Remote Control Extension with Limited Command Duration

• US 20080316046A1
• Filed: 12/12/2006
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Home Control Singapore Pte Ltd. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Derom, Koen, Walrant, Thierry Gilbert Claude
• Granted Patent: US 9,135,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.62
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared

Abstract

A remote control extension system for controlling appliances (60,70,80). A remote control (20) is connected by means of a network (30) to an extender device (40). The remote control (20) transmits messages (110,120) to the extender (40) during the period, that a command (14) is to be It transmitted from the extender to an appliance. The command is for example a command having a variable duration, such as Volume UP. The extender (40) receives the messages. It transmits the command as long as it receives the messages from the remote control. It finishes the transmission of the command, if an expected message has not been received at a predetermined time. In this way, the duration of a command is limited in case of network disturbances.

Claims

1. A system for remote control of at least an appliance (60,70,80), the system comprising a remote control (20) and an extender (40) coupled thereto,

the remote control (20) being adapted

for transmitting messages (100,110) to the extender (40) during the period, that a command (14) is to be transmitted from the extender to an appliance;

the extender (40) being adapted

for receiving the messages,

for transmitting the command as long as it receives the messages from the remote control and

for finishing the transmission of the command, if an expected message has not been received at a predetermined time.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein

the remote control is adapted for periodically transmitting the messages,

and the extender is adapted for finishing the transmission of the command, if no message is received within a predetermined time interval after the reception of an earlier message.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the extender is adapted for resetting a timer when receiving the messages, starting the timer and finishing the transmission of the command, if the timer reaches a predetermined time-out value without a further message being received.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control is adapted for transmitting a stop message (120) to the extender and wherein the extender is adapted for finishing the command upon receiving the stop message.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control is adapted for transmitting to the extender a start message (100) and wherein the extender is adapted for starting the transmission of the command upon receiving the start message.

6. A system according to claim 5 wherein the remote control is adapted for including an end code (E) into the start message.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the extender is adapted for finishing the command by transmitting the end code.

8. A system according to claim 5 wherein the remote control is adapted for including a continuation code (C) into the start message and the extender is adapted for transmitting the command using the continuation code.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control is adapted for transmitting at least some of the messages according to a duplication mechanism.

10. A system according to claim 1 wherein the remote control is a single device coupled to a network (30).

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control comprises a handheld device (26) and a receiver device (27) coupled to a network (30), the handheld device is adapted for transmitting a command to the receiver device and the receiver device is adapted for generating the messages to be transmitted to the extender based on the command received from the handheld device.

12. Remote control (20) for use in a system for remote control of at least an appliance according to claim 1, the remote control (20) being adapted for transmitting messages (100,110) to an extender (40) during the period, that a command is to be transmitted from the extender to an appliance.

13. Extender (40) for use in a system for remote control of at least an appliance according to claim 1, the extender being adapted

for receiving messages (100,110) from a remote control,

for transmitting a command (14) to an appliance as long as it receives the messages from the remote control and

for finishing the transmission of the command, if an expected message has not been received at a predetermined time.

14. A method for remote control of at least an appliance in a system comprising a remote control and an extender coupled thereto, comprising the steps of:

by the remote control (20) transmitting messages to the extender (40) during the period, that a command is to be transmitted from the extender to an appliance;

by the extender (40)

receiving the messages,

transmitting the command as long as it receives the messages from the remote control and

finishing the transmission of the command, if an expected message has not been received at a predetermined time.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein

the remote control periodically transmits the messages

and the extender finishes the transmission of the command, if no message is received within a predetermined time interval after the reception of an earlier message.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the extender resets a timer when receiving the messages, starts the timer and finishes the transmission of the command, if the timer reaches a predetermined time-out value without a further message being received.

17. A method according to claim 14, wherein the remote control transmits a stop message to the extender and wherein the extender finishes the command upon receiving the stop message.

18. A method according to claim 14, wherein the remote control transmits a start message to the extender and wherein the extender starts the transmission of the command upon receiving the start message.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the remote control includes an end code into the start message.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the extender finishes the command by transmitting the end code.

21. A method according to claim 18 wherein the remote control includes a continuation code into the start message and the extender transmits the command using the continuation code.

22. A method according to claim 14, wherein the remote control transmits at least some of the messages according to a duplication mechanism.

23. A computer program comprising computer program code means adapted to perform the following step, when said program is run on a computer:

by a remote control (20) transmitting messages to an extender (40) during the period, that a command is to be transmitted from the extender to an appliance.

25. A computer program as claimed in claim 23 embodied on a computer readable medium.

26. A carrier medium carrying the computer executable program of claim 23.

24. A computer program comprising computer program code means adapted to perform the following steps, when said program is run on a computer:

by an extender (40)

receiving messages from a remote control,

transmitting a command to an appliance as long as it receives the messages from the remote control and

finishing the transmission of the command, if an expected message has not been received at a predetermined time.