METHOD OF DETACHABLY ATTACHING AN INSERT TO A REMOTE CONTROL BASE AND THE RESULTING REMOTE CONTROL

• US 20010003041A1
• Filed: 01/26/1998
• Published: 06/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Evidea Com Incorporated
• Original Assignee: TV Interactive Data Corporation
• Inventors: STERN, DONALD S., REDFORD, PETER M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,327,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/307R
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/056 Keyboard or overlay identification features
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/0235 specially adapted for remote control, e.g. of audio or video apparatus

Abstract

A remote control includes a base and an insert that is attached in a detachable manner to the base. The base includes a remote control circuit, a button coupled to operate the remote control circuit and a fastener capable of holding the insert. The insert includes a printed publication (such as a card, a sheet of paper or a booklet) containing at least one leaf having human-understandable content (such as text and/or graphics). To assemble the remote control, a user attaches the insert to the fastener, so that the human-understandable content is laid over the button. Thereafter, when the user operates the button (e.g. by touching the leaf), the base transmits a remote control signal that causes a host device to visually display information related to the human-understandable content at the touched location. A base in the form of a three ring binder gives the user an intuitive feel of simply touching human-understandable content on a leaf in the binder to view a display of information related to the content. In addition to the human-understandable content, the insert can carry a predetermined pattern that can be sensed by a sensor during mounting of the insert on the base. The base transmits, in the remote control signal, a number determined from the predetermined pattern thereby to indicate to the host device the insert currently in the base.

Claims

1. A remote control comprising:

a base having a remote control circuit, a button electrically coupled to operate said remote control circuit, and a sensor coupled to said remote control circuit; and

an insert including a leaf laid over said button, said leaf being sufficiently thin for pressure on said leaf to transfer through said leaf to operate said button, said insert being attached in a detachable manner to said base;

wherein said remote control circuit generates a signal in response to the operation of said button by a touch on said leaf, said signal carrying a number determined by said sensor from a predetermined pattern carried by said insert, said signal also carrying data indicative of the location of said touch on said leaf.

2. The remote control of

claim 1

wherein:

said sensor includes a barcode scanner; and

said predetermined pattern is formed as a bar code printed on an edge of said leaf.

3. The remote control of

claim 1

wherein:

said predetermined pattern is formed at an edge of said leaf;

said base includes a fastener capable of detachably attaching to at least said edge of said leaf and

said sensor is mounted within said fastener, said sensor sensing said predetermined pattern during the detachable attachment of said edge to said fastener.

4. The remote control of

claim 3

wherein:

said fastener includes a first channel and a second channel facing said first channel, said sensor being mounted within said first channel; and

said leaf has a width smaller than or equal to the distance between said first channel and said second channel, said edge is located within said first channel, said predetermined pattern being located at said edge thereby to permit said sensor to sense said predetermined pattern during the sliding of said edge through said first channel.

5. The remote control of

claim 3

wherein:

said fastener includes a single channel, said single channel having a longitudinal cavity formed behind two longitudinal edges that each face the other, said sensor being mounted in said longitudinal cavity; and

said leaf has said edge located in said longitudinal cavity, a portion of said leaf located between said two longitudinal edges having a thickness smaller than or equal to the distance between said two longitudinal edges.

6. The remote control of

claim 5

wherein:

said leaf has another portion folded along said edge so that at said edge said leaf has a thickness larger than said thickness of said portion; and

said insert includes a plurality of leaves, said leaves being mounted in a region of said leaf outside said single channel.

7. The remote control of

claim 5

wherein:

said leaf has, along said first edge, a thickness approximately equal to said thickness of said portion.

8. The remote control of

claim 1

further comprising:

information in the form of electronic content identified at least partially by said signal, said electronic content being related to content printed on said leaf.

9. The remote control of

claim 8

wherein:

said electronic content is encoded on a storage media accessible over the Internet.

10. The remote control of

claim 1

further comprising:

a pointing device coupled to said remote control circuit;

wherein said remote control circuit generates another signal carrying data generated by said pointing device in response to operation of said pointing device.

11. The remote control of

claim 1

further comprising:

a second button coupled to said remote control circuit;

wherein said remote control circuit generates another signal carrying a predetermined number in response to operation of said second button.

12. The remote control of

claim 11

wherein:

said second button is one of a plurality of buttons of a keyboard included in said structure.

13. The remote control of

claim 1

further comprising:

an electromagnetic signal transmitter electrically coupled to said remote control circuit;

wherein said electromagnetic signal transmitter generates an electromagnetic signal carrying said data in response to said signal.

14. The remote control of

claim 1

further comprising:

a cable capable of being coupled to a host device, said cable being electrically coupled to said remote control circuit;

wherein said cable carries said signal.

15. A remote control base comprising:

a file folder including a front cover, a back cover and a spine located between said front cover and said back cover, said file folder further including a fastener mounted on said spine, said fastener being capable of detachably holding a printed publication;

a remote control circuit supported by said file folders; and

a button supported on said back cover and coupled to said remote control circuit;

wherein said remote control circuit generates a remote control signal in response to application of pressure to said button.

16. The remote control base of

claim 15

wherein:

said fastener has three rings; and

said remote control base has the appearance of a normal three ring binder.

17. The remote control base of

claim 15

wherein:

said button included a touch panel capable of indicating the location of application of said pressure.

18. The remote control base of

claim 17

further comprising:

another touch panel supported by said front cover and coupled to said remote control circuit.

19. The remote control base of

claim 15

wherein:

said button includes a switch in a plurality of discrete switches mounted on said back cover;

an internal surface of said back cover is substantially planar;

said fastener has three rings; and

said base has the appearance of a normal three ring binder.

20. The remote control of

claim 15

further comprising:

information in the form of electronic content identified at least partially by said signal, said electronic content being related to content printed on said leaf.

21. The remote control of

claim 20

wherein:

said electronic content is encoded on a storage media physically attached to said printed publication.

22. The remote control base of

claim 15

wherein:

said remote control circuit includes a memory programmed with a predetermined number; and

said electronic content is encoded on a storage media accessible over the Internet by use of said predetermined number.

23. The remote control base of

claim 15

further comprising:

an electromagnetic signal transmitter electrically coupled to said remote control circuit;

wherein said electromagnetic signal transmitter generates an electromagnetic signal carrying said data in response to said signal.

24. A remote control comprising:

the remote control base of

claim 15

; and

said leaf detachably attached to said fastener so that said leaf is laid over said button, said leaf being sufficiently thin for pressure on said leaf to transfer through said leaf to operate said button.

25. The remote control base of

claim 15

wherein:

said fastener consists essentially of a rail having a cross-section in the shape of the letter “

C”

with a longitudinal cavity formed behind two longitudinal edges that each face the other.

26. An insert for use with a remote control base, said insert consisting essentially of a printed publication and devoid of one or more electronic components permanently attached to said printed publication, said printed publication having a group of leaves connected each to the other at a spine, each of said leaves having three holes adjacent to said spine, each leaf in said group having printed content and a mark, each mark being positioned differently from the position of another mark, each mark being substantially identical to another mark.

27. The insert of

claim 26

further comprising:

a storage media holder for holding a storage media encoded with information in the form of electronic content, said information being related to at least a portion of said printed content.

28. The insert of

claim 26

wherein said mark identifies the leaf in a signal generated by said remote control base when said insert is mounted on said base and said mark is touched.

29. A method comprising:

mounting a printed publication removably on a base having a button so that a leaf of said printed publication is laid over said button;

applying pressure to a first region on said leaf, said pressure being transferred through said leaf to said button; and

transmitting to a host device data representative of the location of said first region.

30. The method of

claim 29

, wherein:

the step of transmitting includes operating a light emitting diode to create an electromagnetic signal.

31. The method of

claim 29

, wherein:

the step of transmitting includes driving an electrical signal on a cable coupled to said host device.

32. The method of

claim 29

wherein:

said leaf carries a predetermined pattern; and

said method further comprises;

sensing said predetermined pattern during said step of mounting.

33. The method of

claim 32

further comprising:

removing said leaf from said base;

mounting another leaf on said base; and

sensing a second pattern on said another leaf during said step of mounting another leaf.

34. The method of

claim 29

further comprising:

removing a storage media from a package that includes said leaf and mounting said storage media in said host device prior to said step of applying.

35. The method of

claim 29

further comprising:

applying pressure to a mark on said leaf, said mark being in a different region from said first region, said mark being also in a different region from another mark of another leaf in said printed publication, thereby to indicate an identity of said leaf.

36. The method of

claim 29

further comprising:

flipping one or more leaves of said printed publication; and

applying pressure on a region of another leaf.

37. The method of

claim 29

further comprising:

turning over said leaf, so that said leaf lies over another button included in said base; and

applying pressure to a second region on said leaf, said pressure being transferred through said leaf to said another button;

wherein said first region is on one side of said leaf, and said second region is on another side of said leaf.