SERIAL PROGRAMMING OF A UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL

• US 20110109444A1
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2009
• 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: Edwards, Gregory, Van Vleck, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,890,664 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/12.23
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• 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

Abstract

A method and system for programming a universal remote control (URC) to operate with a remote-controlled device is disclosed. After initiating a serial programming mode on the URC, a user may be instructed to operate a plurality of control elements of an original remote control (ORC) of the remote-controlled device in a predetermined sequence. As a result of operating the ORC control elements, a plurality of programming codes for the remote-controlled device may be received by the URC. Alternatively, the ORC may be requested to transmit a plurality of programming codes for the remote-controlled device. The URC may be configured to use at least one of the programming codes to remotely control the remote-controlled device.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a universal remote control (URC), comprising:

receiving user input to initiate serial programming of the URC, wherein said serial programming further comprises iteratively performing the following steps for a plurality of programming codes;

receiving one of the programming codes from an original remote control (ORC) for a remote-controlled device, wherein the programming code corresponds to an ORC control element; and

configuring the URC to associate the programming code with a URC control element and to generate the programming code when the URC control element is activated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving one of the programming codes further comprises:

displaying a prompt to a user indicating the ORC control element to operate; and

after the user operates the ORC control element, receiving a programming code from the ORC corresponding to the ORC control element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving one of the programming codes further comprises:

displaying a prompt to a user to operate a plurality of ORC control elements.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving one of the programming codes further comprises:

sending a request to the ORC to transmit one of the plurality of programming codes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of programming codes have a predetermined ordering, and wherein said iteratively performing said steps comprises iteratively performing the steps for each of the programming codes according to the predetermined ordering.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an identity of the remote-controlled device based on the received programming codes.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying the identity of the remote-controlled device to the user; and

receiving a confirmation from the user acknowledging the identity.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a confirmation indicating that the URC has been successfully configured with at least one of the programming codes; and

receiving user input to terminate the serial programming of the URC.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the URC is programmed using a wireless communication link.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the URC is configured to operate with customer premises equipment associated with a multimedia content distribution network.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a command to control the remote-controlled device, wherein the command is associated with at least one of the programming codes.

12. A universal remote control (URC) for use within a client configuration of a multimedia content distribution network, comprising:

a processor;

a remote control interface; and

memory media accessible to the processor, including instructions executable by the processor to;

responsive to receiving user input, initiate serial programming of the URC, wherein said serial programming includes processor instructions executable to;

receive a plurality of programming codes in a predetermined sequence from an original remote control (ORC) corresponding to a remote-controlled device; and

configure the URC to operate the remote-controlled device by programming the URC to use at least one of the plurality of programming codes.

13. The URC of claim 12, wherein said processor instructions to receive the plurality of programming codes further comprise processor instructions executable to:

for each of the plurality of programming codes;

prompt a user to operate an ORC control element; and

receive at least one of a programming code and a universal programming code tag from the ORC corresponding to the ORC control element.

14. The URC of claim 12, wherein said processor instructions to receive the plurality of programming codes further comprise processor instructions executable to:

prompt a user to operate a plurality of ORC control elements according to the predetermined sequence.

15. The URC of claim 12, wherein said processor instructions to receive the plurality of programming codes further comprise processor instructions executable to:

send a message to the ORC instructing the ORC to transmit either the plurality of programming codes or the plurality of programming codes together with an associated universal programming code tag for at least one of the programming codes.

16. The URC of claim 12, further comprising processor executable instructions to:

send, via the remote control interface, a command to control the remote-controlled device, wherein the command is associated with at least one of the programming codes.

17. The URC of claim 12, further comprising:

a plurality of URC control elements, wherein said user input to initiate programming is received from one of the plurality of URC control elements.

18. The URC of claim 17, wherein said processor instructions to configure the URC further comprise processor instructions executable to:

assign a URC control element to a received programming code.

19. Computer-readable memory media, including instructions for configuring a universal remote control (URC), said instructions executable to:

initiate serial programming of the URC in response to user input, wherein said serial programming comprises instructions executable to;

receive a plurality of programming codes for a remote-controlled device from an original remote control (ORC) associated with a remote-controlled device;

associate each of the programming codes with an ORC control element; and

configure the URC to operate the remote-controlled device by programming the URC to use the plurality of programming codes, including instructions executable to assign one of the programming codes to a URC control element, wherein the URC control element corresponds to the respective ORC control element for the programming code.

20. The memory media of claim 19, further comprising instructions executable to:

send, from the URC, a command to control the remote-controlled device, wherein the command is associated with at least one of the plurality of programming codes.