Remote operating system

• US 5,729,210 A
• Filed: 09/26/1995
• Issued: 03/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kiriyama, Tetsuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US08/533,865
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 340/825.06, 340/825.07, 340/825.31, 340/825.34, 340/825.24, 340/825.54, 359/142, 359/154, 359/164, 359/167
• US Class Current: 340/12.28
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00155 Individual entertainment or communication system remote controls therefor, located in or connected to seat components, e.g. to seat back or arm rest
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00785 by light
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00825 remotely by lines or wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00841 by a portable device
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00865 remotely by wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00817 where the code of the lock can be programmed
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00857 where the code of the data carrier can be programmed

Abstract

A remote operating system including a remote operating device 20 having the transmitting/receiving function and a learning function, a slave unit 30 provided in any of a variety of main body members of the electronic equipment remote-operated by the remote operating device, and a master unit 10 for the slave unit. An identification code generating circuit 11 of the master unit 10 generates an identification code as the identification information. The master unit 10 transmits the identification code from a transmitter 13 to the remote controlling unit 20 by an IR beam, while transmitting the identification code from a sender/receiver 14 over a cable to the slave unit 30. The remote operating unit 20 appends the identification code associated with an operating switch 21 to form a remote operating signal which is transmitted to the slave unit 30. The slave unit 30 collates the identification code contained in the remote controlling signal to the identification code transmitted over the cable and stored in a storage unit 34. With the remote operating system, security in remote control may be improved.

Claims

1. A remote control system for commanding at least one predetermined function in a slave unit, the system comprising:

a user-operable remote control unit for effecting a controlled function in at least one slave unit;

a master control unit having means for generating a unique identification code and for communicating the identification code to the user-operable remote control unit and to said at least one slave unit;

the remote control unit having means for receiving and storing the identification code communicated from the master control unit, means for generating a remote operating signal that includes a function code for executing a user-requested function and the stored ID code, and means for transmitting the remote operating signal over a first communications pathway to said at least one slave unit;

the said at least one slave unit having a first means for receiving the remote operating signal including the identification code and a functional code from the remote control unit via the first communications pathway and having a second means for receiving the identification code from the master control unit via a second communications pathway, the slave unit having means for storing the identification code received via the second communications pathway and for collating the stored identification code with the identification code received via the first communications pathway, the slave unit executing the function commanded by the function code upon successful collation of the identification code received via the first communications pathway and the stored identification code received via the second communications pathway;

the master unit providing another unique identification code to the remote control unit and to the slave unit as a function of the use of the remote control unit.

2. The remote control system of claim 1 wherein the second pathway is wire cable.

3. The remote control system of claim 1 wherein the first pathway is an infrared pathway.

4. The remote control system of claim 1 wherein the master unit provides another unique identification code to the remote control unit and to the slave unit as a function of each successive use of the remote control unit.