Recording and reproducing apparatus, control method thereof, and remote control device

• US 7,522,222 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2005
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Yuji, Sato, Shojiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUNN, MISHAWN N
• Application Number:
  US11/138,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20050265691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 341/176, 345/169, 348/734
• US Class Current: 348/734
• 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 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/42213 for facilitating data entry
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums

Abstract

The present invention provides a remote control device having a dedicated key only used in a first mode, a dual purpose key that is used in the first mode and a second mode, a change key for changing a control mode from the first mode to the second mode, a light emitting section for emitting a light of a code in response to pressing of the dedicated key or the dual purpose key, and a control section for controlling the light emitting section so as to transmit a key code of a pressed key code and a continuous code meaning continuous pressing when the dedicated key or the dual purpose key is continuously pressed in the first mode and transmit only the key code of the dedicated key when the dedicated key is continuously pressed in the second mode.

Claims

1. A recording and reproducing apparatus, comprising:

a remote control section having a dedicated key only used in a first mode for the operation of a main body, a dual purpose key used in a second mode for the operation of an outer apparatus and the first mode, a change key which changes a control mode from the first mode to the second mode, a first light emitting section which transmits a code signal in response to the key operation as radiant light, and a control section which controls the light emitting section to transmit a key code of a pressed key and a continuous code meaning continuous pressing when the dedicated key or the dual purpose key is continuously pressed in the first mode and to transmit only the key code of the dual purpose key without the continuous code when the dual purpose key is continuously pressed in the second mode;

a recording and reproducing unit which records and reproduces the information;

a second light emitting unit which transmits a code signal to the outer apparatus as radiant light; and

a main control section which controls the recording and reproducing unit to perform the recording and reproducing processing in response to a received code signal when the code signal is received from the first light emitting section of the remote control section and the first mode is selected based on the received code signal and to supply a predetermined signal to the outer apparatus via the second light emitting unit in response to the code signal from the first light emitting section when the second mode is selected.

2. The recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section automatically changes the control mode to the first mode after certain hour has passed since the control mode shifts to the second mode.

3. The recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section changes the control mode to the first mode when detecting that the key other than the dual purpose key is pressed after the control mode shifts to the second mode.

4. The recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remote control section further has a display section which displays that the control section selects the second mode as the control mode.

5. The recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section controls the light emitting section to repeat light emission of the code signal meaning that the control mode is changed from the first mode to the second mode in a certain number of times at intervals of certain hour when detecting that the change key is pressed.

6. The recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remote control section further has a second change key to change the control mode from the second mode to the first mode.

7. A control method, when controlling a recording and reproducing apparatus having a recording and reproducing unit which records and reproduces the information and a second light emitting unit which transmits a code signal to the outer apparatus as radiant light, comprising:

using a remote controller having a dedicated key only used in a first mode for the operation of a main body, a dual purpose key that is used in a second mode for the operation of an outer apparatus and the first mode, a change key which changes a control mode from the first mode to the second mode, and a first light emitting section which transmits a code signal in response to the key operation as radiant light,

wherein, the remote controller controls the light emitting section so as to transmit a key code of a pressed key and a continuous code meaning continuous pressing when the dedicated key or the dual purpose key is continuously pressed in the first mode and to transmit only the key code of the dual purpose key without the continuous code when the dual purpose key is continuously pressed in the second mode; and

when receiving the code signal from the first light emitting section of the remote controller, the recording and reproducing apparatus controls the recording and reproducing unit to perform the recording and reproducing processing in response to the received code signal when the first mode is selected based on the received code signal and to supply a predetermined code signal to the outer apparatus via the second light emitting unit in response to the code signal from the first light emitting section when the second mode is selected.

8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein the remote controller automatically changes the control mode to the first mode after certain hour has passed since the control mode shifts to the second mode.

9. The control method according to claim 7, wherein the remote controller changes the control mode to the first mode when detecting that the key other than the dual purpose key is pressed after the control mode shifts to the second mode.

10. The control method according to claim 7, wherein the remote controller uses a display section which displays that the control section selects the second mode as the control mode.

11. The control method according to claim 7, wherein the remote controller controls the light emitting section to repeat light emission of the code signal meaning that the control mode is changed from the first mode to the second mode in a certain number of times at intervals of certain hour when detecting that the change key is pressed.

12. The control method according to claim 7, wherein the remote controller further uses a second change key to change the control mode from the second mode to the first mode.

13. A remote control device, comprising:

a dedicated key only used in a first mode;

a dual purpose key used in the first mode and a second mode;

a change key which changes a control mode from the first mode to the second mode;

a light emitting section which emits a light of a code in response to pressing of the dedicated key or the dual purpose key; and

a control section which controls the light emitting section to transmit a key code of a pressed key code and a continuous code meaning continuous pressing when the dedicated key or the dual purpose key is continuously pressed in the first mode and to transmit only the key code of the dual purpose key without the continuous code when the dual purpose key is continuously pressed in the second mode.

14. The remote control device according to claim 13, wherein the first mode is a control mode which operates the recording and reproducing apparatus operated receiving a code signal of the remote control device, and the second mode is a control mode which operates a set top box operated receiving a code signal from an IR bluster of the remote control device.

15. The remote control device according to claim 13, wherein the control section automatically changes the control mode to the first mode after certain hour has passed since the control mode shifts to the second mode.

16. The remote control device according to claim 13, wherein the control section changes the control mode to the first mode when detecting that the key other than the dual purpose key is pressed after the control mode shifts to the second mode.

17. The remote control device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a display section which displays that the control section selects the second mode as the control mode.

18. The remote control device according to claim 13, wherein the control section controls the light emitting section to repeat light emission of the code meaning that the control mode is changed from the first mode to the second mode in a certain number of times at intervals of certain hour when detecting that the change key is pressed.

19. The remote control device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a second change key which changes the control mode from the second mode to the first mode.