System and methods for remote control of multiple display and devices

• US 20050117910A1
• Filed: 12/02/2003
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Liu, Qiong, Boreczky, John, Cooper, Matthew, Foote, Jonathan T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,624,166 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication

Abstract

Methods and systems for transferring media between media source devices and media sink devices are disclosed. Remote control units are used to indicate the media sink and media source devices for transferring media data between these elements.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting a select signal to a first control device associated with a source device using an remote control;

transmitting a paste signal to a second control device associated with a sink device using the remote control; and

in response to the transmitting of the select and paste signals, transferring media data from the source device to the sink device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying the media data at the sink device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected and paste signals are transmitted wirelessly to the first and second control devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the select and paste signals are transmitted as electromagnetic signals to the first and second control devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the source device is a virtual source located in another location from the first control device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sink device is a virtual sink located in a separate location from the second control device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sink device is a media bus which acts as a media connection to another location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the media data is converted to a format desirable for the sink device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a sink device is associated with more than one control devices, wherein one of the control devices is associated with multiple sink devices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein feedback is provided to a user when a select or paste signal is transmitted.

11. A system comprising:

a remote control to generate select and paste signals;

control devices associated with source devices and sink devices,

the control devices adapted to receive the select and paste signals from the remote control; and

logic adapted to transfer media data from one of the source devices to one of the sink devices in response to the select and paste signals.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the logic includes a switching matrix.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the logic includes a central controller.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the logic includes a format converter to convert the format of the media data.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the remote control is a wireless remote control.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the remote control is an infrared remote control.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one source device is a virtual source device located in another location from an associated control device.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one sink device is a virtual sink device located in a separate location from an associated control device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein one of the sink devices is a media bus which communicates with another location.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein one of the sink devices is associated with multiple control devices, one of the control devices being associated with more than one sink device.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein the system provides feedback for the select and paste functions.

22. A method comprising:

pointing a handheld controller at a source device to select media data, the handheld controller producing controller position and orientation information sufficient to determine the source device;

pointing the handheld controller at a sink device to send a paste signal, the handheld controller producing controller position and orientation information sufficient to determine the sink device; and

in response to the selecting and pasting, transferring the media data from the source device to the sink device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the selecting of the media data includes pushing a select button and wherein the pasting includes pushing a paste button.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising displaying the file at the sink device.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the handheld controller is a six-degrees-of-freedom controller.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the handheld controller wirelessly communicates with logic to transfer the media file.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the source and sink devices are associated with predetermined control windows that help define whether the handhold controller is pointed at the source or sink device.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the sink device is a media bus to transfer the media data to another location.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the media data is automatically converted to a format desirable for the sink device.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein user feedback is produced when the select or paste function occurs.

31. A system comprising:

a handheld controller to produce controller position and orientation information for selecting source and sink devices; and

logic adapted to transfer media data from a selected source device to a selected sink device in response to the selecting of the source and sink device with the handheld computer.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the handheld controller includes a select button for selecting a source device and a paste button for selecting a sink device.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the logic includes a switching matrix.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the logic includes a central controller.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the logic includes a format converter.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the handheld controller is a six-degrees-of-freedom controller.

37. The system of claim 31, wherein the handheld controller wirelessly communicates with the logic.

38. The system of claim 31, wherein the source and sink devices are associated with predetermined control windows that help define whether the handhold controller is pointed at the source or sink device.

39. The system of claim 31, wherein the sink device is a media bus connected to another location.

40. The system of claim 31, wherein the logic connects to a network that acts as a switching matrix.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the network is the Internet.