Follower Device Power Scaling for Inactive User Periods

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Solution Overview

Problem

Battery-operated input/output devices face challenges in conserving power during inactive periods, leading to premature battery depletion and diminished user experience due to traditional passive power-saving techniques that introduce lag or require user intervention.

Innovation Solution

A context-aware device proactively identifies active and inactive periods in applications and adjusts operational parameters of follower devices accordingly, ensuring seamless power conservation without user distraction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If traditional passive power-saving techniques are used on battery-operated devices, then power consumption is reduced during inactive periods, but user experience deteriorates due to lag or functionality reduction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoiduser experience

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system proactively identifies inactive periods in the application execution flow before they occur, and preemptively adjusts operational parameters of follower devices during these periods. This preliminary action allows power savings to be achieved without waiting for user inactivity to be detected, thus avoiding any perceptible lag or functionality reduction that would occur with reactive approaches.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors application execution state and user interaction patterns, using this feedback to dynamically adjust the operational parameters of follower devices. The feedback loop enables the system to distinguish between genuine inactive periods and transitional states, ensuring that power-saving mode is only activated when appropriate, thereby maintaining user experience while reducing power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Duration of action of stationary object

If operational parameters are adjusted to reduce power consumption during inactive periods, then battery life is extended, but device responsiveness may deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebattery lifeVSAvoiddevice responsiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of stationary objectVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts operational parameters of follower devices based on the real-time execution state of the application. During inactive periods, parameters are adjusted to reduce power consumption, while during active periods, parameters are restored to ensure full responsiveness. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to optimize both battery life and responsiveness at different times without compromise.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The application execution time is segmented into distinct active and inactive periods based on user interaction patterns and application state. This segmentation allows the system to apply different operational parameter sets to follower devices for different time segments, ensuring that power-saving measures are applied only when they will not impact user experience or device responsiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of operation

If follower devices operate at full performance continuously, then user interaction responsiveness is maintained, but power consumption increases leading to premature battery depletion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinteraction responsivenessVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic adjustment of operational parameters based on the rhythmic patterns of user interaction and application execution. During periodically identified inactive periods, follower devices operate at reduced performance to conserve power, while during active periods, they operate at full performance. This periodic action pattern allows the system to maintain ease of operation when needed while reducing overall power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS20260054162A1Reduced Power Consumption on Battery Operated Follower Devices

Publication Date: 2026.02.26 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

This document generally relates to matching power usage on follower devices to a level of user interaction. One example includes a processor configured to run an interactive application and to proactively identify active periods where a user interacts with a presentation of the interactive application and inactive periods where the user does not interact with the presentation. The example includes a communication component configured to send a first set of parameter values to a follower device for use during the identified active periods and to send a second set of parameter values to the follower device during the identified inactive periods that cause the follower device to use a relatively lower amount of power.