TOUCH-SENSITIVE WIRELESS DEVICE AND ON SCREEN DISPLAY FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLING A SYSTEM

• US 20110007018A1
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Savant Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Savant Systems, LLC
• Inventors: McKinley, David, Perry, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,105,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/21 Programming remote control devices via third means
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• 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 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• 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 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44012 involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally

Abstract

A touch-sensitive wireless device, such as a wireless telephone or wireless multimedia player, in conjunction with an interactive on screen display, effectively remotely controls a programmable multimedia controller or other system. User gestures, button presses or other touches to or movements of the touch-sensitive wireless device are effectively converted to information that is wirelessly transmitted to the programmable multimedia controller. Once received by the programmable multimedia controller, such information is processed and effectively translated so as to control the operation of the controller.

Claims

1. A multimedia system capable of being remotely controlled by a wireless telephone comprising:

a programmable multimedia controller which includes a general purpose computer, at least one video input module and at least one video output module;

at least one video display, coupled to said at least one video input module and said at least one video output module, responsive to said programmable multimedia controller for displaying a plurality of interactive on screen displays, each of said interactive on screen displays being operable by a user to control one or more programmable services supported by said programmable multimedia controller; and

a wireless telephone which includes a touch-sensitive display, said touch-sensitive display operable by a user to interact with said interactive on screen displays, thereby controlling said one or more programmable services.

2. The multimedia system as in claim 1 wherein one or more of said plurality of interactive on screen displays includes one or more graphical elements whose assigned functionality dynamically changes depending upon which one of said one or more programmable services said user is controlling.

3. The multimedia system as in claim 1 wherein one or more of said plurality of interactive on screen displays includes one or more graphical elements whose assigned functionality dynamically changes depending upon a menu level to which said user has navigated.

4. The multimedia system as in claim 1 wherein said wireless telephone, in response to a user gesture, button press, touch or movement of said wireless telephone, wirelessly transmits information to said programmable multimedia controller which converts said information into one or more commands for controlling said one or more programmable services.

5. The multimedia system as in claim 1 wherein said touch-sensitive display displays one or more buttons each of which enables said user to gain access to a predetermined one of said programmable services.

6. A multimedia system capable of being remotely controlled by a wireless multimedia player comprising:

a programmable multimedia controller including a general purpose computer, at least one video input module and at least one video output module;

at least one video display, coupled to said at least one video input module and said at least one video output module, responsive to said programmable multimedia controller for displaying a plurality of interactive on screen displays, each of said interactive on screen displays being operable by a user to control one or more programmable services supported by said programmable multimedia controller; and

a wireless multimedia player which includes a touch-sensitive display, said touch-sensitive display operable by a user to interact with said interactive on screen displays, thereby controlling said one or more programmable services.

7. The multimedia system as in claim 6 wherein one or more of said plurality of interactive on screen displays includes one or more graphical elements whose assigned functionality dynamically changes depending upon which one of said one or more programmable services said user is controlling.

8. The multimedia system as in claim 6 wherein one or more of said plurality of interactive on screen displays includes one or more graphical elements whose assigned functionality dynamically changes depending upon a menu level to which said user has navigated.

9. The multimedia system as in claim 6 wherein said wireless multimedia player, in response to a user gesture, button press, touch or movement of said wireless multimedia player, wirelessly transmits information to said programmable multimedia controller which converts said information into one or more commands for controlling said one or more programmable services.

10. The multimedia system as in claim 6 wherein said touch-sensitive display displays one or more buttons each of which enables said user to gain access to a predetermined one of said programmable services.

11. A method for remotely controlling a multimedia system using a wireless device comprising the steps of:

providing a programmable multimedia controller which includes a general purpose computer and which supports a plurality of programmable services;

providing at least one video display coupled to said programmable multimedia controller for displaying a plurality of interactive on screen displays, each of said interactive on screen displays being operable by a user to control one or more of said plurality of programmable services; and

providing a wireless device which includes a touch-sensitive display, said touch-sensitive display operable by said user to interact with said interactive on screen displays, thereby controlling one or more of said plurality of programmable services, said wireless device being further configured to establish a wireless connection to the programmable multimedia controller by attempting to auto-detect a server using a broadcast search function.

12. The method as in claim 11 wherein one or more of said plurality of interactive on screen displays includes one or more graphical elements whose assigned functionality dynamically changes depending upon which one of said plurality of programmable services said user is controlling.

13. The method as in claim 11 wherein one or more of said plurality of interactive on screen displays includes one or more graphical elements whose assigned functionality dynamically changes depending upon a menu level to which said user has navigated.

14. The method as in claim 11 wherein said wireless device, in response to a user gesture, button press, touch or movement of said wireless multimedia player, wirelessly transmits information to said programmable multimedia controller which converts said information into one or more commands for controlling said one or more of said plurality of programmable services.

15. The method as in claim 11 wherein said touch-sensitive display displays one or more buttons each of which enables said user to gain access to a predetermined one of said programmable services.

16. The method as in claim 11 wherein said wireless device comprises a wireless telephone.

17. The method as in claim 11 wherein said wireless device comprises a wireless multimedia player.

18. The method as in claim 14, wherein said programmable multimedia controller receives a command indication message and recognizes it as a control command or request and responds by issuing a send command message.

19. The method as defined in claim 18 further comprising:

at said wireless device, upon receiving an interactive command, issuing a command request to the programmable multimedia controller, which in turn replies with a command confirmation, which returns the requested data to the wireless device.

20. The method as defined in claim 19 further comprising:

at said programmable multimedia controller, determining whether received information is that the user pressed a button or made a finger swipe gesture.