Universal remote control method and apparatus
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A universal remote control system comprisinga remotely controllable TV receiver;
- and a universal remote control transmitter having a selection key for selecting for control either said TV receiver or a different remotely controllable device and having control keys for causing a control signal to be transmitted for controlling the TV receiver or the different device;
wherein the TV receiver responds to control signals for said different device by a synthetic voice response indicating that the different device is being controlled and is not the TV receiver; and
wherein said universal remote control transmitter is voice activated for selecting either said TV receiver or said different device.
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Abstract
A remote controllable device, apparatus or appliance such as a television is adapted to receive control signals from a universal remote control device addressed to a different appliance, i.e., when said appliance has not been selected, and informs the user that said appliance is not selected. Preferably the appliance displays information as to which other appliance has been selected, for example the TV could display on its screen the fact that it is receiving a remote control signal pertaining to a VCR by saying “VCR selected” when it receives a VCR control signal.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A universal remote control system comprising
a remotely controllable TV receiver; - and
a universal remote control transmitter having a selection key for selecting for control either said TV receiver or a different remotely controllable device and having control keys for causing a control signal to be transmitted for controlling the TV receiver or the different device;
wherein the TV receiver responds to control signals for said different device by a synthetic voice response indicating that the different device is being controlled and is not the TV receiver; and
whereinsaid universal remote control transmitter is voice activated for selecting either said TV receiver or said different device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus comprising
(a) a universal remote control transmitter capable of selectively controlling more than one remote controllable device, having means for selecting one device for control at a time, (b) a first remote controllable device consisting of a TV receiver adapted to generate display information and synthetic voice information upon receipt of a signal from said transmitter at a time when said TV receiver has not been selected which indicates that said selected one device is not said TV receiver; - and
(c) said means for selecting one device for control at a time includes voice activation means in said universal remote control transmitter. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A method for indicating the operating mode of a universal remote controller comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving, in a first device, a signal from a universal remote controller, said signal comprising an device identification code and a control code, said signal being responsive to either keyboard or voice control by a user of said remote controller;
(b) determining within said first device whether said device identification code conforms to said first device; and
(c) indicating to a user by display and synthetic voice generation produced by said first device that said universal remote controller is not configured to control said first device but is configured to control a further device.
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Specification