SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR HOME AUTOMATION VIA A MEDIA DEVICE

• US 20160187862A1
• Filed: 05/28/2015
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: EchoStar Technologies International Corporation (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Pvt Ltd. (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Nayak, Madan Mohan
• Application Number:
  US14/724,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20160187862A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/40 Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
• 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 21/43615 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

Abstract

A home automation system stores, at a media device, configuration data including an identifier associated with a remotely controllable device. Remote control information is received over a network. From the remote control information and the configuration data, a desired remote control signal is determined. The desired remote control signal is then transmitted from the media device to the remotely controllable device. In this way, a media device (such as a set-top box, place-shifting device, or the like) is capable of controlling devices in its environment.

Claims

1. A home automation method comprising:

storing, at a media device, configuration data including an identifier associated with a remotely controllable device;

receiving, over a network, remote control information;

determining, from the remote control information and the configuration data, a desired remote control signal; and

transmitting the desired remote control signal from the media device to the remotely controllable device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote control signal is an infrared light signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the media device is a place-shifting device.

4. The method of claim 1, further including selecting the configuration data based on interaction with a user.

5. The method of claim 1, further including displaying, via the media device, a graphical depiction of a remote control device based on the configuration data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote control signal is selected from the group consisting of Zigbee signals, Z-Wave signals, Insteon Signals, and X10 signals.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration data includes a list of functions provided by each of the remotely controllable devices.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration data is an IR .bin file.

9. A home automation system comprising:

a computing device coupled to a network;

a configuration server communicatively coupled to the computing device over the network;

a remotely controllable device configured to receive remote control signals;

a media device communicatively coupled to the computing device and the configuration server over the network, wherein the media device is configured to;

request configuration data from the configuration server, the configuration data including an identifier associated with the remotely controllable device;

receive, over the network, remote control information;

determine, from the remote control information and the configuration data, a desired remote control signal; and

transmit the desired remote control signal to the remotely controllable device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the remote control signal is an infrared light signal.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the media device is a place-shifting device.

12. The system of claim 9, further including selecting the configuration data based on interaction with a user.

13. The system of claim 9, further including displaying, via the media device, a graphical depiction of a remote control device based on the configuration data.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the remote control signal is selected from the group consisting of Zigbee signals, Z-Wave signals, Insteon Signals, and X10 signals.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the configuration data includes a list of functions provided by each of the remotely controllable devices.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the configuration data is an IR .bin file.

17. Non-transitory computer-readable media bearing software instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a home automation method comprising:

storing configuration data including an identifier associated with a remotely controllable device;

receiving, over a network, remote control information;

determining, from the remote control information and the configuration data, a desired remote control signal; and

instructing a media device to transmit the desired remote control signal to the remotely controllable device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the remote control signal is an infrared light signal.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the media device is a place-shifting device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the software instructions further instruct the processor to select the configuration data based on interaction with a user.