Two-way remote control with advertising display

• US 6,278,499 B1
• Filed: 07/06/1999
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Original Assignee: Evolve Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Thompson, Brandt, Darbee, Paul, OʼDonnell, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): GRANT, CHRISTOPHER C
• Application Number:
  US09/348,248
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.544, 345/327, 345/328, 348/734, 348/725, 348/10, 348/12, 348/7, 348/6, 348/13, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 725/140, 725/139, 725/141, 725/151, 725/150, 725/152, 725/153, 725/131, 725/132, 725/133
• US Class Current: 348/734
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address
• 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 21/42204 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The remote control includes a visual display, first wireless circuitry for receiving from a host device data in the form of selected information, e.g., an advertisement, to be displayed, stored or processed, second wireless circuitry for sending information, control circuitry and software for controlling operation of the remote control, and the software including and a display default routine for returning to the display the display of the selected information received by the first wireless circuitry.

Claims

1. A remote control including electrical circuitry coupled to a power supply in a housing of said remote control, a visual display on said housing and coupled to said electrical circuitry, a keyboard on said housing and coupled to said electrical circuitry, memory means including a buffer memory, a realtime clock, means for turning on and turning off said remote control, wireless receiver means for receiving, from a host device, data, including selected information to be displayed, means for displaying said information on said visual display, wireless transmitting means for sending information input through said keyboard, control means coupled to said electrical circuitry and including software in said buffer memory for controlling the operation of said remote control and the display of selected information under command of said realtime clock, means for maintaining said selected information displayed on said visual display when said remote control is not being used by a user to perform a function, said selected information including:

advertising, a subset of an electronic program guide, instructions for setting up said remote control and a user guide or a context-sensitive help menu, means for displaying said instructions for setting up said remote control or said user guide or said context-sensitive help menu on said visual display of said remote control, and, software for displaying, on said visual display, key labels for selected keys on said keyboard and for indicating which function said remote control is controlling when a user presses one of said selected keys on said keyboard of said remote control.

2. The remote control of claim 1 wherein said software maintains a display of said selected information on said display even when said remote control is in a quiescent state or turned off.

3. The remote control of claim 1 wherein the host device is a cable decoder box.

4. The remote control of claim 1 wherein the host device is a satellite decoder box.

5. The remote control of claim 1 wherein the host device is a telephone company decoder box.

6. The remote control of claim 1 wherein the host device is a television set.

7. The remote control of claim 1 wherein the host device is a computer.

8. The remote control of claim 1 wherein said wireless means for receiving data is constructed and arranged to receive RF data from a long range transmitting device such as a paging network, a FM/SCA, a cellular phone, PCS, or other RF transmitting device.

9. The remote control of claim 1 wherein said wireless means is constructed and arranged to exchange information with a modem.

10. The remote control of claim 9 wherein said remote control has intelligence for operating said modem.

11. The remote control of claim 1 including means for querying the host device for date/time information.

12. The remote control of claim 1 wherein said display is bistable, thereby requiring no refresh buffer and requiring no power to maintain an image on said display.

13. The remote control of claim 1 wherein the information received from the host device is in compressed form.

14. The remote control of claim 1 wherein the information is in the form of drawing commands, and said software includes means for executing the drawing commands by drawing an image on said display.

15. The remote control of claim 1 including means for detecting a low-battery condition.

16. The remote control of claim 1 including back-lighting means for illuminating said visual display.

17. The remote control of claim 1 including a keyboard and back-lighting means for illuminating said keyboard.

18. The remote control of claim 1 including means for producing sound.

19. The remote control of claim 1 including means for reading the magnetic stripe on a credit card.

20. The remote control of claim 1 including means for interfacing with a smart card containing a computer chip.

21. the remote control of claim 1 including a pointing device for moving a cursor on a host display.

22. The remote control of claim 1 wherein said visual display includes a touch-sensitive display screen.

23. The remote control of claim 1 including a touch-sensitive pad on a bottom panel of said remote control beneath said visual display.

24. The remote control of claim 1 wherein some of the information comprises an advertising offer, and said remote control includes input means for enabling a user to responding to said advertising offer via said wireless means using said input means.

25. The remote control of claim 1 wherein some of the information comprises advertising, and the advertising is formatted the same way as a manner on a page on the world wide web.

26. The remote control of claim 1 wherein some of the information comprises executable code to be run on said remote control.

27. The remote control of claim 1 wherein some of the information comprises a “

trailer”

from an advertisement appearing on a host device, thus giving the user more time to respond to an offer in the advertisement.

28. The remote control of claim 1 wherein some of the information comprises games which can be played on said remote control.

29. The remote control of claim 1 wherein some of the information comprises codes for upgrading said remote control.

30. The remote control of claim 1 being [programmed to cycle a buffer memory in a ROM/RAM circuit to display on the visual display multiple categories of information.

31. The remote control of claim 1 wherein said wireless means for receiving data is constructed and arranged to receive IR data or visible light data from a IR transmitter or in a visible light signal from a TV screen or other flashing light source.

32. The remote control of claim 1 including a pointing device for moving a cursor on said visual display.

33. The remote control of claim 1 including a special key by which a user, upon a particular pressing of said special key, can call up said instructions for setting up said remote control or call up other menus including said help menu or said user guide.