Remote control apparatus and method of transmitting data to a host device

• US 6,650,867 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2001
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Smartpaper Networks Corporation
• Original Assignee: Smartpaper Networks Corporation
• Inventors: Redford, Peter M., Stern, Donald S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Application Number:
  US09/991,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20020058240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 434/169, 434/185, 434/307-R-3, 434/317, 434/365, 463/1, 463/57, 348/7, 348/12, 348/426, 348/563, 348/601, 348/706, 348/731, 348/734, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/990, 345/168, 345/169, 345/173, 369/24, 341/22, 341/23
• US Class Current: 434/307.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/056 Keyboard or overlay identification features
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/0235 specially adapted for remote control, e.g. of audio or video apparatus

Abstract

A remote control includes a base and an insert that is attached in a detachable manner to the base. The base includes a remote control circuit, a button coupled to operate the remote control circuit and a fastener capable of holding the insert. The insert includes a printed publication (such as a card, a sheet of paper or a booklet) containing at least one leaf having human-understandable content (such as text and/or graphics). To assemble the remote control, a user attaches the insert to the fastener, so that the human-understandable content is laid over the button. Thereafter, when the user operates the button (e.g. by touching the leaf), the base transmits a remote control signal that causes a host device to visually display information related to the human-understandable content at the touched location. A base in the form of a three ring binder gives the user an intuitive feel of simply touching human-understandable content on a leaf in the binder to view a display of information related to the content. In addition to the human-understandable content, the insert can carry a predetermined pattern that can be sensed by a sensor during mounting of the insert on the base. The base transmits, in the remote control signal, a number determined from the predetermined pattern thereby to indicate to the host device the insert currently in the base.

Claims

1. A remote control comprising:

a base having a remote control circuit, a button electrically coupled to operate said remote control circuit, and a sensor coupled to said remote control circuit; and

an insert including a leaf laid over said button, said leaf being sufficiently thin and flexible for pressure on said leaf to transfer through said leaf to operate said button said insert including a predetermining coding pattern readable by said base, and said insert being attached in a detachable manner to said base;

wherein said remote control circuit generates a signal in response to the operation of said button by a touch on said leaf, said signal carrying a number determined by said sensor from said predetermined coding pattern carried by said insert, and said signal also carrying data indicative of the location of said touch on said leaf.

2. The remote control of claim 1 wherein:

said sensor includes a barcode scanner; and

said predetermined coding pattern is formed as a bar code on an edge of said leaf.

3. The remote control of claim 1 wherein:

said predetermined coding pattern is formed at an edge of said leaf;

said base includes a fastener capable of detachably attaching to at least said edge of said leaf; and

said sensor is mounted within said fastener, said sensor sensing said predetermined coding pattern during the detachable attachment of said edge to said fastener.

4. The remote control of claim 3 wherein:

said fastener includes a first channel and a second channel facing said first channel, said sensor being mounted within said first channel; and

said leaf has a width smaller than or equal to the distance between said first channel and said second channel, said edge is located within said first channel, said predetermined coding pattern being located at said edge thereby to permit said sensor to sense said predetermined coding pattern during the sliding of said edge through said first channel.

5. The remote control of claim 3 wherein:

said fastener includes a single channel, said single channel having a longitudinal cavity formed behind two longitudinal edges that each face the other, said sensor being mounted in said longitudinal cavity; and

said leaf has said edge located in said longitudinal cavity, a portion of said leaf located between said two longitudinal edges having a thickness smaller than or equal to the distance between said two longitudinal edges.

6. The remote control of claim 5 wherein:

said leaf has another portion folded along said edge so that at said edge said leaf has a thickness larger than said thickness of said portion; and

said insert includes a plurality of leaves, said leaves being mounted in a region of said leaf outside said single channel.

7. The remote control of claim 5 wherein:

said leaf has, along said first edge, a thickness approximately equal to said thickness of said portion.

8. The remote control of claim 1 further comprising:

information in the form of electronic content identified at least partially by said signal, said electronic content being related to content printed on said leaf.

9. The remote control of claim 8 wherein:

said electronic content is encoded on a storage media accessible over the Internet.

10. The remote control of claim 1 further comprising:

a pointing device coupled to said remote control circuit;

wherein said remote control circuit generates another signal carrying data generated by said pointing device in response to operation of said pointing device.

11. The remote control of claim 1 further comprising:

a second button coupled to said remote control circuit;

wherein said remote control circuit generates another signal carrying a predetermined number in response to operation of said second button.

12. The remote control of claim 11 wherein:

said second button is one of a plurality of buttons of a keyboard included in said structure.

13. The remote control of claim 1 further comprising:

an electromagnetic signal transmitter electrically coupled to said remote control circuit;

wherein said electromagnetic signal transmitter generates an electromagnetic signal carrying said data in response to said signal.

14. The remote control of claim 1 further comprising:

a cable capable of being coupled to a host device, said cable being electrically coupled to said remote control circuit;

wherein said cable carries said signal.

21. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

applying pressure to a mark on said leaf, said mark being in a different region from said first region, said mark being also in a different region from another mark of another leaf in said printed publication, thereby to indicate an identity of said leaf.

22. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

flipping one or more leaves of said printed publication; and

applying pressure on a region of another leaf.

23. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

turning over said leaf, so that said leaf lies over another button included in said base; and

applying pressure to a second region on said leaf, said pressure being transferred through said leaf to said another button;

wherein said first region is on one side of said leaf, and said second region is on another side of said leaf.

15. A method of transmitting data to a host device, said method comprising:

mounting a printed publication having at least one leaf which includes a predetermined coding pattern, removably on a remote control base which having a button so that said leaf of said printed publication is laid over said button, said predetermined coding pattern being readable by said base and said leaf being sufficiently thin and flexible for pressure on said leaf to transfer through said leaf to operate said button, wherein during mounting said predetermined coding pattern is sensed by said base;

applying pressure to a first region on said leaf, said pressure being transferred through said leaf to said button; and

transmitting a signal generated by a remote control circuit of said base to a host devices said signal carrying data representative of the location of said first region and data determined by a sensor of said base from said predetermined coding pattern carried by said insert.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the step of transmitting includes operating a light emitting diode to create an electromagnetic signal.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the step of transmitting includes driving an electrical signal on a cable coupled to said host device.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

sensing said predetermined coding pattern during said step of mounting.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

removing said leaf from said base;

mounting another leaf on said base; and

sensing a second predetermined coding pattern on said another leaf during said step of mounting another leaf.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

removing a storage media from a package that includes said leaf and mounting said storage media in said host device prior to said step of applying.