Remote control system

• US 20070099643A1
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dorfen Enterprises, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Almeda, James, Lindahl, Glen
• Granted Patent: US 8,254,901 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/519
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• 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: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C

Abstract

A method includes the steps of selecting an appliance to be controlled from a list of appliances stored in the cellular device, selecting an instruction to be communicated to the selected appliance from a list of instructions stored in the cellular device, and transmitting the instruction to a cellular interface associated with the selected appliance via a public cellular telephone infrastructure by dialing a telephone number stored in the cellular device.

Claims

1-27. -27. (canceled)

28. A method for controlling the operation of an appliance from a remote location using a cellular device, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting a list of one or more appliances capable of being controlled by a central hub;

receiving a selection of an appliance to be controlled from the list of appliances;

presenting a list of instructions associated with the selected appliance;

receiving a selection of an instruction from the list of instructions;

using the cellular device to transmit the instruction to the central hub; and

wherein the list of appliances and the list of instructions are retrieved from memory in the cellular device, without connecting to a remote device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the cellular device transmits the instruction directly to the central hub.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the cellular device transmits the instruction to the central hub via a text message.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of using the central hub to transmit the instruction to the selected appliance.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the central hub wirelessly transmits the instruction to the selected appliance.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the central hub transmits the instruction to the selected appliance using one of WiFi and Bluetooth.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of transmitting a verification from the selected appliance to the central hub indicative of whether the instruction was successfully executed by the selected appliance.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising the step of transmitting a verification from the central hub to the cellular device indicative of whether the instruction was successfully executed by the selected appliance.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the central hub is configured to dial the cellular device.

37. A hub for controlling one or more appliances based on communications with a cellular device, the hub comprising:

a cellular interface configured to connect to a base station of a public cellular telephone infrastructure;

a communications mechanism configured to transmit instructions to one or more appliances;

a memory configured to store a cellular telephone number associated with a cellular device and instructions capable of controlling a selected appliance from a list of one or more appliances;

a processor operatively coupled with the cellular interface and the memory, wherein the processor includes a program of instructions comprising;

instructions to answer an incoming telephone call from a cellular device, wherein answering the telephone call establishes a communication link between the hub and the cellular device via a public cellular network;

instructions to receive a command string from the cellular device over the public cellular network;

instructions to determine which of the appliances stored in the memory is an intended recipient of the command string;

instructions to send the command string to the intended recipient;

instructions to retrieve a cellular telephone number associated with the cellular device from the memory;

instructions to dial the cellular telephone number associated with the cellular device upon completion of executing the command string, wherein dialing the cellular telephone number establishes a communication link between the controller and the cellular device via a public cellular network; and

instructions to send verification to the cellular device that the command string has been executed via the public cellular network.

38. The hub of claim 37, wherein the communications mechanism is configured to communicate with an appliance via infrared communications.

39. The hub of claim 37, wherein the communications mechanism is configured to communicate with an appliance via Bluetooth communications.

40. The hub of claim 37, wherein the communications mechanism is configured to communicate with an appliance via WiFi communications.

41. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, the product comprising instructions operable to cause a processor to:

retreive a list of one or more appliances capable of being controlled from local memory, without connecting to a remote device;

present the list of appliances retrieved from local memory;

receive a selection of an appliance to be controlled from the list of appliances;

retrieve a list of instructions associated with the selected appliance from local memory, without connecting to a remote device;

present the list of instructions retrieved from local memory;

receive a selection of an instruction from the list of instructions;

dial a telephone number associated with the selected appliance, wherein dialing the telephone number establishes a communication link between the cellular device and a hub associated with the selected appliance; and

transmit the instruction from the cellular device to the hub over the communication link.

42. The product of claim 41, wherein each appliance on the list of appliances is associated with a unique telephone number.

43. The product of claim 41, wherein each appliance on the list of appliances is associated with a unique cellular telephone number.

44. The product of claim 43, wherein each telephone number associated with the list of appliances is stored in the cellular device.

45. The product of claim 41, wherein the hub wirelessly communicates the instruction to the selected appliance.

46. The product of claim 41, wherein the instruction transmitted to the hub over the communication link is a digital command string generated by the cellular device based on the selected instruction.

47. The product of claim 41, further comprising an instruction operable to cause a processor to answer a telephone call from the hub indicative of completion of the instruction.