Patent ID: 8238968

Claim:
A multi-function electronic appliance, comprising: a visual display; a camera device to capture images when the multi-function electronic appliance is being used in a camera mode, wherein the camera device includes a camera sensor that is configured to sense ambient light in the environment of the multi-function electronic appliance; a controller coupled to the visual display, wherein the controller is configured to control functions of the multi-function electronic appliance, including functions associated with non-camera modes of the multi-function electronic appliance; an ambient light measurement module coupled to the camera sensor to produce an ambient light value using the camera sensor associated with the camera device when the multi-function device is not in the camera mode, the ambient light value indicates a measured level of ambient light; a light control module that is configured to determine a level of illumination of the visual display, based on the ambient light value, when the multi-function device is not in the camera mode; and a transfer function module configured to associate the ambient light value with the level of illumination of the visual display according to a relationship between the ambient light value and the level of illumination of the visual display, wherein when the ambient light value is at a first value, the level of illumination of the visual display is set to a first level, when the ambient light value is at a second value, the level of illumination of the visual display is set to a second level, wherein the second value is greater than the first value, and when the ambient light value is at a third value above the first value and below the second value, the level of illumination of the visual display is set to a third level that is below the first level and below the second level.