Remote controlling

• US 20050146444A1
• Filed: 01/06/2004
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Knapp, Herbert C., Reimann, Robert, Allen, William A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,111,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.240
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units

Abstract

In general, in one aspect, the invention includes a method that includes providing, to a user of a control device, an indication of a value currently associated with a preset, and simultaneously providing an indication of a possible new value of the preset.

Claims

1. A method comprising

providing, to a user of a control device, an indication of a value currently associated with a preset, and

simultaneously providing an indication of a possible new value of the preset.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the preset is associated with works performed by a multi-media system.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the multi-media system comprises an audio system.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the indications comprise graphical items on a display.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the display is part of the control device.

6. The method of claim 1 also including enabling a user to confirm the possible new preset value.

7. The method of claim 5 in which the control device communicates with a second device to effect the confirmed new preset value.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the value comprises an identifier of a station.

12. The method of claim 1 in which the station comprises a source of items to be performed, the source being configured to store the items for performance in response to the preset.

9. A method comprising

enabling a user of a control device to indicate a possible new value of a preset and to separately confirm the indication, and

while the new value has been indicated and before the indication has been confirmed, changing an operation of another device in accordance with the indicated possible new value.

10. The method of claim 9 in which the value comprises an identifier of a station.

11. The method of claim 10 in which the station comprises a radio station and the media player comprises a radio receiver.

13. A method comprising

providing to a user of a control device, an indication of values of recently invoked presets, each of the preset values being associated with a source of works to be performed on an electronic device, different ones of the preset values being associated with different sources.

14. The method of claim 13 also including

enabling the user to identify one of the presets, and

causing an electronic device to change its state in response to the identification of the preset.

15. A method comprising

displaying values of possible selections at one level of a hierarchy of values,

enabling a user to select one of the values at the one level of the hierarchy, and

while at least a portion of the one level of the hierarchy is displayed, showing possible selections at a second, lower level of the hierarchy that correspond to the one of the values selected by the user, at least another portion of the one level being obscured.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising

displaying an identification of the level of the hierarchy currently displayed.

17. A method comprising

enabling a user at a control device to enter a command to cause muting of only a portion of a sound system, and

enabling the user to enter a command to cause muting of at least another portion of the sound system.

18. The method of claim 17 in which the command depends on a duration of the entering of the command by the user.

19. The method of claim 17 in which the portion of the sound system includes a particular portion associated with the remote control device.

20. The method of claim 17 in which the other portion of the sound system includes all portions of the sound system.