WO1993015456A2 - User interface for easily setting computer speaker volume and power conservation levels - Google Patents

User interface for easily setting computer speaker volume and power conservation levels Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1993015456A2
WO1993015456A2 PCT/US1993/000371 US9300371W WO9315456A2 WO 1993015456 A2 WO1993015456 A2 WO 1993015456A2 US 9300371 W US9300371 W US 9300371W WO 9315456 A2 WO9315456 A2 WO 9315456A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
level
representation
power conservation
speaker
change
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1993/000371
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO1993015456A3 (en
Inventor
Kevin W. Mundt
Randall L. Hess
David B. Potter
Original Assignee
Compaq Computer Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Compaq Computer Corporation filed Critical Compaq Computer Corporation
Priority to EP93903515A priority Critical patent/EP0623229B1/en
Priority to DE69317647T priority patent/DE69317647T2/en
Publication of WO1993015456A2 publication Critical patent/WO1993015456A2/en
Publication of WO1993015456A3 publication Critical patent/WO1993015456A3/en

Links

Classifications

    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F1/00Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
    • G06F1/26Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof
    • G06F1/32Means for saving power
    • G06F1/3203Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
    • G06F1/3234Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
    • G06F1/3287Power saving characterised by the action undertaken by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F1/00Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
    • G06F1/26Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof
    • G06F1/32Means for saving power
    • G06F1/3203Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F1/00Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
    • G06F1/26Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof
    • G06F1/32Means for saving power
    • G06F1/3203Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
    • G06F1/3234Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
    • G06F1/3246Power saving characterised by the action undertaken by software initiated power-off
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/048Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
    • G06F3/0481Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/16Sound input; Sound output
    • G06F3/165Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/16Sound input; Sound output
    • G06F3/167Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02DCLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE
    • Y02D10/00Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Definitions

  • the invention relates to computer systems, and more particularly to a user interface for allowing the user to easily and intuitively set speaker volume levels and power conservation levels in a battery- powered computer.
  • Personal computers are being utilized with greater and greater frequency. With the rise of new software applications, such as graphical user interface applications, more and more people are beginning to use personal computers. Many of these people have not had experience using or operating personal computers.
  • One function which is commonly available in personal computers is a speaker having variable output levels so that the speaker volume can be changed. However, this is typically done using a command line option where an arbitrary speaker volume number is given following a command. However, merely providing the number does not provide feedback to the user as to whether the desired volume level was actually set. The user would then run his application program. When the first beep occurred, he would then know if the level was correct. If the level was not at the desired point, the user would have to retry the volume procedure, entering a different volume number. This sequence was continued until the desired level was reached. It is desirable to have a
  • the unit when no user activity is determined to be occurring, the unit automatically shuts down the hard disk drive, the floppy disk drive, the modem, the display and other circuit elements.
  • This capability to shutdown portions of the unit when not needed is referred to as power conservation.
  • the actual shutdown delay times were made programmable. The times were changed by running a power conservation utility program called at the operating system command line, which program then provided a list of the various time options, i.e. the hard disk drive delay time and so on, which values were then set by the user. These delay time values are generally stored in CMOS or battery backed-up memory for later reference and are then
  • SUBSTITUTE SHEET applied as the timeout values for the appropriate power down features.
  • only one level or setting of the power conservation time delay values was available.
  • To change settings the user had to perform the sequence mentioned above. But this was difficult to use under varying conditions and require a large amount of user knowledge to optimize for a particular case.
  • a computer system provides an improved user interface for easily setting computer speaker volume and for readily informing the user of which of a series of power conservation levels is being utilized by the notebook computer.
  • a series of icons or display segments are provided.
  • the notebook computer is conventional in that includes a series of function keys as commonly available on an IBM PC compatible computer. However, a specific, dedicated function or special shift key is provided to provide further functionality for the function keys. By selecting the special function key and one of the individual function keys, operating sequences relating to the speaker volume control and power conservation level setting can be executed.
  • SUBSTITUTE SHEET arrows indicating the right and left arrow keys of the computer and an arrow representing the down arrow key of the computer.
  • the bar graph in the bar graph portion is moved to the left or the right, thus showing the relative speaker volume level.
  • the icon is displayed, if the user depresses the down arrow key, the speaker beeps to allow the user to readily determine speaker volume.
  • the user can simply depress the down key to hear the selected speaker volume. If the volume is not at the desired level, the appropriate left or right arrow key can be depressed and the operation repeated.
  • the user can readily set and approve of a given speaker volume level without having to do the numerous iterations and random trial and error as in the prior art.
  • the computer system utilizes four different power conservation levels.
  • the first level is considered no power conservation, where all of the devices such as the hard drive, the display backlight and the modem are constantly turned on and do not turn off after a time delay.
  • a second level is referred to as a medium conservation level, where after certain delay periods set at what is considered to be a medium time, the various devices are turned off.
  • a third conservation level is considered to be a high conservation level, where generally the default times are significantly shorter than those used in the medium conservation level, so that the various devices shut off sooner, thus increasing power conservation.
  • a fourth provided alternative is a user defined or customer settable power conservation level, very similar to the previous power conservation setting techniques, where the user can individually tailor each particular power down delay time as desired.
  • an icon representing the particular active power conservation level is displayed on the screen of the personal computer.
  • an icon representing the particular active power conservation level is displayed on the screen of the personal computer.
  • a series of icons are displayed, each icon representing and readily indicating which power conservation level is being used.
  • the icons preferably include a side view of a exemplary battery cell, with a water faucet located at the side of the battery cell. By changing the amount of water flowing from the faucet, the power conservation level is readily indicated to the user. For instance, a very steady stream of water flowing from the faucet is used to represent a no conservation level.
  • a medium trickle level is utilized to indicate a medium conservation level, while a slow trickle is used to indicate a high power conservation level.
  • a medium trickle level is utilized to indicate a customer or user defined power conservation level
  • a small figure of a person is placed next to the faucet with an indication that the individual is actually turning the valve on the faucet.
  • the user setting can be readily perceived.
  • the various icons and their related power conservation settings are set in the computer.
  • the user can readily determine and set which power conservation level is being utilized by the notebook computer.
  • Figure 1 is a perspective view of a notebook computer according to the present invention showing the location of an exemplary icon according to the present invention
  • Figure 2 is a enlarged view of the particular keys on the notebook computer of Figure 1 which are used to activate the routines which display the icons according to the present invention
  • Figure 3 is the display icon utilized during a speaker volume control setting sequence according to the present invention.
  • Figure 4 is the display icon utilized to indicate remaining battery energy and computer operating time according to the present invention.
  • Figures 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D illustrate four different display icons according to the present invention for indicating the power conservation level being utilized by the notebook computer of Figure 1.
  • the notebook computer N includes a top portion T, which generally incorporates a liquid crystal display (LCD) D.
  • the LCD D is used to provide a visual output for use in the interaction with the user.
  • the notebook computer N can include a connector for use with a external CRT monitor (not shown) .
  • the second portion of the notebook computer N is a lower half or bottom section B. Located on the top surface of the bottom section B is a keyboard K. The keyboard K is used to obtain user input to access the various functions and control the notebook computer N.
  • SUBSTITUTE SHEET keyboard K of the preferred embodiment a top row of function keys is provided, designated as the F1-F10 keys as common in IBM PC compatible computers. Additionally in the keyboard K is a grouping or pad of keys to provide the cursor function. These keys are generally referred to as the cursor keys, generally C. Preferably the cursor keys C include left and right arrow and up and down arrow keys to indicate left and right movement of a cursor and up and down movement of a cursor.
  • the notebook computer N of the preferred embodiment also includes a special function key Fn, preferably located in the lower left of the keyboard K, which has encoded on it a symbol Fn to indicate it is associated with a shifted or special function of a particular key, is as common in electronic pocket calculators.
  • the special function key Fn is used in combination with the conventional function keys F1-F10, particularly F3-F8, in the preferred embodiment to execute certain operating sequences which can be readily desired at any time. It is understood that other key arrangements could be utilized to practice the present invention.
  • Shown in an exemplary display upon the LCD D is an icon generally referred to by the letter I.
  • the displayed icon can be one of several icons, particularly those utilized and developed according to the present invention as will be explained in more detail below.
  • the icon is developed using conventional display techniques and may replace and appear over data currently being displayed on the display D. It is understood that the icon could appear anywhere on the face of the LCD D.
  • Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the conventional function keys F3-F8. Located on one side of the particular keys are different legends or logos to
  • SUBSTITUTESHEET indicate the function performed when the special function key Fn is depressed in combination with the conventional function key F3-F8.
  • simultaneous depression with the F3 key is used to alternate between normal and reverse video on the LCD D. This can be seen illustratively on the side of the F3 key.
  • the F4 key can be used in combination with the special function key Fn to toggle between various output display modes. This is indicated by the monitor representation and liquid crystal internal display indication on the side of the F4 key. Depressing the F4 key repeatedly toggles the display through sequence of external monitor, internal monitor and both.
  • an F5 key is a symbol used to indicate that the F5 key used in combination with the special function key Fn activates speaker volume control capability. This is shown by a speaker with an up arrow and a speaker with a down arrow. This capability is described in more detail below.
  • the F6 key is used in combination with the special function key Fn to provide various locking features to the computer, such as a keyboard password lock, screen blanking and disk locking. Details of these particular operations are more fully described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 525,490, filed on May 18, 1990 and allowed on September 13, 1991, entitled “Keyboard Password Lock”; Serial No. 719,199, filed on June 21, 1991 for "Keyboard Activated Screen Blanking”; and Serial No. 772,695 filed on October 7, 1991 for "Dual Password Hard Disk Security System", which are hereby incorporated herewith.
  • the F7 key is used in combination with the special function key Fn to select the power conservation level being utilized by the notebook computer N.
  • the reminder of this function is provided to the user by
  • FIG. 3 the display icon 20 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention for utilization with speaker volume control is shown.
  • the icons of Figures 3, 4 and 5A-5D are lined to represent the preferred colors representing various shades of gray, but it is understood that other colors or shades of gray could be utilized.
  • a notebook computer N is controlled by various operating or software sequences. It is further understood that the notebook computer N according to the preferred embodiment includes the capability to vary speaker volume in certain steps. As the hardware required to vary speaker volume is not directly part of this invention and numerous designs are well known to those skilled in the art, details of the particular hardware and actual software routines utilized to control the speaker volume itself are not provided.
  • the speaker volume icon 20 includes numerous elements. First is a representation of a speaker 22, with an adjacent representation of sound waves 24. Located below the speaker 22 is a sloping bar graph 26 used to indicate relative speaker volume level. The bar graph 26 forms a generally triangular area having a hypotenuse 28, a vertical side 30 and a base 32. Located on the base at appropriate intervals are three hash marks 34, 36 and 38 to represent one quarter, one half and three quarter volume. Located inside the bar graph 26 is a filled in, colored or shaded area 40, which is used to represent the actual selected speaker volume.
  • One other problem is actually determining if the selected volume level is the desired volume.
  • a down arrow 46 with sound wave representation 48 located directly to the right. This is an indication to the user that by depressing the down arrow key while the icon 20 is displayed, a speaker beep is performed by the notebook computer N.
  • the volume level is set as noted above by using the left and right arrows 42 and 44 and moving the bar graph 26 to the desired level. The user then depresses the down arrow key and the speaker beeps. If the volume is not at the desired
  • SUBSTITUTE SHEET level the user simply readjusts the speaker level using the left and right arrow keys and retests the speaker by depressing the down arrow key.
  • the icon 20 in cooperation with the controller software, provides a rapid and ready user interface to allow the user to easily set and test computer speaker volume level.
  • a fuel gauge or energy remaining icon 50 is shown.
  • a profile or side representation 52 of a battery Located inside the representation 52 of the battery are hash marks 54, 56 and 58 representing, respectively, three-quarters, one-half and one-quarter energy remaining in the battery of the notebook computer N.
  • bar 60 Located inside the battery representation 52 is bar 60 which is used to indicate the actual energy remaining in the battery.
  • This energy can be determined by the notebook computer N in a number of various ways, preferably that indicated in co-pending patent application serial no. , entitled , filed concurrently herewith, where the actual discharge current is monitored and time integrated to develop discharge energy values. Other techniques for approximating remaining battery energy are well known in the art and are not detailed in this application. As the remaining battery energy varies, the bar graph 60 is raised and lowered appropriately so that by looking at the icon 50 the user can determine the relative remaining battery energy. Located adjacent to the battery representation 52 is a time display 62. The time display 62 is used to provide the estimated time remaining until the battery is depleted. This estimate is based on the remaining energy in the battery and the current rate of consumption as determined by the notebook computer N. The consumption is readily developed by monitoring the current flow or discharge rate of the batteries and utilizing that value in combination with the remaining battery energy so that an estimated time can be developed.
  • FIGS 5A-5D illustrate display icons used to provide the user with feedback of the power conservation levels being utilized by the notebook computer N.
  • the notebook computer preferably utilizes power conservation techniques to extend battery life. Commonly included in these techniques and included in the preferred embodiment are the shut down of various peripheral devices, such as the LCD D itself, the florescent lamps used to perform the backlighting function of the LCD D, the hard disk drive, the floppy disk drive and the modem units located in the notebook computer N and various other circuitry located in the notebook computer N. By shutting off various portions of these devices and slowing down the clock rate of the microprocessor in the notebook computer N, the power consumption of the notebook computer N can be varied over relatively wide ranges.
  • the notebook computer N of the preferred embodiment includes four different power conservation level settings. The first setting in the preferred embodiment is a no conservation level, where none of the devices or circuitry are powered down after any period time of non-use. The second level is considered
  • SUBSTITUTE SHEET to be a medium level of power conservation, where the various devices are turned off after a preset medium amount of time.
  • a third level is referred to as high conservation, where the various devices are turned off after a shorter period of time then that in medium conservation level and the absolute brightness of the display D is limited to a factor below maximum, preferably to 50% of maximum.
  • the fourth conservation level setting is one which is considered to be user definable, that is, the user has the capability to set the actual delay time values for each of the particular devices and circuitry. This selection is done utilizing a menu layout according to the prior art. When a particular power conservation level is active, the delay time values associated with that level are used by the notebook computer N for timing purposes.
  • the faucet 74 having a valve 76 located on the top.
  • a representation of a stream of water 78 is exiting the faucet spout 80.
  • the representative water flow 78 is very high, indicating a relatively high drainage
  • SUBSTITUTE SHEET rate of the -oattery 72 is also present on the icon 70.
  • left and right arrows 82 and 84 are used to indicate that the left and right arrow keys cycle the user through the sequence of power conservation level settings.
  • the icon 86 for the medium conservation level as shown in Figure 5B is displayed on the LCD D.
  • the water flow rate from the faucet 74 is a low to medium trickle level 88, as indicated by the single row of dashed lines.
  • the high conservation icon 90 is displayed.
  • the water draining from the faucet 74 is a very slow trickle, as indicated by the water flow 92. In this case there are only several dashes in the line and a complete line is not displayed. This indicates to the user that a very low amount of energy or water is being drained from the battery, thus indicating a high energy conservation rate.
  • the fourth icon or custom icon 94 is displayed.
  • a representation of a man 96 is located adjacent the faucet 74, with the arm 98 of the man approaching the valve 76. This is an indication to the user that a human has control of the energy rate as indicated by the arm 98 approaching the valve 76, so that the flow rate from the battery can be varied as desired. Thus this provides a ready indication to the user of the custom setting of the power conservation level.
  • the software controlling the notebook computer N not only displays the appropriate icon but if the display and selection function is exited, for example by hitting one of the other function keys as designated or an escape key, that particular power conservation level is then set into effect for use by the notebook computer N.
  • the user can both readily determine the actual power conservation level settings being utilized by the notebook computer N and change them with no reference to various manuals or arbitrary settings.
  • a notebook computer N has simplified user interfaces for allowing setting of speaker volume and power conservation levels.
  • the interfaces are intuitive so that the user must not perform extended iterative operations to determine and set speaker volume or to adjust power conservation levels but merely depresses a few simple keys, the effect of which is readily displayed on the LCD D.
  • a simple, quick and effective user interface for these functions is shown in the preferred embodiment.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Audiology, Speech & Language Pathology (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Computing Systems (AREA)
  • Power Sources (AREA)
  • User Interface Of Digital Computer (AREA)
  • Electrophonic Musical Instruments (AREA)
  • Input Circuits Of Receivers And Coupling Of Receivers And Audio Equipment (AREA)
  • Two-Way Televisions, Distribution Of Moving Picture Or The Like (AREA)
  • Domestic Plumbing Installations (AREA)
  • Control Of Amplification And Gain Control (AREA)
  • Circuit For Audible Band Transducer (AREA)

Abstract

A user interface of simplifying selection of speaker volume level and power conservation level in a computer system. An icon is presented for setting the speaker volume which includes a bar graph of relative speaker volume. By depressing left or right arrow keys the graph moves and the volume level of the speaker is changed. By depressing the down arrow key when setting the volume level, the speaker is beeped to allow for a level check during the setting process. A series of icons are used to indicate and select power conservation level. Each icon includes a battery with a faucet attached to the side of the battery. Different water flow rates indicate the various conservation levels. A human figure is located adjacent the faucet to indicate the user-customerized conservation level.

Description

USER INTERFACE FOR EASILY SETTING COMPUTER SPEAKER VOLUME AND POWER CONSERVATION LEVELS
The invention relates to computer systems, and more particularly to a user interface for allowing the user to easily and intuitively set speaker volume levels and power conservation levels in a battery- powered computer.
Personal computers are being utilized with greater and greater frequency. With the rise of new software applications, such as graphical user interface applications, more and more people are beginning to use personal computers. Many of these people have not had experience using or operating personal computers.
These new users are not in a group which has been using computers for many years and became experienced with applications which use command lines for entry and control, such as those applications under operating systems such as CP/M or MS/DOS or on mainframe applications, where complicated command structures and input requirements are common. To properly utilize those operating systems or computers the user had to become familiar with the complicated commands that were required. Λs a user became experienced, the command structures became familiar. However, these commands were often a great struggle for neophyte users and therefore limited the actual use of the computer and its various features and functions for those novice users. Thus there was and is a major interest in
SUBSTITUTE SHEET developing interface capabilities which are much more intuitive and easier to use without requiring reference to bound manuals.
This ease of use has been one of the large moving forces behind the increased trend towards the graphical user interface as popularized by the Apple Computer, Inc. Macintosh personal computer. The user interface was designed to be very intuitive, so that very little reference to a written manual was actually needed but instead most of the instructions and operating techniques could be developed directly from the user interface itself, sometimes just merely by a common arrangement and at other times by referencing on-screen help. This graphical user interface has migrated to personal computers compatible with the IBM PC with the development of the Windows program by Microsoft Corp. and to UNIX-based machines through the Open Look and X Windows standards.
It is desirable to continue this trend to other functions available in personal computers. One function which is commonly available in personal computers is a speaker having variable output levels so that the speaker volume can be changed. However, this is typically done using a command line option where an arbitrary speaker volume number is given following a command. However, merely providing the number does not provide feedback to the user as to whether the desired volume level was actually set. The user would then run his application program. When the first beep occurred, he would then know if the level was correct. If the level was not at the desired point, the user would have to retry the volume procedure, entering a different volume number. This sequence was continued until the desired level was reached. It is desirable to have a
SUBSTITUTE SHEET much more intuitive and user friendly approach for setting speaker volume level.
One type of computer that is becoming very popular is the battery powered notebook computer. These are relatively small computers not much larger than a sheet of paper and which weigh in the range of 4 to 8 pounds. They contain liquid crystal display (LCD) screens, hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, internal modems and numerous other devices and capabilities previously found just in desktop units. One problem with notebook computers is that they are battery powered and all of the features of the units draw power. For instance, the LCD with its flourescent lights used to provide backlighting are a major draw of power. Similarly, the hard disk drive draws a large amount of power, as does the modem and the floppy disk drive. One response to this power consumption problem has been to provide the capability to shut off various devices when not in use. One example of this is shown in U.S. Patent 4,980,836 for Apparatus for Reducing Computer System Power
Consumption. In units according to the patent, when no user activity is determined to be occurring, the unit automatically shuts down the hard disk drive, the floppy disk drive, the modem, the display and other circuit elements. This capability to shutdown portions of the unit when not needed is referred to as power conservation. In some versions the actual shutdown delay times were made programmable. The times were changed by running a power conservation utility program called at the operating system command line, which program then provided a list of the various time options, i.e. the hard disk drive delay time and so on, which values were then set by the user. These delay time values are generally stored in CMOS or battery backed-up memory for later reference and are then
SUBSTITUTE SHEET applied as the timeout values for the appropriate power down features. However, only one level or setting of the power conservation time delay values was available. To change settings the user had to perform the sequence mentioned above. But this was difficult to use under varying conditions and require a large amount of user knowledge to optimize for a particular case. Thus it would be desirable to have numerous levels of power conservation depending upon the user's particular requirements and desires, and it would be desirable to be readily able to distinguish between the level of power conservation selected.
A computer system according to the present invention provides an improved user interface for easily setting computer speaker volume and for readily informing the user of which of a series of power conservation levels is being utilized by the notebook computer. In the system of the preferred embodiment a series of icons or display segments are provided. The notebook computer is conventional in that includes a series of function keys as commonly available on an IBM PC compatible computer. However, a specific, dedicated function or special shift key is provided to provide further functionality for the function keys. By selecting the special function key and one of the individual function keys, operating sequences relating to the speaker volume control and power conservation level setting can be executed.
In each of these sequences an icon appears on the display screen to allow easily interaction with the user. In the speaker volume setting operation an angled or wedge bar graph is displayed adjacent a representation of a speaker. Below the. bar graph are
SUBSTITUTE SHEET arrows indicating the right and left arrow keys of the computer and an arrow representing the down arrow key of the computer. By appropriately pressing the left or right arrow keys, the bar graph in the bar graph portion is moved to the left or the right, thus showing the relative speaker volume level. While the icon is displayed, if the user depresses the down arrow key, the speaker beeps to allow the user to readily determine speaker volume. Thus, while adjusting the volume by using the left or right keys, the user can simply depress the down key to hear the selected speaker volume. If the volume is not at the desired level, the appropriate left or right arrow key can be depressed and the operation repeated. Thus the user can readily set and approve of a given speaker volume level without having to do the numerous iterations and random trial and error as in the prior art.
The computer system according to the preferred embodiment utilizes four different power conservation levels. The first level is considered no power conservation, where all of the devices such as the hard drive, the display backlight and the modem are constantly turned on and do not turn off after a time delay. A second level is referred to as a medium conservation level, where after certain delay periods set at what is considered to be a medium time, the various devices are turned off. A third conservation level is considered to be a high conservation level, where generally the default times are significantly shorter than those used in the medium conservation level, so that the various devices shut off sooner, thus increasing power conservation. A fourth provided alternative is a user defined or customer settable power conservation level, very similar to the previous power conservation setting techniques, where the user can individually tailor each particular power down delay time as desired. With these four settings it is then desirable to readily be able to determine and select which one is applicable. By depressing the special function key and one of the other function keys on the keyboard, an icon representing the particular active power conservation level is displayed on the screen of the personal computer. By selecting the right or left arrows, a series of icons are displayed, each icon representing and readily indicating which power conservation level is being used. The icons preferably include a side view of a exemplary battery cell, with a water faucet located at the side of the battery cell. By changing the amount of water flowing from the faucet, the power conservation level is readily indicated to the user. For instance, a very steady stream of water flowing from the faucet is used to represent a no conservation level. A medium trickle level is utilized to indicate a medium conservation level, while a slow trickle is used to indicate a high power conservation level. To indicate a customer or user defined power conservation level, a small figure of a person is placed next to the faucet with an indication that the individual is actually turning the valve on the faucet. Thus the user setting can be readily perceived. By cycling through the right and left arrows the various icons and their related power conservation settings are set in the computer. Thus the user can readily determine and set which power conservation level is being utilized by the notebook computer.
A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when the following detailed description
SUBSTITUTE SHEET of the preferred embodiment is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a notebook computer according to the present invention showing the location of an exemplary icon according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a enlarged view of the particular keys on the notebook computer of Figure 1 which are used to activate the routines which display the icons according to the present invention;
Figure 3 is the display icon utilized during a speaker volume control setting sequence according to the present invention;
Figure 4 is the display icon utilized to indicate remaining battery energy and computer operating time according to the present invention; and
Figures 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D illustrate four different display icons according to the present invention for indicating the power conservation level being utilized by the notebook computer of Figure 1.
Referring now to Figure 1, a notebook computer, generally referred to by the letter N, is shown. The notebook computer N includes a top portion T, which generally incorporates a liquid crystal display (LCD) D. The LCD D is used to provide a visual output for use in the interaction with the user. Optionally, the notebook computer N can include a connector for use with a external CRT monitor (not shown) . The second portion of the notebook computer N is a lower half or bottom section B. Located on the top surface of the bottom section B is a keyboard K. The keyboard K is used to obtain user input to access the various functions and control the notebook computer N. In the
SUBSTITUTE SHEET keyboard K of the preferred embodiment a top row of function keys is provided, designated as the F1-F10 keys as common in IBM PC compatible computers. Additionally in the keyboard K is a grouping or pad of keys to provide the cursor function. These keys are generally referred to as the cursor keys, generally C. Preferably the cursor keys C include left and right arrow and up and down arrow keys to indicate left and right movement of a cursor and up and down movement of a cursor. The notebook computer N of the preferred embodiment also includes a special function key Fn, preferably located in the lower left of the keyboard K, which has encoded on it a symbol Fn to indicate it is associated with a shifted or special function of a particular key, is as common in electronic pocket calculators. Preferably the special function key Fn is used in combination with the conventional function keys F1-F10, particularly F3-F8, in the preferred embodiment to execute certain operating sequences which can be readily desired at any time. It is understood that other key arrangements could be utilized to practice the present invention.
Shown in an exemplary display upon the LCD D is an icon generally referred to by the letter I. The displayed icon can be one of several icons, particularly those utilized and developed according to the present invention as will be explained in more detail below. The icon is developed using conventional display techniques and may replace and appear over data currently being displayed on the display D. It is understood that the icon could appear anywhere on the face of the LCD D.
Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the conventional function keys F3-F8. Located on one side of the particular keys are different legends or logos to
SUBSTITUTESHEET indicate the function performed when the special function key Fn is depressed in combination with the conventional function key F3-F8. For example, simultaneous depression with the F3 key is used to alternate between normal and reverse video on the LCD D. This can be seen illustratively on the side of the F3 key. The F4 key can be used in combination with the special function key Fn to toggle between various output display modes. This is indicated by the monitor representation and liquid crystal internal display indication on the side of the F4 key. Depressing the F4 key repeatedly toggles the display through sequence of external monitor, internal monitor and both.
Proceeding to the F5 key, displayed on the side is an F5 key is a symbol used to indicate that the F5 key used in combination with the special function key Fn activates speaker volume control capability. This is shown by a speaker with an up arrow and a speaker with a down arrow. This capability is described in more detail below. The F6 key is used in combination with the special function key Fn to provide various locking features to the computer, such as a keyboard password lock, screen blanking and disk locking. Details of these particular operations are more fully described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 525,490, filed on May 18, 1990 and allowed on September 13, 1991, entitled "Keyboard Password Lock"; Serial No. 719,199, filed on June 21, 1991 for "Keyboard Activated Screen Blanking"; and Serial No. 772,695 filed on October 7, 1991 for "Dual Password Hard Disk Security System", which are hereby incorporated herewith.
The F7 key is used in combination with the special function key Fn to select the power conservation level being utilized by the notebook computer N. The reminder of this function is provided to the user by
SUBSTITUTESHEET the use of the two different battery sizes on the side of the F7 key. Finally, the F8 key is utilized in combination with the special function key Fn to display the fuel gauge function, which indicates the amount of battery energy remaining and the anticipated operating time at the current power levels. Operation of the power conservation level selection and fuel gauge will be explained in greater detail below.
Referring now to Figure 3, the display icon 20 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention for utilization with speaker volume control is shown. The icons of Figures 3, 4 and 5A-5D are lined to represent the preferred colors representing various shades of gray, but it is understood that other colors or shades of gray could be utilized. It is understood that a notebook computer N is controlled by various operating or software sequences. It is further understood that the notebook computer N according to the preferred embodiment includes the capability to vary speaker volume in certain steps. As the hardware required to vary speaker volume is not directly part of this invention and numerous designs are well known to those skilled in the art, details of the particular hardware and actual software routines utilized to control the speaker volume itself are not provided.
Further, the actual interface code utilized to display the icon and move various features are not described in detail, as these can also be readily developed or are known by those skilled in the art. The speaker volume icon 20 includes numerous elements. First is a representation of a speaker 22, with an adjacent representation of sound waves 24. Located below the speaker 22 is a sloping bar graph 26 used to indicate relative speaker volume level. The bar graph 26 forms a generally triangular area having a hypotenuse 28, a vertical side 30 and a base 32. Located on the base at appropriate intervals are three hash marks 34, 36 and 38 to represent one quarter, one half and three quarter volume. Located inside the bar graph 26 is a filled in, colored or shaded area 40, which is used to represent the actual selected speaker volume. By having the shaded area move to the left or the right and thus also up and down, this is an indication of the relative speaker volume. Located below the bar graph 26 on the left hand portion of the icon 20 is a left arrow 42. Similarly, in the lower right hand corner is a right arrow 44. When the user depresses the left and right arrow keys while the icon 20 is displayed, the operating sequence moves the bar graph shaded area to the left or to the right, as appropriate, and also changes the volume of the speaker. Thus the user can readily adjust the volume of the speaker, with the bar graph 26 providing a graphical interface to indicate relative volume. This is in contrast to the relatively arbitrary number system commonly used in the prior art.
One other problem, as mentioned in the prior art section, is actually determining if the selected volume level is the desired volume. In the lower center of the icon 20 is a down arrow 46 with sound wave representation 48 located directly to the right. This is an indication to the user that by depressing the down arrow key while the icon 20 is displayed, a speaker beep is performed by the notebook computer N. Thus the user can readily activate the speaker to test the selected volume level. The volume level is set as noted above by using the left and right arrows 42 and 44 and moving the bar graph 26 to the desired level. The user then depresses the down arrow key and the speaker beeps. If the volume is not at the desired
SUBSTITUTE SHEET level, the user simply readjusts the speaker level using the left and right arrow keys and retests the speaker by depressing the down arrow key. In this manner the icon 20, in cooperation with the controller software, provides a rapid and ready user interface to allow the user to easily set and test computer speaker volume level.
It is understood that a rectangular bar graph in a vertical or horizontal orientation could be used in place of the triangular bar graph 26, with the up and down arrows and keys substituting for the left and right arrows and keys for vertical cases and the left or right arrow and key substituting for the down arrow and key to activate a speaker beep in vertical cases. Referring now to Figure 4, a fuel gauge or energy remaining icon 50 is shown. Incorporated in the icon 50 is a profile or side representation 52 of a battery. Located inside the representation 52 of the battery are hash marks 54, 56 and 58 representing, respectively, three-quarters, one-half and one-quarter energy remaining in the battery of the notebook computer N. Located inside the battery representation 52 is bar 60 which is used to indicate the actual energy remaining in the battery. This energy can be determined by the notebook computer N in a number of various ways, preferably that indicated in co-pending patent application serial no. , entitled , filed concurrently herewith, where the actual discharge current is monitored and time integrated to develop discharge energy values. Other techniques for approximating remaining battery energy are well known in the art and are not detailed in this application. As the remaining battery energy varies, the bar graph 60 is raised and lowered appropriately so that by looking at the icon 50 the user can determine the relative remaining battery energy. Located adjacent to the battery representation 52 is a time display 62. The time display 62 is used to provide the estimated time remaining until the battery is depleted. This estimate is based on the remaining energy in the battery and the current rate of consumption as determined by the notebook computer N. The consumption is readily developed by monitoring the current flow or discharge rate of the batteries and utilizing that value in combination with the remaining battery energy so that an estimated time can be developed.
Figures 5A-5D illustrate display icons used to provide the user with feedback of the power conservation levels being utilized by the notebook computer N. As stated in the summary, the notebook computer according to the preferred embodiment preferably utilizes power conservation techniques to extend battery life. Commonly included in these techniques and included in the preferred embodiment are the shut down of various peripheral devices, such as the LCD D itself, the florescent lamps used to perform the backlighting function of the LCD D, the hard disk drive, the floppy disk drive and the modem units located in the notebook computer N and various other circuitry located in the notebook computer N. By shutting off various portions of these devices and slowing down the clock rate of the microprocessor in the notebook computer N, the power consumption of the notebook computer N can be varied over relatively wide ranges. The notebook computer N of the preferred embodiment includes four different power conservation level settings. The first setting in the preferred embodiment is a no conservation level, where none of the devices or circuitry are powered down after any period time of non-use. The second level is considered
SUBSTITUTE SHEET to be a medium level of power conservation, where the various devices are turned off after a preset medium amount of time. A third level is referred to as high conservation, where the various devices are turned off after a shorter period of time then that in medium conservation level and the absolute brightness of the display D is limited to a factor below maximum, preferably to 50% of maximum. The fourth conservation level setting is one which is considered to be user definable, that is, the user has the capability to set the actual delay time values for each of the particular devices and circuitry. This selection is done utilizing a menu layout according to the prior art. When a particular power conservation level is active, the delay time values associated with that level are used by the notebook computer N for timing purposes.
Because there are four conservation levels in the preferred embodiment, it is desirable to indicate to the user which level is actually being employed and to allow the user to readily change levels. To this end the series of icons of Figures 5A-5D are indicated. When the user presses the special function key Fn and the F7 key in the preferred embodiment, the appropriate icon appears. For purposes of this discussion we will assume that no power conservation is being utilized, in which case the no conservation icon 70 shown in Figure 5A is displayed on the LCD D. Incorporated in the icon 70 is a side view or profile view of a battery 72. Protruding from one side of the battery 72, the battery 72 being located in a vertical position, is a faucet
74, the faucet 74 having a valve 76 located on the top. A representation of a stream of water 78 is exiting the faucet spout 80. In the case of the icon 70, the no power conservation icon, the representative water flow 78 is very high, indicating a relatively high drainage
SUBSTITUTE SHEET rate of the -oattery 72. Also present on the icon 70 are left and right arrows 82 and 84, which are used to indicate that the left and right arrow keys cycle the user through the sequence of power conservation level settings.
For example, if the user depresses the right arrow key, the icon 86 for the medium conservation level as shown in Figure 5B, is displayed on the LCD D. In the icon 86 the water flow rate from the faucet 74 is a low to medium trickle level 88, as indicated by the single row of dashed lines. Thus the user can see a definite difference between the full water flow rate 78 and the medium trickle rate 88 of the no power conservation and medium power conservation settings. If the user again depresses the right arrow key, the high conservation icon 90 is displayed. In this icon 90 the water draining from the faucet 74 is a very slow trickle, as indicated by the water flow 92. In this case there are only several dashes in the line and a complete line is not displayed. This indicates to the user that a very low amount of energy or water is being drained from the battery, thus indicating a high energy conservation rate.
If the user were to again depress the right arrow key, the fourth icon or custom icon 94 is displayed.
In this custom icon 94, a representation of a man 96 is located adjacent the faucet 74, with the arm 98 of the man approaching the valve 76. This is an indication to the user that a human has control of the energy rate as indicated by the arm 98 approaching the valve 76, so that the flow rate from the battery can be varied as desired. Thus this provides a ready indication to the user of the custom setting of the power conservation level. By depressing an indicated key when the custom icon 94 is displayed, a setting menu, for setting the
SUBSTITUTE SHEET various device delay times, appears. If the user were to once again depress the right arrow key, the no conservation level icon 70 would be displayed.
It is understood that the software controlling the notebook computer N not only displays the appropriate icon but if the display and selection function is exited, for example by hitting one of the other function keys as designated or an escape key, that particular power conservation level is then set into effect for use by the notebook computer N. Thus by activating the power conservation level setting feature, the user can both readily determine the actual power conservation level settings being utilized by the notebook computer N and change them with no reference to various manuals or arbitrary settings.
Therefore a notebook computer N according to the present invention has simplified user interfaces for allowing setting of speaker volume and power conservation levels. The interfaces are intuitive so that the user must not perform extended iterative operations to determine and set speaker volume or to adjust power conservation levels but merely depresses a few simple keys, the effect of which is readily displayed on the LCD D. Thus a simple, quick and effective user interface for these functions is shown in the preferred embodiment.
The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape, materials, components, circuit elements, wiring connections and contacts, as well as in the details of the illustrated circuitry and construction and method of operation may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
SUBSTITUTE SHEET

Claims

CLAIMS ARE: 1. A user interface for use in setting the volume level of a speaker in a computer system, the user interface comprising: a display including: a graphical representation of relative volume level; means to indicate selection of a change in the relative volume level; and means to indicate selection of a desire to test the speaker volume; means coupled to said display means to select a change in the relative volume level, which change is reflected on said graphical representation; means to select to momentarily test the speaker volume; and means coupled to said display and to said speaker volume momentary test selection means to sound the speaker at the selected level.
2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein said graphical representation is triangularly shaped and a differentiated portion of said triangular shape indicates relative speaker volume level.
3. The user interface of claim 2, wherein said means to indicate selection of a change in relative volume level comprises a left arrow and a right arrow.
4. The user interface of claim 3, wherein said means to indicate selection of a speaker volume test comprises a down arrow.
5. The user interface of claim 4, wherein said means to indicate selection of a speaker volume test
SUBSTITUTE SHEET further comprises a series of concentric, partial circles adjacent said down arrow.
6. The user interface of claim 4, wherein said means to select to momentarily test the speaker volume includes a down arrow key and wherein said means to select a change in relative volume level includes a left arrow key and a right arrow key.
7. A user interface for selecting and indicating the power conservation level of a battery-powered computer system, the user interface comprising: a plurality of displays, each display including: a representation of a battery, a representation of a faucet projecting from said battery representation; and means to indicate selection of a change in said plurality of displays and related power conservation level, one of said displays having a representation of a first, high level of water flowing from said faucet and being related to a lowest level of power conservation, one of said displays having a representation of a second, lower level of water flowing from said faucet and being related to an intermediate level of power conservation, and one of said displays having a representation of a user located adjacent said faucet and being related to a user selected level of power conservation; and means coupled to said displays for selecting a change in said display being presented and the related power conservation level.
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
8. The user interface of claim 7, wherein the one of said displays has a representation of a third, lowest level of water flowing from said faucet and is related to a high level of power conservation.
9. The user interface of claim 7, wherein said means for selecting a change includes left arrow and right arrow keys.
10. An apparatus for setting the volume level of a speaker in a computer system, the apparatus comprising: means for displaying an element including: a graphical representation of relative volume level; means to indicate selection of a change in the relative volume level; and means to indicate selection of a desire to test the speaker volume; means coupled to said display means to select a change in the relative volume level, which change is reflected on said graphical representation; means to select to momentarily test the speaker volume; and means coupled to said display and to said speaker volume momentary test selection means to sound the speaker at the selected level.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said graphical representation is triangularly shaped and a differentiated portion of said triangular shape indicates relative speaker volume level.
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said means to indicate selection of a change in relative volume level comprises a left arrow and a right arrow.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said means to indicate selection of a speaker volume test comprises a down arrow.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said means to indicate selection of a speaker volume test further comprises a series of concentric, partial circles adjacent said down arrow.
15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said means to select to momentarily test the speaker volume includes a down arrow key and wherein said means to select a change in relative volume level includes a left arrow key and a right arrow key.
16. An apparatus for selecting and indicating the power conservation level of a battery-powered computer system, the apparatus comprising: means for displaying a plurality of displays, each display including: a representation of a battery, a representation of a faucet projecting from said battery representation; and means to indicate selection of a change in said plurality of displays and related power conservation level, one of said displays having a representation of a first, high level of water flowing from said faucet and being related to a lowest level of power conservation, one of said displays having a representation of a second, lower level of water
SUBSTITUTE SHEET flowing from said faucet and being related to an intermediate level of power conservation, and one of said displays having a representation of a user located adjacent said faucet and being related to a user selected level of power conservation; and means coupled to said displays for selecting a change in said display being presented and the related power conservation level.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein one of said displays has a representation of a third, lowest level of water flowing from said faucet and is related to a highest level of power conservation.
18. A method for setting the volume level of a speaker in a computer system, the method comprising: presenting a display including: a graphical representation of relative volume level; means to indicate selection of a change in the relative volume level; and means to indicate selection of a desire to test the speaker volume; selecting a change in the relative volume level, which change is reflected on said graphical representation; selecting a momentary test of the speaker volume; and sounding the speaker at the selected level in response to selecting a momentary test.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein said graphical representation is triangularly shaped and a differentiated portion of said triangular shape indicates relative speaker volume level.
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
20. The method of claim 19, wherein said means to indicate selection of a change in relative volume level comprises a left arrow and a right arrow.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein said means to indicate selection of a speaker volume test comprises a down arrow.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein said means to indicate selection of a speaker volume test further comprises a series of concentric, partial circles adjacent said down arrow.
23. The method of claim 21, wherein said selecting to momentarily test the speaker volume includes depressing a down arrow key and selecting a change in relative volume level includes depressing a left arrow key or a right arrow key.
24. A method for selecting and indicating the power conservation level of a battery-powered computer system, the method comprising: presenting a plurality of displays, each display including: a representation of a battery, a representation of a faucet projecting from said battery representation; and means to indicate selection of a change in said plurality of displays and related power conservation level, one of said displays having a representation of a first, high level of water flowing from said faucet and being related to a lowest level of power conservation, one of said displays having a representation of a second, lower level of water
SUBSTITUTE SHEET flowing from said faucet and being related to an intermediate level of power conservation, and one of said displays having a representation of a user located adjacent said faucet and being related to a user selected level of power conservation; and selecting a change in said display being presented and the related power conservation level.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the one of said displays having a representation of a third, lowest level of water flowing from said faucet and being related to a highest level of power conservation.
SUBSTITUTESHEET
PCT/US1993/000371 1992-01-24 1993-01-20 User interface for easily setting computer speaker volume and power conservation levels WO1993015456A2 (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP93903515A EP0623229B1 (en) 1992-01-24 1993-01-20 User interface for easily setting computer speaker volume and power conservation levels
DE69317647T DE69317647T2 (en) 1992-01-24 1993-01-20 USER INTERFACE FOR EASY SETTING OF COMPUTER VOLUME AND PERFORMANCE SAVING LEVEL

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US07/825,118 US5640176A (en) 1992-01-24 1992-01-24 User interface for easily setting computer speaker volume and power conservation levels
US825,118 1992-01-24

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1993015456A2 true WO1993015456A2 (en) 1993-08-05
WO1993015456A3 WO1993015456A3 (en) 1993-11-11

Family

ID=25243154

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1993/000371 WO1993015456A2 (en) 1992-01-24 1993-01-20 User interface for easily setting computer speaker volume and power conservation levels

Country Status (7)

Country Link
US (2) US5640176A (en)
EP (1) EP0623229B1 (en)
AT (1) ATE164461T1 (en)
AU (1) AU3474893A (en)
CA (1) CA2127371C (en)
DE (1) DE69317647T2 (en)
WO (1) WO1993015456A2 (en)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0640928A1 (en) * 1993-08-25 1995-03-01 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Image displaying apparatus
AU695367B2 (en) * 1994-12-16 1998-08-13 British Telecommunications Public Limited Company A method and apparatus for selecting an option or options on a computer system
EP0905607A2 (en) * 1997-09-30 1999-03-31 Sun Microsystems, Inc. Scrolling assisted by relevance indication
EP1189196A2 (en) 2000-09-18 2002-03-20 Nokia Corporation Method for displaying an information element, and an electronic device

Families Citing this family (82)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5640176A (en) * 1992-01-24 1997-06-17 Compaq Computer Corporation User interface for easily setting computer speaker volume and power conservation levels
US5613135A (en) * 1992-09-17 1997-03-18 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Portable computer having dedicated register group and peripheral controller bus between system bus and peripheral controller
US5884016A (en) * 1993-01-11 1999-03-16 Sun Microsystems, Inc. System and method for displaying a selected region of a multi-dimensional data object
KR0142370B1 (en) * 1995-01-20 1998-07-01 김광호 MS level display device using hardware cursor in portable computer and method thereof
US6115799A (en) * 1996-07-19 2000-09-05 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Information processing apparatus and associated method for managing a memory using a next fit and for reducing a memory fragmentation problem
US5838588A (en) * 1996-12-13 1998-11-17 Siemens Corporate Research, Inc. Graphical user interface system for steam turbine operating conditions
US5832421A (en) * 1996-12-13 1998-11-03 Siemens Corporate Research, Inc. Method for blade temperature estimation in a steam turbine
US6014141A (en) * 1997-03-25 2000-01-11 Micron Electronics, Inc. Method and apparatus for selectively displaying a parameter in a separate status panel
US6081266A (en) * 1997-04-21 2000-06-27 Sony Corporation Interactive control of audio outputs on a display screen
KR19990009846A (en) * 1997-07-12 1999-02-05 윤종용 Locking device and method of computer system using U S B hub
DE19743282C1 (en) 1997-09-30 1999-02-25 Siemens Nixdorf Inf Syst Current supply device for processor system
US6121967A (en) * 1998-05-04 2000-09-19 Apple Computer, Inc. Method and apparatus for controlling media bays in a computer system
US6241527B1 (en) * 1998-06-19 2001-06-05 Rastar Corporation Interactive educational display board
US7278101B1 (en) * 1999-09-30 2007-10-02 Intel Corporation Controlling audio volume in processor-based systems
US6825859B1 (en) 2000-11-13 2004-11-30 Corel Corporation System and method for processing content changes of on-screen items
US6910818B2 (en) * 2001-04-30 2005-06-28 Microsoft Corporation Keyboard with improved function and editing sections
US6865683B2 (en) * 2001-05-21 2005-03-08 Microsoft Corporation System and method for powering down a mobile device
US7114086B2 (en) * 2002-01-04 2006-09-26 Ati Technologies, Inc. System for reduced power consumption by monitoring instruction buffer and method thereof
AU2003246001A1 (en) * 2002-07-01 2004-01-19 Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ab System and method for power consumption management
EP1378816A1 (en) * 2002-07-01 2004-01-07 Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB System and method for power consumption management
US7882162B2 (en) * 2002-08-08 2011-02-01 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Rapid access to data on a powered down personal computer
US20040027392A1 (en) * 2002-08-08 2004-02-12 Dunn Loren S. System and method for quick access of computer resources to control and configure a computer
US7209124B2 (en) * 2002-08-08 2007-04-24 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Multiple-position docking station for a tablet personal computer
US7952569B2 (en) * 2002-08-08 2011-05-31 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. System and method of switching between multiple viewing modes in a multi-head computer system
JP4574438B2 (en) * 2005-05-20 2010-11-04 シャープ株式会社 DATA PROCESSING SETTING DEVICE, DATA PROCESSING SETTING METHOD, DATA PROCESSING SETTING PROGRAM, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM CONTAINING THE PROGRAM
JP4312738B2 (en) * 2005-05-20 2009-08-12 シャープ株式会社 DATA PROCESSING SETTING DEVICE, DATA PROCESSING SETTING METHOD, DATA PROCESSING SETTING PROGRAM, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM CONTAINING THE PROGRAM
US7831054B2 (en) * 2005-06-28 2010-11-09 Microsoft Corporation Volume control
US8225231B2 (en) * 2005-08-30 2012-07-17 Microsoft Corporation Aggregation of PC settings
US9144204B2 (en) 2006-06-20 2015-09-29 Rain Bird Corporation User interface for a sensor-based interface device for interrupting an irrigation controller
US7949433B2 (en) 2006-06-20 2011-05-24 Rain Bird Corporation Sensor device for interrupting irrigation
KR101407100B1 (en) * 2007-03-09 2014-06-16 엘지전자 주식회사 Electronic Apparutus And Method Of Displaying Item Using Same
US8086275B2 (en) 2008-10-23 2011-12-27 Microsoft Corporation Alternative inputs of a mobile communications device
US8411046B2 (en) 2008-10-23 2013-04-02 Microsoft Corporation Column organization of content
US8238876B2 (en) 2009-03-30 2012-08-07 Microsoft Corporation Notifications
US8175653B2 (en) 2009-03-30 2012-05-08 Microsoft Corporation Chromeless user interface
US8836648B2 (en) 2009-05-27 2014-09-16 Microsoft Corporation Touch pull-in gesture
JP5607726B2 (en) * 2009-08-21 2014-10-15 トムソン ライセンシング Method, apparatus, and program for adjusting parameters on user interface screen
US20120159395A1 (en) 2010-12-20 2012-06-21 Microsoft Corporation Application-launching interface for multiple modes
US20120159383A1 (en) 2010-12-20 2012-06-21 Microsoft Corporation Customization of an immersive environment
US8689123B2 (en) 2010-12-23 2014-04-01 Microsoft Corporation Application reporting in an application-selectable user interface
US8612874B2 (en) 2010-12-23 2013-12-17 Microsoft Corporation Presenting an application change through a tile
US8665214B2 (en) * 2010-12-29 2014-03-04 Qualcomm Incorporated Extending battery life of a portable electronic device
US9423951B2 (en) 2010-12-31 2016-08-23 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Content-based snap point
US9383917B2 (en) 2011-03-28 2016-07-05 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Predictive tiling
US8881058B2 (en) * 2011-04-01 2014-11-04 Arthur Austin Ollivierre System and method for displaying objects in a user interface based on a visual acuity of a viewer
US20120304132A1 (en) 2011-05-27 2012-11-29 Chaitanya Dev Sareen Switching back to a previously-interacted-with application
US9158445B2 (en) 2011-05-27 2015-10-13 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Managing an immersive interface in a multi-application immersive environment
US9104440B2 (en) 2011-05-27 2015-08-11 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Multi-application environment
US9104307B2 (en) 2011-05-27 2015-08-11 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Multi-application environment
US9658766B2 (en) 2011-05-27 2017-05-23 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Edge gesture
US8893033B2 (en) 2011-05-27 2014-11-18 Microsoft Corporation Application notifications
US8687023B2 (en) 2011-08-02 2014-04-01 Microsoft Corporation Cross-slide gesture to select and rearrange
US20130057587A1 (en) 2011-09-01 2013-03-07 Microsoft Corporation Arranging tiles
US10353566B2 (en) 2011-09-09 2019-07-16 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Semantic zoom animations
US8922575B2 (en) 2011-09-09 2014-12-30 Microsoft Corporation Tile cache
US9557909B2 (en) 2011-09-09 2017-01-31 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Semantic zoom linguistic helpers
US9146670B2 (en) 2011-09-10 2015-09-29 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Progressively indicating new content in an application-selectable user interface
US8933952B2 (en) 2011-09-10 2015-01-13 Microsoft Corporation Pre-rendering new content for an application-selectable user interface
US9244802B2 (en) 2011-09-10 2016-01-26 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Resource user interface
US9223472B2 (en) 2011-12-22 2015-12-29 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Closing applications
US9128605B2 (en) 2012-02-16 2015-09-08 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Thumbnail-image selection of applications
US9450952B2 (en) 2013-05-29 2016-09-20 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Live tiles without application-code execution
USD773479S1 (en) * 2013-09-06 2016-12-06 Microsoft Corporation Display screen with icon group
EP3126969A4 (en) 2014-04-04 2017-04-12 Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC Expandable application representation
CN105359055A (en) 2014-04-10 2016-02-24 微软技术许可有限责任公司 Slider cover for computing device
KR102107275B1 (en) 2014-04-10 2020-05-06 마이크로소프트 테크놀로지 라이센싱, 엘엘씨 Collapsible shell cover for computing device
US10678412B2 (en) 2014-07-31 2020-06-09 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Dynamic joint dividers for application windows
US10254942B2 (en) 2014-07-31 2019-04-09 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Adaptive sizing and positioning of application windows
US10592080B2 (en) 2014-07-31 2020-03-17 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Assisted presentation of application windows
US10642365B2 (en) 2014-09-09 2020-05-05 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Parametric inertia and APIs
US9674335B2 (en) 2014-10-30 2017-06-06 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Multi-configuration input device
USD767628S1 (en) * 2015-02-27 2016-09-27 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Display screen or portion thereof with animated graphical user interface
USD784408S1 (en) * 2015-07-02 2017-04-18 Abb Technology Oy Display screen or portion thereof with icon
US10241559B2 (en) * 2015-10-30 2019-03-26 Wipro Limited System and method for dynamically switching high-speed clock of a host device
KR102291021B1 (en) * 2017-03-17 2021-08-18 삼성전자주식회사 Electronic device for controlling audio output and operating mehtod thereof
US10757873B2 (en) 2017-04-24 2020-09-01 Rain Bird Corporation Sensor-based interruption of an irrigation controller
US10444769B2 (en) 2017-04-24 2019-10-15 Rain Bird Corporation Sensor-based interruption of an irrigation controller
USD857032S1 (en) 2017-09-10 2019-08-20 Apple Inc. Electronic device with graphical user interface
WO2019133273A1 (en) 2017-12-29 2019-07-04 Rain Bird Corporation Weather override irrigation control systems and methods
USD864234S1 (en) * 2018-06-14 2019-10-22 Boekel Scientific Portion of a display panel with a set of computer icon images
JP1707227S (en) * 2021-02-24 2022-02-10
USD1038150S1 (en) * 2022-12-22 2024-08-06 Acer Incorporated Display screen or portion thereof with graphical user interface

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4980836A (en) * 1988-10-14 1990-12-25 Compaq Computer Corporation Apparatus for reducing computer system power consumption
FR2663140A1 (en) * 1990-06-08 1991-12-13 Apple Computer Control process and device for the flow of sequential information

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4698624A (en) * 1985-04-16 1987-10-06 International Business Machines Corp. Definition of line unit size
JPH0270173A (en) * 1988-09-02 1990-03-09 Fuji Xerox Co Ltd Digital picture processor
US5204969A (en) * 1988-12-30 1993-04-20 Macromedia, Inc. Sound editing system using visually displayed control line for altering specified characteristic of adjacent segment of stored waveform
JP3168570B2 (en) * 1989-11-08 2001-05-21 富士通株式会社 Icon pattern automatic generation apparatus and method
US5230074A (en) * 1991-01-25 1993-07-20 International Business Machines Corporation Battery operated computer power management system
US5640176A (en) * 1992-01-24 1997-06-17 Compaq Computer Corporation User interface for easily setting computer speaker volume and power conservation levels

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4980836A (en) * 1988-10-14 1990-12-25 Compaq Computer Corporation Apparatus for reducing computer system power consumption
FR2663140A1 (en) * 1990-06-08 1991-12-13 Apple Computer Control process and device for the flow of sequential information

Non-Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
IBM TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE BULLETIN vol. 33, no. 10A, March 1991, ARMONK, NY, US pages 137 - 138 'Use of dialog box button to list possible actions' *
IBM TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE BULLETIN vol. 33, no. 3B, 1 August 1990, ARMONK, NY, US pages 116 - 118 'Combined-user interface for computers, television, video and telephone, etc.' *
IBM TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE BULLETIN vol. 35, no. 7, December 1992, ARMONK, NY, US pages 35 - 38 'New icons for people with special needs' *
RESEARCH DISCLOSURE no. 332, December 1991, EMSWORTH, GB '33238 - Speed Control (Symbol) for PC User Interface' *

Cited By (16)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6061071A (en) * 1993-08-25 2000-05-09 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Apparatus for displaying images of living things to show growth and/or movement of the living things
US5572646A (en) * 1993-08-25 1996-11-05 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Apparatus for displaying images of living things to show growing and/or moving of the living things
EP0790561A2 (en) * 1993-08-25 1997-08-20 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Image displaying apparatus
EP0790561A3 (en) * 1993-08-25 1998-02-11 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Image displaying apparatus
EP0640928A1 (en) * 1993-08-25 1995-03-01 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Image displaying apparatus
US6633295B1 (en) 1993-08-25 2003-10-14 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Image displaying apparatus
US6118458A (en) * 1993-08-25 2000-09-12 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Image displaying apparatus
CN1047009C (en) * 1993-08-25 1999-12-01 卡西欧计算机公司 Image display device
US6037952A (en) * 1993-08-25 2000-03-14 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Image displaying apparatus
US6043822A (en) * 1993-08-25 2000-03-28 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Apparatus for displaying images of living things to show growing and/or moving of the living things
AU695367B2 (en) * 1994-12-16 1998-08-13 British Telecommunications Public Limited Company A method and apparatus for selecting an option or options on a computer system
EP0905607A3 (en) * 1997-09-30 1999-09-08 Sun Microsystems, Inc. Scrolling assisted by relevance indication
US6339437B1 (en) 1997-09-30 2002-01-15 Sun Microsystems, Inc. Relevance-enhanced scrolling
EP0905607A2 (en) * 1997-09-30 1999-03-31 Sun Microsystems, Inc. Scrolling assisted by relevance indication
EP1189196A2 (en) 2000-09-18 2002-03-20 Nokia Corporation Method for displaying an information element, and an electronic device
EP1189196A3 (en) * 2000-09-18 2007-04-25 Nokia Corporation Method for displaying an information element, and an electronic device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69317647D1 (en) 1998-04-30
AU3474893A (en) 1993-09-01
DE69317647T2 (en) 1998-08-06
CA2127371A1 (en) 1993-08-05
WO1993015456A3 (en) 1993-11-11
EP0623229B1 (en) 1998-03-25
US5640176A (en) 1997-06-17
EP0623229A1 (en) 1994-11-09
ATE164461T1 (en) 1998-04-15
CA2127371C (en) 1999-02-23
US5903254A (en) 1999-05-11

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
EP0623229B1 (en) User interface for easily setting computer speaker volume and power conservation levels
US7567245B2 (en) Information processing device and display brightness control method
KR100371181B1 (en) Power saving method for portable appliance
US7455240B2 (en) Thermostat display system providing animated icons
US6618042B1 (en) Display brightness control method and apparatus for conserving battery power
US7580031B2 (en) Histogram and spatial-based power savings
JP3129890B2 (en) Battery-powered electronic devices
US6480964B1 (en) User interface power management control technique for a computer system
CN107168508A (en) A kind of normal display information implementation method of low-power consumption and device
KR100763174B1 (en) Apparatus and method for displaying power-saving level
JPH0511897A (en) Information processing unit
CN106055069A (en) Power saving control method and apparatus of mobile terminal, and mobile terminal
JP2818915B2 (en) Portable information processing device
CN105869607B (en) A kind of back light brightness regulating method and device
US20030061410A1 (en) Information-processing apparatus and clock information display control method for use in the apparatus
JP2004110456A (en) Information processor and display control method
WO2021143488A1 (en) Washing machine display control method
KR20020031013A (en) Power save apparatus and method for portable apparatus using controlling of display brightness
CN216870796U (en) Portable debugging device for anti-smashing radar of barrier gate
JP3997788B2 (en) Cooker
KR100358015B1 (en) Portable computer having a touch panel screen and method for setting input module in the portable computer
US7178725B2 (en) Method for visualizing the input and display components of terminal equipment and corresponding terminal equipment
JP2004252364A (en) Information processor and its luminance adjustment method
KR101354908B1 (en) Computer system
JPS6223067A (en) Display device for image forming device

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AK Designated states

Kind code of ref document: A2

Designated state(s): AT AU BG BR CA CH DE DK ES FI GB HU JP KR NL NO PL RO RU SE

AL Designated countries for regional patents

Kind code of ref document: A2

Designated state(s): AT BE CH DE DK ES FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN ML MR SN TD TG

AK Designated states

Kind code of ref document: A3

Designated state(s): AT AU BG BR CA CH DE DK ES FI GB HU JP KR NL NO PL RO RU SE

AL Designated countries for regional patents

Kind code of ref document: A3

Designated state(s): AT BE CH DE DK ES FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN ML MR SN TD TG

DFPE Request for preliminary examination filed prior to expiration of 19th month from priority date (pct application filed before 20040101)
WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 2127371

Country of ref document: CA

Ref document number: 1993903515

Country of ref document: EP

WWP Wipo information: published in national office

Ref document number: 1993903515

Country of ref document: EP

REG Reference to national code

Ref country code: DE

Ref legal event code: 8642

WWG Wipo information: grant in national office

Ref document number: 1993903515

Country of ref document: EP