Multimedia interface control for consumer electronics device

• US 20020194621A1
• Filed: 06/18/2001
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eagle Broadband, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Eagle Broadband, Inc.
• Inventors: Nagel, John J., Hayden, Jon, Tran, Thanh T., Dao, Giang H.
• Application Number:
  US09/883,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20020194621A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/139
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 5/60 for the sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems

Abstract

A consumer electronics device includes a universal control logic unit to interface a plurality of input controls, a display and an antenna to a host system via a bus. The host system is located within a shielded enclosure, while the remaining components (e.g., input controls, display, antenna, universal control logic) are located outside the shielded enclosure. Because a single bus preferably is used to interface the various input/output components located outside the shielded enclosure to the shielded host system, the host system can be more easily and effectively shielded than if numerous separate electrical lines and busses were used to directly connect the various input/output devices to the host system.

Claims

1. A set top box, comprising:

a host system;

a universal control logic coupled to said host system via a bus;

a plurality of input controls coupled to said universal control logic; and

a display coupled to said universal control logic;

wherein said host system is contained within a shielded enclosure and said universal control logic, said input controls and said display are located outside said shielded enclosure.

2. The set top box of claim 1 wherein said input controls include a digital volume knob.

3. The set top box of claim 1 wherein said universal control logic comprises a hub, a bus interface and a microcontroller, said bus interface coupled to said hub and said microcontroller.

4. The set top box of claim 3 wherein said bus comprises a universal serial bus.

5. The set top box of claim 3 further including a communication unit coupled to said universal control logic which sends and receives information between the set top box and other devices.

6. The set top box of claim 5 wherein said communication unit comprises an antenna and a transceiver, and wherein said transceiver is coupled to said antenna and said universal control logic.

7. The set top box of claim 3 wherein said microcontroller includes a status flag bit associated with each input control, and said microcontroller sets a status flag when the associated input control is activated.

8. The set top box of claim 7 wherein said universal control logic includes an interrupt bit that is polled by said host system over said bus.

9. An electronics devices, comprising:

a host system;

a universal control logic coupled to said host system via a bus;

a plurality of input controls coupled to said universal control logic; and

a display coupled to said universal control logic;

wherein said universal control logic formats requests over said bus to said host system to indicate a user activation of an input control and wherein said host system performs an operation associated with the user activated input control; and

wherein said host system transmits data over said bus to said universal control logic and said universal control logic provides said data to said display to be shown to a user.

10. The electronics devices of claim 9 wherein said host system is contained within a shielded enclosure and said universal control logic is not contained within said enclosure.

11. The electronics device of claim 9 wherein said universal control logic includes a storage for a plurality of status flags, each flag corresponding to one of said input controls, and said universal control logic sets a status flag when a user activates an input control corresponding to said status flag.

12. The electronics device of claim 11 wherein said universal control logic includes an interrupt request bit that said universal control logic sets when needing service from said host system.

13. The electronics device of claim 9 wherein said host system sends commands to said universal control logic over said bus and said commands include a command identifier, and said universal control logic reads the command identifier to determine the type of command.

14. The electronics device of claim 13 wherein said command identifier comprises a command selected from the group consisting of a request for the universal control logic to indicate the status of said input controls and a command for the universal control logic to show information on said display.

15. The electronics device of claim 9 wherein said input controls include a volume control providing digital inputs to said universal control logic.

16. The electronics device of claim 15 wherein said host system includes interfaces to a speaker and a television monitor, and wherein said host system responds to an activation of the volume control by changing the volume level provided to said speaker.

17. The electronics devices of claim 16 wherein said host system provides volume level information to said universal control logic which uses said volume level information to show indication of said volume level on said display.

18. The electronics device of claim 17 wherein said universal control logic shows a graphical representation of said volume level on said display.

19. The electronics device of claim 17 wherein said host system also provides a signal to said television monitor, said signal being indicative of a graphical representation of said volume level to said interface.

20. The electronics device of claim 18 wherein said host system also provides a signal to said television monitor, said signal being indicative of a graphical representation of said volume level to said interface.