System and method for reconfiguration of an entertainment system controlling device

• US 10,038,932 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2017
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Arling, Paul D., Hayes, Patrick H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US15/835,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20180098110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 236 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42225 characterized by types of remote control, e.g. universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

An entertainment device initiates a configuration process of a controlling device in response to a change in an audio visual entertainment system configuration in which at least one of a plurality devices is connected to the entertainment device as an audio and/or visual source and at least one of the plurality of devices is connected to the entertainment device as an audio and/or visual output destination for the entertainment device.

Claims

1. A method for using an entertainment device to configure a controlling device to control functional operations of a device communicatively coupled to the entertainment device, comprising:

transmitting from the entertainment device to the controlling device, via use of a first communications channel, a command to cause the controlling device to automatically commence execution of a controlling device configuration process resident on the controlling device;

while executing the controlling device configuration process, causing the controlling device to progressively transmit to the device, via use of a second communications channel different than the first communications channel, a command selected from each one of a plurality of command code sets, wherein the selected command is intended to cause the device coupled to the entertainment device to perform an observable action, and causing the controlling device to stop progressively transmitting to the device a command selected from each one of the plurality of command code sets when a notification is received by the controlling device that is indicative of the device being observed to perform the observable action; and

in response to the notification being received by the controlling device, causing the controlling device to configure itself to use the command code set from which was selected the command that caused the device to perform the observable action to control functional operations of the device when the controlling device is exited from the controlling device configuration process and causing the controlling device to exit from the controlling device configuration process.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing the entertainment device to automatically place the device into a state in which the observable action is observable in connection with transmitting from the entertainment device to the controlling device the command to cause the controlling device to automatically commence execution of the controlling device configuration process resident on the controlling device.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the selected command comprises a volume operational control command.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing the entertainment device to monitor an input port of the entertainment device while the controlling device executes the controlling device configuration process and, when the entertainment device detects via the monitoring the observable action being performed by the device, causing the entertainment device to automatically transmit to the controlling device, via use of the first communications channel, the notification.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first communications channel comprises a radio frequency communications channel and the second communications channel comprises an infrared communications channel.