SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACKING A CONTROLLER

• US 20100245113A1
• Filed: 03/25/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmehl, Ian, White, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,274,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.490
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/41 Remote control of gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/91 Remote control based on location and proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a gateway comprising a controller to transmit a first RF signal to a remote control device, wherein the first radio-frequency signal is received by a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the remote control device, receive at each of a plurality of receivers operably coupled to the gateway a second RF signal from the RFID tag of the remote control device in response to the first RF signal, determine an approximate location of the remote control device based on at least a portion of the second RF signals received by the plurality of receivers, and transmit a signal to a set-top-box, wherein the signal comprises the approximate location of the remote control device, and wherein the set-top-box displays the approximate location of the remote control device.. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A gateway, comprising a controller to:

transmit a first radio-frequency (RF) signal to a remote control device, wherein the first radio-frequency signal is received by a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the remote control device;

receive at each of a plurality of receivers operably coupled to the gateway a second RF signal from the RFID tag of the remote control device in response to the first RF signal;

determine an approximate location of the remote control device based on at least a portion of the second RF signals received by the plurality of receivers; and

transmit a signal to a set-top-box, wherein the signal comprises the approximate location of the remote control device, and wherein the set-top-box displays the approximate location of the remote control device.

2. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to determine the approximate location of the remote control device based on at least one of a signal strength of the second RF signals received by each of the plurality of receivers, and a time delay associated with the receipt of the second RF signals by the plurality of receivers.

3. The gateway of claim 2, wherein the controller is operable to determine the approximate location of the remote control device according to a triangulation analysis of the second RF signals received by the plurality of receivers.

4. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the plurality of receivers are positioned at an area where the remote control device is expected to operate.

5. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the gateway provides interactive television (iTV) services, wherein the iTV services comprise at least one of internet protocol television (IPTV), interactive satellite television, and interactive cable television.

6. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag comprises at least one of an active tag, a passive tag, and a semi-passive tag.

7. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the first RF signal is transmitted by a RFID reader associated with the gateway.

8. A set-top-box (STB), comprising a controller to:

receive a radio-frequency signal from a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with a remote control device;

determine a location of the remote control device based on the received radio-frequency signal; and

display the location of the remote control device via a graphical user interface.

9. The STB of claim 8, wherein the STB provides interactive television (iTV) services, wherein the iTV services comprise at least one of internet protocol television (IPTV), interactive satellite television, and interactive cable television.

10. The STB of claim 8, wherein the STB receives the radio-frequency signal from a gateway operably coupled to the STB, wherein the gateway receives the radio-frequency signal from the RFID tag associated with the remote control device in response to the gateway being in a vicinity of the RFID tag.

11. The STB of claim 8, wherein the graphical user interface displays the location of the remote control device on a map of an area associated with the determined location of the remote control device.

12. The STB of claim 8, wherein the graphical user interface displays the location of the remote control device via an electronic programming guide (EPG).

13. The STB of claim 8, wherein the STB is operably coupled to at least one camera, wherein the at least one camera takes a recording of an area associated with the determined location of the remote control device.

14. The STB of claim 13, wherein the STB displays the recording of the area associated with the determined location of the remote control device.

15. The STB of claim 8, wherein the RFID tag comprises at least one of an active tag, a passive tag, and a semi-passive tag.

16. A remote control, comprising a controller to:

receive a first radio-frequency (RF) signal from a gateway; and

transmit a second RF signal to a plurality of receivers operably coupled to the gateway, wherein a location of the remote control device is determined based on one or more instances of the second RF signal received by the plurality of receivers, and wherein the determined location is transmitted by the gateway to a set-top-box operably coupled to the gateway, and wherein the determined location is displayed by the set-top-box via a graphical user interface.

17. The remote control of claim 16, wherein the remote control comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, wherein the tag receives the first RF signal and transmits the second RF signal to the plurality of receivers.

18. The remote control of claim 17, wherein the RFID tag comprises at least one of an active tag, a passive tag, and a semi-passive tag.

19. A method, comprising:

transmitting a first radio-frequency (RF) signal to a remote control device by utilizing at least one of a gateway and a set-top-box (STB), wherein the gateway and the STB are operably coupled to the remote control device;

receiving at each of a plurality of receivers operably coupled to at least one of the gateway and the STB a second RF signal from the remote control device in response to the first RF signal;

determining an approximate location of the remote control device based on one or more instances of the second RF signal received by the plurality of receivers, wherein the determining step is performed by at least one of the gateway and the STB; and

displaying the determined location of the remote control device by utilizing the STB, wherein the determined location is displayed via a graphical user interface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the gateway and the STB is operable to determine the approximate location of the remote control device based on at least one of a signal strength of the second RF signals received by each of the plurality of receivers, and a time delay associated with the receipt of the second RF signals by the plurality of receivers.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the gateway and the STB is operable to determine the approximate location of the remote control device according to a triangulation analysis of the second RF signals received by the plurality of receivers.

22. The method of claim 19, comprising transmitting the first RF signal to a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the remote control device.

23. A method comprising presenting on a media device a graphical user interface indicating a location of a remote control device.

24. The method of claim 23, comprising:

determining the location of the remote control device based on a RF signal transmitted from the remote control device to at least one of a gateway and a set-top-box, wherein at least one of the gateway and the set-top-box determine the location.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the location of the remote control device is determined based on at least one of a signal strength of the RF signal, and a time delay associated with the transmission of the RF signal.