i was trying to figure out what the patents were for as well. i dug around a bit and found a description from when Microsoft was suing Motorola for using Android:
"...synchronizing email, calendars and contacts, scheduling meetings, and notifying applications of changes in signal strength and battery power."
"...synchronizing email, calendars and contacts, scheduling meetings, and notifying applications of changes in signal strength and battery power."
http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/01/android-lawsuits/