Patent Application
20120050152
Example embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the presentation of information on a display, and more particularly, to a method of presenting information on a display that is based upon the type of information displayed and learned behaviors of a viewer of the display.
The modern communications era has brought about a tremendous expansion of wireline and wireless networks. Computer networks, television networks, and telephone networks are experiencing an unprecedented technological expansion, fueled by consumer demand. Wireless and mobile networking technologies have addressed consumer demands while providing more flexibility and immediacy of information transfer.
Mobile devices, such as cellular telephones, have become smaller and lighter while also becoming more capable of performing tasks that far exceed a traditional voice call. Mobile devices are becoming small, portable computing devices that are capable of running a variety of applications, some of which benefit from a larger display. The displays of mobile devices have become increasingly large such that they may now usurp surface space that may have previously been used for a traditional tactile keypad such that some mobile devices may flip open to present a keypad or the display may also serve as a touch-screen user interface. One negative aspect of large displays is the power consumption requirement to present the vast amounts of information available through mobile devices. As mobile devices are intended to be portable, a smaller size is generally preferable which may limit the size of battery that can be used with the mobile device. A display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display may consume the battery power of a mobile device relatively quickly if the display remains on for long periods. As such, many devices use a “sleep” mode that turns off the display or mode that dims or reduces the brightness of a display in an effort to conserve battery power when it is believed that a user is no longer viewing the display.
In general, an example embodiment of the present invention provides an improved method of transitioning from a first display mode, where the display may be of a first brightness, to a second display mode, where the display may be of a second brightness that is less than the first brightness.
In particular, the method of example embodiments includes providing for operation of a display in a first mode, providing for operation of the display in a second mode, and transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode in response to an amount of time elapsing without detecting a user input. The amount of time may be variable in response to at least one of: the information presented on the display in the first mode; the application presenting the information on the display in the first mode, a sensor input of a device comprising the display; or whether or not a user input is detected within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode. The first mode may include a first level of brightness and the second mode may include a second level of brightness that is less than the first level. The amount of time may be variable in response to at least two of the information presented on the display in the first mode; the application presenting the information on the display in the first mode, a sensor input of a device comprising the display; and whether or not a user input is detected within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode. The amount of time may be variable in response to whether or not a user input is detected within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode, wherein the amount of time is increased in response to detecting a user input within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode. The increased amount of time may be learned and stored for future use. The amount of time may be decreased in response to not detecting a user input within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating in the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode. The decreased amount of time may be learned and stored for future use. The amount of time may be variable in response to the information presented on the display in the first mode, where the amount of time is relatively greater in response to the information presented on the display in the first mode being measured at a first difficulty level and relatively lower in response to the information presented on the display in the first mode being measured at a second difficulty level which is lower than the first difficulty level. The amount of time may be variable in response to a sensor input of a device including the display, where the sensor input includes the detection of motion of the device.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to provide for operation of a display in a first mode, provide for operation of the display in a second mode, and transition from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode in response to an amount of time elapsing without detection of a user input. The amount of time may be variable in response to at least one of: the information presented on the display in the first mode; the application presenting the information on the display in the first mode, a sensor input of a device comprising the display; or whether or not a user input is detected within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode. The first mode may include a first level of brightness and the second mode may include a second level of brightness that is less than the first level. The amount of time may be variable in response to at least two of the information presented on the display in the first mode; the application presenting the information on the display in the first mode, a sensor input of a device comprising the display; and whether or not a user input is detected within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode. The amount of time may be variable in response to whether or not a user input is detected within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode, wherein the amount of time is increased in response to detecting a user input within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode. The increased amount of time may be learned and stored for future use. The amount of time may be decreased in response to not detecting a user input within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode. The decreased amount of time may be learned and stored for future use. The amount of time may be variable in response to the information presented on the display in the first mode, where the amount of time is relatively greater in response to the information presented on the display in the first mode being measured at a first difficulty level and relatively lower in response to the information presented on the display in the first mode being measured at a second difficulty level which is lower than the first difficulty level. The amount of time may be variable in response to a sensor input of a device including the display, where the sensor input includes the detection of motion of the device.
A further embodiment of the invention may include a computer program product including at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein. The computer executable program code instructions may include program code instructions for providing for operation of a display in a first mode, program code instructions for providing for operation of the display in a second mode, and program code instructions for transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode in response to an amount of time elapsing without detecting a user input. The amount of time may be variable in response to at least one of: the information presented on the display in the first mode; the application presenting the information on the display in the first mode, a sensor input of a device comprising the display; or whether or not a user input is detected within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode. The first mode may include a first level of brightness and the second mode may include a second level of brightness that is less than the first level. The amount of time may be variable in response to at least two of the information presented on the display in the first mode; the application presenting the information on the display in the first mode, a sensor input of a device comprising the display; and whether or not a user input is detected within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode. The amount of time may be variable in response to whether or not a user input is detected within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode, wherein the amount of time is increased in response to detecting a user input within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode. The increased amount of time may be learned and stored for future use. The amount of time may be decreased in response to not detecting a user input within a predetermined response time after transitioning from operating in the display in the first mode to operating the display in the second mode. The decreased amount of time may be learned and stored for future use. The amount of time may be variable in response to the information presented on the display in the first mode, where the amount of time is relatively greater in response to the information presented on the display in the first mode being measured at a first difficulty level and relatively lower in response to the information presented on the display in the first mode being measured at a second difficulty level which is lower than the first difficulty level. The amount of time may be variable in response to a sensor input of a device including the display, where the sensor input includes the detection of motion of the device.
Having thus described certain example embodiments of the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Some example embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, various embodiments of the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein; rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the terms “data,” “content,” “information” and similar terms may be used interchangeably to refer to data capable of being transmitted, received and/or stored in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
Additionally, as used herein, the term ‘circuitry’ refers to (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., implementations in analog circuitry and/or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of circuits and computer program product(s) comprising software and/or firmware instructions stored on one or more computer readable memories that work together to cause an apparatus to perform one or more functions described herein; and (c) circuits, such as, for example, a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that require software or firmware for operation even if the software or firmware is not physically present. This definition of ‘circuitry’ applies to all uses of this term herein, including in any claims. As a further example, as used herein, the term ‘circuitry’ also includes an implementation comprising one or more processors and/or portion(s) thereof and accompanying software and/or firmware. As another example, the term ‘circuitry’ as used herein also includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, other network device, and/or other computing device.
A session may be supported by a network 30 as shown in
One or more communication terminals, such as the mobile terminal 10 and the second mobile terminal 20, may be in communication with each other via the network 30 and each may include an antenna or antennas for transmitting signals to and for receiving signals from a base site, which could be, for example a base station that is part of one or more cellular or mobile networks or an access point that may be coupled to a data network, such as a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), and/or a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet. In turn, other devices (e.g., personal computers, server computers or the like) may be coupled to the mobile terminal 10 and the second mobile terminal 20 via the network 30. By directly or indirectly connecting the mobile terminal 10 and the second mobile terminal 20 and other devices to the network 30, the mobile terminal 10 and the second mobile terminal 20 may be enabled to communicate with the other devices or each other, for example, according to numerous communication protocols including Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and/or the like, to thereby carry out various communication or other functions of the mobile terminal 10 and the second mobile terminal 20, respectively.
In example embodiments, either of the mobile terminals may be mobile or fixed communication devices. Thus, for example, the mobile terminal 10 and the second mobile terminal 20 could be, or be substituted by, any of personal computers (PCs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless telephones, desktop computer, laptop computer, mobile computers, cameras, video recorders, audio/video players, positioning devices, game devices, television devices, radio devices, or various other devices or combinations thereof.
Although the mobile terminal 10 may be configured in various manners, one example of a mobile terminal that could benefit from an example embodiment of the invention is depicted in the block diagram of
The mobile terminal 10 illustrated in
It is understood that the apparatus, such as the processor 40, may include circuitry implementing, among others, audio and logic functions of the mobile terminal 10. The processor 40 may be embodied in a number of different ways. For example, the processor 40 may be embodied as one or more of various processing means such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing element with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing circuitry including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a special-purpose computer chip, or the like. As such, in some embodiments, the processor 40 may include one or more processing cores configured to perform independently. A multi-core processor may enable multiprocessing within a single physical package. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 40 may include one or more processors configured in tandem via the bus to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining and/or multithreading.
In an example embodiment, the processor 40 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory device 62 or otherwise accessible to the processor 40. Alternatively or additionally, the processor 40 may be configured to execute hard coded functionality. As such, whether configured by hardware or software methods, or by a combination thereof, the processor 40 may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry) capable of performing operations according to embodiments of the present invention while configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when the processor 40 is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA or the like, the processor 40 may be specifically configured hardware for conducting the operations described herein. Alternatively, as another example, when the processor 40 is embodied as an executor of software instructions, the instructions may specifically configure the processor 40 to perform the algorithms and/or operations described herein when the instructions are executed. However, in some cases, the processor 40 may be a processor of a specific device (e.g., a mobile terminal or network device) adapted for employing embodiments of the present invention by further configuration of the processor 40 by instructions for performing the algorithms and/or operations described herein. The processor 40 may include, among other things, a clock, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and logic gates configured to support operation of the processor 40.
The mobile terminal 10 may also comprise a user interface including an output device such as an earphone or speaker 44, a ringer 42, a microphone 46, a display 48, and a user input interface, which may be coupled to the processor 40. The mobile terminal 10 may further include sensor(s) 47 for detecting a stimulus such as a button for detecting a depression, a touch sensitive display for detecting a touch, or a motion sensor to detect motion, The user input interface, which allows the mobile terminal to receive data, may include any of a number of devices allowing the mobile terminal to receive data, such as a keypad 50, a touch sensitive display (not shown) or other input device. In embodiments including the keypad, the keypad may include numeric (0-9) and related keys (#, *), and other hard and soft keys used for operating the mobile terminal 10. Alternatively, the keypad may include a conventional QWERTY keypad arrangement. The keypad may also include various soft keys with associated functions. In addition, or alternatively, the mobile terminal may include an interface device such as a joystick or other user input interface. The mobile terminal may further include a battery 54, such as a vibrating battery pack, for powering various circuits that are used to operate the mobile terminal, as well as optionally providing mechanical vibration as a detectable output.
The mobile terminal 10 may further include a user identity module (UIM) 58, which may generically be referred to as a smart card. The UIM may be a memory device having a processor built in. The UIM may include, for example, a subscriber identity module (SIM), a universal integrated circuit card (UICC), a universal subscriber identity module (USIM), a removable user identity module (R-UIM), or any other smart card. The UIM may store information elements related to a mobile subscriber. In addition to the UIM, the mobile terminal may be equipped with memory. For example, the mobile terminal may include volatile memory 60, such as volatile Random Access Memory (RAM) including a cache area for the temporary storage of data. The mobile terminal may also include other non-volatile memory 62, which may be embedded and/or may be removable. The non-volatile memory may additionally or alternatively comprise an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or the like. The memories may store any of a number of pieces of information, and data, used by the mobile terminal to implement the functions of the mobile terminal. For example, the memories may include an identifier, such as an international mobile equipment identification (IMEI) code, capable of uniquely identifying the mobile terminal. Furthermore, the memories may store instructions for determining cell id information. Specifically, the memories may store an application program for execution by the processor 40, which determines an identity of the current cell, e.g., cell id identity or cell id information, with which the mobile terminal is in communication.
An example embodiment of a communication network in accordance with one example embodiment is presented by
Accordingly, blocks of the flowchart support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, and combinations of operations for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that one or more blocks of the flowchart, and combinations of blocks in the flowcharts, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems which perform the specified functions, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
In an example embodiment, an apparatus for performing the methods of
Example embodiments of the present invention may include displays, such as display 48 of
Mobile terminals according to example embodiments of the present invention may include displays that are configured to present large amounts of information to a user. As the capabilities of mobile terminals are ever increasing, the amount of information available to present on the display is also increasing. Such displays may present text, pictures, or other elements that a user may observe and take-in over a period of time. The information presented on the display may take anywhere from a moment for a user to glance at the display to several minutes wherein a user is reading and possibly re-reading text or observing the details of a figure or picture. Further, different applications executed by a mobile terminal may each typically present different kinds of information that require different amounts of time for a user to observe and fully understand.
Example embodiments of the present invention may be configured to improve and extend battery life over the prior art by more accurately tailoring the power consumption of a display to the usage and habits of a user that views information presented on the display. To increase the battery life of a device through reduction in the power consumption of the display of a mobile device, it is desirable to only illuminate the display while information is being observed on the display. When a display is illuminated and a user is not viewing the display, power is being consumed unnecessarily. While dimming the display of a mobile terminal quickly may extend battery life, the quick dimming may prove to be an annoyance to a user leading to dissatisfaction in the product. As such, it is desirable to create a balance between reduced power consumption and illuminating a display as long as is necessary for a user to understand the information displayed. Mobile terminals typically include a timer that has a user-configurable time delay between the last detected user input and entering a dimmed mode. This user-configurable time delay is often 10, 20, 30, or 60 seconds. However, as noted above, different types of information require different observation times such that a single time delay parameter used before entering a dimmed mode is not always efficient.
Example embodiments of the present invention provide for varying time delay parameters for dimming of a display of a mobile terminal where the varying time delay parameters are determined based upon the active application being presented by the display and learned behaviors of a user of the mobile terminal. The time delay before dimming a display may also be influenced by the operative state of the mobile terminal as will be further described below.
While the example embodiment of
Another example embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the flowchart of
The increase and decrease of the dimming delay time occurring at 525 and 535 may be in small steps as the process becomes an iterative learning process for the processor to learn the behaviors of a viewer of the information displayed on a device. Optionally, the increase of dimming delay time at 525 might be significantly larger than the decrease at 535 such that a user is interrupted by the dimming of the display less often, while more power is consumed during the iterative learning process. Further, the device may be configured to favor reduced power consumption over user interruption such that the decrease in dimming delay time at 535 is larger than the increase in dimming delay time at 525. Such a configuration would lead to lower power consumption during the iterative learning process, but would interrupt a user more frequently by dimming the display while the information is still being viewed by a user. Additionally, the dimming delay times may be coupled to a user profile such that a mobile terminal implementing embodiments of the present invention may have different dimming delay time parameters for different users. Such user profiles may be desirable when one user of a mobile terminal is a relatively fast reader while another user of the mobile terminal may be relatively slower.
A further example embodiment of the present invention may be used alone or in cooperation with one or both of the aforementioned examples. A dimming delay timer may be based upon the active application that is being presented on the display, or the application that is occupying a larger portion of the display than other applications. For example, a dimming delay timer may be relatively longer for an email program than a dimming delay timer would be for an SMS text message program. Similarly, a dimming delay timer may be relatively short when there is no active program and the display is presenting only the home screen of a mobile terminal. The dimming delay timer may be relatively short when the display is presenting only a clock; however, the delay timer may be slightly longer when an analog clock is presented on the display versus a digital clock. In such an embodiment as applied in cooperation with the embodiment of
In addition to the active application influencing the dimming delay time, the dimming delay time may be influenced by a familiarity factor. Such a familiarity factor may be useful when a user views a particular application, web page, or other displayed information regularly such that the user may know where to look on the display for the information that the user is interested in without searching all of the information on the display. An example of such an embodiment may include a sports information web page presenting articles and current sports scores. A user who views the web page regularly may know precisely where the scores are that they are interested in such that even though the page may be complex and have a high difficultly level (typically resulting in a longer dimming delay timer), the dimming delay timer may be shortened as the apparatus may have learned that the user only needs to view the page briefly. The learning process may be similar to the iterative learning process outlined above with respect to
A still further example embodiment of the present invention that may be used alone or in cooperation with one, some, or all of the other embodiments may provide for a dimming timer that is variable based upon the physical state of the mobile terminal or the environment in which the mobile terminal may be operating. For example, if the mobile terminal is of a “flip” style or “sliding” style that includes a keypad that may be hidden, the dimmer delay timer may be longer when the keypad is exposed as the mobile terminal may be assumed to be in use by a user since such devices are not regularly stored with the keypads exposed. Also, if the mobile terminal includes a locating feature such as GPS or node-based location, the dimmer delay timer may be increased when the locating feature determines that the mobile terminal is moving. Such an embodiment may be beneficial to a user that is viewing information presented on a display while moving (e.g., walking, driving a car, cycling, etc.), where the user's focus may not be entirely on the display of the mobile terminal.
Further factors that may influence the dimming delay time may include elements such as the time of day, people nearby (as detected by near-field communications channels or through locating methods), ambient light (e.g., longer dimming delay timer in bright sunlight), user-interface view (e.g., horizontal/vertical viewing), font size of text, etc. Each factor that may influence the dimming delay time may be a set value or may be learned through an iterative process such as that of
Each of the above embodiments may be used in cooperation such that a mobile terminal implementing example embodiments of the present invention may include an application-based dimmer delay timer embodied, for example, by processor 40 that is dependent upon the active application presented on the display. The dimmer delay timer may further be influenced by the content of the information presented on the display, such as, when the display is presenting a relatively large amount of text. Further, the dimmer delay timer may be influenced by the adaptive learning of the mobile terminal based upon whether or not a user of the device has previously reacted to the dimming of the display indicating premature dimming. Still further the dimming delay timer may be influenced by the physical state of the device and the environment in which the device is operating. Each of these methods, used alone or in combination, may provide for an enhanced user experience by reducing the power consumption of a display while improving a user interface by minimizing premature display dimming interruption while a user is viewing information presented on the display.
As described above and as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present invention may be configured as a system, method or electronic device. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may be comprised of various means including entirely of hardware or any combination of software and hardware. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions (e.g., computer software) embodied in the tangible, non-transitory storage medium. Any suitable computer-readable storage medium may be utilized including hard disks, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, or magnetic storage devices.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and associated drawings describe example embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
