SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZED APPLIANCE CONTROL

• US 20130107131A1
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Barnett, Brian, Arling, Paul D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,215,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/734
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• 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 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals

Abstract

A device receives a request from a controlling device, such as a remote control, smart phone, or the like, where the request is intended to have one or more target devices perform one or more functional operations. The device responds to the request by applying the optimum methodology to propagate one or more commands to each intended target appliance to cause each intended target appliance to perform the intended one or more functional operations.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a functional operation of an intended target appliance, comprising:

receiving by a Universal Control Engine a request from a controlling device intended to cause the intended target appliance to perform the functional operation; and

causing the Universal Control engine to respond to the request by using a highest prioritized one of a plurality of communication methods in a listing of communication methods that has been associated with the functional operation to transmit to the intended target appliance a command for controlling the functional operation of the intended target appliance.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the Universal Control Engine is caused to use at least a next highest prioritized one of the plurality of communication methods in the listing to transmit a further command for controlling the functional operation of the intended target appliance when performance of the functional operation by the intended target appliance in response to transmission of a command via the highest prioritized one of the communication methods in the listing is unconfirmed.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising using at least one characteristic associated with each of the plurality of communication methods in the listing to prioritize the plurality of communication methods in the listing.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising providing a bi-directional communication method in the listing with a priority that is higher than a uni-directional communication method.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a plurality of controllable functional operations of the intended target appliance are each associated with a prioritized listing of one or more communication methods.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising interrogating the intended target appliance to determine which of a plurality of communication methods are supported by the appliance for use in receiving a command for controlling the functional operation and using results obtained from the interrogation to create the listing.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the Universal Control Engine performs the steps of interrogating the intended target appliance and using results obtained from the interrogation to create the listing.

8. A method for controlling functional operations of an intended target appliance, comprising:

receiving by a Universal Control Engine a request from a controlling device intended to cause the intended target appliance to perform at least one of a plurality of functional operations; and

causing the Universal Control Engine to use at least one of a plurality of communication methods that has been associated with the at least one of the plurality of functional operations to transmit to the intended target appliance at least one command wherein the at least one command is appropriate for controlling the at least one functional operation of the intended target appliance and wherein at least two of the plurality of functional operations of the intended target appliance are each associated with at least a different one or more of the plurality of communication methods.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, comprising storing in a memory of the Universal Control Engine the association between each of the plurality of controllable functional operations of the intended target appliance and the at least one of the plurality of communication methods to be used when transmitting a command for controlling the corresponding one of the plurality of functional operations of the intended target appliance.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, comprising interrogating the intended target appliance to determine which one or more of the plurality of communication methods are supported by the appliance for use in receiving a command for controlling a corresponding one of the plurality of functional operations of the intended target appliance and using results obtained from the interrogation to create the association between each of the plurality of controllable functional operations of the intended target appliance and the at least one of the plurality of communication methods to be used when transmitting a command for controlling the corresponding one of the plurality of functional operations of the intended target appliance.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the Universal Control Engine performs the steps of interrogating the intended target appliance and using results obtained from the interrogation to create the association between each of the plurality of controllable functional operations of the intended target appliance and the at least one of the plurality of communication methods to be used when transmitting a command for controlling the corresponding one of the plurality of functional operations of the intended target appliance.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, comprising prioritizing the one or more of the plurality of communication methods to be used when transmitting a command for controlling the corresponding one of the functional operations of the intended target appliance.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the Universal Control Engine responds to the request from the controlling device intended to cause the intended target appliance to perform the at least one of the plurality of functional operations by using a highest prioritized one of the communication methods that has been associated with the at least one of the plurality of functional operations to transmit to the intended target appliance at least one command for controlling the corresponding at least one of the plurality of functional operations of the intended target appliance.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, comprising causing the Universal Control Engine to use a next highest prioritized one of the communication methods that has been associated with the at least one of the plurality of functional operations to transmit to the intended target appliance at least one further command for controlling the at least one of the plurality of functional operations of the intended target appliance when performance of the corresponding at least one of the plurality of functional operations by the intended target appliance in response to transmission of the at least one command via use of the highest prioritized one of the communication methods is unconfirmed.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, comprising using at least one characteristic associated with each of the plurality of communication methods to be used when transmitting a command for controlling the corresponding one of the plurality of functional operations of the intended target appliance to prioritize the one or more communication methods to be used when transmitting a command for controlling the corresponding one of the plurality of functional operations of the intended target appliance.

16. A method for controlling functional operations of a plurality of intended target appliances, comprising:

receiving by a Universal Control Engine a request from a controlling device intended to cause at least one of the plurality of intended target appliances to perform at least one functional operation; and

causing the Universal Control Engine to use at least one of a plurality of communication methods that has been associated with the at least one of the plurality of intended target appliances to transmit to the at least one of the plurality of intended target appliances at least one command wherein the at least one command is appropriate for controlling the at least one functional operation of the at least one of the plurality of intended target appliances and wherein at least two of the plurality of intended target appliances are each associated with at least a different one or more of the plurality of communication methods.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, comprising storing in a memory of the Universal Control Engine the association between each of the plurality of intended target appliances and the at least one of the plurality of communication methods to be used when transmitting a command for controlling a functional operation of the corresponding one of the plurality of intended target appliances.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, comprising interrogating each of the plurality of intended target appliances to determine which one or more of the plurality of communication methods are supported by each of the plurality of intended target appliances for use in receiving a command for controlling a functional operation of each of the plurality of intended target appliances and using results obtained from the interrogation to create the association between each of the plurality of intended target appliances and the at least one of the plurality of communication methods to be used when transmitting a command for controlling a functional operation of the corresponding one of the plurality of intended target appliances.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the Universal Control Engine performs the steps of interrogating each of the plurality of intended target appliances and using results obtained from the interrogation to create the association between each of the plurality of intended target appliances and the at least one of the plurality of communication methods to be used when transmitting a command for controlling a functional operation of the corresponding one of the plurality of intended target appliances.

20. The method as recited in claim 16, comprising prioritizing the one or more of the plurality of communication methods to be used when transmitting a command for controlling a functional operation of each of the plurality of intended target appliances.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the Universal Control Engine responds to the request from the controlling device intended to cause at least of the plurality of intended target appliances to perform at least one functional operation by using a highest prioritized one of the communication methods that has been associated with the at least one of the plurality of intended target appliances to transmit to the at least one of the plurality of intended target appliances at least one command for controlling the at least one functional operation of the at least one of the plurality of intended target appliances.

22. The method as recited in claim 20, comprising using at least one characteristic associated with each of the plurality of communication methods to be used when transmitting a command for controlling a functional operation of each of the plurality of intended target appliances to prioritize the one or more communication methods to be used when transmitting a command for controlling a functional operation of each of the plurality of intended target appliances.

23. The method as recited in claim 18, comprising associating with each of a plurality of controllable functional operations of each of the plurality of intended target appliances at least one of a plurality of communication methods to be used when transmitting a command for controlling the corresponding one of the plurality of functional operations of each of the plurality of intended target appliances.