ADDRESSABLE DISTRIBUTED WIRELESS REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20010043145A1
• Filed: 10/10/1997
• Published: 11/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: JACOBSON, JAMES E. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 6,424,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.72
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/31 Voice input
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/41 Remote control of gateways

Abstract

An apparatus for use in an addressable distributed wireless remote control system includes a receiver operative to receive a request from an unidentified remote control device via a wireless communication medium. The apparatus also includes a storage device to store an identifier which identifies the receiver in the system, and transmit logic, coupled to the receiver and the storage medium, operative to transmit both the request and the identifier to a system controller.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use in a system, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver operative to receive a request from an unidentified remote control device via a wireless communication medium;

a storage medium to store an identifier which identifies the receiver in the system; and

transmit logic, coupled to the receiver and the storage medium, operative to transmit both the request and the identifier to a system controller.

2. The apparatus of

claim 1

, wherein the receiver is an infrared receiver.

3. The apparatus of

claim 1

, further comprising identifier control logic operative to change the identifier in response to user input.

4. The apparatus of

claim 1

, wherein the storage medium is operative to store an identifier which uniquely identifies the receiver from a plurality of receivers in the system.

5. An apparatus for use in a system, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver to receive both a request and an identifier of a device from the device in the system;

transmit logic to transmit commands to one or more components of the system;

a storage medium to store a correspondence between the identifier and the one or more components; and

control logic, coupled to the receiver, the transmit logic, and the storage medium, to identify a component of the one or more components of the system based on the identifier of the device and to control the transmit logic to transmit a command corresponding to the request to the identified component.

6. The apparatus of

claim 5

, further comprising a user interface to allow inputs from a user to modify the correspondence between the identifier and the one or more components.

7. The apparatus of

claim 5

, wherein the storage medium is further operative to store verification information regarding the one or more components, and wherein the control logic is further operative to access the storage medium to verify that the request can be carried out.

8. The apparatus of

claim 7

, wherein the control logic is further operative to access a current system time and to verify whether the request can be carried out based on the identified one or more components and the current system time.

9. The apparatus of

claim 5

, wherein the one or more components are located in physically separate rooms of a structure.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a request and an identifier of a receiver of the request from the receiver; and

issuing a command corresponding to the request to a component based on the identifier of the receiver.

11. The method of

claim 10

, wherein the issuing comprises issuing the command corresponding to the request to a component in a same location as the receiver.

12. The method of

claim 10

, further comprising issuing an additional command corresponding to the request to an additional component based on the identifier of the receiver.

13. The method of

claim 10

, further comprising issuing an additional command corresponding to the request to an additional component at a location other than a location where the request occurred.

14. The method of

claim 10

, further comprising:

verifying whether the request is to be carried out; and

issuing the command corresponding to the request to the component only if the request is to be carried out, and otherwise ignoring the request.

15. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, designed to be executed by a processor, for implementing a function to receive a request and an identifier of a receiver of the request from the receiver, and to issue a command corresponding to the request to a component based on the identifier of the receiver.

16. The machine-readable medium of

claim 15

, wherein the issuing of a command comprises issuing the command to a component in a same location as the receiver.

17. The machine-readable medium of

claim 15

, wherein the plurality of instructions are further for implementing a function to issue an additional command corresponding to the request to an additional component based on the identifier of the receiver.

18. The machine-readable medium of

claim 15

, wherein the plurality of instructions are further for implementing a function to issue an additional command corresponding to the request to an additional component at a location other than a location where the request occurred.

19. The machine-readable medium of

claim 15

, wherein the plurality of instructions are further for implementing a function to verify whether the request is to be carried out and to issue the command corresponding to the request to the component only if the request is to be carried out, and otherwise ignoring the request.