Universal remote control for effecting the same function on a plurality of different devices

• US 20050174253A1
• Filed: 02/11/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cornfield Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cornfield Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Altman, Mitchell A.
• Application Number:
  US10/776,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20050174253A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.720
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42225 characterized by types of remote control, e.g. universal remote control

Abstract

A universal remote control device effects a same function on a plurality of different remotely controlled devices. The device has a housing, an actuator within the housing, a database of encoded signals for effecting the same function on the plurality of different remotely controlled devices; and a signal emitter configured to emit the encoded signals so as to effect the same function for each of the plurality of different devices in response to actuation of the actuator with no more than ½ second between each encoded signal.

Claims

1. A universal remote control device for effecting a same function on a plurality of different remotely controlled devices, comprising:

a housing;

an actuator within the housing;

a database of encoded signals for effecting the same function on said plurality of different remotely controlled devices; and

a signal emitter configured to emit the encoded signals so as to effect the same function for each of said plurality of different devices in response to actuation of the actuator with no more than ½

second between each encoded signal.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the same function is to power the device off.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the same function is to mute the device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the device effects the same function on at least five different remotely controlled devices.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the device effects the same function on at least ten different remotely controlled devices.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the device effects the same function on at least twenty different remotely controlled devices.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a television.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a stereo or a video player, such as a VCR or DVD player.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to resemble a smiley face.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the actuator is a button on the smiley face.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the button is a nose on the smiley face.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the signal emitter is an eye on the smiley face.

13. The device of claim 1, additionally comprising a second signal emitter.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein both signal emitters are eyes on a smiley face.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the signal emitter is an infrared (IR) light emitting diode (LED).

16. The device of claim 1, wherein there is no more than ¼

second between each encoded signal.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein there is no more than 1/10 second between each encoded signal.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the device controls only a single function.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is in the form of a keychain.

20. A method for effecting a function of a remotely controlled device, comprising:

pointing a universal remote device in the direction of the remotely controlled device, said universal remote device comprising a database of encoded signals for effecting the function on a plurality of different remotely controlled devices;

actuating an actuator on the universal remote device, thereby causing the device to send the encoded signals from the database to a signal emitter on the universal remote device; and

emitting the encoded signals from the signal emitter so as to effect the function on said remotely controlled device without selecting a set of encoded signals for the universal remote device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the encoded signals are sent only a single time to the signal emitter.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the signals emitted are infrared light.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising pointing the universal remote device in the direction of a second remotely controlled device and repeating the actuating and emitting steps.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the function effected is powering off the device.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the function effected is muting the device.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising pointing the universal remote device in the direction of the remotely controlled device a second time and repeating the actuating and emitting steps.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the function is reversed upon repeating the actuating and emitting steps.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the remotely controlled device is turned on when the function is reversed.

29. The method of claim 20, wherein the encoded signals are emitted with less than ½

second between each encoded signal.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein the encoded signals are emitted with less than ¼

second between each encoded signal.

31. The method of claim 20, wherein the encoded signals are emitted with less than 1/10 second between each encoded signal.