REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE HAVING WIRELESS PHONE INTERFACE

• US 20050064860A1
• Filed: 09/05/2003
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: DeLine, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 7,194,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006

Abstract

A remote control device (RCD) typical of a television or home entertainment system is adapted to be communicable with a mobile phone. When a mobile phone receives a signal in a first wireless protocol from a digital cellular network (DCN), the signal is wirelessly forwarded to the RCD in a second wireless protocol for processing such as answering a voice call or displaying message data using the RCD. In addition, the RCD is wirelessly communicable with one or more peripheral devices such as a television and/or other components of a home entertainment system. The RCD can further forward the signal or a component of the signal received from the mobile phone to one of the peripheral devices for output. Thus, if a mobile phone is not handy when a signal is received, it can be passed to the RCD to be handled in a manner deemed appropriate by a user.

Claims

1. A remote control device (RCD) comprising:

a first wireless interface for controlling one or more peripheral devices;

a second wireless interface for communicating with a mobile phone;

a speaker for outputting audio signals received from the mobile phone;

a microphone for receiving audio signals to be transmitted to the mobile phone; and

a processor for processing wireless signals communicated between the RCD and the mobile phone, wherein the RCD;

receives a signal from the mobile phone in response to the mobile phone receiving a wireless signal from a digital cellular network (DCN); and

processes the received signal from the mobile phone.

2. The RCD of claim 1 wherein the signal received by the RCD from the mobile phone is an audio signal used for establishing a telephone call.

3. The RCD of claim 2 wherein processing the received signal from the mobile phone comprises using the RCD to connect to a telephone call received by the mobile phone.

4. The RCD of claim 3 wherein the RCD transmits the audio signal received from the mobile phone to one of the one or more peripheral devices to be audibly output.

5. The RCD of claim 1 wherein the signal received by the RCD from the mobile phone is a data signal selected from the group consisting of a text data signal, an audio data signal, a video data signal, and any combination thereof.

6. The RCD of claim 5 wherein the act of processing the received signal from the mobile phone comprises transmitting the data signal received from the mobile phone to one of the one or more peripheral devices to be output.

7. The RCD of claim 1 wherein the signal received by the RCD from the mobile phone is a data signal selected from the group consisting of an SMS message, an MMS message, and an e-mail message.

8. The RCD of claim 7 wherein processing the received signal from the mobile phone comprises transmitting the data signal received from the mobile phone to one of the one or more peripheral devices to be output.

9. A remote control device (RCD) communicable with a mobile phone and one or more peripheral devices, the RCD comprising:

means for controlling the mobile phone to;

process signals received from the mobile phone;

output signals received from the mobile phone;

handle an incoming telephone call received by the mobile phone from a digital cellular network (DCN); and

means for controlling the one or more peripheral devices such that signals received from the mobile phone can be transmitted to the one or more peripheral devices.

10. The RCD of claim 9 further comprising:

processing means for processing signals received from the mobile phone;

a speaker for outputting audio signals received from the mobile phone; and

a microphone for inputting audio signals to be sent to the mobile phone.

11. The RCD of claim 10 wherein the remote control device further comprises a user interface to control the output of data received from the mobile phone.

12. The RCD of claim 11 wherein the remote control device further comprises a video display to display video or text data received from the mobile phone.