Television receiver and electric apparatus control method

• US 20040227857A1
• Filed: 05/12/2004
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Orion Electric (Orion Denki KK)
• Inventors: Mizushima, Yoshinori, Tsurusaki, Tetsuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,242,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/552
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

An object of this invention is to control operations of electric apparatuses other than a television receiver successively with an operation of the television receiver. The television receiver 1 includes an other-apparatus-code storage section 15, a successive control section 12, an other-apparatus-code output processing section 17, a transmission section 3, and a successive operation definition unit for making a specific operation of the television receiver 1 and specific operations of the other electric apparatuses correspond to one another in advance. The other-apparatus-code storage section 15 stores control codes for the other electric apparatuses. Successively with the specific operation of the television receiver 1, the control codes for the other electric apparatuses made to correspond to the specific operation of the television receiver 1 by the successive operation definition means are read from the other-apparatus-code storage section 15 into the successive control section 12, and the control codes are output to the other-apparatus-code output processing section 17. The other-apparatus-code output processing section 17 carries out a processing for transmitting by radio the control codes input from the successive control section 12, and causes the transmission section 3 to transmit the processed control codes to the other electric apparatuses.

Claims

1. A television receiver comprising:

an other-apparatus-code storage section which stores a control code for an electric apparatus other than the television receiver, an operation of the other electric apparatus being controlled by transmitting the control code by radio to the other electric apparatus by a remote controller;

successive operation definition means for setting a correspondence between a specific operation of the television receiver and a specific operation of the other electric apparatus based on a specific control code stored in the other-apparatus-code storage section;

an other-apparatus-code output processing section which carries out a processing for transmitting the control code for the other electric apparatus by radio;

a successive control section which outputs the control code for the other electric apparatus made to correspond to the specific operation of the television receiver by the successive operation definition means, to the other-apparatus-code output processing section, successively with the specific operation of the television receiver;

a transmission section which transmits the control code processed by the other-apparatus-code output processing section to the other electric apparatus by radio; and

a control section which controls operations of the television receiver, wherein

the specific control code made to correspond to the specific operation of the television receiver by the successive operation definition means is transmitted from the transmission section successively with the specific operation of the television receiver, thereby controlling the operation of the other electric apparatus.

2. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein

if a television control code other than the control code for the other electric apparatus is transmitted by radio to the television receiver by a television remote controller other than the remote controller for the other electric apparatus, the operations of the television receiver are controlled based on the transmitted television control code, and

the television receiver has a learning function of, when the control code for the other electric apparatus is transmitted to the television receiver by the remote controller for the other electric apparatus, storing the transmitted control code in the other-apparatus-code storage section.

3. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein

the other electric apparatus carries out the specific operation, which differs depending on a plurality of control codes, and

the successive operation definition means is enabled to set a correspondence between a plurality of specific operations of the television receiver and a plurality of specific operations of the other electric apparatus.

4. The television receiver according to claim 3, wherein

a plurality of the electric apparatuses are present, and

the successive operation definition means is enabled to set a correspondence between the specific operations of the plurality of other electric apparatuses and one of the plurality of specific operations of the television receiver.

6. The television receiver according to claim 2, wherein

the other electric apparatus carries out the specific operation, which differs depending on a plurality of control codes, and

the successive operation definition means is enabled to set a correspondence between a plurality of specific operations of the television receiver and a plurality of specific operations of the other electric apparatus.

7. The television receiver according to claim 6, wherein

a plurality of the electric apparatuses are present, and

the successive operation definition means is enabled to set a correspondence between the specific operations of the plurality of other electric apparatuses and one of the plurality of specific operations of the television receiver.

5. An electric apparatus control method of controlling an electric apparatus other than a television receiver using the television receiver, wherein

an operation of the other electric apparatus is controlled based on a control code transmitted to the other electric apparatus from a remote controller by radio,

the television receiver stores a television control code transmitted by a television remote controller by radio, an operation of the television receiver being controlled based on the television control code, has a learning function of storing the control code for the other electric apparatus, and comprises:

an other-apparatus-code output processing section which carries out a processing for transmitting the stored control code by radio; and

a transmission section which transmits the control code to the other electric apparatus by radio, and wherein

the method comprises;

a control code learning step of transmitting the control code for the other electric apparatus by the remote controller for the other electric apparatus, and of storing the control code in the television receiver;

a successive operation definition step of defining a correspondence between a specific operation of the television receiver and a specific operation of the other electric apparatus based on a specific control code, and of storing the correspondence in the television receiver; and

a control code transmission step of carrying out a processing for transmitting by radio the specific control code for the other electric apparatus made to correspond to the specific operation of the television receiver in the successive operation definition step, successively with the specific operation of the television receiver, and of transmitting the processed specific control code from the transmission section of the television receiver to the other electric apparatus.