Appl. No.: |
16/556102 |
Filed: |
August 29, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15645816 |
Jul 10, 2017 |
10440652 |
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16556102 |
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14711633 |
May 13, 2015 |
9713092 |
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15645816 |
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12564745 |
Sep 22, 2009 |
9047084 |
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14711633 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02D 30/70 20200801;
H04M 1/72519 20130101; Y02D 70/142 20180101; G06F 11/3062 20130101;
G06F 1/3203 20130101; H04W 24/10 20130101; Y02D 70/144 20180101;
H04W 52/0261 20130101; G06F 11/3013 20130101; Y02D 70/164
20180101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 52/02 20060101
H04W052/02; G06F 11/30 20060101 G06F011/30; G06F 1/3203 20060101
G06F001/3203; H04M 1/725 20060101 H04M001/725; H04W 24/10 20060101
H04W024/10 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A mobile communications device, comprising: at least one
battery; one or more processors; and a computer-readable storage
medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by
the one or more processors, cause the mobile communications device
to: maintain, by an operating system that is executing on the
mobile communications device, a priority listing for a plurality of
tasks that are executable on the mobile communications device,
wherein the priority listing designates: a first task as
corresponding to a non-emergency classification, and a second task
as corresponding to an emergency classification; monitor, by the
operating system, a current battery level of the at least one
battery; and in response to the current battery level decreasing to
a threshold battery level while the first task that corresponds to
the non-emergency classification is being executed on the mobile
communications device, cause the operating system to: interrupt
execution of the first task that corresponds to the non-emergency
classification, and selectively permit execution of the second task
that corresponds to the emergency classification, wherein
selectively permitting execution of the second task includes
restricting telephone calls directed to one or more non-emergency
telephone numbers.
22. The mobile communications device of claim 21, wherein the first
task is performed by an application that is executable on the
mobile communications device, and wherein the operating system
interrupts execution of the first task by communicating data that
causes the application to terminate execution on the mobile
communications device.
23. The mobile communications device of claim 21, wherein the first
task that corresponds to the non-emergency classification is a data
synchronization task that is executable by the operating
system.
24. The mobile communications device of claim 21, wherein the first
task that corresponds to the non-emergency classification is a
media rendering task that is executable by at least one of the
operating system or an application that is installed on the mobile
communications device.
25. The mobile communications device of claim 21, wherein the
second task that corresponds to the emergency classification is a
telephone call that is directed at an emergency telephone
number.
26. The mobile communications device of claim 25, wherein the first
task that corresponds to the non-emergency classification is a
telephone call that is directed at a particular non-emergency
telephone number.
27. The mobile communications device of claim 21, wherein the
instructions further cause the mobile communications device to: in
response to the current battery level decreasing to the threshold
battery level, cause the operating system to query the priority
listing to determine whether the priority listing designates the
first task as corresponding to the non-emergency classification;
and based on a determination that the priority listing designates
the first task as corresponding to the non-emergency
classification, causing the operating system to instruct an
application to terminate execution of the first task.
28. The mobile communications device of claim 21, wherein the
priority listing comprises a user-specified listing of a plurality
of non-emergency tasks that are executable on the mobile
communications device.
29. A computer-implemented method for causing an operating system
that is executing on a mobile communications device to reserve
power is association with an emergency task, the method comprising:
determining, by the operating system, a priority listing for a
plurality of tasks that are executable on the mobile communications
device, wherein the priority listing designates a specific duration
of time in association with the emergency task; monitoring, by the
operating system, a current battery level of at least one battery
that is physically installed within the mobile communications
device; causing at least one of the operating system or an
application that is executing on the mobile communications device
to perform a particular task that is different than the emergency
task; monitoring a power consumption used in performance of the
particular task that is different than the emergency task; based at
least in part on the current battery level and the power
consumption, determining an amount of time that the mobile
communications device can continue to operate as currently
configured in addition to performing the emergency task; and in
response to the amount of time being at or below the specific
duration of time for the emergency task, causing the operating
system to: interrupt execution of the particular task; and permit
execution of the emergency task.
30. The computer-implemented method of claim 29, wherein causing
the operating system to interrupt execution of the particular task
includes causing the operating system to communicate data to the
application that causes the application to terminate execution on
the mobile communications device.
31. The computer-implemented method of claim 29, wherein the
particular task that is different than the emergency task is a data
synchronization task that is executable by the operating
system.
32. The computer-implemented method of claim 29, wherein the
particular task that is different than the emergency task is a
media rendering task that is executable by at least one of the
operating system or the application.
33. The computer-implemented method of claim 29, wherein the
particular task that is different than the emergency task is a
telephone call that is directed at a non-emergency telephone
number.
34. The computer-implemented method of claim 29, wherein the
emergency task is at least one of: a telephone call that is
directed at an emergency telephone number, or generation of
geo-positioning data that indicates a current physical location of
the mobile communications device.
35. The computer-implemented method of claim 29, further comprising
restricting telephone calls from one or more non-emergency
telephone numbers in response to the amount of time being at or
below the specific duration of time for the emergency task.
36. The computer-implemented method of claim 29, further
comprising: causing the operating system to query the priority
listing in response to the current battery level decreasing to a
threshold battery level, and determining, based on the query,
whether to interrupt the particular task due to the particular task
being designated as a non-emergency task.
37. The computer-implemented method of claim 29, wherein the
priority listing comprises a user-specified listing of the
emergency task and one or more non-emergency tasks that are
executable on the mobile communications device.
38. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored
thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by
one or more processors, cause a communications device to: provide
an operating system that is executing on the communications device
with access to a priority listing for a plurality of tasks that are
executable on the communications device, wherein the priority
listing indicates whether one or more tasks that are executable on
the communications device are classified as emergency tasks or
non-emergency tasks; cause the operating system that is executing
on the communications device to monitor a current battery level of
the communications device; responsive to the current battery level
decreasing to a threshold battery level while a data
synchronization task is executing on the communications device,
cause the operating system to query the priority listing to
determine whether the data synchronization task is classified as a
non-emergency task; and based on the data synchronization task
being classified as the non-emergency task, cause the operating
system to interrupt execution of the data synchronization task.
39. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
38, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the
communications device to restrict telephone calls in association
with one or more non-emergency telephone numbers in response to the
current battery level decreasing to the threshold battery
level.
40. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
38, wherein the priority listing comprises a user-specified listing
that includes user classifications of individual tasks as being
emergency tasks or non-emergency tasks.
Description
PRIORITY APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 120
to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/645,816 filed Jul. 10, 2017,
and titled "Power Management of a Mobile Communication Device," and
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/711,633, filed May 13, 2015,
now U.S. Pat. No. 9,713,092, and titled "Power Management of a
Mobile Communications Device," and U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/564,745, filed Sep. 22, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,047,084, and
titled "Power Management of a Mobile Communications Device," the
disclosure of which are being incorporated by reference in their
entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Mobile communication devices (e.g., wireless phones) have
become an integral part of everyday life. However, the form factor
and functionality employed by conventional mobile communications
devices is typically limited to promote mobility of the device.
[0003] For example, mobile communications devices are powered by
batteries that are typically sized to promote mobility of the
mobile communications device. Even if the mobile communications
device has a relatively large battery, however, the amount of power
that may be obtained from the battery is finite. Accordingly,
conventional mobile communications devices include an output that
indicates an amount of power that is available from the battery,
e.g., 40%. However, this indication is typically the sole
indication provided to a user of the mobile communications device,
which may make it difficult for the user to judge the remaining
usefulness of the mobile communications device based on the current
amount of power available from the battery.
SUMMARY
[0004] A user interface for power management of a mobile
communications device is described. In an implementation, power
consumption used in performance of a plurality of tasks is
monitored by a mobile communications device. A determination is
made as to an amount of power that remains in a battery of the
mobile communications device. A user interface is displayed on a
display device of the mobile communications device that describes
an amount of time each of the plurality of tasks may be performed
based on the determined amount of power that remains in the
battery.
[0005] In an implementation, one or more computer-readable storage
media comprise instructions that are executable by a mobile
communications device to provide an operating system that is
executable to monitor battery usage of the mobile communications
device to perform one or more tasks and expose data generated from
the monitored usage via an application programming interface (API)
to one or more applications that are executable on the mobile
communications device to adjust power consumption by the one or
more applications.
[0006] In an implementation, a mobile communications device
includes a battery, a processor, and memory configured to maintain
instructions that are executable on the processor to monitor an
amount of power that remains in the battery and if the amount of
power drops below a threshold level that is set to enable a
telephone call, restrict telephone calls from being performed that
are directed at a non-emergency telephone number.
[0007] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify
key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter,
nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of
the claimed subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The detailed description is described with reference to the
accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a
reference number identifies the figure in which the reference
number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in
different instances in the description and the figures may indicate
similar or identical items.
[0009] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example implementation of a
mobile communications device in accordance with one or more
embodiments of devices, features, and systems for mobile
communications.
[0010] FIG. 2 illustrates an example system showing a mobile
communications device of FIG. 1 as displaying a user interface a
configured to assist a user to manage power consumption of the
device.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an example
implementation in which a user interface is output that describes
an amount of time that is available to perform one or more tasks
based on monitored usage of a mobile communications device.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an example
implementation in which data that describes monitored battery usage
is exposed via an application programming interface (API) to one or
more applications.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an example
implementation in which power in a battery is conserved to enable
emergency telephone calls.
[0014] FIG. 6 illustrates various components of an example device
that can be implemented in various embodiments as any type of a
mobile device to implement embodiments of devices, features, and
systems for mobile communications.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] Overview
[0016] Mobile communications devices typically have a small form
factor to aide mobility of the mobile communications device. For
example, the mobile communications device (e.g., a mobile phone)
may be configured with a relatively minimal amount of display area
and limited input devices (e.g., a keypad) so that the device may
be easily transported. Additionally, the mobile communications
device may have a limited amount of power available to perform
tasks due to use of a battery. However, conventional techniques
that were used to inform a user as to a current state of the
battery had limited functionality. For example, by simply
displaying an amount of power that remains in the battery using a
percentage forced the user to roughly determine what that
meant.
[0017] Power management techniques are described for use by a
mobile communications device or other device with a battery. In an
implementation, a user interface is output that describes a
plurality of tasks that are performable by the mobile
communications device. The user interface also describes an amount
of time that may be used to perform the tasks based on an amount of
power that is currently available from a battery of the mobile
communications device. For example, the user interface may display
an amount of time each application may be executed on the mobile
communications device. Further, as applications are booted, the
result of this action (e.g., execution of each additional
application) may be reflected in the user interface. In this way, a
user may make an informed decision as to which tasks may be
performed based on a current state of the battery, further
discussion of which may be found in relation to FIG. 3. A variety
of other implementations are also described in the following
sections, including implementations to enable applications to
conserve power as further discussed in relation to FIG. 4,
implementations to restrict functionality to extend an ability to
make emergency telephone calls as further discussed in relation to
FIG. 5, and so on.
[0018] In the following discussion, a variety of example
implementations of a mobile communications device (e.g., a wireless
phone) are described. Additionally, a variety of different
functionality that may be employed by the mobile communications
device is described for each example, which may be implemented in
that example as well as in other described examples. Accordingly,
example implementations are illustrated of a few of a variety of
contemplated implementations. Further, although a mobile
communications device having one or more modules that are
configured to provide telephonic functionality are described, a
variety of other mobile devices are also contemplated, such as
personal digital assistants, mobile music players, dedicated
messaging devices, portable game devices, netbooks, and so on.
Example Implementations
[0019] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example implementation 100
of a mobile communications device 102 in accordance with one or
more embodiments of devices, features, and systems for mobile
communications. The mobile communications device 102 is operable to
assume a plurality of configurations, examples of which include a
configuration as illustrated in FIG. 1 in which the mobile
communications device 102 is "open" and a configuration in which
the mobile communications device 102 is "closed" as illustrated in
FIG. 2.
[0020] The mobile communications device 102 is further illustrated
as including a first housing 104 and a second housing 106 that are
connected via a slide 108 such that the first and second housings
104, 106 may move (e.g., slide) in relation to one another.
Although sliding is described, it should be readily apparent that a
variety of other movement techniques are also contemplated, e.g., a
pivot, a hinge and so on.
[0021] The first housing 104 includes a display device 110 that may
be used to output a variety of content, such as a caller
identification (ID), contacts, images (e.g., photos) as
illustrated, email, multimedia messages, Internet browsing, game
play, music, video, and so on. In an implementation, the display
device 110 is configured to function as an input device by
incorporating touchscreen functionality, e.g., through capacitive,
surface acoustic wave, resistive, optical, strain gauge, dispersive
signals, acoustic pulse, and other touchscreen functionality. The
touchscreen functionality (as well as other functionality such as
track pads) may also be used to detect gestures as further
described below.
[0022] The second housing 106 is illustrated as including a
keyboard 112 that may also be used to provide inputs to the mobile
communications device 102. Although the keyboard 112 is illustrated
as a QWERTY keyboard, a variety of other examples are also
contemplated, such as a keyboard that follows a traditional
telephone keypad layout (e.g., a twelve key numeric pad found on
basic telephones), keyboards configured for other languages (e.g.,
Cyrillic), and so on.
[0023] The form factor employed by the mobile communications device
102 may be suitable to support a wide variety of features. For
example, the keyboard 112 is illustrated as supporting a QWERTY
configuration. This form factor may be convenient to a user to
utilize the previously described functionality of the mobile
communications device 102, such as to compose texts, play games,
check email, "surf" the Internet, provide status messages for a
social network, and so on.
[0024] The mobile communications device 102 is also illustrated as
including a communication module 114. The communication module 114
is representative of functionality of the mobile communications
device 102 to communicate via a network 116. For example, the
communication module 114 may include telephone functionality to
make and receive telephone calls. The communication module 114 may
also include a variety of other functionality, such as to capture
content, form short message service (SMS) text messages, multimedia
messaging service (MMS) messages, emails, status updates to be
communicated to a social network service, and so on. A user, for
instance, may input a status update for communication via the
network 116 to the social network service. The social network
service may then publish the status update to "friends" of the
user, e.g., for receipt by the friends via a computer, respective
mobile communications devices, and so on. A variety of other
examples are also contemplated, such as blogging, instant
messaging, and so on.
[0025] The mobile communications device 102 is also illustrated as
including a power management module 118 that is representative of
functionality of the mobile communications device 102 to manage and
assist in management of power consumption of a battery 120. For
example, the display device 110 is illustrated as outputting a user
interface 122 that includes a representation 124 of a current power
level of the battery 120, e.g., 40 percent. Selection of the
representation 124 by a user's finger 126 or other implement causes
the power management module 118 to output a user interface
configured to manage power consumption of the mobile communications
device 102, further discussion of which may be found in relation to
the following figure.
[0026] FIG. 2 illustrates an example system 200 showing the mobile
communications device 102 of FIG. 1 as displaying a user interface
202 configured to assist a user to manage power consumption of the
device. A variety of different information may be displayed in the
user interface 202 to assist the user that is expressed in terms
that are readily understandable by the user.
[0027] For example, the power management module 118 may incorporate
functionality to monitor use of the battery 120 to perform a
variety of different tasks. This monitored usage may then be used
to store data that describes the tasks and the amount of power
consumed to perform the tasks, which is illustrated as a task power
consumption list 204 in this example. A variety of different tasks
may be monitored and described, such as applications 206, network
power profiles 208, data sync 210, media output 212, telephone
usage 214, and so on.
[0028] For example, the applications 206 may describe power used
during execution of the application as a whole, such as an amount
of power typically consumed over a period of time. The applications
206 may also describe specific tasks performed through execution of
the applications 206, such as to access a network, render video,
emulate hardware functionality typically found on a full-feature
computing device (e.g., 3D acceleration), and so on. Thus, the
applications 206 may describe how a user typically interacts with
the application and thus be used to give an accurate assessment of
this usage.
[0029] The network power profiles 208 may be used to describe usage
of different wireless networks. For example, the communication
module 114 may include functionality to communicate over a mobile
phone network (e.g., as a wireless phone, access point, or so on)
as well as over a local wireless network, such as IEEE 802.11,
WiFi, Bluetooth, and so on. Because usage of these different
networks may consume different amounts of power, the power
management module 118 may track the performance of tasks in
relation to the different networks to aid in management of the
battery 120.
[0030] Data sync 210 describes an amount of power used to perform
data synchronization. For example, an operating system of the
mobile communications device 102 may provide a utility to
synchronize data such email, contacts, to send and text messages,
appointments, and so on. Accordingly, the power management module
118 may track an amount of power used to perform these various
synchronization tasks as well as a frequency at which these tasks
are typically performed.
[0031] The power management module 118 may also monitor media
output 212, such an amount of power used to obtain and render
streaming media, play songs or movies, games, and so on. Telephone
usage 214 may also be monitored by the power management module 118,
such as an amount of power used in a typical phone call placed by a
user of the mobile communications device 102. Although a few
examples have been listed of tasks that may be monitored by the
power management module 118, it should be readily apparent that a
wide variety of other tasks are also contemplated without departing
from the spirit and scope thereof, such as to monitor the battery
120 itself for decreasing amounts of power as time goes on, such as
due to a "memory effect" of the battery 120.
[0032] Additionally, although monitoring by the power management
module 118 has been described, it should be apparent that an amount
of power used to perform tasks may be determined in a variety of
ways. For example, the power management module 118 may output a
user interface via which a user may pre-enter statistics that
describe power consumption, e.g., per minute for a phone call,
browser application, and so on. In another example, the power
management module 118 may receive these statistics from an outside
source, e.g., downloaded via the network 116. In a further example,
these statistics may be entered by a manufacturer or supplier of
the mobile communications device 102.
[0033] The power management module 118 may then leverage the
monitored usage described by the task power consumption list 204 in
a variety of ways to aid power management of the mobile
communications device 102. One such example is illustrated in FIG.
2 by the user interface 202. As previously described the user
interface 202 was output in response to selection of the
representation 124 of the current power level of the battery 120 in
FIG. 1. It should be readily apparent, however, that the user
interface 202 may be output in response to a wide variety of
criteria, such as when the amount of power available from the
battery 120 drops below a threshold.
[0034] The user interface 202 as displayed in FIG. 2 is configured
to inform and therefore aid a user as to which actions may be
performed to manage power consumption and the effect of those
actions. In one illustrated example, the user interface 202
describes an amount of time the mobile communication device 102 may
continue to function as currently configured. For example, this
amount of time may be based on which applications are currently
being executed by the device as well as other tasks are currently
configured to execute, such as data synchronization.
[0035] The user interface 202 also shows a possible effect of
adding additional tasks to be performed by the mobile
communications device 102. For example, the user interface 202
shows the effect of adding another application (a fifth application
to the other four currently executing applications) to an amount of
standby time and talk time. The user interface 202 also shows that
media streaming may be performed for 3.5 hours and internet
browsing may be performed for 8 hours based on an amount of power
that is currently available from the battery 120. Therefore, the
user interface 202 illustrates a result of an action of selecting
performance of these additional tasks and informs the user in a
readily understood manner how.
[0036] The user interface 202 also displays an option that is
selectable to initiate a battery conservation mode. In the
illustrated example, the battery conservation mode promotes
conservation by terminating applications, setting data
synchronization to manual, reducing brightness of the display, and
turning vibrate off Additionally, the user interface 202 shows an
effect of this mode in which the standby time of the mobile
communications device 102 is increased. Thus, in the example of
FIG. 2 the user interface 202 may be used to increase or decrease
"battery life" of the battery 120 based on the desires of the user.
A variety of other examples are also contemplated, further
discussion of which may be found in relation to the following
procedures.
Example Procedures
[0037] The following discussion describes power management
techniques that may be implemented utilizing the previously
described systems and devices. Aspects of each of the procedures
may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a
combination thereof. The procedures are shown as a set of blocks
that specify operations performed by one or more devices and are
not necessarily limited to the orders shown for performing the
operations by the respective blocks. In portions of the following
discussion, reference will be made to the environment 100 and
systems 200 of FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively.
[0038] FIG. 3 depicts a procedure 300 in an example implementation
in which a user interface is output that describes an amount of
time that is available to perform one or more tasks based on
monitored usage of a mobile communications device. Power
consumption is monitored that is used in performance of a plurality
of tasks by a mobile communications device (block 302). For
example, the power management module 118 of FIG. 2 may monitor
tasks that are performed by the device and store data that
describes this monitoring as a task power consumption list 204. As
previously described, a variety of tasks may be described, such as
execution of one or more applications, use of different wireless
networks, data synchronization, rendering of media, usage of
telephone functionality of the mobile communications device 102 by
a user, and so on.
[0039] A determination is made as to an amount of power that
remains in a battery of the mobile communications device (block
304). Continuing with the previous example, the power management
module 118 may also monitor usage of the battery 120. In an
implementation, this monitoring may take into account a decreased
ability of the battery 120 to store power over time, such as due to
a "memory effect."
[0040] A user interface is displayed on a display device of the
mobile communications device that describes an amount of time each
of a plurality of tasks may be performed based on the determined
amount of power that remains in the battery (block 306). As shown
in the user interface 202 of FIG. 2, for example, the plurality of
tasks may be described along with the effect of performance of the
task on the amount of power that is available from the battery 120.
This may be expressed in a variety of ways, such as by displaying
an amount of time the task may be performed, an amount of time a
mobile communications device 102 remains operational, and so on.
For example, the user interface may describe an amount of time that
a Web browser may be used to browse the Internet. In another
example, the user interface describes an amount of time that media
may be rendered, such as music, video, games, and so on. In a
further example, the user interface describes a number of times a
task may be performed, e.g., data synchronization. In an
implementation, the steps may be repeated at predetermined
intervals of time to update the user interface as the amount of
power in the battery 120 decreases or increases, e.g., due to
charging.
[0041] Although this example described output of the user interface
to aid a user in managing power consumption of the mobile
communications device, a variety of other functionality may also be
employed that does not involve user intervention. Further
discussion of power management functionality that may be performed
automatically and without user intervention may be found in
relation to the following figures.
[0042] FIG. 4 depicts a procedure 400 in an example implementation
in which data that describes monitored battery usage is exposed via
an application programming interface (API) to one or more
applications. Battery usage is monitored of the mobile
communications device to perform one or more tasks (block 402).
Data generated from the monitored usage is exposed via an
application programming interface (API) to one or more applications
that are executable on the mobile communications device to adjust
power consumption by the one or more applications (block 404).
[0043] For example, the power management module 118 to be part of
an operating system that exposes an application programming
interface to one or more other applications that executable on the
mobile communications device 102. Data exposed via the API may be
used by the application to address performance of one or more tasks
by the application.
[0044] For example, the mobile communications device 102 may be
configured such that 3-D acceleration functionality is not
included. Therefore, the application may be configured to emulate
this functionality on a processor of the mobile communications
device 102, which may consume a significant amount of power.
Consequently, if the application detects that the amount of power
that is available from the battery 120 is decreased below a certain
threshold, the application may restrict this emulation from being
performed to conserve power of the battery 120. In this way, the
application may change how hardware resources of the mobile
communications device 102 are used to perform tasks and may do so
automatically and without user intervention.
[0045] A variety of other thresholds may also be employed by the
power management module 118. In an implementation, a plurality of
threshold levels are set (e.g., by a user, a manufacturer, and so
on) in terms of a combinatory list of tasks (e.g., execution of
applications) that are allowed to be performed at different power
levels of the battery 120. Therefore, when the power management
module 118 determines that a particular power level of the battery
120 has been achieved, for instance, the power management module
118 may query the list to determine which tasks the mobile
communications device 102 is permitted to perform, either
simultaneously or individually. In this way, the mobile
communications device 102 may use the list to determine a priority
of tasks for various power levels of the battery 120.
[0046] A variety of other examples are also contemplated, such as
by reducing a frequency at which tasks are performed (e.g., data
synchronization), a frame rate used to display content, and so on.
For instance, the power management module 118 may communicate data
that causes the application to terminate execution on the mobile
communications device 102.
[0047] FIG. 5 depicts a procedure 500 in an example implementation
in which power in a battery is conserved to enable emergency
telephone calls. In the previous example, the power management
module 118 provided information to applications to perform power
management, which may be done automatically and without user
intervention. This power management may also be performed by the
power management module 118 to prevent certain tasks from being
performed based on power consumption that would prevent emergency
features, such as telephone calls to emergency telephone numbers,
global positioning system (GPS) functionality, and so on as further
described below.
[0048] An amount of power that remains in a battery is monitored
(block 502). If the amount of power drops below a threshold level
that is set to enable a telephone call, telephone calls are
restricted from being performed that are directed at non-emergency
telephone numbers (block 504). For example, the threshold level may
be set to enable a plurality of telephone calls of a specific
duration. Therefore, if the power drops below this level, the power
management module 118 may restrict features from being performed
that are related to non-emergency tasks, such as data
synchronization, media rendering (e.g., playing music), and so on.
For example, the power management module 118 may use a list (e.g.,
that may be user specified) that indicates a priority for each task
to determine whether to interrupt a current activity based on the
priority. In this way, the power management module 118 may
interrupt a current task (e.g., terminate execution of an
application) based on user priority.
Example Device
[0049] FIG. 6 illustrates various components of an example device
600 that can be implemented in various embodiments as any type of a
mobile device to implement embodiments of devices, features, and
systems for mobile communications. For example, device 600 can be
implemented as any of the mobile communications devices 102
described with reference to respective FIGS. 1-2. Device 600 can
also be implemented to access a network-based service.
[0050] Device 600 includes input 602 that may include Internet
Protocol (IP) inputs as well as other input devices, such as the
keyboard 112 of FIG. 1. Device 600 further includes communication
interface 604 that can be implemented as any one or more of a
wireless interface, any type of network interface, and as any other
type of communication interface. A network interface provides a
connection between device 600 and a communication network by which
other electronic and computing devices can communicate data with
device 600. A wireless interface enables device 600 to operate as a
mobile device for wireless communications.
[0051] Device 600 also includes one or more processors 606 (e.g.,
any of microprocessors, controllers, and the like) which process
various computer-executable instructions to control the operation
of device 600 and to communicate with other electronic devices.
Device 600 can be implemented with computer-readable media 608,
such as one or more memory components, examples of which include
random access memory (RAM) and non-volatile memory (e.g., any one
or more of a read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM,
etc.).
[0052] Computer-readable media 608 provides data storage to store
content and data 610, as well as device applications and any other
types of information and/or data related to operational aspects of
device 600. For example, an operating system 612 can be maintained
as a computer application with the computer-readable media 608 and
executed on processor 606. Device applications can also include a
communication manager module 614 (which may be used to provide
telephonic functionality) and a media manager 616.
[0053] Device 600 also includes an audio and/or video output 618
that provides audio and/or video data to an audio rendering and/or
display system 620. The audio rendering and/or display system 620
can be implemented as integrated component(s) of the example device
600, and can include any components that process, display, and/or
otherwise render audio, video, and image data. Device 600 can also
be implemented to provide a user tactile feedback, such as vibrate
and haptics.
[0054] Generally, the blocks may be representative of modules that
are configured to provide represented functionality. Further, any
of the functions described herein can be implemented using
software, firmware (e.g., fixed logic circuitry), manual
processing, or a combination of these implementations. The terms
"module," "functionality," and "logic" as used herein generally
represent software, firmware, hardware or a combination thereof. In
the case of a software implementation, the module, functionality,
or logic represents program code that performs specified tasks when
executed on a processor (e.g., CPU or CPUs). The program code can
be stored in one or more computer readable memory devices. The
features of the techniques described above are
platform-independent, meaning that the techniques may be
implemented on a variety of commercial computing platforms having a
variety of processors.
CONCLUSION
[0055] Although the invention has been described in language
specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is
to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims
is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts
described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as
example forms of implementing the claimed invention.
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