UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL FOR EFFECTING THE SAME FUNCTION ON A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT DEVICES

• US 20080158038A1
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• 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:
  US11/962,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20080158038A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/176
• 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 method for effecting a function of a remotely controlled television, comprising:

pointing a universal remote device in the direction of the remotely controlled television, said universal remote device comprising a database of encoded signals for effecting the function on at least twenty different remotely controlled televisions each of said at least twenty different remotely controlled televisions requiring a different signal to effect said function, and wherein the signal required to effect the function on said television is not known prior to encountering it;

actuating an actuator on the universal remote device, thereby causing the device to send the encoded signals for the at least twenty different televisions from the database to a signal emitter on the universal remote device; and

sequentially emitting the encoded signals from the signal emitter so as to effect the function on said one of the remotely controlled televisions without selecting a set of encoded signals for the universal remote device, wherein there is no more than about ½

second between each encoded signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded signals are sent only a single time to the signal emitter.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signals emitted are infrared light.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising pointing the universal remote device in the direction of a second remotely controlled television and repeating the actuating and emitting steps.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the function effected is powering off the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the function effected is muting the device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising pointing the universal remote device in the direction of the same one of the remotely controlled televisions a second time and repeating the actuating and emitting steps.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the function is reversed upon repeating the actuating and emitting steps.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the remotely controlled television is turned on when the function is reversed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded signals are emitted with between about ¼

second and ½

second between each encoded signal.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the device controls no more than two functions, wherein the functions are selected from the group consisting of power on/off, mute and closed caption.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein each encoded signal is sent only once.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the function effected is closed caption.

12. A method for minimizing disturbance from a remotely controlled television in a place where there are a plurality of televisions, comprising:

encountering the television in the place where there are a plurality of televisions;

pointing a universal remote device in the direction of the remotely controlled television, said universal remote device comprising a database of encoded signals for effecting a function selected from the group consisting of power on/off and mute on at least twenty different remotely controlled televisions, each of said at least twenty different remotely controlled televisions requiring a different signal to effect said function, wherein the signal required to effect the function on said television is not known prior to encountering it;

actuating an actuator on the universal remote device, thereby causing the device to send the encoded signals for the at least twenty different remote controlled televisions from the database to a signal emitter on the universal remote device;

sequentially emitting the encoded signals from the signal emitter so as to effect the function on said television in the public place, thereby minimizing disturbance from the television in the public places wherein there is no more than about 12 second between each encoded signal.