INTERACTIVE WEB-BASED CODESET SELECTION AND DEVELOPMENT TOOL

• US 20110199250A1
• Filed: 04/28/2011
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: UEI Cayman Incorporated (Universal Electronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miramontes, Oscar C., Lee, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 8,174,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/21 Programming remote control devices via third means
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices

Abstract

A system, such as a web server, in communication with the database, includes a configurator application for providing data from the database to a consumer to thereby allow the consumer to configure a controlling device whereupon the controlling device will be adapted to command functional operations of one or more appliances and a builder application for providing data from the database to a developer to thereby allow the developer to develop one or more codesets to be provisioned to a controlling device to thereby allow the controlling device to be adapted to command functional operations of one or more appliances.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a database;

a web server in communication with the database, the web server having instructions stored on a non-transient computer readable media, wherein the instructions provide a configurator application for providing data from the database to a consumer to thereby allow the consumer to configure a controlling device whereupon the controlling device will be adapted to command functional operations of one or more appliances and a builder application for providing data from the database to a developer to thereby allow the developer to develop one or more codesets to be provisioned to a controlling device to thereby allow the controlling device to be adapted to command functional operations of one or more appliances.

2. A method comprising:

receiving at a web server from a client device a designation of a selection criterion;

selecting from a database associated with the web server a group of codesets using the designation of the selection criterion, wherein the selected group of codesets controls a group of electronic consumer devices that correspond to the selection criterion; and

when the group of codesets are to be provided for direct use in a controlling device, transmitting to the client device from the web server the selected group of codesets and, when the group of codesets are to provided to a developer, transmitting to the client device from the web server the selected group of codesets with at least one codeset of the selected group of codesets being converted into a plurality of strings of timing information, a signal engine which is editable via use of client software to customize a manner in which timing information is used to generate operational signals, and a compiler for compiling the signal engine whereupon the compiled signal engine is usable by a microcontroller with the selected group of codesets to cause generation of operational signals to control functions of the group of electronic consumer devices that correspond to the selection criterion.

3. A method for distributing codeset data from a centralized database, comprising:

receiving a designation of a selection criterion from a client device;

using the selection criteria to select from the centralized database at least one codeset; and

determining if the client device is associated with one of controlling device or a controlling device development tool whereby, when the client device is determined to be associated with the controlling device, the selected at least one codeset is transmitted to the client device for provisioning to the controlling device whereupon the controlling device will be adapted to generate operational signals to control functions of an electronic consumer device that correspond to the selection criterion and, when the client device is determined to be associated with the controlling device development tool, the at least one codeset is provided to the client device for use in developing with the controlling device development tool a codeset library, usable by a microcontroller, to be included within a controlling device whereupon the controlling device will be adapted to generate operational signals to control functions of an electronic consumer device that correspond to the selection criterion.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the codeset library developed via use of the controlling device development tool is installed on the controlling device at a time of manufacture of the controlling device.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the client device associated with the controlling device comprises an electronic consumer device in communication with the controlling device.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the electronic consumer device in communication with the controlling device comprises a set-top box.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the electronic consumer device causes a display of options for receiving the designation of the selection criterion.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the designation of the selection criterion comprises an indication of a type and brand of an electronic consumer device.

9. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the client device associated with the controlling device development tool comprises a computing device.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the computing device is caused to display options for receiving the designation of the selection criterion.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the designation of the selection criterion comprises an indication of a type and brand of an electronic consumer device.

12. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the at least one codeset provided to the client device associated with the controlling device development tool is modified to have a format different than a format in which the at least one codeset is stored within the centralized database.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the at least one codeset provided to the client device associated with the controlling device development tool is modified into a plurality of strings of timing information.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the controlling device development tool further utilizes a signal engine to customize a manner in which timing information is used to generate operational signals and a compiler for compiling the signal engine whereupon the compiled signal engine is usable by the microcontroller with the at least one codeset to cause generation of operational signals to control functions of an electronic consumer device that correspond to the selection criterion.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the at least one codeset provided to the client device associated with the controlling device development tool is modified into an encrypted script containing embedded codeset information.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the controlling device development tool further utilizes a script interpreter to interpret the script to generate a string of timing information and a signal engine which uses the string of timing information to cause generation of operational signals to control functions of an electronic consumer device that correspond to the selection criterion.

17. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the at least one codeset provided to the client device associated with the controlling device development tool will have a format different than a format of the at least one codeset that is provided to the client device associated with the controlling device.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions for distributing codeset data from a centralized database, the instructions performing steps comprising:

receiving a designation of a selection criterion from a client device;

using the selection criteria to select from the centralized database at least one codeset; and

determining if the client device is associated with one of controlling device or a controlling device development tool whereby, when the client device is determined to be associated with the controlling device, the selected at least one codeset is transmitted to the client device for provisioning to the controlling device whereupon the controlling device will be adapted to generate operational signals to control functions of an electronic consumer device that correspond to the selection criterion and, when the client device is determined to be associated with the controlling device development tool, the at least one codeset is provided to the client device for use with the controlling device development tool in developing a codeset library usable by a microcontroller to be included within a controlling device whereupon the controlling device will be adapted to generate operational signals to control functions of an electronic consumer device that correspond to the selection criterion.

19. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 18, wherein the codeset library developed via use of the controlling device development tool is installed on the controlling device at a time of manufacture of the controlling device

20. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 18, wherein the client device associated with the controlling device comprises an electronic consumer device in communication with the controlling device.

21. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 20, wherein the electronic consumer device in communication with the controlling device comprises a set-top box.

22. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 20, wherein the consumer electronic device causes a display of options for receiving the designation of the selection criterion.

23. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 22, wherein the designation of the selection criterion comprises an indication of a type and brand of an electronic consumer device.

24. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 18, wherein the client device associated with the controlling device development tool comprises a computing device.

25. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 24, wherein the computing device is caused to display options for receiving the designation of the selection criterion.

26. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 25, wherein the designation of the selection criterion comprises an indication of a type and brand of an electronic consumer device.

27. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 18, wherein the at least one codeset provided to the client device associated with the controlling device development tool is modified to have a format different than a format in which the at least one codeset is stored within the centralized database.

28. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one codeset provided to the client device associated with the controlling device development tool is modified into a plurality of strings of timing information.

29. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one codeset provided to the client device associated with the controlling device development tool is modified into an encrypted script containing embedded codeset information.

30. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 18, wherein the at least one codeset provided to the client device associated with the controlling device development tool will have a format different than a format of the at least one codeset that is provided to the client device associated with the controlling device.