SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONFIGURATION OF CONTROLLING DEVICE FUNCTIONALITY

• US 20110093799A1
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Truong, Brian Alex, Hatambeiki, Arsham, Yuh, Han-Sheng
• Application Number:
  US12/956,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093799A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/763
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices
• 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 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• 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 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself

Abstract

A user interface of a hand-held device is provided with a widget which is activatable to cause the hand-held device to perform at least one action. The widget is created by a user selecting programming blocks from a library of pre-defined programming blocks where each programming block is graphically represented as a processing unit with at least one of an input and an output. User input is then provided to graphically interconnect selected ones of the inputs and outputs of the pre-defined, user selected programming blocks to thereby define the at least one action that is to be performed upon activation of the widget.

Claims

1. A computer-readable media embodied on a physical, non-transient memory device having instructions for creating a user interface for provision to a hand-held device adapted to control functional operations of one or more appliances, the instructions performing steps comprising:

receiving input to create a widget which is activatable via the user interface of the hand-held device to cause the hand-held device to perform at least one action, the widget comprising a plurality of pre-defined, user selected programming blocks each graphically represented as a processing unit with at least one of an input and an output of which user selected ones of the inputs and outputs of the pre-defined, user selected programming blocks are graphically interconnected via user interaction to define the at least one action to be performed upon activation of the widget; and

receiving input to add the created widget to a user interface to be provided to the hand-held device.

2. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the input to create the widget further comprises input used to define one or parameters associated with one or more of the pre-defined, user selected programming blocks.

3. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein drag and drop operations are used to add the pre-defined, user selected programming blocks onto a graphic workspace.

4. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 3, wherein mouse clicks are used to connect inputs and outputs of the pre-defined, user selected programming blocks added onto the graphic workspace.

5. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the widget is associated with an icon and wherein the widget is activated in response to a user selection of the icon when displayed in a touch-screen display of the hand-held device.

6. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the widget is associated with a page of the user interface and wherein the widget is activated in response to a user selection made to cause a display of the page in a touch-screen display of the hand-held device.

7. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the widget is associated with a hard key of the hand-held device and wherein the widget is activated in response to a user selection of the hard key.

8. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein activation of the widget causes a retrieval of data from one or more appliances in communication with the hand-held device.

9. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 8, wherein activation of the widget causes a display of the retrieved data in a display of the hand-held device.

10. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein activation of the widget causes a transmission of a control command to one or more appliances in communication with the hand-held device.

11. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the pre-defined, user selected programming blocks are selected from a library of pre-defined programming blocks including one or more of a system event programming block, a timer programming block, a button programming block, a hard button programming block, a slider programming block, a constant programming block, a flag programming block, an if/then programming block, a math programming block, a multiplexer programming block, a repeater programming block, a switch programming block, a toggle programming block, an action programming block, an image programming block, and an appliance response receiving programming block.

12. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the pre-defined, user selected programming block are selected from a library of pre-defined programming blocks including logic performing blocks and input and/or output performing blocks.

24. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the pre-defined, user selected programming block are selected during the step of creating the widget from a library of pre-defined programming blocks including logic performing blocks and input and/or output performing blocks.

13. A method for creating a user interface for provision to a hand-held device adapted to control functional operations of one or more appliances, comprising:

creating at a development system a widget which is activatable via the user interface of the hand-held device to cause the hand-held device to perform at least one action, the created widget comprising a plurality of pre-defined, user selected programming blocks each graphically represented as a processing unit with at least one of an input and an output of which user selected ones of the inputs and outputs of the pre-defined, user selected programming blocks are graphically interconnected via user interaction to define the at least one action to be performed upon activation of the widget;

adding the created widget to a user interface to be provided to the hand-held device; and

causing the user interface to be provided from the development system to the hand-held device.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein creating the widget further comprises defining one or parameters associated with one or more of the pre-defined, user selected programming blocks.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein creating the widget comprises using drag and drop operations to add the pre-defined, user selected programming blocks onto a graphic workspace of the development system.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein creating the widget comprises using mouse clicks to connect inputs and outputs of the pre-defined, user selected programming blocks added onto the graphic workspace.

17. The method as recited in claim 13, comprising associating the widget with an icon whereby the widget will be activated in response to a user selection of the icon when displayed in a touch-screen display of the hand-held device.

18. The method as recited in claim 13, comprising associating the widget with a page of the user interface whereby the widget will be activated in response to a user selection made to cause a display of the page in a touch-screen display of the hand-held device.

19. The method as recited in claim 13, comprising associating the widget with a hard key of the hand-held device whereby the widget will be activated in response to a user selection of the hard key.

20. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein activation of the created widget will cause a retrieval of data from one or more appliances in communication with the hand-held device.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein activation of the created widget will cause a display of the retrieved data in a display of the hand-held device.

22. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein activation of the created widget will cause a transmission of a control command to one or more appliances in communication with the hand-held device.

23. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the pre-defined, user selected programming blocks are selected during the step of creating the widget from a library of pre-defined programming blocks including one or more of a system event programming block, a timer programming block, a button programming block, a hard button programming block, a slider programming block, a constant programming block, a flag programming block, an if/then programming block, a math programming block, a multiplexer programming block, a repeater programming block, a switch programming block, a toggle programming block, an action programming block, an image programming block, and an appliance response receiving programming block.