GENERIC REMOTE CONTROLLER

• US 20120154130A1
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Liu, Yue
• Granted Patent: US 9,451,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/12.25
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23363 Barcode
• 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 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4432 Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57

Abstract

Techniques are provided for a handheld device, such as a smart phone, to obtain device configuration data of a controlled device via machine-readable media, such as a two-dimensional barcode. The device configuration data may be used to allow a user to select one or more features reflected in the device configuration data and supported by the controlled device. The handheld device may obtain device configuration data of multiple controlled devices and, based on the device configuration data, may allow a user to control the multiple controlled devices using the handheld device. In a related technique, a computing device obtains printer driver data of a printing device via machine-readable media. The computing device decodes information encoded in the machine-readable media in order to install a printer driver for the printing device.

Claims

1. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

analyzing, at a controlling device, a digital representation of data that is encoded in machine-readable media to determine device configuration data associated with a controlled device that supports a plurality of features;

wherein the device configuration data indicates the plurality of features and a plurality of control codes;

receiving, at the controlling device, input that selects a particular feature of the plurality of features;

in response to receiving the input;

identifying, based on the particular feature, a particular control code of the plurality of controls codes, and

sending the particular control code from the controlling device to the controlled device.

2. The one or more storage media of claim 1, wherein:

the device configuration data comprises a plurality of mappings;

each mapping of the plurality of mappings maps a feature of the plurality of features to a control code for the feature; and

identifying the particular control code comprises;

identifying, based on the particular feature, a particular mapping, of the plurality of mappings, that corresponds to the particular feature, and

identifying, based on the particular mapping, a particular control code for the particular feature.

3. The one or more storage media of claim 1, wherein:

the machine-readable media comprises a printed image, on which said data is encoded, and

the printed image comprises a two-dimensional barcode.

4. The one or more storage media of claim 3, further comprising, prior to analyzing said data, generating, by a camera of the controlling device, a digital image of the printed image.

5. The one or more storage media of claim 1, wherein analyzing the digital representation to determine the device configuration data comprises:

(a) identifying a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) in the digital representation and retrieving, from a source identified by the URL, the device configuration data, or

(b) generating the device configuration data based on analysis of the digital representation, wherein the device configuration data is encoded in the digital representation.

6. The one or more storage media of claim 1, wherein the controlling device is a handheld device that includes telephony capabilities and a display for displaying graphical elements that correspond to at least a subset of the plurality of features.

7. The one or more storage media of claim 1, wherein sending the particular control code to the controlled device comprises transmitting the particular control code via an infrared (IR) transmitter of the controlling device or via an ultra high frequency (UHF) transmitter of the controlling device.

8. The one or more storage media of claim 1, wherein:

the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause, prior to receiving the input, generating a user interface based on the device configuration data and displaying the user interface on a display of the controlling device; and

the user interface comprises a plurality of graphical elements, each of which corresponds to a feature of the plurality of features.

9. The one or more storage media of claim 1, wherein the controlled device is a first device, the plurality of features are a first plurality of features, and the device configuration data is first device configuration data, the method further comprising, after sending the particular control code:

analyzing, at the controlling device, a second digital representation of second data encoded in second machine-readable media to determine second device configuration data associated with a second controlled device that supports a second plurality of features that are different than the first plurality of features;

wherein the second controlled device is different than the first controlled device;

storing, at the controlling device, the second device configuration data separate from the first device configuration data;

wherein the second device configuration data indicates a second plurality of mappings;

each mapping of the second plurality of mappings maps a feature of the second plurality of features to a control code for the feature;

receiving, at the controlling device, second input that selects the second controlled device;

in response to receiving the second input, generating a user interface based on the second device configuration data;

after generating the user interface, receiving third input that selects a second feature of the second plurality of features;

in response to receiving the third input;

identifying, based on the second feature and a mapping of the plurality of mappings, a second control code, and

sending the second control code from the controlling device to the second controlled device.

10. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

analyzing, at a computing device, a digital representation of data encoded on machine-readable media to determine printing device configuration data associated with a printing device that supports a plurality of features;

wherein the printing device configuration data indicates the plurality of features;

generating, at the computing device and based on the printing device configuration data, a command to install a printer driver associated with the printing device; and

causing the printer driver to be installed on the computing device by submitting the command to a component of the computing device.

11. The one or more storage media of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause using a camera of the computing device to generate one or more digital images of the machine-readable data, wherein the digital representation is the one or more digital images.

12. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more storage media storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause;

analyzing, at the apparatus, a digital representation of data that is encoded in machine-readable media to determine device configuration data associated with a controlled device that supports a plurality of features;

wherein the device configuration data indicates the plurality of features and a plurality of control codes;

receiving, at the apparatus, input that selects a particular feature of the plurality of features;

in response to receiving the input;

identifying, based on the particular feature, a particular control code of the plurality of controls codes, and

sending the particular control code from the apparatus to the controlled device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the machine-readable media comprises a printed image, on which said data is encoded, and

the printed image comprises a two-dimensional barcode.

14. The one or more storage media of claim 12, wherein analyzing the digital representation to determine the device configuration data comprises:

(a) identifying a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) in the digital representation and retrieving, from a source identified by the URL, the device configuration data, or

(b) generating the device configuration data based on analysis of the digital representation, wherein the device configuration data is encoded in the digital representation.

15. The one or more storage media of claim 12, wherein the controlling device is a handheld device that includes telephony capabilities and a display for displaying graphical elements that correspond to at least a subset of the plurality of features.

16. The one or more storage media of claim 12, wherein sending the particular control code to the controlled device comprises transmitting the particular control code via an infrared (IR) transmitter of the controlling device or via an ultra high frequency (UHF) transmitter of the controlling device.

17. The one or more storage media of claim 12, wherein:

the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause, prior to receiving the input, generating a user interface based on the device configuration data and displaying the user interface on a display of the controlling device; and

the user interface comprises a plurality of graphical elements, each of which corresponds to a feature of the plurality of features.

18. The one or more storage media of claim 12, wherein:

the controlled device is a first device, the plurality of features are a first plurality of features;

the device configuration data is first device configuration data;

the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause, after sending the particular control code;

analyzing, at the controlling device, a second digital representation of second data encoded in second machine-readable media to determine second device configuration data associated with a second controlled device that supports a second plurality of features that are different than the first plurality of features;

wherein the second controlled device is different than the first controlled device;

storing, at the controlling device, the second device configuration data separate from the first device configuration data;

wherein the second device configuration data indicates a second plurality of mappings;

each mapping of the second plurality of mappings maps a feature of the second plurality of features to a control code for the feature;

receiving, at the controlling device, second input that selects the second controlled device;

in response to receiving the second input, generating a user interface based on the second device configuration data;

after generating the user interface, receiving third input that selects a second feature of the second plurality of features;

in response to receiving the third input;

identifying, based on the second feature and a mapping of the plurality of mappings, a second control code, and

sending the second control code from the controlling device to the second controlled device.

19. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause;

analyzing, at a computing device, a digital representation of data encoded on machine-readable media to determine printing device configuration data associated with a printing device that supports a plurality of features;

wherein the printing device configuration data indicates the plurality of features;

generating, at the computing device and based on the printing device configuration data, a command to install a printer driver associated with the printing device; and

causing the printer driver to be installed on the computing device by submitting the command to a component of the computing device.

20. The one or more storage media of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause using a camera of the computing device to generate one or more digital images of the machine-readable data, wherein the digital representation is the one or more digital images.