TELEVISION PROGRAMMING OF A REMOTE CONTROL

• US 20110157478A1
• Filed: 12/29/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VIZIO, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VIZIO, Inc.
• Inventors: McRae, Matthew Blake, Schwartz, Peter Jay
• Granted Patent: US 8,502,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/734
• 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 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices

Abstract

A television includes a television with a remote control. A user interface running on the television ascertains a brand and model number of a device that is to be operated by the remote control and after responsive to such; the television transmits commands to the remote control to program the remote control, thereby enabling the remote control to control the device.

Claims

1. A system for programming a remote control, the system comprising:

a bi-directional interface between a television and the remote control;

a means for determining a code set for a particular device to be controlled by the remote control;

a means for transmitting the code set from the television to the remote control.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the bi-directional interface between the television and the remote control uses infrared.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the bi-directional interface is Bluetooth.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the bi-directional interface between the television and the remote control is a radio frequency interface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the code set is an industry standard remote control code set.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the code set is a sequence of individual remote control key command values.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a means for accessing the Internet to download updates of devices and associated code sets.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a means for download updates of devices and associated code sets from an external data source.

9. A method of programming a remote control, the remote control associated with a television, the method comprising:

providing a bi-directional interface between the television and the remote control;

determining a code set for a particular device to be controlled by the remote control;

sending the code set from the television to the remote control over the bi-directional interface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the bi-directional interface between the television and the remote control uses infrared.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the bi-directional interface between the television and the remote control is Bluetooth.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the bi-directional interface between the television and the remote control uses radio frequency.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the code set is an industry standard remote control code set.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the code set is a sequence of individual remote control key command values.

15. A television comprising:

a display panel;

a processing element interfaced to the display panel;

a remote control, the remote control wirelessly interfaced to the television over a bi-direction interface;

a table containing a plurality of entries, each entry representing a device type, a manufacturer and a remote control code set;

a means for selecting one of the entries in the table; and

a means for transmitting the remote control code set from the one of the entries from the television to the remote control over the bi-direction interface.

16. The television of claim 15, further comprising a means for updating the table from an Internet.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the bi-direction interface between the television and the remote control uses infrared.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the entries of the table further represents a device model.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the code set is an industry standard remote control code set.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the code set is a sequence of individual remote control key command values.

21. A television comprising:

a display panel;

a processing element interfaced to the display panel;

a remote control, the remote control wirelessly interfaced to the television over a bi-direction interface;

a table containing a plurality of entries, each entry representing a device type, a manufacturer, a model number and a remote control code set;

software running on the processing element, the software presents contents of the table, the software also enables selection of one of the entries in the table;

software running on the processing element transmits the remote control code set corresponding to the one of the entries from the television to the remote control over the bi-direction interface; and

software running on controller of the remote control, the software running on the controller receives the remote control code set corresponding to the one of the entries from the television and configures the remote control to enable control of a device associated with the one of the entries of the table.

22. The television of claim 21, further software that updates the table from a database external to the television.

23. The television of claim 21, further software that updates the table from an Internet.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the code set is an industry standard remote control code set.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the table further comprises a model number.