TV image conversion device for turning computer on or off by means of multimedia remote control

• US 7,098,968 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2003
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elitegroup Computer Systems Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Elitegroup Computer Systems Company Limited
• Inventors: Wang, Chen Ming, Huang, Hung Chih, Hsieh, Hsien Yao
• Primary Examiner(s): Yenke, Brian P.
• Application Number:
  US10/404,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20040160534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 348/552, 348/734, 345/211
• US Class Current: 348/734
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• 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 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/63 Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a TV image conversion device for turning a computer on or off by means of a multimedia remote control. The TV image conversion device is electrically coupled to a computer enabling a user to operate a computer on-off switch on the multimedia remote control to turn the computer on or off wirelessly rather than walk to a computer to either turn the computer on or off by pressing an on/off switch on the computer. By utilizing this, the above drawback of incapable of turning a computer on or off by means of a remote control as experienced by the prior art can be overcome.

Claims

1. A TV image conversion device for turning a computer on or off by means of a multimedia remote control, the multimedia remote control including a computer on-off switch, the TV image conversion device being electrically coupled to a computer, and the TV image conversion device including basic control circuits and components required by a conventional TV image conversion device, the TV image conversion device further comprising:

a wireless signal receiver for receiving a turn-on or turn-off signal transmitted from the multimedia remote control;

a wireless signal decoder for converting the turn-on or turn-off signal transmitted from the wireless signal receiver into a control signal; and

a signal transmission line for sending the control signal transmitted from the wireless signal decoder to the computer;

wherein the computer on-off switch is operative when pressed to cause the multimedia remote control to generate a turn-on or turn-off signal which is transmitted to the wireless signal receiver, the turn-on or turn-off signal is sent from the wireless signal receiver to the wireless signal decoder for converting the turn-on or turn-off signal is converted into a control signal, the control signal is sent to a predetermined pin in the computer for enabling the predetermined pin, the enabled predetermined pin generates a trigger signal by either converting a high voltage level into a low voltage level or converting a low voltage level into a high voltage level, and the computer is enabled by the trigger signal to perform a turn-on or turn-off step,

wherein the TV image conversion device is a TV card and the signal transmission line includes a signal line having one end coupled to the wireless signal decoder and the other end coupled to the wireless signal receiver so that responsive to pressing the computer on-off switch of the multimedia remote control, a setup program in an embedded BIOS of the computer is operative to set the predetermined pin to an enabled state based on a state of the signal line and cause the BIOS to turn on the computer.

2. The TV image conversion device of claim 1, wherein the signal transmission line includes a bus on the TV card, the bus being inserted in an expansion slot of the computer to contact with the predetermined pin therein.

3. The TV image conversion device of claim 2, wherein the TV image conversion device is a TV image conversion device having a PCI bus.

4. The TV image conversion device of claim 3, wherein the expansion slot is an expansion slot having a PCI bus adapted to receive an inserted portion of a peripheral.

5. The TV image conversion device of claim 1, wherein the TV image conversion device further comprises a logic control line coupled to the wireless signal decoder and the signal transmission line respectively so that responsive to receiving a signal sent from the wireless signal decoder, the logic control line is enabled to generate a control signal and send the same to the signal line, the control signal is sent to the predetermined pin via the signal line, and the predetermined pin is enabled to cause the computer to perform the tun-on or turn-off step.

6. The TV image conversion device of claim 5, wherein the wireless signal receiver is an infrared ray receiver.

7. The TV image conversion device of claim 6, wherein the wireless signal decoder is an infrared ray decoder.

8. A TV image conversion device for turning a computer on or off by means of a multimedia remote control, the multimedia remote control including a computer on-off switch, the TV image conversion device being electrically coupled to a computer, and the TV image conversion device including basic control circuits and components required by a conventional TV image conversion device, the TV image conversion device further comprising:

a wireless signal receiver for receiving a turn-on or turn-off signal transmitted from the multimedia remote control;

a wireless signal decoder for converting the turn-on or turn-off signal transmitted from the wireless signal receiver into a control signal; and

a signal transmission line for sending the control signal transmitted from the wireless signal decoder to the computer;

wherein the computer on-off switch is operative when pressed to cause the multimedia remote control to generate a turn-on or turn-off signal which is transmitted to the wireless signal receiver, the turn-on or turn-off signal is sent from the wireless signal receiver to the wireless signal decoder for converting the turn-on or turn-off signal is converted into a control signal, the control signal is sent to a predetermined pin in the computer for enabling the predetermined pin, the enabled predetermined pin generates a trigger signal by either converting a high voltage level into a low voltage level or converting a low voltage level into a high voltage level, and the computer is enabled by the trigger signal to perform a turn-on or turn-off step,

wherein the TV image conversion device is a set-top box and the signal transmission line is a signal line having one end coupled to the wireless signal decoder and the other end coupled to an I/O port in the computer so that responsive pressing the computer on-off switch of the multimedia remote control, a setup program in an embedded BIOS of the computer is operative to set the predetermined pin to an enabled state based on a state of the signal line and cause the BIOS to turn on the computer.

9. The TV image conversion device of claim 8, wherein the TV image conversion device further comprises a logic control line coupled to the wireless signal decoder and the signal transmission line respectively so that responsive to receiving a signal sent from the wireless signal decoder, the logic control line is enabled to generate a control signal and send the same to the signal line, the control signal is sent to the predetermined pin via the signal line, and the predetermined pin is enabled to cause the computer to perform the tun-on or turn-off step.

10. The TV image conversion device of claim 9, wherein the wireless signal receiver is an infrared ray receiver.

11. The TV image conversion device of claim 10, wherein the wireless signal decoder is an infrared ray decoder.