Interrupting low battery indicator
AssigneeMotorola, Inc.
InventorsMichael J. DeLuca, Pamela A. Rakolta
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical device has a display and a battery which has a varying electrical condition. The display typically displays information to be read by the user of the device. In response to a low battery detection, the information being displayed may be interrupted with information indicating the battery is low. The timing of the interruption increases as the battery nears depletion thereby giving user an indication of the remaining battery capacity. The variation in timing includes either increasing the duty cycle of the periodic interruption, decreasing the period of the interruption, or both. The electrical device may include a wrist watch paging receiver with a message display and a clock with time of day and date functions.
Claims24
An information display device comprising:
- display means for displaying first information:
- sensing means for sensing an electrical signal having a varying electrical condition and for producing a capacity signal in response thereof;
- and
- interrupting means, responsive to the capacity signal and having variable timing, for periodically preventing the displaying of the first information and for displaying of second information when the first information is being prevented from being displayed, whereby the variable timing of the interrupting means changes to indicate the status of the varying electrical condition.
A method for indicating the status of an electrical signal upon an information display device, the method comprising the steps of:
- displaying first information;
- sensing an electrical signal having a varying electrical condition and producing a capacity signal in response thereof;
- and
- periodically preventing, in response to the capacity signal and having variable timing, the displaying of the first information and for displaying of second information when the first information is being prevented from being displayed, whereby the variable timing of the periodical preventing changes to indicate the status of the varying electrical condition.
A method for indicating the status of an electrical signal upon an information display device, the method comprising the steps of:
- sensing an electrical signal having a varying electrical condition;
- generating a threshold signal in response to the varying electrical condition exceeding a predetermined condition;
- displaying first information on a display means;
- interrupting the displaying of the first information on said display means with a displaying of second information at a first rate in response to the threshold signal;
- displaying third information on said display means;
- and
- interrupting the displaying of the third information on said display means with a displaying of second information at a second rate different from the first rate in response to the threshold signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.