Bidirectional remote control system

• US 6,784,872 B1
• Filed: 02/18/2000
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Matsui, Yasuhiro, Harada, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Awad, Amr
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nelson, Alecia D.
• Application Number:
  US09/506,589
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: 345/169, 345/158, 345/173, 345/156, 340/825.72, 348/134, 348/734
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control
• 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 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A bidirectional remote control system composed of an electronic appliance and a remote control. The electronic appliance is provided with a display information storage section for storing therein display information for displaying buttons, icons or the like necessary to control the electronic appliance itself, and a transmitting section for transmitting display information stored in the display information storage section to the remote control. The remote control is provided with a received information storage section for receiving and storing therein display information transmitted from the electronic appliance, a display section for displaying display information stored in the received information storage section, a position detecting section for detecting an operation of the buttons, icons or the like displayed on the display section, and a transmitting section for transmitting information about a button, icon or the like the operation of which has been detected by the position detecting section, to the electronic appliance as a control signal. Thus, by utilizing information transmitted from the electronic appliance side, the electronic appliance can be operated even if information about the electronic appliance is not previously registered on the remote control side.

Claims

1. A bidirectional remote control system comprising:

an electronic appliance and a remote control that controls the electronic appliance, wherein

the electronic appliance includes

a display information storage section for storing therein display information for displaying buttons or icons necessary to control the electronic appliance main unit; and

a transmitting section for transmitting display information stored in the display information storage section directly to the remote control, and

the remote control includes

a received information storage section for receiving and storing therein display information transmitted directly from the electronic appliance;

a display section for displaying display information stored in the received information storage section;

a position detecting section for detecting an operation of the buttons or icons displayed on the display section; and

a transmitting section for transmitting detected information about a button or icon the operation of which has been detected by the detecting section, to the electronic appliance as a control signal, and

a display capability transmitting section for transmitting display capability including a screen size that can be displayed on the remote control main unit, to the electronic appliance, and

the electronic appliance further includes a receiving section for directly receiving the detected information from the transmitting section of the remote control and a control section for controlling the appliance main unit according to the detected information received by the receiving section, wherein the electronic appliance is capable of being operated by the remote control.

2. The bidirectional remote control system claimed in claim 1, wherein

the electronic appliance further includes

a display information changing section for receiving display capability including the size of the display screen transmitted from the remote control, and changing the display information about the buttons or icons necessary to control the electronic appliance transmitted directly to the remote control side according to the received display capability.

3. A bidirectional remote control system comprising:

an electronic appliance, and a remote control for receiving and displaying display information transmitted directly from the electronic appliance and, upon detecting an operation of displayed buttons or icons, transmitting information about a button or icon the operation of which has been detected, to the electronic appliance, wherein

the remote control includes

a received-information display acceptance/rejection deciding section for deciding whether or not display information necessary to control the electronic appliance that is transmitted directly from the electronic appliance is beyond the display capability of screen size that can be displayed on the remote control main unit; and

a display information changing section for, if it is decided by the received-information display acceptance/rejection deciding section that the display information is beyond the display capability, changing the transmitted display information into a form that is displayable for the remote control main unit.

4. The bidirectional remote control system of claim 3, wherein the electronic appliance includes

a display information storage section for storing therein display information for displaying buttons or icons necessary to control the electronic appliance main unit; and

a transmitting section for transmitting display information stored in the display information storage section directly to the remote control.

5. The bidirectional remote control system of claim 3, wherein the remote control includes

a received information storage section for receiving and storing therein display information transmitted directly from the electronic appliance;

a display section for displaying display information stored in the received information storage section;

a position detecting section for detecting an operation of the buttons or icons displayed on the display section; and

a transmitting section for transmitting information about a button or icon the operation of which has been detected by the detecting section, to the electronic appliance as a control signal, wherein the electronic appliance is capable of being operated by the remote control even without previously registered information about the electronic appliance on the remote control side by utilizing the display information transmitted directly from the electronic appliance side.

6. The bidirectional remote control system of claim 3, wherein the remote control receives and displays display information transmitted directly from the electronic appliance and which, upon detecting an operation of displayed buttons or icons, transmits information about a button or icon the operation of which has been detected, to the electronic appliance, wherein

the remote control includes

a display capability transmitting section for transmitting display capability including a screen size that can be displayed on the remote control main unit, to the electronic appliance.

7. The bidirectional remote control system of claim 3, wherein the electronic appliance includes

a display information changing section for receiving display capability including the size of the display screen transmitted from the remote control, and changing the display information about the buttons or icons necessary to control the electronic appliance transmitted directly to the remote control side according to the received display capability.

8. The bidirectional remote control system of claim 3, wherein the remote control for receiving and displaying display information transmitted directly from the electronic appliance and, upon detecting an operation of displayed buttons or icons, transmitting information about a button or icon the operation of which has been detected, to the electronic appliance.

9. The bidirectional remote control system of claim 3, wherein the electronic appliance includes

a detection use display information transmitting section for transmitting detection use display information for detecting display capability of the remote control, to the remote control;

a remote-control display capability detecting section for deciding the display capability including

a size of a display screen of the remote control by discriminating a response signal from the remote control in response to the detection use display information;

a display information changing section for changing the display information including the buttons or icons necessary to control the electronic appliance transmitted directly to the remote control, according to a result of the decision by the remote-control display capability detecting section.

10. A bidirectional remote control system comprising:

an electronic appliance and a remote control that controls the electronic appliance, wherein

the electronic appliance further includes

a display information storage section for storing therein display information for displaying buttons, icons or the like necessary to control the electronic appliance main unit; and

a transmitting section for transmitting display information stored in the display information storage section to the remote control, and

the remote control includes

a received information storage section for receiving and storing therein display information transmitted directly from the electronic appliance;

a display section for displaying display information stored in the received information storage section;

a position detecting section for detecting an operation of the buttons or icons displayed on the display section; and

a transmitting section for transmitting detected information about a button or icon the operation of which has been detected by the detecting section, to the electronic appliance as a control signal, and

the electronic appliance further includes

a display information preparing section for preparing display information for detecting a display capability of the remote control, and

a display information transmitting section for transmitting the display information prepared by the display information preparing section, to the remote control;

a remote-control display capability detecting section for deciding the display capability including a size of a display screen of the remote control by discriminating a response signal from the remote control in response to the display information; and

a display information changing section for changing the display information including the buttons or icons necessary to control the electronic appliance transmitted directly to the remote control, according to a result of the decision by the remote-control display capability detecting section, wherein the electronic appliance is capable of being operated by the remote control.