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When you're engrossed in the latest blockbuster at the cinema, there is perhaps nothing more annoying than another person checking their noisy, luminous phone nearby.

But a patent granted to Microsoft may go some way to solving this problem, because if integrated into Windows phones, it could automatically adjust the settings to make it less intrusive.

The 'inconspicuous mode' would automatically adjust the brightness and volume of a handset, so when a user checked the time, for example, the screen would look dimmer and show simplified information, while the phone would be muted too.

Microsoft has been granted a patent for 'inconspicuous mode,' which would automatically adjust the brightness and volume of a handset to show a a dimmer and simplified screen (right)

The patent was granted last week, having been submitted in 2013 and shows the feature is intended to be used in theatres, cinemas and when a smartphone user is going to sleep, The Next Web reported. 

An illustration in the patent shows a simplified version of a home screen, which is dimmed with the time clearly displayed in the centre.

The feature would mean that checking the time on a phone in the middle of the night, would be less likely to wake someone up, or distract someone in a cinema. 

The patent was granted last week, having been submitted in 2013 and shows the feature is intended to be used when a smartphone user is going to sleep as well as in cinemas, where noisy phones with bright screens can be very distracting for people trying to concentrate on a film (illustrated with a stock image)

According to the patent, sensors on the device could launch the mode when a smartphone user is visiting a cinema, or it could be switched on manually.

Phone features such as GPS, Wi-Fi addresses and other data, such as the online purchase of a cinema ticket in the device's browser, could also be used to detect when to switch on inconspicuous mode.

Similarly, it could be turned on based on notes in a user's calendar – for instance, if they have a cinema visit marked in for a certain time.

Users could exit the mode at will, or it would be turned off automatically after leaving a venue, for example.

While Windows Phones currently don't have such a sophisticated app, they support a feature called 'quiet hours'.

Using Cortana - Windows Phone's personal assistant - a user can block out chunks of time for their phone to be on silent and go straight to voicemail.

It can be set up to allow texts through during this time from specific numbers and send a reply to others saying a user is busy.

A similar 'do not disturb' app is available for Android handsets that uses calendar notifications to know when to silence a handset or turn on night mode.

It mutes calls and notifications during 'quiet time' and can be set up to be silent during office hours, meetings, calendar appointments or overnight. 

There already similar apps available, including one for Android handsets. The 'do not disturb' app lets people block in 'quiet time' when they do want want any noisy distractions using a calendar (left), and choose excatly which notifications they want to receive (right)