System and method for configuring a home appliance communications network

• US 6,650,247 B1
• Filed: 02/20/2002
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Hayes, Patrick H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yang, Clara
• Application Number:
  US10/079,377
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.22, 340/825.25, 340/825.71, 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 359/142, 359/146, 348/734
• US Class Current: 340/12.28
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1141 One-way transmission

Abstract

A system and method for configuring a target controlling appliance to communicate with a target controlled appliance. Setup information is supplied to a remote control to configure the remote control to communicate command codes to the target controlled appliance. A representation of configuration data is transmitted in a configuration message to the target controlling appliance. The target controlling appliance uses the representation of the configuration data to automatically configure itself to communicate command codes to the target controlled appliance. In particular, the target controlling appliance uses the representation of the configuration data to select those command codes in a command code library that are recognizable by the target controlled appliance. The command code library could be local or remote to the target controlling appliance.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a target controlling appliance to communicate with a target controlled appliance, the method comprising:

using configuration data to identify a plurality of command codes in a first command code library that are recognizable by the target controlled appliance such that the identified plurality of command codes are available to allow the remote control to control operations of the target controlled appliance;

storing the configuration data in a memory of the remote control;

transmitting from the remote control to the target controlling appliance a configuration message created using the configuration data read from the memory of the remote control; and

using the configuration message to identify a plurality of command codes in a second command code library that are recognizable by the target controlled appliance to configure the target controlling appliance such that the identified plurality of command codes are available to allow the target controlling appliance to control operations of the target controlled appliance.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second command code library is stored on the target controlling appliance.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second command code library is stored remotely from the target controlling appliance and the identified plurality of command codes are downloaded into the target controlling appliance.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the configuration message further includes data representative of a type of the target controlled appliance.

5. The method as recite in claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises an indicia of a manufacturer of the target controlled appliance.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the configured target controlling appliance is capable of controlling operations of the target controlled appliance independent of the remote control.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the configured remote control is capable of controlling operations of the target controlled appliance independent of the target controlling appliance.

8. A method for configuring a target controlling appliance to communicate with a plurality of target controlled appliances, the method comprising:

using configuration data to identify a plurality of command codes in a first command code library that are recognizable by the target controlled appliance such that the identified plurality of command codes are available to allow the remote control to control operations of the target controlled appliance;

storing the configuration data in a memory of the remote control;

transmitting from the remote control to the target controlling appliance a configuration message created using device data indicative of a type of each of the target controlled appliances and the configuration data read from the memory of the remote control; and

using the configuration message at the target controlling appliance to identify a plurality of command codes in a second command code library that are recognizable by each of the target controlled appliances to configure the target controlling appliance such that the identified plurality of command codes are available to allow the target controlling appliance to control operations of each of the target controlled appliance.

9. A method for using a remote control having a memory to configure a target controlling appliance to communicate with a target controlled appliance, the method comprising:

accepting configuration data which is used to identify a plurality of command codes in a first command code library that are recognizable by the target controlled appliance such that the identified plurality of command codes are available to allow the remote control to control operations of the target controlled appliance;

storing the configuration data in the memory;

creating a configuration message using the configuration data read from the memory; and

transmitting the configuration message to the target controlling appliance where the target controlling appliances uses the configuration message to identify a plurality of command codes in a second command code library that are recognizable by the target controlled appliance to configure the target controlling appliance such that the identified plurality of command codes are available to allow the target controlling appliance to control operations of the target controlled appliance.

10. In a remote control having a memory, a readable media having instructions for use in configuring a target controlling appliance to communicate with a target controlled appliance, the instructions performing steps comprising:

accepting configuration data which is used to identify a plurality of command codes in a first command code library that are recognizable by the target controlled appliance such that the identified plurality of command codes are available to allow the remote control to control operations of the target controlled appliance;

storing the configuration data in the memory;

creating a configuration message using the configuration data read from the memory; and

transmitting the configuration message to the target controlling appliance where the target controlling appliances uses the configuration message to identify a plurality of command codes in a second command code library that are recognizable by the target controlled appliance to configure the target controlling appliance such that the identified plurality of command codes are available to allow the target controlling appliance to control operations of the target controlled appliance.

11. The readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the configuration message further comprises device data representative of a type of the target controlled appliance.

12. The readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the configuration message comprises a unique custom code value that allows the controlling target device to distinguish between the configuration message and a command message.