Systems and Methods for Remote Control Setup

• US 20090322583A1
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Zenthoefer, Matthew P., Reams, William R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,202,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/176
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/21 Programming remote control devices via third means
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control

Abstract

A remote control device may include: first circuitry to control a function of a first electronic device; second circuitry to be set to control a function of a second electronic device; and a setup controller to set the second circuitry to control a function of a target electronic device based on a code received from a separate device. An electronic device to be controlled by a remote control device may include: an input device to receive a signal from the remote control device; an output device to send a signal to the remote control device; and a processor coupled to the input and output devices, and configured to access a database of codes and to selectively provide codes from the database to the remote control device, the codes configured to set circuitry of the remote control device to control a function of the electronic device and/or an auxiliary electronic device.

Claims

1. A remote control device, comprising:

first circuitry configured to wirelessly control at least one function of a first controllable electronic device upon receipt of a first user input;

second circuitry configured to be set to wirelessly control at least one function of an auxiliary controllable electronic device upon receipt of a second user input;

a setup controller configured to set the second circuitry to wirelessly control at least one function of a target auxiliary controllable electronic device based on a code received from the first controllable electronic device;

wherein the remote control device is configured to query the first controllable electronic device in response to a third user input and to receive a code from the first controllable electronic device in response to the query.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one function of the target auxiliary controllable electronic device is a single predetermined function.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the remote control device is configured to request a codeset from the first controllable electronic device when the code received from the first controllable electronic device allows the setup controller to set the second circuitry to wirelessly control the single predetermined function of the target auxiliary controllable electronic device, the requested codeset corresponding to the code and allowing the setup controller to set the second circuitry to wirelessly control at least a second function of the target auxiliary controllable electronic device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the remote control device is configured to re-query the first controllable electronic device for another code when the code received from the first controllable electronic device does not allow the setup controller to set the second circuitry to wirelessly control at least one function of the target auxiliary controllable electronic device.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the remote control device is configured to discontinue querying the first controllable electronic device when the code received from the first controllable electronic device allows the setup controller to set the second circuitry to wirelessly control at least one function of the target auxiliary controllable electronic device.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the remote control device is configured to request a codeset from the first controllable electronic device when the code received from the first controllable electronic device allows the setup controller to set the second circuitry to wirelessly control at least one function of the target auxiliary controllable electronic, the requested codeset corresponding to the code and allowing the setup controller to set the second circuitry to wirelessly control at least a second function of the target auxiliary controllable electronic device.

7. A controllable electronic device configured to be controlled by a remote control device, the controllable electronic device comprising:

an input device configured to receive at least one wireless signal from the remote control device;

an output device configured to send at least one wireless signal to the remote control device in response to the at least one wireless signal from the remote control device; and

a processor coupled to the input device and to the output device, configured to access a database of codes and to selectively provide a subset of the codes from the database to the remote control device via the output device, the codes being configured to set circuitry of the remote control device to wirelessly control at least one function of another controllable electronic device.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising a storage device, wherein the storage device stores the database of codes to be accessed by the processor.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to provide a first code from the database in response to a first query signal from the remote control device, and is configured to provide a different code from the database in response to a subsequent query signal from the remote control device.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to provide a different code from the database in response to different instances of a query signal from the remote control device that requests a code.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured selectively provide the subset of the codes based on information regarding the another controllable electronic device.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to access a database of codesets and to provide a desired codeset from the database to the remote control device via the output device, the codesets corresponding to respective codes and being configured to set circuitry of the remote control device to wirelessly control at least a second function of the another controllable electronic device.

13. The device of claim 12, further comprising a storage device, wherein the storage device stores the database of codesets to be accessed by the processor.

14. A method for setup of a remote control device, the method comprising:

receiving a first signal from a remote control device at a first controllable electronic device, the remote control device including a plurality of circuitry for wirelessly controlling electronic devices;

communicating a first code to the remote control device from the first controllable electronic device in response to the first signal;

receiving a second signal from the remote control device at the first controllable electronic device; and

communicating a second code to the remote control device from the first controllable electronic device in response to the second signal.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising identifying the first code from a plurality of codes in response to the first signal.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising identifying the second code from the plurality of codes in response to the second signal, the second code being different from the first code.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising communicating a codeset corresponding to the second code to the remote control device from the first controllable electronic device in response to a third signal from the remote control device indicating that the second code successfully set some of the plurality of circuitry to wirelessly control at least one function of a target controllable electronic device, the codeset configured to set some of the circuitry to wirelessly control at least a second function of the target controllable electronic device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the first and second signals from the remote control device are queries for a code, the method comprising iteratively communicating codes from a database of codes to the remote control device from the first controllable electronic device in response to subsequent queries.