Patent ID: 8793518

Claim:
A method for operating a battery powered information handling system, comprising: a) providing a battery powered information handling system including: a system load, the system load comprising at least one first processing device that is configured to operate in first power mode having a first power consumption level and a separate second power mode having a second power consumption level, the second power consumption level being greater than the first power consumption level, a battery system including one or more battery cells, battery charger and power switching circuitry configured to receive current from an external power source and to selectably provide the received current to recharge the battery cells of the battery system, and to selectably power the system load from either one or both of the external power source or the battery system, the external power source having a maximum available power capacity that is equal to or greater than the total system load power requirement when the processing device is operating in the first power mode and is less than the total system load power requirement when the processing device is operating in the second power mode, and at least one second processing device coupled to control the battery charger and power switching circuitry to selectably enable a supplemental power mode to allow the first processing device to operate in the second power mode and the system load to be simultaneously powered from both the external power source and the battery system when the operating power mode of the first processing device is the second power mode, and to selectably disable the supplemental power mode to prevent the first processing device from operating in the second power mode and to only allow the system load to be powered by the external power source when the battery charger and power switching circuitry is receiving current from the external power source; b) using the second processing device to control the battery charger and power switching circuitry while the first processing device is powered so as to only enable the supplemental power mode when each of the following two conditions exist at the same time: the battery charger and power switching circuitry is receiving current from the external power source, and the charge level of the battery cells of the battery system has a value above a given minimum supplemental battery charge level threshold, the minimum supplemental battery charge level having a value below the 100% charge level; and c) using the second processing device to control the battery charger and power switching circuitry while the first processing device is powered so as to disable the supplemental power mode and to provide received external current to recharge the battery cells of the battery system when the current charge level of the battery cells of the battery system has a value equal to or below the given minimum supplemental battery charge level threshold.