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US 6,603,469 B1Granted
Method and apparatus for user selectable display mode for intelligently enhancing battery life
AssigneePalm, Inc.
InventorsShawn Gettemy, Anthony Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneePalm, Inc.
InventorsShawn Gettemy, Anthony Kim
Estimating the term…
A method and system for enhancing the life of a battery within a portable or otherwise battery operated electronic device. The method and system provide user selectable display modes, e.g., from color to monochrome, that can be changed in order to enhance the life of the device's battery. The monochrome display mode can be selected by the user when the battery level is detected below a predefined threshold. In one embodiment, the electronic device is a hand held computer system with a display device. When the battery level is detected as below a preselected level, a message is generated on the computer display screen. The message informs the user that the display mode of the screen can be changed to enhance the battery life. If selected, the display mode can change from color to monochrome thereby saving power because the monochrome display does not utilize a back-lighting element. In one embodiment, color sequential techniques are used to provide a flat panel color display. Within the display, a transreflective layer provides reflective light for monochrome applications. When the battery energy returns to normal levels, the color display mode can be re-entered automatically. It is appreciated that the display mode changes can also be performed automatically if the battery level falls below certain critical levels.
In a portable electronic device, a method of enhancing battery life comprising the steps of:
In a battery powered palm sized computer system, a method of enhancing battery life comprising the steps of:
A portable electronic device comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.