Remote control system in which a plurality of remote control units are managed by a single remote control device

• US 5,715,020 A
• Filed: 02/23/1996
• Issued: 02/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Masahiro, Ooi, Shinichi, Kuroiwa, Wataru, Miyazaki, Isao, Odagiri, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, David E.
• Application Number:
  US08/605,909
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 348/734, 348/6, 348/7, 348/8, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 340/825, 340/825.52, 340/825.22, 340/825.06, 340/825.03
• US Class Current: 348/734
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4108 characterised by an identification number or address, e.g. local network address protecting specific internal or external computer components using identification number G06F21/73; network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4117 for generating hard copies of the content, e.g. printer, electronic paper interfaces to printers G06F3/12; printing data G06K15/02
• 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 21/4131 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 21/42204 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 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42661 for reading from or writing on a magnetic storage medium, e.g. hard disk drive
• 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 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 : Accessing a communication channel
• 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 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 : for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 : comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 : Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8186 : specially adapted to be executed by a peripheral of the client device, e.g. by a reprogrammable remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A remote control system which can control a plurality of remote control units (RCUs). The remote control system includes a first memory for storing an RCU identification code for each of the remote control units, a second memory for storing a maker identification code for the remote control apparatus corresponding to the RCU identification code, a model code, and a remote control code. The system further includes a device for reading an active remote control code from the second memory on the basis of the RCU identification code read from the first memory according to the apparatus control request from an active remote control unit. Electromagnetic waves or infrared rays act as a second modulated wave which is modulated on the basis of the active remote control code in order to control the function of the remote control apparatus corresponding to the active remote control code. The plurality of remote control units are managed by a single remote control reception and processing device.

Claims

1. A remote control system comprising:

a plurality of remote control units, each of which contains a data generating section for generating indication data by operation, a start code representing a start of data, and a unit identification code thereof, and transmits electromagnetic waves or infrared rays acting as a first modulated wave modulated based on the indication data, the start code, and the unit identification code;

program information reception means for receiving a plurality of pieces of program information at an input terminal thereof;

transmission means for transmitting a program signal received at said program information reception means to an output terminal thereof through at least one transmission channel; and

remote control reception and processing means for receiving said first modulated wave from said remote control units, processing said indication data, and generating a remote control code for controlling a function of a remote control apparatus based on said indication data which has been processed,

said remote control reception and processing means including first memory meads for storing an RCU (Remote Control Unit) identification code for each of said remote control units, second memory means for storing a maker identification code for the remote control apparatus corresponding to said RCU identification code, a model code, and the remote control code, and means for reading an active remote control code from said second memory means based on the RCU identification code read from said first memory means according to an apparatus control request from an active remote control unit, and radiating electromagnetic waves or infrared rays acting as a second modulated wave modulated based on said active remote control code in order to control a function of the remote control apparatus.

2. A remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of said first modulated wave is set outside a transmission band for the information including television programs.

3. A remote control system according to claim 1, wherein said second modulated wave from said remote control reception and processing means is received by said active remote control unit, and said active remote control unit radiates electromagnetic waves or infrared rays acting as a third modulated wave modulated on the basis of the received information to control the function of said remote control apparatus.

4. A remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the indication data obtained from said data generating section of the active remote control unit is the indication data from a plurality of keypads of at least directional movement indication data in two directions.

5. A remote control system according to claim 1, wherein said first modulated wave outputted from said active remote control unit further contains the maker identification code and the apparatus control code.

6. A remote control system according to claim 1, wherein electromagnetic waves are used as a signal transmission medium between said active remote control unit and said remote control reception and processing means.

7. A remote control system according to claim 1, wherein said remote control reception and processing means contains updating means for updating the information stored in said first or second memory means.

8. A remote control system according to claim 1, wherein said remote control reception and processing means contains updating means for updating the information stored in said first or second memory means and means for transmitting the updated information at said updating means to said active remote control unit by said second modulated wave, and

said active remote control unit contains means for receiving said second modulated wave and demodulating the updated information at said updating means and third memory means for storing said demodulated information.

9. A remote control system according to claim 1, wherein said remote control reception and processing means contains means for transmitting a main start code for the remote control code for each of said plurality of remote control units and a sub-start code accompanying said remote control code in transmitting the respective remote control codes to said remote control units.

10. A remote control system according to claim 1, wherein said remote control units contain infrared modulation means enabling more than one infrared modulation form.

11. A remote control system according to claim 7, wherein said remote control reception and processing means contains means for transmitting the updated information at said updating means to said output terminal in the form of a video signal through said transmission channel.

12. A remote control system according to claim 7, wherein said active remote control unit contains means for receiving said second modulated wave and demodulating the updated information at said updating means, and display means for displaying the demodulated information.