Patent ID: 8816968

Claim:
A method for reducing energy usage by a monitor, the method comprising: a processing unit initiating dividing a display area of a monitor into a grid of a different blocks, wherein the processing unit is interposed between the monitor and a main monitor board; the processing unit initiating distinguishing a first plurality of the blocks that are each within a top-focused active window within display information that is output by the main monitor board, from a remainder second plurality of the blocks, wherein the remainder second plurality of the blocks are each within a remainder inactive and unselected area of a total display area of the monitor that is different from the top-focused active window; the processing unit selecting a first subset of the top-focused active window first plurality of blocks that are each proximate within a specified number of horizontal rows or vertical columns of the blocks to a focal point within the top-focused active window, wherein the first subset of the top-focused active window first plurality of blocks is distinguished from a remainder second subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window; the processing unit driving the first subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window display area of the display area of the monitor with display information at a normal level of color luminance and at a normal level of backlight power; the processing unit driving the second remainder subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window display area of the monitor at the normal level of backlight power, and at a reduced level of color luminance that is lower than the normal level of color luminance; and the processing unit driving of the remainder second plurality of the blocks within the remainder inactive and unselected area of a total display area of the monitor at the reduced level of color luminance, and at a reduced level of backlight power that is lower than the normal level of backlight power.