Control system for controlling consumer apparatus
First Claim
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1. A control system for controlling a plurality of consumer devices included in a plurality of destination apparatuses which are coupled together via a transmission bus, a consumer device having one or more control functions, said control system comprising:
- a source apparatus coupled to said transmission bus and comprising command generating means for generating a command item comprising an operation code followed by one or more command operand codes thereby to selectively address said destination apparatuses, and means for transmitting said command item over said transmission bus, and whereineach said destination apparatus includes means for receiving the command item and in response thereto accessing a local command table of an addressed destination apparatus, said local command table containing a first address category for storing general commands having a uniform meaning for all of said plurality of apparatuses and a second address category mutually exclusive of said first address category and containing group function commands having uniform meaning across a subset of all of said control functions for autonomously carrying out a particular one of the control functions of the addressed destination apparatus.
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Abstract
A control system for controlling consumer apparatus. In the system, a command item is generated in one apparatus and supplied to another apparatus via a bus. The command item includes an operation code followed by zero or more operand codes for, in an addressee apparatus, addressing a command table. The latter thereupon outputs appropriate information for the addressee apparatus, without the addressor apparatus needing to specify the latter information.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A control system for controlling a plurality of consumer devices included in a plurality of destination apparatuses which are coupled together via a transmission bus, a consumer device having one or more control functions, said control system comprising:
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a source apparatus coupled to said transmission bus and comprising command generating means for generating a command item comprising an operation code followed by one or more command operand codes thereby to selectively address said destination apparatuses, and means for transmitting said command item over said transmission bus, and wherein each said destination apparatus includes means for receiving the command item and in response thereto accessing a local command table of an addressed destination apparatus, said local command table containing a first address category for storing general commands having a uniform meaning for all of said plurality of apparatuses and a second address category mutually exclusive of said first address category and containing group function commands having uniform meaning across a subset of all of said control functions for autonomously carrying out a particular one of the control functions of the addressed destination apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A destination audio and/or video consumer apparatus for use in a method of controlling a plurality of interconnected audio and/or video consumer apparatuses, the destination apparatus comprising:
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receiving means for receiving a message comprising a command item containing an operation code followed by a string of one or more command operand codes; storage means for storing a local command table with a first address range for storing general commands and with a second address range, differing from the first address range, for storing group function commands having a uniform meaning across a subset of all control functions of the destination apparatus thereby to carry out a particular one of the control functions of an addressed destination apparatus; and addressing means for, under control of the command item, selectively addressing either the first address range or the second address range of the local command table. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A method for controlling through a network a plurality of interconnected audio and/or video consumer apparatuses encompassing a spectrum of control functions, said method comprising the steps:
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in a source apparatus; generating a command item comprising an operation code followed by a string of one or more command operand codes, packaging said command item in a message comprising an address for selectively addressing a destination apparatus among said consumer apparatuses, and transmitting said message over said network to said destination apparatus; and in said destination apparatus; receiving said message and, under control of said command item, selectively addressing in a local command table either a first address range containing general commands having uniform meaning across all functions of said plurality of apparatuses, or a second address range, mutually exclusive of said first address range, and containing group function commands having uniform meaning across a subset of all of said control functions for carrying out a particular one of the control functions of an addressed destination apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification