Systems and methods for extending battery life by monitoring device activity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10462745-B2
Application number	US-201614997386-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2016
Priority date	Jan 15, 2016
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

The disclosed technology includes techniques for preserving battery life of a mobile device by monitoring a mobile device to determine a state of inactivity. A state of inactivity may be determined if the screen of the mobile device is off and the mobile device remains stationary for a period of time. Battery life may be preserved by placing the mobile device and/or a mobile application of the mobile device into an idle state for successive idle periods separated by maintenance periods. When in an idle state, the mobile device and/or a mobile application of the mobile device may be prevented from utilizing various features or functions of the mobile device that may tend to drain the battery. The mobile device and/or mobile application may be granted temporary access to the various features and functions during the maintenance periods to temporarily allow the mobile device and/or mobile application to perform updates.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
determining, by a processor, that a mobile device has been in an inactive state for a first period of time based on one or more signals indicating that the mobile device has not physically moved faster than a threshold velocity or further than a threshold distance within a local environment over the first period of time;
causing, by the processor and during the inactive state, a mobile application of the mobile device to enter a first idle state for a second period of time in response to the determining;
responsive to expiration of the second period of time, causing, by the processor and during the inactive state, the mobile application of the mobile device to exit the first idle state and enter a maintenance state for a third period of time;
responsive to expiration of the third period of time, causing, by the processor and during the inactive state, the mobile application of the mobile device to exit the maintenance state and enter a second idle state for a fourth period of time; and
responsive to determining, by the processor, that the mobile device is no longer in the inactive state during the fourth period of time, causing, by the processor, the mobile application of the mobile device to exit the second idle state.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that a mobile device has been in an inactive state for a first period of time includes considering the mobile device to be stationary for the first period of time based on the one or more signals.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that a mobile device has been in an inactive state for a first period of time includes determining that a screen of the mobile device has remained off throughout the first period of time.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing a mobile application of the mobile device to enter a first or second idle state includes preventing the mobile application from accessing a mobile network.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing a mobile application of the mobile device to enter a first or second idle state includes preventing the mobile application from activating a wake lock.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing a mobile application of the mobile device to enter a first or second idle state includes preventing the mobile application from activating an alarm.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing a mobile application of the mobile device to enter a first or second idle state includes deactivating Wi-Fi scanning on the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing a mobile application of the mobile device to enter a first or second idle state includes deactivating a GPS receiver of the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing a mobile application of the mobile device to enter maintenance state includes allowing the mobile application to access a mobile network.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing a mobile application of the mobile device to enter maintenance state includes allowing the mobile application to activate an alarm.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing a mobile application of the mobile device to enter maintenance state includes activating Wi-Fi scanning on the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing a mobile application of the mobile device to enter maintenance state includes activating a GPS receiver of the mobile device.

13. A system comprising:
one or more processors;
a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
determine that a mobile device has been in an inactive state for a first period of time based on one or more signals indicating that the mobile device has not physically moved faster than a predefined threshold velocity or farther than a predefined threshold distance within a local environment during the first period of time;
cause, during the inactive state, a mobile application of the mobile device to enter a first idle state for a second period of time;
responsive to the expiration of the second period of time and during the inactive state, cause the mobile application of the mobile device to exit the first idle state and enter a maintenance state for a third period of time;
responsive to the expiration of the third period of time and during the inactive state, cause the mobile application of the mobile device to exit the maintenance state and enter a second idle state for a fourth period of time; and
responsive to a determination that the mobile device is no longer in the inactive state during the fourth period of time, cause the mobile application of the mobile device to exit the second idle state.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein determining that a mobile device has been in an inactive state for a first period of time includes considering the mobile device to be stationary for the first period of time if physical movements of the mobile device have not exceeded the predefined threshold velocity or the predefined threshold distance within the local environment over the first period of time.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein determining that a mobile device has been in an inactive state for a first period of time includes determining that a screen of the mobile device has remained off over the first period of time.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein causing a mobile application of the mobile device to enter a first or second idle state includes preventing the mobile application from accessing a mobile network.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a first computing device to:
determine that a mobile device has been in an inactive state for a first period of time based on sensor signals indicating that the mobile device has not physically moved faster than a predefined threshold velocity or further than a predefined threshold distance within a local environment over the first period of time;
cause, during the inactive state, a mobile application of the mobile device to enter a first idle state for a second period of time;
responsive to the expiration of the second period of time and during the inactive state, cause the mobile application of the mobile device to exit the first idle state and enter a maintenance state for a third period of time;
responsive to the expiration of the third period of time and during the inactive state, cause the mobile application of the mobile device to exit the maintenance state and enter a second idle state for a fourth period of time; and
responsive to a determination that the mobile device is no longer in the inactive state during the fourth period of time, cause the mobile application of the mobile device to exit the second idle state.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein determining that a mobile device has been in an inactive state for a first period of time includes determining that a screen of the mobile device has remained off throughout over the first period of time.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the sensor signals are generated by an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a global positioning systems (GPS) receiver, an orientation sensor, or a compass.

20. The system of claim 13 , wherein causing a mobile application of the mobile device to enter a first or second idle state includes preventing the mobile application from activating a wake lock.

Assignees

• Google Inc
• Google Llc

Inventors

• Desai Meghan
• Hackborn Dianne
• Eastham Paul

Classifications

• G06F1/3206 Primary

  Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality · CPC title

• H04W52/0241 Primary

  where no transmission is received, e.g. out of range of the transmitter · CPC title

• H04W76/28

  Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX] · CPC title

• H04W52/0254

  detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device · CPC title

• G06F1/3287

  by switching off individual functional units in the computer system · CPC title