Method and apparatus for remote control

• US 6,879,351 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2001
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Peel Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Innotech Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Brown, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Natnael, Paulos M.
• Application Number:
  US09/881,318
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 348/734, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/825.25, 345/169, 345/168, 455/151.4
• US Class Current: 348/734
• 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 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42225 characterized by types of remote control, e.g. universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to facilitate communication between a user and one or more devices which are remote from the user, reduce the number of required button presses and further reduce keystroke errors, by including the functionality to associate a user selected default device with a particular set of buttons. A universal remote control unit suitable for use with various audio/visual entertainment devices may embody various aspects of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting information from a first device to a second device, comprising:

receiving a first user input at the first device, the first user input indicating a first one of a plurality of second devices;

receiving, subsequent to the first user input, a second user input at the first device, the second user input indicating that a programmed association mode has been selected;

receiving, subsequent to the second user input at the first device, a third user input at the first device, the third user input belonging to a first one of a plurality of user input classes;

associating the first one of the plurality of user input classes with the first one of the plurality of second devices;

receiving, subsequent to the third user input at the first device, a fourth user input at the first device, the fourth user input belonging to the first class;

identifying one of a plurality of sets of information which is associated with the first class;

looking up at least one datum in the identified set of information; and

transmitting the datum;

wherein the third and fourth user inputs are different from each other.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is control information, and the datum is a control code.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if a programmed association feature is active.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the user input comprises recognizing a button press.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first device is a remote control unit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second device is selected from the group consisting of televisions, set-top boxes, compact disc players, digital versatile disk players, tuners, radio receivers, and satellite receivers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second device is a remotely controllable entertainment device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein transmitting comprises generating an infrared signal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is control information, the datum is a control code;

receiving the user input comprises recognizing a button press;

the first device is a remote control unit;

the second device is a remotely controllable entertainment device; and

further comprising determining if a programmed association feature is active.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving a first input, the first user input indicating a first one of a plurality of target devices;

receiving, subsequent to the first input, a second input, the second input indicating that a programmed association mode has been selected;

receiving, subsequent to the second input, a third input, the third input belonging to a first one of a plurality of user input classes;

associating the first one of the plurality of user input classes with the first one of the plurality of target devices;

receiving a user input;

generating a classification code based, at least in part, on the user input;

accessing a first control code based, at least in part, on the user input and the classification code, the first control code stored in a memory; and

transmitting the first control code;

wherein the transmission is directed to the first one of the plurality of target devices.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the classification code comprises a table-look-up operation.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein accessing the first control code comprises generating a memory address and reading out the contents of a memory location.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising accessing a second control code based, at least in part, on the user input and the classification code.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting the first control code comprises converting the control code to infra-red signals.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the user input comprises detecting a button press and generating one or more electrical signals.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the user input comprises detecting a button press and generating one or more electrical signals representative of the button press;

generating the classification code comprises a table-look-up operation;

accessing the first control code comprises generating a memory address and reading out the contents of a memory location; and

transmitting the first control code comprises converting the control code to infra-red signals.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein accessing the first control code comprises accessing data from a table based at least in part on the classification code, and wherein data in the table represents a programmed association between a classification code and a target device.

18. An article of manufacture, comprising a machine readable medium upon which is included instructions which when processed by the machine will cause the machine to receive a first user input, the first user input indicating a first one of a plurality of target devices;

receive, a second user input, the second user input indicating that a programmed association mode has been selected;

receive, a third user input, the third user input belonging to a first one of a plurality of user input classes;

associate the first one of the plurality of user input classes with the first one of the plurality of target devices;

receive a fourth user input the fourth user input belonging to the first class;

identify one of a plurality of sets of information which is associated with the class;

look up at least one datum in the identified set of information; and

transmit the datum to the first one of the plurality of target devices.

19. The article of claim 18, further including instructions which when processed by the machine will cause the machine to determine if a programmed association feature is active.

20. The article of claim 19, wherein the information is control information, and the datum is a control code.

21. The article of claim 18, wherein transmitting the datum comprises generating an infrared signal.

22. The article of claim 18, wherein receiving the user input comprises recognizing a voice command.