Remote control device for use with a personal computer (PC) and multiple A/V devices and method of use

• US 7,084,780 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2002
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Takata, Wayne, Kotsiopoulos, Christos, Nguyen, Huy
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US10/072,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20040155791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/825.24, 340/825.25, 340/825.22, 348/734, 348/731, 348/552, 345/418
• US Class Current: 340/12.53
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver

Abstract

Aspects for remotely controlling audio/visual (A/V) devices with a personal computer (PC) are described. The aspects include providing connection hardware for connecting a plurality of A/V devices to a PC. A remote control device with selectable buttons is provided for transmitting data signals wirelessly to the connection hardware. The plurality of A/V devices are controlled according to the data signals from button selections on the remote control device. Through the present invention, a multi-function wireless remote is disclosed which allows for full command of a plurality of A/V devices in a PC, such as a DVD player, TV receiver, Digital Video Recorder (DVR), and electronic programming guide. In this manner, PC users are ensured of a simplified and intuitive interactive PC/video experience.

Claims

1. A method for remotely controlling audio/visual (A/V) devices within a personal computer (PC), the method comprising:

receiving data signals from a single control device;

accessing a look-up table within a graphics card of said PC, said lookup table having a plurality of mappings between each of the data signals from said single control device and an appropriate control function for each of the A/V devices;

translating the received data signals to particular control functions utilizing the look-up table; and

controlling the operation of the A/V devices via the PC based on the particular control functions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the device functions further comprises a plurality of CD/DVD and TV/DVR functions.

3. A system for remotely controlling a plurality of audio/visual (A/V) devices, the system comprising:

a single remote control device with selectable buttons for transmitting data signals wirelessly to access control of the plurality of A/V devices;

a connection hardware, coupling the plurality of A/V devices and a personal computer (PC);

a graphics card coupled to the PC, the graphics card for translating the data signals to appropriate control functions, wherein the selectable buttons are automatically associated with the appropriate control functions for a particular A/V device; and

a graphics processing unit coupled within the PC based graphics card, said graphics processing unit for controlling the plurality of A/V devices utilizing the appropriate control functions.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the connection hardware comprises a tuner box for coupling the plurality of A/V devices to the PC.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the graphics card for translating the data signals to appropriate control functions further comprises a look up table for selecting and controlling operation of the plurality of A/V devices wherein a first set of the selectable buttons are mapped to select one or more A/V devices and a second set of the selectable buttons are mapped to control operation as a function of the selected one or more A/V devices.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the tuner box comprises an infrared port receiver and a register to receive the data signals from the single remote control device and for transferring the received data signals to the graphics card.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein the control functions comprise one of a plurality of DVD and DVR functions.

8. A method for remotely controlling a plurality of audio/visual (A/V) devices within a personal computer (PC) utilizing one remote control, the remote control having a plurality of buttons, the method comprising:

providing a data signal based upon activating at least one of the plurality of buttons from the one remote control, the at least one button for controlling one of the plurality of A/V devices;

determining automatically within a graphics card in the PC a control function for a particular A/V device associated with the data signal based only on the activated at least one of the plurality of buttons and the particular A/V device the signal is associated with; and

providing information from the graphics card for controlling the particular A/V device based on the control function.

9. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for remotely controlling audio/visual (A/V) devices within a personal computer (PC), the program instructions for:

accessing a mapping stored on a graphics card of the PC, said mapping comprising a mapping of each button on a single remote control device to predetermined key codes, wherein a first set of buttons select operation of one or more A/V devices and a second set of buttons control operation as a function of the selected A/V device; and

translating automatically data signals from a selected button to device functions via the PC based on the key codes.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9 further comprising utilizing a look-up table containing mappings of each button to predetermined key codes for translating the data signals to device functions.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the device functions further comprise a plurality of CD/DVD and TV/DVR functions.

12. A method for remotely controlling audio/visual (A/V) devices within a personal computer (PC), the method comprising the steps of:

(a) mapping each button on a single remote control device to predetermined key codes, wherein a first set of buttons select operation of one or more A/V devices and a second set of buttons control operation as a function of the selected A/V device;

(b) storing the mapping in a look-up table in a graphics card in the PC;

(c) receiving within the graphics card a first data signal corresponding to a selected one of the first set of buttons;

(d) translating within the graphics card the first data signal to a first control function utilizing the look-up table to select operation of a particular A/V device coupled to a PC;

(e) receiving within the graphics card a second data signal corresponding to a selected one of the second set of buttons; and

(f) translating within the graphics card the second data signal to a second control function utilizing the look-up table to control operation of the particular A/V device coupled to the PC, wherein the selected one of the second set of buttons is automatically associated with an appropriate control function for the particular A/V device.

13. A system for remotely controlling a plurality audio/visual (A/V) devices within a personal computer (PC), the system comprising:

a single remote control device with selectable buttons for transmitting data signals wirelessly;

a tuner box coupled to the PC, the plurality of A/V devices and the remote control device, for receiving the data signals for transfer to the PC; and

the PC having a graphics board for automatically translating the data signals to appropriate control functions for selecting and controlling operation of the plurality of A/V devices utilizing a look-up table wherein a first set of the selectable buttons are mapped to select one or more A/V devices and a second set of the selectable buttons are mapped to control operation as a function of the selected one or more A/V devices.

14. A computer readable medium for remotely controlling audio/visual (A/V) devices within a personal computer (PC), the method comprising:

mapping each button on a single remote control device to predetermined key codes in a look-up table stored in a graphics card in the PC, wherein a first set of buttons select one or more A/V devices and a second set of buttons control operation of each of the selected A/V devices and wherein a graphical user interface is not necessary;

translating automatically data signals from the single remote control to device functions utilizing the look-up table, wherein the data signals include one or more of the predetermined key codes, and wherein an input of the data signals from the single remote control is the only input required for the translating; and

controlling selection and operation of the A/V devices via the graphics board in the PC based on the device functions.

15. A system for remotely controlling a plurality of audio/visual (A/V) devices within a personal computer (PC), the system comprising:

a tuner box, coupled to a graphics board within the PC and the plurality of A/V devices, having an infrared port receiver and a register for receiving data signals for transfer to the PC;

a single remote control device with selectable buttons for transmitting the data signals wirelessly to access control of the plurality of A/V devices;

the PC having a graphics board including a button mapping software for automatically translating the data signals to appropriate control functions and a software driver for providing information for controlling the plurality of A/V devices according to the appropriate control function, wherein a first set of the data signals are mapped to select one or more A/V devices and a second set of the data signals are mapped to control operation of the selected one or more A/V devices.