Combination remote control and telephone

• US 10,142,577 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2015
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Noble Laird
• Original Assignee: Noble Laird
• Inventors: Laird, Noble
• Primary Examiner(s): Harold, Jefferey F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Karwan, Sihar A
• Application Number:
  US14/667,284
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 348552
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/20 for coupling gramophone pick-up, recorder output, or microphone to receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• 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 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• 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 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42212 Specific keyboard arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A handheld combination television remote control and wireless telephone apparatus, comprising: a microprocessor; an infrared remote control transceiver; a wireless telephone transceiver; a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth transceiver; microphone, loud speaker, power source, and housing; a combination television remote control and telephone alphanumeric keypad and/or touch screen display communicating with the microprocessor to direct the handheld combination television remote control and wireless telephone apparatus to communicate with a remote television, remote set top box, wireless telephone system provider, wireless network, Bluetooth device, and base station combination television remote control and wireless telephone apparatus and: switch the handheld combination television remote control and wireless telephone apparatus from television mode to telephone mode and vice versa; control the remote television and/or remote set top box; control remote television and/or remote set top box settings and retrieve information therefrom; originate and/or receive telephone calls; transmit and/or receive internet information via the wireless network.

Claims

1. An improved television remote control and an improved base station of the type in which an infrared handheld television remote control apparatus, for use with a television, has a plurality of push buttons having a channel key, a volume key, a menu key, and numbers zero through nine keys, wherein the improvement comprises:

said infrared handheld television remote control apparatus and said base station each comprising;

a built-in firmware based dedicated microprocessor communicating with a land line cordless telephone provider providing telephone communications to third parties, an infrared remote control transceiver;

an infrared radiator and an infrared sensor, each connected to said infrared remote control transceiver;

a wireless cordless telephone transceiver;

a wireless land line telephone antenna connected to said wireless cordless telephone transceiver;

a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth transceiver;

a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antenna connected to said Wi-Fi and Bluetooth transceiver;

a combination television remote control and telephone keypad communicating with said built-in firmware based dedicated microprocessor;

a touch screen display communicating with said built-in firmware based dedicated microprocessor;

a microphone communicating with said built-in firmware based dedicated microprocessor;

a loud speaker, said built-in firmware based dedicated microprocessor communicating with said loud speaker;

a power source powering said built-in firmware based dedicated microprocessor, said infrared remote control receiver, said wireless cordless telephone transceiver, and said Wi-Fi and Bluetooth transceiver;

a housing, said built-in firmware based dedicated microprocessor, said infrared remote control transceiver, said wireless telephone transceiver, said Wi-Fi and Bluetooth transceiver, and said power source within said housing;

said combination television remote control and telephone keypad and said touch screen display mounted to said housing and accessible from the exterior of said housing;

said touch screen display and said combination television remote control and telephone keypad, which comprises television remote control keypad keys and telephone alphanumeric keypad keys, communicating with said built-in firmware based dedicated microprocessor to direct said handheld combination television remote control and wireless telephone apparatus to communicate with a remote television, a remote set top box, a wireless telephone system provider, a wireless network, a Bluetooth device, and a base station combination television remote control and wireless telephone apparatus and a switch;

said handheld combination television remote control and wireless telephone apparatus switching from a television mode to a telephone mode and vice versa to control said remote television and/or said remote set top box; and

retrieve information therefrom, and to originate and/or receive telephone calls;

transmit and/or receive Internet information via said wireless cordless network of said land line telephone provider while communicating with the Internet through said land line telephone system provider;

wherein further said remote control apparatus and said base station each use said dedicated firmware microprocessor to control the base station combination television remote control and wireless land line telephone apparatus communicating with the land line telephone system provider wherein further said remote control apparatus and said base station further comprise an infrared handheld television remote control apparatus mount and charger, said base station firmware based dedicated microprocessor communicating with said land line telephone transceiver and with said infrared handheld television remote control apparatus and a second infrared transceiver and a second RF cordless transceiver, said infrared handheld television remote control apparatus and said base station communicating with a handheld audio output device locator and locating said infrared handheld television remote control apparatus;

a microphone and a loudspeaker built into the infrared handheld television remote control apparatus, which communicate audio signals to and from the infrared handheld television remote control apparatus, said wireless transceiver built into the infrared handheld television remote control apparatus, which communicates with the land line telephone system provider via the base station combination television remote control and wireless land line telephone apparatus and vice versa, said base station combination television remote control and wireless land line telephone apparatus each communicating with each other through the land line telephone system provider;

said infrared handheld television remote control apparatus and said base station communicating with said television and controlling said television;

said base station and said infrared handheld television remote control apparatus communicating with said third party via the cordless land line telephone system and a television projector built into the infrared handheld television remote control apparatus;

said remote control apparatus firmware based dedicated microprocessor built into the infrared handheld television remote control apparatus, processes wireless signals received from the television into television display signals compatible with the television projector built into the infrared handheld television remote control apparatus, which projects live television.

2. The improved television remote control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the improvement further comprises:

the infrared handheld television remote control apparatus comprises a paddle shaped exterior having a ton half portion wider than a lower half portion.

3. The improved television remote control apparatus of claim 1 wherein said live television is projected onto a remote flat surface spaced apart from said base station.

4. The improved television remote control apparatus of claim 1 wherein said live television is projected onto a viewing screen located upon said base station.