Arrangement including a remote control device and a first electronic device

• US 20020101358A1
• Filed: 11/20/2001
• Published: 08/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Home Control Signapore Pte., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Lambrechts, Marc, Wouters, Johan Agnes Emile, De Bolster, Ann
• Granted Patent: US 7,095,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.72
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code

Abstract

In an arrangement including a remote control device and at least a first electronic device, said remote control devices having a first memory for storing a set of code data for controlling a further electronic device, which first memory is connected to an input of a signal generator to supply said code data to said input, which signal generator is adapted to generate, on the basis of said code data, control signals for controlling said further electronic device, and to transmit said control signals to said further electronic device, said first electronic device having a data input arranged to receive data from said remote control device, said remote control has a code data output unit connected to said first memory, said code data output unit having a further input for receiving an upload signal and being adapted to read, under control of said upload signal, at least a subset of said set of code data from said memory, said code data output unit being further adapted to transmit said subset burstwise to said data input of said first electronic device, which first electronic device includes a second memory for storing a received subset.

Claims

1. A arrangement including a remote control device and at least a first electronic device, said remote control device having a first memory for storing a set of code data for controlling a further electronic device, which first memory is connected to an input of a signal generator to supply said code data to said input, which signal generator is adapted to generate, on the basis of said code data, control signals for controlling said further electronic device, and to transmit said control signals to said further electronic device, said first electronic device having a data input arranged to receive data from said remote control device, characterized in that said remote control device has code data output unit connected to said first memory, said code data output unit having a further input for receiving an upload signal and being adapted to read, under control of said upload signal, at least a subset of said set of code data from said memory, said code data output unit being further adapted to transmit said subset burstwise to a further data input of a second electronic device which includes a second memory for storing a received subset.

2. A arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said signal generator is connected to said code data output unit, which is adapted to generate a control signal after reading of said subset and to transmit said control signal and said subset to said signal generator, said signal generator being adapted to generate a code data signal, which includes said subset, upon receipt of said control signal and to transmit said code data signal to said further data input of the second electronic device, which second electronic device includes a signal decoder adapted to retrieve said subset from a received code data signal.

3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said second electronic device includes a verification unit connected to said second memory and said further data input, said verification unit being adapted to compare a received subset with subsets stored in said second memory and to generate a first flag if said received subset is not stored in said second memory.

4. An arrangement as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said verification unit is adapted to generate a second flag if said received subset is already stored in said second memory, said verification unit being further adapted to inhibit, under control of said second flag, the storage of said received subset in said second memory.

5. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said signal generator is adapted to generate said control signal in accordance with a predetermined transmission protocol, said code data output unit being adapted to include an identifier, which identifies said transmission protocol, into said subset.

6. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first and the second electronic device are the same.

7. A remote control device forming part of an arrangement as claimed in any one of the claims 1-6, said remote control device having a first memory for storing a set of code data for controlling a first electronic device, which first memory is connected to an input of a signal generator to supply said code data to said input, which signal generator is adapted to generate, on the basis of said code data, control signals for controlling said first electronic device, and to transmit said control signals to said first electronic device, said first electronic device having a data input arranged to receive data from said remote control device, characterized in that said remote control device has a code data output unit connected to said first memory, said code data output unit having a further input for receiving an upload signal and being adapted to read, under control of said upload signal, at least a subset of said set of code data from said memory, said code data output unit being further adapted to transmit said subset burstwise to a further data input of a second electronic device which includes a second memory for storing a received subset.

8. A remote control device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that it is a user-configurable remote control.