REMOTE CONTROL APPARATUS AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE REMOTELY CONTROLLED BY THE SAME

• US 20120188113A1
• Filed: 10/24/2011
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: IN, Jeong-sik
• Granted Patent: US 9,418,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/176
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• 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 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• 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 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control

Abstract

A remote control apparatus including: a storage unit for storing message set information constituting information about one or more message sets each including one or more messages including different control requests; a control unit for generating binary code data each corresponding to the one or more messages each corresponding to the different control requests; and a communication interface unit for transmitting the binary code data to a controlled apparatus, wherein transmitted and received data amounts are minimized.

Claims

1. A remote control apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store message set information, the message set information comprising information about a message set, the message set comprising at least one message, the at least one message comprising a control request;

a control unit configured to generate binary code data corresponding to the at least one message; and

a communication interface unit configured to transmit the binary code data to a controlled apparatus.

2. The remote control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message set further comprises an indentifying indicator that does not overlap with an identifying indicator of another message set.

3. The remote control apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to check in a checking whether the controlled apparatus supports the message set by using the identifying indicator, and transmit the binary code data when the checking is complete.

4. The remote control apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control unit transmits a list of one or more identifying indicators corresponding to one or more message sets stored in the storage unit to the controlled apparatus, and the controlled apparatus selects one or more identifying indicators included in the list of one or more identifying indicators.

5. The remote control apparatus of claim 2, wherein the identifying indicator comprises a unique standardized logical address.

6. The remote control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message set is classified according to a class of control functions, and wherein the message set further comprises the at least one message that perform the same class of control functions.

7. The remote control apparatus of claim 6, wherein the message set is classified according to at least one class of control functions from among web browsing, watching control of an image display apparatus, and execution control of a predetermined application.

8. The remote control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit generates the binary code data upon receiving a predetermined control request,

wherein the binary code data comprises at least one of a following:

a message set code corresponding to the message set,

a message code corresponding to the at least one message corresponding to the predetermined control request, and

a combined message code corresponding to a message corresponding to the predetermined control request regardless of the message set.

9. The remote control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the binary code data to have a variable data size or a fixed data size.

10. The remote control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores at least one of a following:

a message set code corresponding to the message set and a message code corresponding to the at least one message,

a combined message code corresponding to the at least one message regardless of the message set, and

a message offset value corresponding to the at least one message.

11. An electronic device remotely controlled by a remote control apparatus, the electronic device comprising:

a storage unit configured to store message set information, the message set information comprising information about a message set, the message set comprising at least one message, the at least one message comprising a control request;

a communication interface unit configured to receive binary code data from the remote control apparatus, the binary code data comprising a request to perform a predetermined control operation; and

a control unit configured to control the electronic device to perform a predetermined operation according to the at least one message corresponding to the binary code data by using the message set information.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the message set further comprises an indentifying indicator that does not overlap with another identifying indicator of another message set.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the identifying indicator comprises a unique standardized logical address.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein:

the control unit receives a first list of one or more identifying indicators of one or more message sets stored in the remote control apparatus,

the first list is received from the remote control apparatus through the communication interface unit, and

the control unit checks in a checking whether the storage unit stores at least one of the one or more message sets included in the first list, and

transmits a result of the checking to the remote control apparatus.

15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the message set is classified according to a class of control functions the electronic device is configured to perform, and

wherein the message set comprises the at least one message that perform the same class of control functions.

16. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the binary data code comprises at least one of:

a message set code corresponding to the message set,

a message code corresponding to the at least one message corresponding to a predetermined control request,

and a combined message code individually corresponding to a message, wherein the message corresponds to the predetermined control request regardless of the message set.

17. A system comprising:

a remote control,

a controlled apparatus, and

a communication network;

wherein the remote control is configured to transmit a list of predetermined message sets to the controlled apparatus across the communication network, wherein the list of predetermined message comprises at least one message set, the at least one predetermined message set comprising a sent unique identifier, the sent unique identifier corresponding to the at least one predetermined message set,

wherein the controlled apparatus is configured to check in a checking whether the at least one message set is supported by the controlled apparatus by comparing the sent unique identifier with a stored unique identified stored at the controlled apparatus,

wherein the controlled apparatus is configured to send the sent unique identifier or the stored unique identifier to the remote control in response to the checking.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the remote control controls the controlled apparatus using the at least one message set corresponding to the sent unique identifier or the stored unique identifier sent to the remote control by the controlled apparatus.