REMOTE CONTROL

• US 20080062337A1
• Filed: 09/06/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: FM Marketing GmbH
• Original Assignee: FM Marketing GmbH
• Inventors: Maier, Ferdinand
• Application Number:
  US11/851,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20080062337A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/734
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/61 Password, biometric
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/94 Smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4182 for identification purposes, e.g. storing user identification data, preferences, personal settings or data restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code in combination with an additional device, e.g. dongle or smart card G06F21/123
• 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 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children

Abstract

The customizable remote control for control of interactive multimedia devices, especially a set-top box (15), has a first hardware device, especially a fingerprint reader (15), by means of which authorized persons can be unambiguously identified. Moreover, the remote control has a second hardware device, preferably a SIM card reader (16a), for the unambiguous identification of the remote control (12). This ensures that only authorized remote controls (12) can communicate with and control the set-top box (5) and also that new entry or changes of user data of authorized persons can only be done with the second device, especially a SIM card (16).

Claims

1. A customizable remote control for control of interactive multimedia devices, with a first hardware device for recognition of persons, characterized by a second interchangeable hardware device for unambiguous identification of the remote control.

2. The remote control of claim 1 wherein the second hardware device is a SIM card.

3. The remote control of claim 1:

wherein the first hardware device and the second hardware device are interconnected so that new input and/or changes in regard to the first hardware device are only possible in presence of the interchangeable second hardware device.

4. The remote control of claim 2:

wherein the first hardware device and the second hardware device are interconnected so that new input and/or changes in regard to the first hardware device are only possible in presence of the interchangeable second hardware device.

5. A combination of customized remote control and interactive multimedia device, wherein

a data exchange between the remote control and the device is only possible when the remote control has identified itself to the device by means of a hardware device for unambiguous identification of the remote control.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the remote control and the device each have a device for reading of unambiguous identification data in the form of a SIM card.

7. A customizable remote control assembly for control of a media appliance, the remote control assembly comprising:

a remote control having a person identifier for recognizing a person;

a remote control identifier associated with the media appliance for recognizing the remote control; and

a data carrier for holding data associated with the remote control for recognition by the remote control identifier;

wherein the person identifier and remote control identifier cooperate to ensure that the media appliance is controllable only by said remote control and not by other remote controls, and to ensure that only authorized persons operate said remote control.

8. The customizable remote control assembly of claim 7 wherein the person identifier recognizes the person by means of a characteristic unique to the person.

9. The customizable remote control assembly of claim 8 wherein said characteristic unique to the person is selected from characteristics consisting of fingerprint, voice, iris, odor, and face.

10. The customizable remote control assembly of claim 7 wherein the person identifier recognizes the person by means of a password.

11. The customizable remote control assembly of claim 7 wherein the person identifier is a fingerprint reader.

12. The customizable remote control assembly of claim 7 wherein the data carrier carries data which identifies the remote control to the remote control identifier.

13. The customizable remote control assembly of claim 7 wherein the data carrier is interchangeable between the remote control and the remote control identifier.

14. The customizable remote control assembly of claim 7 wherein the data carrier is a SIM card.

15. The customizable remote control assembly of claim 7 wherein the remote control identifier is a set-top box.

16. The customizable remote control assembly of claim 7 wherein the data carrier communicates data to the remote control identifier during an initialization operation to establish recognition of the remote control.

17. The customizable remote control assembly of claim 7, wherein:

the person identifier for recognizing a person is a fingerprint reader;

the remote control identifier associated with the media appliance is a set-top box; and

the data carrier for holding data input via the remote control for recognition by the remote control identifier is a SIM card.

18. The customizable remote control assembly of claim 7, wherein the data carrier for holding data associated with the remote control for recognition by the remote control identifier is a first SIM card, and the assembly further comprises a second SIM card for the remote control identifier, which second SIM card is matched with the first SIM card.