Portable communication device and power saving method used therein

TECHNICAL FIELD

0001The present invention relates to portable communication devices and power saving methods thereof, and particularly to a portable communication device having two displays and power saving method used therein.

GENERAL BACKGROUND

0002With the fast development in electronic technologies, many different models of portable communication devices have been introduced in the electronics consumer market, products such as cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), etc., readily satisfying a business requirement or a personal convenience requirement. Particularly, cell phones have become ubiquitous in modern society. Cell phones enable individuals to be easily contacted when they are out shopping, commuting, or at any other locations where land line communications are not possible.

0003One of the greatest limitations regarding the cell phones is their inability to remain powered for extended periods of time. Since cell phones receive power from built-in batteries, power conservation is important for cell phones. The less power the cell phones consume, the longer the cell phone is operable without interruptions.

0004With respect to the cell phone, display(s) is a relatively larger component thereof. Accordingly, the display of a cell phone consumes relatively more power than other components of the cell phone. Furthermore, the display is required to be kept in a power on state to display real-time information such as time, battery energy level, incoming calls information, etc. As a result, more power consumption is consumed by the display. Therefore, in order to reduce power consumption by the cell phone as a whole, limiting power consumption of the display of a cell phone may be an effective method.

0005Accordingly, cell phones with two displays are introduced. These cell phones display real-time information on a small display instead of a large display, resulting in less power consumption since the small display needs less power than the large display. However, regarding these cell phones, the large display thereof is also powered on during a communication call, nevertheless, the large display may not be in use by users since the users often do not view the displays during the communication calls. In other words, these cell phones are still not capable of effectively limiting power consumption of the displays thereof.

0006What is needed, therefore, is a portable communication device with two displays and power saving method used therein, which can relatively effectively manage power consumption of the displays, thereby saving power consumption on the battery of the portable communication device, and thus to extending an operation time of the portable communication device.

SUMMARY

0007A portable communication device is provided. The device has a primary display, a secondary display, and a processing unit. The processing unit is programmed for controlling the primary display and the secondary display according to a current state of the device. The processing unit has the primary display in a power off state if the current state is selected from the group of consisting of a standby state, an incoming call state, a dialing state, and a communication call state.

0008A power saving method used in a portable communication device is also provided, wherein the portable communication device has a primary display and a secondary display. The method includes the steps of: (a) detecting a current state of the portable communication device; and (b) controlling the primary display to be in a power off state, if the current state is selected from the group consisting of a standby state, an incoming call sate, a dialing state, and a communication call state.

0009Other advantages and novel features will be drawn from the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawing, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

0010<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> is a schematic diagram of a hardware infrastructure of a portable communication device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

0011<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> is a flowchart of a preferred display method used in the portable communication device of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>; and

0012<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> is a flowchart of a preferred method of implementing one step of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>, namely controlling a primary display and a secondary display of the portable communication device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

0013<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> is a schematic diagram of a hardware infrastructure of a portable communication device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The portable communication device enables users to be contactable while on the move. The portable communication device can be, without limitation, cell phones, personal digital assistants, and/or pagers. While the following discussion is couched in terms of a cell phone, it is equally applicable to other portable communication devices.

0014The portable communication device, i.e., the cell phone, has a primary display <b>10</b>, a secondary display <b>11</b>, a processing unit <b>12</b>, and a plurality of input devices <b>13</b> such as input keys.

0015The primary display <b>10</b> is relatively larger than the secondary display thereby able to display more information. Nevertheless, the primary display <b>10</b> consumes more power than the secondary display <b>11</b>. In other words, the cell phone consumes more power to display information on the primary display <b>10</b> than to display information on the secondary display <b>11</b>.

0016The input devices <b>13</b> are for operational inputs such as, for example answering an incoming call, dialing an outgoing call, editing text messages, viewing text messages, etc.

0017The cell phone further includes a memory, a transmitter/receiver (transceiver) assembly, an antenna, a data card reader for receiving a data card (e.g., a subscriber identification module (SIM) card, a user identification module (UIM) card), and the like. Since these components are not prime components that consume a significantly large amount of power on a battery of the cell phone, detailed explanations of these components will be omitted.

0018The processing unit <b>12</b> is programmed for controlling the components of the cell phone such as, for example, the primary display <b>10</b>, the secondary display <b>11</b>, and the input devices.

0019The processing unit <b>12</b> is capable of controlling the primary display <b>10</b> and the secondary display <b>11</b> according to a current state of the cell phone. Typically, if there is an incoming call to the cell phone, namely the current state of the cell phone is in an incoming call state, the processing unit <b>12</b> displays information of the incoming call on the secondary display <b>11</b> and leaves the primary display <b>10</b> in a power off state; if the cell phone is communicating with other cell phone(s), namely the current state of the cell phone is in a communication call state, the processing unit <b>12</b> still leaves the primary display <b>10</b> in the power off state; if there is a dialing operation (including a new dialing operation and a redialing operation) on the cell phone, namely the current state of the cell phone is in a dialing state, the processing unit <b>12</b> displays information of an outgoing call on the secondary display <b>11</b> and also leaves the primary display <b>10</b> in the power off state.

0020The states described above (i.e., incoming call state, communication call state, and dialing state) constitutes a procedure of call processing. Since a major function of the cell phone revolves around the procedure of call processing, limiting power consumption is most effective by retaining the primary display <b>10</b> to be in the power off state during those states.

0021Additionally, during the procedure of call processing, the processing unit <b>10</b> identifies each state based on inputs received by the processing unit <b>10</b>. For example, if the transmitter/receiver is receiving an incoming call to the cell phone, the processing unit <b>12</b> regards the current state of the cell phone as in the incoming call state; if receiving an operational input of answering the incoming call, the processing unit <b>12</b> regards the current state of the cell phone as in the communication call state; if receiving operational inputs of dialing an outgoing call, the processing unit <b>12</b> regards the current state of the cell phone as in the dialing state.

0022Furthermore, if receiving operational inputs for information operations such as, for example, editing text messages, viewing text messages, etc., the processing unit <b>12</b> regards the current state of the cell phone as in an information processing state. Consequently, an information display operation is required on the primary display <b>10</b>, that is, the processing unit <b>12</b> controls the primary display <b>10</b> to be in a power on state to display information in response to the operational inputs for information operations.

0023In addition, in each state, the processing unit <b>12</b> further displays system information (e.g., time, battery energy level, etc.,) on the secondary display <b>11</b>.

0024<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> is a flowchart of a preferred display method used in the portable communication device of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. In step S<b>20</b>, namely the cell phone in a standby state, the processing unit <b>12</b> controls the primary display <b>10</b> to be in the power off state and displays system information, namely real-time information, on the secondary display <b>11</b>. In step S<b>21</b>, the processing unit <b>12</b> detects the current state of the cell phone in real-time. In step S<b>22</b>, the processing unit <b>12</b> controls the primary display <b>10</b> and the secondary display <b>11</b> according to the current state of the cell phone detected. That is, the processing unit <b>12</b> retains the primary display <b>10</b> in the power off state if the current state of the cell phone is in the procedure of call processing or the standby state, otherwise, the processing unit <b>12</b> controls the primary display <b>10</b> to be in the power on state for displaying information. Simultaneously, the processing unit <b>12</b> displays corresponding real-time information on the secondary display <b>11</b> according to the current state of the cell phone detected. For example, in the incoming call state or the dialing call state of the cell phone, the processing unit <b>12</b> displays information of the incoming call or the outgoing call on the secondary display <b>11</b>, otherwise, the processing unit <b>12</b> displays the system information on the secondary display <b>11</b>.

0025<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> is a flowchart of a preferred method of implementing step S<b>22</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>. In step S<b>30</b>, the processing unit <b>12</b> detects whether the current state of the cell phone is in the incoming call state, that is, the processing unit <b>12</b> detects whether the cell phone receives the incoming call.

0026If the current state of the cell phone is in the incoming call state, in step S<b>31</b>, the processing unit <b>12</b> retains the primary display <b>10</b> to be in the power off state and displays the information of the incoming call on the secondary display <b>11</b>, and the procedure returns to step S<b>21</b>.

0027If the current state of the cell phone is not in the incoming call state, in step S<b>32</b>, the processing unit <b>12</b> detects whether the current state of the cell phone is in the communication call state, that is, the processing unit <b>12</b> detects whether the cell phone receives the operational input of answering the incoming call.

0028If the current state of the cell phone is the communication call state, in step S<b>33</b>, the processing unit <b>12</b> retains the primary display <b>10</b> to be in the power off state and continues to display the system information on the secondary display <b>11</b>, and the procedure returns to step S<b>21</b>.

0029If the current state of the cell phone is not in the communication call state, in step S<b>34</b>, the processing unit <b>12</b> detects whether the current state of the cell phone is in the dialing state, that is, the processing unit <b>12</b> detects whether the cell phone receives operational inputs of dialing an outgoing call.

0030If the current state of the cell phone is in the dialing state, in step S<b>35</b>, the processing unit <b>12</b> retains the primary display <b>10</b> to be in the power off state and displays the information of the outgoing call on the secondary display <b>11</b>, and the procedure returns to step S<b>21</b>.

0031If the current state of the cell phone is not in the dialing state, in step S<b>36</b>, the processing unit <b>12</b> detects whether the current state of the cell phone is in the information processing state, that is, the processing unit <b>12</b> detects whether the cell phone receives operational inputs for information operations.

0032If the current state of the cell phone is in the information processing state, in step S<b>37</b>, the processing unit <b>12</b> controls the primary display <b>10</b> to be in the power on state to display information in response to the operational inputs for information operations and continues to display the system information on the secondary display <b>11</b>, and the procedure returns to step S<b>21</b>.

0033If the current state of the cell phone is not in the information processing state, that is, the processing unit <b>12</b> does not receive any inputs, and the cell phone is in the standby state, thereupon the procedure returns to step S<b>20</b>.

0034Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention relates to software stored on a computer readable medium for saving power of a portable communication device, wherein the portable communication device has a primary display and a secondary display, to perform functions including: (a) detecting a current state of the portable communication device; (b) retaining the primary display in a power off state, if the current state of a portable communication device is either in a standby state, an incoming call state, a dialing state, and a communication call state, otherwise, powering on the primary display to display information; (c) displaying information of an incoming call on the secondary display if the current state of a portable communication device is in the incoming call state; and (d) displaying information of an outgoing call on the secondary display if the current state of a portable communication device is in the dialing state. The software can be stored on a computer readable medium and read by a controller or processing unit <b>12</b> to perform corresponding functions.

0035Although the present invention has been specifically described on the basis of a preferred embodiment and preferred method thereof, the invention is not to be construed as being limited thereto. Various changes or modifications may be made to the embodiment and method without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.