# US 2008/0307243 A1 · Anticipatory Power Management for Battery-Powered Electronic Device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2008/0307243 A1 - Document ID: US20080307243A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/194,462 - Filed: 2008-08-19 - Published: 2008-12-11 - Earliest claimed: 2007-02-16 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Michael M. Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080307243A1 ## CPC - G06F 1/3203: Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode - G06F 1/3212: Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level - G06F 1/329: by task scheduling - H04W 52/0261: {managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level} - Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - 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 Methods and apparatus for managing power consumption of a battery-powered electronic device are disclosed. According to one embodiment, power management can take action to reduce power consumption to accommodate estimated power requirements. According to another embodiment, power management can notify a user when a power deficiency is anticipated. According to still another embodiment, power management can advise a user to charge a battery of the battery-powered electronic device. According to still another embodiment, a user can influence power management by user selections. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for managing power utilization by a multi-function electronic device powered by a battery, the method comprising: receiving a user selection indicating an imminent usage for the electronic device; estimating a future power requirement for the electronic device based on the imminent usage; obtaining a battery characteristic associated with the battery; determining, based on the battery characteristic, whether the battery has adequate capacity to satisfy the estimated future power requirement for the electronic device; and reducing power consumption of the electronic device when the determining determines that the battery has inadequate capacity to satisfy the future power requirement, wherein the reducing of the power consumption of the electronic device comprises automatically disabling one or more functions that are not necessary to support the impending device usage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the estimating of the future power requirement is based on a schedule associated with a user of the electronic device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the estimating of the future power requirement is based on a predicted usage of the electronic device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the estimating of the future power requirement is based on a current usage of the electronic device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the future power requirements is a power estimate for the electronic device to complete a predicted, imminent, future, scheduled and/or current usage of the electronic device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the estimating of the future power requirements is based on continuation of the imminent usage for a predetermined duration. ### Claim 7 A method for managing power utilization by an electronic device powered by a battery, the method comprising: identifying an impending device usage; obtaining a power estimate for the electronic device to complete the impending device usage; obtaining a battery characteristic associated with the battery; determining, based on the battery characteristic, whether the battery has adequate capacity to satisfy the power estimate for the electronic device to complete the impending device usage; and reducing power consumption of the electronic device during at least the impending device usage when the determining determines that the battery has inadequate charge capacity to satisfy the power estimate for the electronic device to complete the impending device usage. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the identifying of the impending device usage is based at least in part on a user input. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the user input initiates the impending device usage. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the identifying estimates or predicts the impending device usage. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the identifying comprises receiving an indication of the impending device usage based on a user input. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the electronic device is a multi-functional device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the reducing of the power consumption of the electronic device comprises: automatically disabling one or more functions that are not necessary to support the impending device usage. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the reducing of the power consumption of the electronic device comprises: disabling one or more functions that are not necessary to support the impending device usage but which reduce power consumption so that the battery has adequate capacity to satisfy the reduced power needs for the electronic device to complete the impending device usage. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method as recited in claim 14, wherein one or more functions are operable on the portable electronic device, and wherein at least a plurality of the one or more functions are software applications, each of the software applications provide the portable electronic device with different capabilities when such software application is operating. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the multi-functional device has a display, and wherein the reducing of the power consumption of the electronic device comprises: presenting a power adjustment screen on the display, the power adjustment screen providing at least one user-selectable power saving option; and reducing the power consumption of the electronic device in accordance with the user-selectable power saving option when the user-selectable option is selected. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: presenting a warning that the battery has inadequate capacity to satisfy the power estimate for the electronic device to complete the impending device usage. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the presenting the warning comprises displaying the warning on the display, wherein the warning is provided within the power adjustment screen. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the multi-function device supports a plurality of functions selected from the group of: media playback, voice communications, data transfer, or workout data capture. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the battery characteristic is used to determine a power estimate for the electronic device to complete the impending device usage, wherein the obtaining of the battery characteristic obtains an available battery power of the battery, and wherein the determining of whether the battery has adequate capacity comprises comparing the power estimate to the available battery power. ### Claim 21 A portable electronic device, comprising: a display; a battery; a battery monitor configured to acquire battery status information from the battery; a user input device configured to receive a user selection indicating imminent usage for said portable electronic device; a device usage manager configured to provide device usage information, the device usage information being based on the imminent usage for said portable electronic device as indicated by the user selection; and a power manager operatively connected to the battery monitor and the device usage manager, the power manager manages power utilization by the electronic device based on the device usage information and the battery status information. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) A portable electronic device as recited in claim 21, wherein the power manager operates to: estimate a future power requirement for the electronic device; obtain a battery characteristic associated with the battery; determine, based on the battery characteristic, whether the battery has adequate capacity to satisfy the estimated future power requirement for said portable electronic device; and reduce power consumption of said portable electronic device when the battery has inadequate capacity to satisfy the future power requirement. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) A portable electronic device as recited in claim 22, wherein said portable electronic device is a portable, multi-functional device, and when the power monitor operates to reduce of the power consumption of the electronic device, one or more functions that are not necessary to support the imminent usage of said portable electronic device are automatically disabled. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) A portable electronic device as recited in claim 23, wherein the multi-function device supports a plurality of functions selected from the group of: media playback, voice communications, data transfer, or workout data capture. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) A portable electronic device as recited in claim 22, wherein said portable electronic device is a handheld portable electronic device.