# US 12,216,520 B2 · Direct access to wake state device functionality from a low power state

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- Number: US 12,216,520 B2
- Document ID: US12216520B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/174,292
- Filed: 2021-02-11
- Published: 2021-12-16
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2020-06-16
- Assignees: Apple Inc.
- Applicants: Apple Inc.
- Inventors: Jacob Z. Weiss; Ardra Singh; Ari Y. Benbasat; Arthur L. Spence; Asha G. Karvaje; Brent W. Schorsch; Giovanni Corradini; Steven S. Noble
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12216520B2

## CPC

- G06F 1/3265: {Power saving in display device}
- G04G 21/08: Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces
- G06F 1/163: {Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt}
- G06F 1/3206: Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
- G06F 1/3287: by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
- G06F 1/3293: by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
- G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
- G09G 5/003: {Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto (specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092)}
- G09G 5/02: characterised by the way in which colour is displayed {(details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607)}
- G09G 5/10: Intensity circuits
- G06F 3/04883: for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
- G09G 2320/0626: for control of overall brightness
- G09G 2320/0666: for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
- G09G 2330/021: Power management, e.g. power saving
- G09G 2330/022: in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
- G09G 2330/023: using energy recovery or conservation
- G09G 2354/00: Aspects of interface with display user
- G09G 2360/144: the light being ambient light
- Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G04G: ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECES
- G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

Direct access to device functionality from a low power state of the device is provided. The direct access can be provided without an initial user input to wake the device or the display of the device before activating the desired functionality. The low power state of the device may include a low power state of the display in which the time is persistently displayed, and may include a low power state or an inactive state of a main processor of the device. The direct access can be provided by detecting a type, location, or other aspects of a user input received while the device is in the low power state.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
displaying, with a display of an electronic device during operation of the display in a low power mode and with a co-processor of the electronic device that is separate from a processor of the electronic device, an image frame from a series of image frames generated prior to operation of the display in the low power mode wherein the image frame includes an indication of a current time and a complication;
receiving, with the electronic device while displaying the image frame during the operation of the display in the low power mode, a user input corresponding to a specific function of the electronic device, wherein the user input comprises a touch input at a location of the complication in the image frame;
activating, responsive to receiving the user input and without further user input, the specific function of the electronic device; and
replacing the image frame on the display with a user interface associated with the specific function when the specific function is activated, wherein the specific function comprises an application associated with the complication and activating the specific function of the electronic device comprises providing an instruction to the processor of the electronic device, while displaying the image frame, to activate the application.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein providing the instruction to the processor of the electronic device, while displaying the image frame, to activate the application, comprises continuing to display the image frame without modification of a brightness of the display during the activation of the application.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein replacing the image frame with the user interface comprises displaying a user interface of the application with the processor of the electronic device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
generating the series of image frames with the processor prior to operating the display in the low power mode; and
storing the series of image frames in memory of the electronic device, wherein the processor and the co-processor are configured to share access to the memory.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, further comprising accessing the series of image frames with the co-processor while operating the display in the low power mode, using a memory map for the co-processor that has been arranged by the processor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to displaying the image frame with the co-processor, detecting, with the co-processor, a low power state of the processor.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising managing, with the co-processor during the low power state of the processor, power consumption by the display.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein managing the power consumption by the display comprises controlling a frame rate of the display during display of the image frame based on a power budget for the display during the operation in the low power mode for the display.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the touch input comprises a swipe on the display.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein replacing the image frame on the display with the user interface associated with the specific function when the specific function is activated comprises, while displaying a portion of the image frame without modifying a brightness of the portion of the image frame, progressively displaying an increasing portion of the user interface, increasing in a direction of the swipe.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the image frame during operation of the display in the low power mode comprises displaying the image frame during a low power mode of the processor of the electronic device in which the processor runs a media player application.

### Claim 12

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
displaying, with a display of an electronic device during operation of the display in a low power mode, an image frame from a series of image frames generated prior to operation of the display in the low power mode;
receiving, while displaying the image frame during the operation of the display in the low power mode, a user input corresponding to a specific function of the electronic device, wherein the user input comprises a swipe on the display;
activating, responsive to receiving the user input and without further user input, the specific function of the electronic device; and
replacing the image frame on the display with a user interface associated with the specific function when the specific function is activated,
wherein the specific function comprises an application associated with the swipe, and wherein replacing the image frame on the display with the user interface associated with the specific function when the specific function is activated comprises, while displaying a portion of the image frame without modifying a brightness of the portion of the image frame, progressively displaying an increasing portion of the user interface, increasing in a direction of the swipe.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the image frame comprises an image of a clock displaying a time corresponding to a current time, wherein the image frame was generated and stored prior to the current time.

### Claim 14

A device, comprising:
a display;
a processor configured to run applications for the device;
a first co-processor;
a second co-processor; and
a light sensor, wherein:
the first co-processor is configured to receive signals from the light sensor;
the second co-processor is configured to:
display, during a low power mode for the display, an image frame from a series of image frames generated by the processor prior to operation of the display in the low power mode and prior to a current time;
receive, from the first co-processor, light information corresponding to the signals; and
adjust a brightness or a color of the image frame responsive to the light information from the first co-processor while the processor is inactive.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The device of claim 14, wherein the first co-processor is configured to:
compare the signals from the light sensor to a threshold; and
provide the light information corresponding to the signals to the second co-processor if the signals exceed the threshold.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The device of claim 14, further comprising memory, wherein the processor, the first co-processor, and the second co-processor each have access to the memory.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The device of claim 16, further comprising a first memory map for the processor, a second memory map for the first co-processor, and third memory map for the second co-processor, wherein the first memory map, the second memory map, and the third memory map each map logical addresses to physical addresses in the memory.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to manage the first memory map, the second memory map, and the third memory map.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The device of claim 18, wherein the light sensor comprises an ambient light sensor.

### Claim 20

A method, comprising:
receiving, with a first co-processor of a device, signals from a light sensor of the device;
displaying, with a second co-processor of the device during a low power mode for a display of the device, an image frame from a series of image frames generated by a processor of the device prior to operation of the display in the low power mode and prior to a current time;
receiving, from the first co-processor at the second co-processor, light information corresponding to the signals; and
adjusting, with the second co-processor, a brightness or a color of the image frame responsive to the light information from the first co-processor, wherein the processor is configured to run applications for the device, and wherein the second co-processor is configured to receive the light information from the first co-processor and adjust the brightness or the color of the image frame while the processor is inactive.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, further comprising, with the first co-processor:
comparing the signals from the light sensor to a threshold; and
providing the light information corresponding the signals to the second co-processor if the signals exceed the threshold.

### Claim 22

A method comprising:
providing, upon startup of an electronic device, an operating system to a processor of the electronic device;
providing, upon the startup of the electronic device, an image to a co-processor of the electronic device; and
displaying the image on a display of the electronic device, with the co-processor, while the processor loads the operating system.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, further comprising:
receiving at the co-processor from the processor, after loading of the operating system by the processor, additional image information for display in place of the image.

### Claim 24 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein the image comprises a logo image including a logo associated with a manufacturer of the electronic device.

### Claim 25 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, further comprising, providing firmware to the co-processor upon the startup of the electronic device.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The method of claim 25, wherein the firmware is provided to the co-processor and the operating system is provided to the processor by a boot loader of the electronic device.

### Claim 27 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, further comprising, with the operating system running on the processor:
generating a data structure including a set of image frames with the processor;
inactivating the processor for a sleep state of the electronic device; and
displaying the set of image frames with the co-processor while the electronic device is in the sleep state.