Universal remote control with digital recorder

• US 20010035829A1
• Filed: 03/09/2001
• Published: 11/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philip K. Yu
• Original Assignee: Philip K. Yu
• Inventors: Fang, Calvin C., Yu, Philip K.
• Granted Patent: US 6,980,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.69
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/31 Voice input
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop

Abstract

An improved universal remote control unit (URC) for home entertainment units. The URC has the typical remote controller module for controlling appliances such as TV, stereo, VCR or DVD. Additionally, the URC has a built-in digital recorder module for recording the consumer'"'"'s voice, or any audio messages from the appliances. The digital recorder module can be implemented with a microphone, a voice recorder chip and a speaker, all integrated with the URC unit. The digital recorder module can even use the battery that is typically used by the URC. The URC alternatively can be implemented with a memory and display screen, coupled to the number keys. Such arrangement allows the telephone information to be punched in, using the numeric keys on the URC, stored in the memory for display.

Claims

1. A universal remote control (“

URC”

) to control at least one electronic appliance, comprising;

a housing;

a control circuitry which, responsive to a user'"'"'s command, remotely controls the operation of the at least one electronic appliance, the control circuitry being located within the housing;

a digital voice recorder, disposed within the housing, which records and plays back at least one audio signal, responsive to a user'"'"'s command.

2. The URC according to

claim 1

, wherein the digital voice recorder comprises:

a microphone to receive the audio signal;

a processor to process the received signal;

a memory to store the processed received signal;

a speaker to play back the audio signal, and

control circuitry to operate the digital voice recorder upon the user'"'"'s command.

3. A universal remote control (“

URC”

) to control at least one electronic appliance, comprising;

a housing;

a control circuitry which, responsive to a user'"'"'s command, remotely controls the operation of the at least one electronic appliance, the control circuitry being located within the housing;

a digital voice recorder which records and plays back at least one audio signal, responsive to a user'"'"'s command;

couple means to attach the digital voice recorder to the housing.

4. The URC according to

claim 3

, wherein the digital voice recorder comprises:

a microphone to receive the audio signal;

a processor to process the received signal;

a memory to store the processed received signal;

a speaker to play back the audio signal;

a power supply, and

control circuitry to operate the digital voice recorder upon the user'"'"'s command.

5. The UlRC of

claim 3

, wherein the couple means comprises a Velcro fastener between the housing and the digital voice recorder.

6. The URC of

claim 3

, wherein the couple means comprises an elastic band wrapping around the housing.

7. The URC of

claim 3

, wherein the couple means comprises at least one pair of clamps to attach the digital voice recorder to the housing.

10. The URC according to

claim 4

, wherein the memory comprises:

a first-in first-out (“

FIFO”

) memory to store a plurality of signals;

memory control to selectively fast-forward, reverse, erase, playback, make permanent at least one of the plurality of the signals stored by the FIFO memory.

8. A universal remote control (“

URC”

) to control at least one electronic appliance, comprising;

a housing;

a plurality of keys on the housing, comprising a set of numerical keys corresponding to the numerals “

0”

through “

9”

;

a control circuitry which, responsive to a user'"'"'s pressing of the keys, remotely controls the operation of the at least one electronic appliance, the control circuitry being located within the housing;

a memory which stores the numerical keys entered by the user;

a display on the housing to display the numerical keys entered by the user.

9. The URC according to

claim 8

, further comprising:

a scratch pad control which, responsive to the user'"'"'s command, activates the memory to store the numerical keys entered by the user as a telephone number.