Apparatus and methods for providing initializing settings to an appliance

• US 5,600,711 A
• Filed: 05/03/1994
• Issued: 02/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Yuen, Henry C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Application Number:
  US08/237,506
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 379/102, 379/104, 379/105, 348/734, 455/151, 455/353
• US Class Current: 379/102.03
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/00 Setting the time according to the time information carried or implied by the radio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are provided for setting a clock in an appliance. The method includes the steps of initiating a telephone connection with a remote site, downloading over the telephone connection a first sequence of commands for setting the clock in the appliance, and storing the first sequence of commands in a memory in the remote controller. The method further includes the steps of entering a single command into the remote controller to set the clock in the appliance to be equal to a second clock in the remote controller, processing the single command in the remote controller to insert a time read from the second clock in the remote controller into the first sequence of commands for setting the clock in the appliance to form a sequence of time commands, and transmitting the sequence of time commands from the remote controller to set the first clock in the appliance. Another method is provided for initializing settings in an appliance. The method includes the steps of initiating a telephone connection with a remote site, downloading over the telephone connection a first sequence of commands for initializing settings in the appliance, and storing the first sequence of commands in a memory in the remote controller. The method further comprises the steps of entering a single command into the remote controller to initialize settings in the appliance, processing the single command in the remote controller to transmit the first sequence of commands from the remote controller to initialize settings in the appliance.

Claims

1. A method for setting a first clock in an appliance at a remote site comprising the steps of:

initiating a telephone connection with a remote site;

communicating background information on the appliance to the remote site;

converting the background information describing the appliance into a first sequence of commands for setting the first clock in the appliance;

downloading over the telephone connection the first sequence of commands for setting the first clock in the appliance;

storing the first sequence of commands in a memory in a remote controller;

activating a single command on the remote controller;

processing the single command in the remote controller to insert a time read from a second clock in the remote controller into the first sequence of commands for setting the first clock in the appliance to form a sequence of time commands; and

transmitting the sequence of time commands from the remote controller to the appliance to set the first clock in the appliance.

2. A system for setting a first clock in an appliance having a remote controller with a second clock, the system comprising:

means for communicating background information on the appliance to a remote site;

means for converting the background information describing the appliance into a first sequence of commands for setting the first clock in the appliance;

means for downloading over a telephone connection the first sequence of commands for setting the first clock in the appliance;

means for storing the first sequence of commands in a memory in the remote controller;

means for actuating a single command on the remote controller;

means for processing the single command in the remote controller to insert a time read from the second clock in the remote controller into the first sequence of commands for setting the first clock in the appliance to form a sequence of time commands; and

means for transmitting the sequence of time commands from the remote controller to the appliance to set the first clock in the appliance.

3. A method for initializing settings in an appliance comprising the steps of:

initiating a telephone connection with a remote site;

communicating background information on the appliance to the remote site;

converting the background information into a first sequence of commands;

downloading over the telephone connection the first sequence of commands for initializing settings in the appliance;

storing the first sequence of commands in a memory in the remote controller;

downloading over the telephone connection data-for-initializing;

storing the data-for-initializing in the memory in the remote controller;

activating a single command on the remote controller;

processing the single command in the remote controller to read the first sequence of commands from the memory and to read the data-for-initializing from the memory;

inserting the data-for-initializing into the first sequence of commands to form a command-data sequence, upon the single command; and

transmitting the command-data sequence from the remote controller to the appliance to initialize settings in the appliance, upon the single command.

4. A system for initializing settings in an appliance comprising:

means for initiating a telephone connection with a remote site;

means for communicating background information on the appliance to the remote site;

means for converting the background information into a first sequence of commands;

means for downloading over the telephone connection the first sequence of commands for initializing settings in the appliance;

means for storing the first sequence of commands in a memory in the remote controller;

means for downloading over the telephone connection data-for-initializing;

means for storing the data-for-initializing in the memory in the remote controller;

means for activating a single command on the remote controller;

means for processing the single command in the remote controller to read the first sequence of commands from the memory and to read the data-for-initializing from the memory;

means for inserting the data-for-initializing into the first sequence of commands to form a command-data sequence, upon the activation of the single command; and

means for transmitting the command-data sequence from the remote controller to the appliance to initialize settings in the appliance, upon the activation of the single command.

5. A method for testing the validity of a downloading procedure for initializing settings in an appliance comprising the steps of:

initiating a telephone connection with a remote site;

downloading over the telephone connection to a remote controller for the appliance, a first sequence of commands for setting a first clock in the appliance;

downloading over the telephone connection to the remote controller for the appliance, a second sequence of commands to set a second clock in the remote controller;

storing the first sequence of commands in a memory in the remote controller;

actuating a single command on the remote controller;

processing the single command in the remote controller to insert a time read from the second clock in the remote controller into the first sequence of commands for setting the first clock in the appliance to form a sequence of time commands;

transmitting the sequence of time commands from the remote controller to the appliance to set the first clock in the appliance; and

communicating the times set on the first clock and the second clock to the remote site over the telephone connection.

6. A system for testing the validity of a downloading procedure for initializing settings in an appliance comprising:

means for initiating a telephone connection with a remote site;

means for downloading over the telephone connection to a remote controller for the appliance, a first sequence of commands for setting a first clock in the appliance;

means for downloading over the telephone connection to a remote controller for the appliance, a second sequence of commands to set a second clock in the remote controller;

means for storing the first sequence of commands in a memory in the remote controller;

means for actuating a single command on the remote controller;

means for processing the single command in the remote controller to insert a time read from the second clock in the remote controller into the first sequence of commands for setting the first clock in the appliance to form a sequence of time commands;

means for transmitting the sequence of time commands from the remote controller to the appliance to set the first clock in the appliance; and

means for communicating the times set on the first clock and the second clock to the remote site over the telephone connection.

7. A remote controller for initializing settings in an appliance, the remote controller comprising:

means for initiating a telephone connection with a remote site;

means for communicating background information on the appliance to the remote site;

means for converting the background information into a first sequence of commands;

means for downloading over the telephone connection the first sequence of commands for initializing settings in the appliance;

means for storing the first sequence of commands in a memory in the remote controller;

means for downloading over the telephone connection data-for-initializing;

means for storing the data-for-initializing in a memory in the remote controller;

means for activating a single command on the remote controller;

means for processing the single command in the remote controller to read the first sequence of commands from the memory and to read the data-for-initializing from the memory;

means for inserting the data-for-initializing into the first sequence of commands to form a command-data sequence, upon the activation of the single command; and

means for transmitting the command-data sequence from the remote controller to the appliance to initialize settings in the appliance, upon the activation of the single command.

8. A method for setting a first clock in an appliance at a remote site comprising the steps of:

communicating background information on the appliance to the remote site;

converting the background information describing the appliance into a first sequence of commands for setting the first clock in the appliance;

transmitting the first sequence of commands for setting the first clock in the appliance to a remote controller;

storing the first sequence of commands in a memory in the remote controller;

activating a single command on the remote controller;

processing the single command in the remote controller to insert a time read from a second clock in the remote controller into the first sequence of commands for setting the first clock in the appliance to form a sequence of time commands; and

transmitting the sequence of time commands from the remote controller to the appliance to set the first clock in the appliance.