System and method for reconfiguration of an entertainment system controlling device

• US 10,455,272 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2019
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• 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 B
• Application Number:
  US16/381,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20190238923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 194 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 configuring a controlling device adapted to communicate with a first controllable appliance, comprising:

detecting by the first controllable appliance that an interface component of the first controllable appliance has been newly connected to a second controllable appliance; and

in response to the first controllable appliance detecting that the interface component of the first controllable appliance has been newly connected to a second controllable appliance causing the first controllable appliance to place the controlling device into a configuration mode of operation and performing the further steps of;

(a) using information obtained by the first controllable appliance from the second controllable appliance via the interface component of the first controllable appliance to cause the controlling device to be configured to transmit a command from a command codeset for the purpose of determining if the second controllable appliance performs a functional operation;

(b) determining by the first controllable appliance via use of the interface component of the first controllable appliance whether or not the second controllable appliance performs the functional operation in response to the command being transmitted by the controlling device; and

(c) when the first controllable device determines that the second controllable appliance did not perform the functional operation, repeating steps (a) through (c) and, when the first controllable device determines that the second controllable appliance did perform the functional operation, causing by the first controllable appliance the controlling device to exit the configuration mode of operation whereupon the controlling device will be configured to transmit one or more commands from the command codeset of step (a) in response to a subsequent activation of one or more input elements of the controlling device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information obtained by the first controllable appliance from the second controllable appliance via the interface component of the first controllable appliance comprises a type for the second controllable appliance.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the command comprises a command transmitted via use of an infrared transmitter of the controlling device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information obtained by the first controllable appliance from the second controllable appliance via the interface component of the first controllable appliance comprises a brand for the second controllable appliance.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface component of the first controllable appliance comprises a High-Definition Multimedia Interface component.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein detecting by the first controllable appliance that an interface component of the first controllable appliance has been newly connected to a second controllable appliance comprises sensing a disconnection followed by a reconnection of an interface cabling at the interface component of the first controllable appliance.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein detecting by the first controllable appliance that an interface component of the first controllable appliance has been newly connected to a second controllable appliance comprises sensing a change in equipment identity data being received at the interface component of the first controllable appliance.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein detecting by the first controllable appliance that an interface component of the first controllable appliance has been newly connected to a second controllable appliance comprises sensing a change in equipment appliance capability data being received at the interface component of the first controllable appliance.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein detecting by the first controllable appliance that an interface component of the first controllable appliance has been newly connected to a second controllable appliance comprises sensing an audio and/or video signal at the interface component of the first controllable appliance when the interface component of the first controllable appliance has a status of being unused.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein detecting by the first controllable appliance that an interface component of the first controllable appliance has been newly connected to a second controllable appliance comprises sensing a change in a bit rate associated with a signal being received at the interface component of the first controllable appliance.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein detecting by the first controllable appliance that an interface component of the first controllable appliance has been newly connected to a second controllable appliance comprises sensing a change in a format associated with a signal being received at the interface component of the first controllable appliance.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein using information obtained by the first controllable appliance from the second controllable appliance via the interface component of the first controllable appliance to cause the controlling device to be configured to transmit a command from a command codeset for the purpose of determining if the second controllable appliance performs a functional operation comprises providing the command from the command codeset to the controlling device from the first controllable appliance.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein using information obtained by the first controllable appliance from the second controllable appliance via the interface component of the first controllable appliance to cause the controlling device to be configured to transmit a command from a command codeset for the purpose of determining if the second controllable appliance performs a functional operation comprises causing by the first controllable appliance the controlling device to select from a library of command codesets pre-stored in a memory of the controlling device the command from the command codeset.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first controllable appliance comprises an audio/visual switching device.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first controllable appliance comprises a home entertainment device having a network interface for receiving media content from a source external to the home entertainment device.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the second controllable appliance comprises a television.