Pairing a remote control and a television

• US 20060053444A1
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies Corporation (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Gomez, Mark H., Rudolph, Daniel L., Dugan, Michael T., Gilbert, Tyler S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,887,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/003 using tactile presentation of the information, e.g. Braille displays
• 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 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• 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 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27

Abstract

The present invention is a method for associating remote controls and televisions. More specifically, the present invention permits delivery of television programming to multiple televisions from a television converter device. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.

Claims

8. A system for receiving satellite signals containing television programming and displaying different television programming on different televisions, the system comprising:

a set top box including

a receiving device for receiving an output signal containing television programming from a satellite communication device,

a first television output port for connection to a first television,

a second television output port for connection to a second television,

control electronics independently delivering television programming to each of the television output ports, and

the remote control interface receiving commands from a first remote control and a second remote control;

wherein the set top box delivers television programming to a first television connected to the first television output in response to commands received from the first remote control and independently delivers different television programming to a second television connected to the second television output in response to commands received from the second remote control.

1. A television converter device for receiving multiple streams of television programming and delivering television programming to multiple connected display devices, the television converter device comprising:

a plurality of display output connections, each display output connection for attachment to a different display device;

a remote control interface operable to receive commands from any of a plurality of remote controls and, wherein at least some of the commands are associated with a remote control identifier; and

control electronics operable to associate each remote control identifier with one of the plurality of display output connections and further operable to deliver one or more streams of television programming to each display output connection as directed by commands having that display output connection'"'"'s associated remote control identifier.

2. The television converter device of claim 1 further comprising:

the plurality of remote controls, each remote control having an associated remote control identifier that is transmitted with each command sent to the television converter device.

3. The television converter device of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of tuners, each tuner operable to receive multiple streams of television programming in a digital form modulated on a carrier signal and deliver one or more streams of television programming to any one of the plurality of display output connections as directed by the control electronics.

4. The television converter device of claim 1, wherein the remote control identifier is additional data added to the command sent by the remote control.

5. The television converter device of claim 1, wherein the remote control identifier is a frequency used by the remote control to transmit the command to the receiving device.

6. The television converter device of claim 2, wherein the remote control identifier can be changed by user selection using keys on a keypad provided on each of the remote controls.

7. The television converter device of claim 1, wherein the remote control is operable to retain one of a plurality of visual indicia, each visual indicia, when retained causing the remote control to use a different remote control identifier.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

wherein the first remote control transmits commands to the set top box to control the delivery of television programming to a television connected to a first television output port; and

wherein the second remote control transmits commands to the set top box to control the delivery of television programming to a television connected to a first television output port.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the set top box further comprises:

a third television output port for connection to a third television,

the remote control interface receiving commands from a third remote control and

wherein the set top box further delivers television programming to the third television connected to the third television output in response to commands received from the third remote control.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the set top box further comprises:

a plurality of control electronics, each control electronics operable to receive the output signal and deliver specific television programming contained in the output signal to any one of the television output ports as directed by the control electronics.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the set top box further comprises:

data stored in memory on the set top box that associates a first identifier associated with the first remote control with the first television output port.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the set top box further comprises:

data stored in memory on the set top box that associates a second identifier associated with the second remote control with the second television output port.

14. The system of claim 9 further comprising:

visual indicia for associating a remote control with a television.

13-1. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

the satellite communication device receiving the satellite signals from a satellite and delivering the output signal containing television programming to the set top box.

15. A method of independently delivering television programming to televisions connected to a set top box, the method comprising:

associating a first remote control with a first of the plurality of televisions and a second remote control with a second of the plurality of televisions;

receiving a first command from the first remote control directing the set top box to display first television programming and a second command from the second remote control directing the set top box to display second television programming;

delivering the first television programming from the set top box to the first television in response to first command received by the first remote control; and

delivering the second television programming from the set top box to the second television in response to the second command received from the second remote control.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

associating a third remote control with a third of the plurality of televisions;

receiving a third command from the third remote control directing the set top box to display third television programming; and

delivering the third television programming from the set top box to the third television in response to the third command received from the third remote control.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein associating comprises:

providing the first remote control with a first identifier and the second remote control with a second identifier; and

associating the first identifier with a first output on the set top box connected to the first television and the second identifier with a second output on the set top box connected to the second television.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving further comprises:

receiving the first identifier with the first command and the second identifier with the second command.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first identifier is a first transmission frequency and receiving command comprises:

receiving the first command from the first remote control on the first transmission frequency.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein associating further comprises:

attaching a visual indicia identifying the first television to the first remote control, wherein the visual indicia interacts with the first remote control causing the remote control to transmit commands pre-associated with the first television and not to transmit commands associated with the second television.