Handheld Electronic Device Having Universal Remote Control Mechanism and Operation Method of the Same

• US 20140197932A1
• Filed: 01/11/2013
• Published: 07/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Chia-Wei, Chueh, Hsin-Ti, Wu, Yi-Hsien, Chou, Chien-Lung, Saxena, Abhishek, Fan, Chen-Huang
• Granted Patent: US 9,247,281 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42225 characterized by types of remote control, e.g. universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself

Abstract

A handheld electronic device having a universal remote control mechanism is provided. The electronic device comprises a touch display unit, a storage unit, a wireless transmission unit and a processing unit. The touch display unit receives device information and displays a user interface having virtual function keys. The storage unit stores a device code discrimination table. The processing unit retrieves the device code discrimination table and initiates a test procedure according to an order of the hit rate of the instruction codes of plural rows of device codes in the device code discrimination table. The processing unit further terminates the test procedure and controls the electronic device to be controlled by using a specific device code when the processing unit can control the electronic device to be controlled by using all the instruction codes of the specific device code through the wireless transmission unit.

Claims

1. A universal remote control operation method, applied in a handheld electronic device which comprises a touch display unit, a storage unit, a processing unit and a wireless transmission unit, the universal remote control operation method comprising:

enabling the touch display unit to receive device information and display a user interface having a plurality of virtual function keys according to the device information;

enabling the processing unit to retrieve a device code discrimination table from the storage unit, wherein the device code discrimination table comprises a plurality of rows of device codes each corresponding to one specific type of device, and each of the plurality of rows of device codes comprises a plurality of instruction codes arranged in an order of the hit rate; and

enabling the processing unit to initiate a test procedure which comprises;

(a) enabling one instruction code having the highest hit rate in the instruction codes of a specific device code of the device code discrimination table as a first instruction code;

(b) controlling the touch display unit to receive an input from a specific virtual function key of the virtual function keys, wherein the specific virtual function key corresponds to the first instruction code;

(c) enabling the processing unit to control the wireless transmission unit to transmit a function instruction to an electronic device to be controlled according to the input and the first instruction code;

(d) enabling the processing unit to determine whether the electronic device to be controlled is operated according to the function instruction;

(e) excluding the specific device code and the device codes having the same first instruction code in the plurality of rows of device codes by the processing unit when the electronic device to be controlled is not operated according to the function instruction, to enable one device code of the remaining plurality of rows of device codes as the specific device code to repeat steps (a)-(d) for testing;

(f) further determining whether the first instruction code is a final instruction code of the specific device code by the processing unit when the electronic device to be controlled is operated according to the function instruction, to enable a second instruction code after the first instruction code in the specific device code as the first instruction code to repeat steps (b)-(d) for testing when the first instruction code is not the final instruction code; and

(g) terminating the test procedure by the processing unit and controlling the electronic device to be controlled by using the specific device code when the electronic device to be controlled is operated according to the function instruction and the first instruction code is the final instruction code.

2. The universal remote control operation method of claim 1, wherein the instruction code having the highest hit rate in the instruction codes is an instruction code having the highest similarity in the instruction codes of the plurality of rows of device codes.

3. The universal remote control operation method of claim 1, wherein the step (b) further comprises enabling the processing unit to control the touch display unit according to the first instruction code and generating first prompt information at the specific virtual function key to enable the touch display unit to receive the input.

4. The universal remote control operation method of claim 3, wherein the step (f) further comprises enabling the processing unit to control the touch display unit to enable the specific virtual function key corresponding to the first instruction code to generate second prompt information.

5. The universal remote control operation method of claim 4, wherein the first prompt information and the second prompt information are generated as the touch display unit enables the specific virtual function key to perform a flicking or a color change.

6. The universal remote control operation method of claim 1, wherein the step (f) further comprises enabling the processing unit to determine whether the remaining instruction codes are repeated in the specific device and the device codes having the same first instruction code in the plurality of rows of device codes, and to determine whether the repeated instruction codes enables the electronic device to be controlled to operate according to the function instruction if the instruction codes are repeated, and further enabling one instruction code not repeated in the instruction codes as the first instruction code by the processing unit to repeat steps (b)-(d) for testing.

7. The universal remote control operation method of claim 1, wherein the step (d) further comprises:

enabling the processing unit to determine whether the touch display unit receives a confirmation input; and

determining that the electronic device to be controlled is operated according to the function instruction when the confirmation input is received.

8. The universal remote control operation method of claim 1, wherein the step (g) further comprises recording a corresponding relationship between the specific device code and the electronic device to be controlled according to environment information.

9. The universal remote control operation method of claim 8, wherein the environment information is a wireless access point signal strength around the electronic device to be controlled, a vertical height or a corresponding orientation.

10. The universal remote control operation method of claim 1, wherein the device information comprises a device brand and a device type.

11. A handheld electronic device, having a universal remote control mechanism, comprising:

a touch display unit, used for receiving device information and displaying a user interface having a plurality of virtual function keys according to the device information;

a storage unit, used for storing a device code discrimination table comprising a plurality of rows of device codes each corresponding to one specific type of device, wherein each of the plurality of rows of device codes comprises a plurality of instruction codes arranged in an order of a hit rate;

a wireless transmission unit; and

a processing unit, used for retrieving the device code discrimination table from the storage unit and initiating a test procedure, wherein the test procedure comprises;

(a) enabling one instruction code having the highest hit rate in the instruction codes of a specific device code of the device code discrimination table as a first instruction code by the processing unit;

(b) controlling the touch display unit to receive an input from a specific virtual function key of the virtual function keys by the processing unit, wherein the specific virtual function key corresponds to the first instruction code;

(c) controlling the wireless transmission unit to transmit a function instruction to an electronic device to be controlled according to the input and the first instruction code by the processing unit;

(d) determining whether the electronic device to be controlled is operated according to the function instruction by the processing unit;

(e) excluding the specific device code and the device codes having the same first instruction code in the plurality of rows of device codes by the processing unit when the electronic device to be controlled is not operated according to the function instruction, to enable one device code of the plurality of rows of remaining device codes as the specific device code to repeat steps (a)-(d) for testing;

(f) further determining whether the first instruction code is a final instruction code of the specific device code by the processing unit when the electronic device to be controlled is operated according to the function instruction, to enable a second instruction code after the first instruction code in the specific device code as the first instruction code to repeat steps (b)-(d) for testing when the first instruction code is not the final instruction code; and

(g) terminating the test procedure by the processing unit when the electronic device to be controlled is operated according to the function instruction and the first instruction code is the final instruction code and controlling the electronic device to be controlled by using the specific device code.

12. The handheld electronic device of claim 11, wherein the instruction code having the highest hit rate in the instruction codes is an instruction code having the highest similarity in the instruction codes of the plurality of rows of device codes.

13. The handheld electronic device of claim 11, wherein the step (b) further comprises enabling the processing unit to control the touch display unit according to the first instruction code and generating first prompt information at the specific virtual function key to enable the touch display unit to receive the input.

14. The handheld electronic device of claim 13, wherein the step (f) further comprises enabling the processing unit to control the touch display unit to enable the specific virtual function key corresponding to the first instruction code to generate second prompt information.

15. The handheld electronic device of claim 14, wherein the first prompt information and the second prompt information are generated by the touch display unit enabling the specific virtual function key to perform a flicking or a color change.

16. The handheld electronic device of claim 11, wherein the step (f) further comprises enabling the processing unit to determine whether the remaining instruction codes are repeated in the specific device code and the device codes having the same first instruction code in the plurality of rows of device codes and to determine whether the repeated instruction codes can enable the electronic device to be controlled to operate according to the function instruction if the instruction codes are repeated and further enabling an instruction code not repeated in the instruction codes as the first instruction code by the processing unit to repeat steps (b)-(d) for testing.

17. The handheld electronic device of claim 11, wherein the step (d) further comprises:

determining whether the touch display unit receives a confirmation input by the processing unit; and

determining that the electronic device to be controlled is operated according to the function instruction when the confirmation input is received.

18. The handheld electronic device of claim 11, wherein the step (g) further comprises recording a corresponding relationship between the specific device code and the electronic device to be controlled according to environment information.

19. The handheld electronic device of claim 11, wherein the environment information is wireless access point signal strength around the electronic device to be controlled, a vertical height or a corresponding orientation.

20. The handheld electronic device of claim 11, wherein the device information comprises a device brand and a device type.