Patent ID: 7787706

Claim:
A system for controlling an intensity of a light source in response to an ambient light level, comprising: (a) a diffusing surface through which ambient light passes; (b) a light source that produces light; (c) a brightness controller that controls the intensity of the light produced by the light source; (d) a region generally protected from receiving direct ambient light, said protected region reflecting light from the light source; (e) a light sensor; (f) a processor coupled to the light sensor and the brightness controller; and (g) a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing a plurality of machine instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to : (i) use the light source and light sensor to detect a level of reflected light reflected from the protected region ; (ii) use the light sensor to detect a level of ambient light passing through the diffusing surface; (iii) compare the level of reflected light to the level of ambient light to determine if the intensity of the light source is appropriate based on the ambient level of light; and (iv) regulate the intensity of the light source with the brightness controller, so that the light intensity is sufficient to reflect off of objects at or near the diffusing surface but the light intensity is not so great as to interfere with other nearby electronic devices that communicate using light signals.