Remote control apparatus for consumer electronic appliances

• US 7,685,341 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2005
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FotoNation Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: FotoNation Vision Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Mehra, Sumat, Steinberg, Eran, Bigioi, Petronel
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai; Henry W. H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tseng; Cheng-Yuan
• Application Number:
  US11/123,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20060282572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,782 Days
• Field of Search: 710/10, 710/303, 345/156, 345/419, 386/125, 386/52, 386/68, 386/70
• US Class Current: 710/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4117 for generating hard copies of the content, e.g. printer, electronic paper interfaces to printers G06F3/12; printing data G06K15/02
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• 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 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image

Abstract

An apparatus for the remote wireless control of a consumer electronic audio visual appliance such as a TV set, and/or for internet uploading, includes a remote control handset and a wireless receiver for connection to the appliance. The remote control unit is adapted to transmit audio and/or visual data (A/V data) and control codes to the receiver. The receiver is responsive to the A/V data and control codes to control the appliance to play and/or display the A/V data. The remote control unit includes a reader for a storage medium for A/V data, or a cable or wireless interface to an A/V acquisition device such as digital video or digital still camera or digital music player or recorder.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the remote wireless control of a consumer electronic (CE) appliance, comprising

a remote control handset that is configured to directly or indirectly control the CE appliance for playing, displaying, transitioning or editing audio or visual data, or both (hereinafter “

A/V”

data), or combinations thereof, including a push-button image processing interface including multiple push-buttons configured to be depressable by one or more fingers or a thumb or both of a same hand within which the remote control handset is being held by a user, and a second interface for receiving the A/V data from an A/V device; and

a wireless receiver coupled to the CE appliance,

wherein the interface of the remote control handset comprises a display unit, and one or more of a reader for a removable storage medium for A/V data, or a cable or wireless communications interface to the A/V device for receiving the A/V data, such that A/V data transmitted to the receiver is respectively read from the storage medium by the reader or is read from the A/V device via the cable or wireless communications interface, or combinations thereof;

wherein the remote control unit is configured for processing A/V data prior to transmission to the wireless receiver, or the wireless receiver is configured for processing the A/V data prior to playing or displaying the data, or both, on the CE appliance, or both;

wherein the remote control unit is configured to transmit the A/V data and control codes wirelessly to the receiver, and

wherein the receiver is configured to be responsive to the A/V data and control codes from the remote control handset, and to process the A/V data responsive to metadata associated with the A/V data, and to control the CE appliance to output the A/V data, and

wherein the wireless receiver processes the A/V data, including dust or other blemish removal, motion blur compensation, transition effects, color correction, exposure correction, red eye reduction, rotating, panning, scrolling or cropping, or editing an object, selecting which objects to display, or erasing and reordering objects, or combinations thereof, under the push-button control of the remote control handset for providing a processed image or processed A/V data, or both, to be output at the CE appliance based on the processed image data.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote control handset is further configured to directly control the CE appliance.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote control handset is configured to indirectly control the CE appliance through the receiver.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface of the remote control handset comprises a reader for a removable storage medium for A/V data, such that A/V data transmitted to the receiver is read from the storage medium by the reader.

5. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said remote control handset further comprises an internal storage for storing A/V data.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface of the remote control handset comprises a cable or wireless communication interface to the A/V device for receiving the A/V data, such that said A/V data transmitted to the receiver is read from the A/V device.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the interface comprises a wireless interface and the A/V data is wirelessly readable from the A/V device.

8. The apparatus as in claim 6, wherein said A/V data is read from a storage medium on said A/V device.

9. The apparatus as in claim 8, wherein said remote control handset comprises internal storage, wherein A/V data is saved on said internal storage.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said interface is configured according to Picture Transfer Protocol (“

PTP”

).

11. The apparatus as cited in claim 10, wherein the underlying transport layer for said interface comprises USB Still Imaging Device Class over PTP.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the A/V device comprises a digital stills camera.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the A/V device comprises a digital video camera.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the A/V device comprises a digital audio player.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the consumer electronic appliance comprises a display unit.

16. Aft The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the display unit comprises a television set.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the a display unit is controlled directly by the wireless receiver.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiver is configured to directly control the CE appliance.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiver is connectable to a further electronic appliance and controls the CE appliance to play or display A/V data, or both, via the further electronic appliance.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the further electronic appliance comprises a digital camera.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the further electronic appliance comprises a home server appliance.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the further electronic appliance comprises a centralized remote control unit.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the further electronic appliance comprises a docking station.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless receiver is incorporated in the CE appliance.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the wireless receiver is incorporated in the further electronic appliance.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote control unit is configured for processing A/V data prior to transmission to the wireless receiver.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless receiver is configured for processing the A/V data prior to playing or displaying the data, or both, on the CE appliance.

28. A method for the remote wireless control of a consumer electronic (CE) appliance, comprising

receiving audio or visual data, or both (hereinafter “

A/V”

data) from an A/V device at an interface of a remote control handset, wherein the interface of the remote control handset comprises a display unit, and one or more of a reader for a removable storage medium for A/V data, or a cable or wireless communications interface to the A/V device for receiving the A/V data, such that A/V data transmitted to the receiver is respectively read from the storage medium by the reader or is read from the A/V device via the cable or wireless communications interface, or combinations thereof;

processing A/V data prior to transmission to a wireless receiver, or controlling processing of the A/V data prior to playing or displaying the data, or both, at the CE appliance;

transmitting the A/V data and control codes to a receiver, wherein the receiver is configured to be responsive to the A/V data and control codes from the remote control handset to control the CE appliance to output the A/V data, including directly or indirectly controlling the CE appliance for playing, displaying, transitioning or editing the A/V data, or combinations thereof;

performing A/V data processing at the wireless receiver in response to metadata associated with the A/V data, wherein the processing at the wireless receiver includes dust or other blemish removal, motion blur compensation, transition effects, color correction, exposure correction, red eye reduction, rotating, panning, scrolling or cropping, or editing an object, selecting which objects to display, or erasing and reordering objects, or combinations thereof;

controlling the A/V data processing with the remote control handset including holding the remote control handset in a single hand of a user and, using a push-button image processing interface including multiple push-buttons of the remote control handset, selectably depressing the buttons with one or more fingers or a thumb or both of the same hand within which the remote control handset is being held by the user; and

outputting processed A/V data or a processed image, or both, based on the A/V data processing.

29. The method as in claim 28, further comprising directly controlling the CE appliance.

30. The method as in claim 28, further comprising indirectly controlling the CE appliance through the receiver.

31. The method as in claim 30, wherein said controlling indirectly through the receiver comprises controlling the receiver to control the CE appliance for playing, displaying, transitioning or editing said A/V data, or combinations thereof.

32. The method as in claim 28, further comprising receiving at said interface a removable storage medium having A/V data stored thereon, and reading the A/V data for transmitting to the receiver.

33. The method as in claim 28, further comprising storing A/V data at an internal storage.

34. The method as in claim 28, further comprising interfacing with the acquisition device via a cable or wireless communication interface for receiving the data for transmitting to the receiver.

35. The method as in claim 28, further comprising configuring said interface according to Picture Transfer Protocol (“

PTP”

).

36. The method as in claim 35, further comprising further configuring said interface according to USB Still Imaging Device Class over PTP.

37. The method as in claim 28, wherein the A/V device comprises a digital stills camera.

38. The method as in claim 28, wherein the A/V device comprises a digital video camera.

39. The method as in claim 28, wherein the A/V device comprises a digital audio player.

40. The method as in claim 28, further comprising processing A/V data prior to transmitting to the receiver.

41. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied thereon, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform the steps of:

receiving audio or visual data, or both (hereinafter “

A/V”

data) from an A/V device at an interface of a remote control handset, wherein the interface of the remote control handset comprises a display unit, and one or more of a reader for a removable storage medium for A/V data, or a cable or wireless communications interface to the A/V device for receiving the A/V data, such that A/V data transmitted to the receiver is respectively read from the storage medium by the reader or is read from the A/V device via the cable or wireless communications interface, or combinations thereof;

processing A/V data prior to transmission to a wireless receiver, or controlling processing of the A/V data prior to playing or displaying the data, or both, at the CE appliance;

transmitting the A/V data and control codes wirelessly to a receiver, wherein the receiver is configured to be responsive to the A/V data and control codes from the remote control handset to control the CE appliance to output the A/V data, including directly or indirectly controlling the CE appliance for playing, displaying, transitioning or editing the A/V data, or combinations thereof;

performing A/V data processing at the wireless receiver in response to metadata associated with the A/V data, wherein the processing at the wireless receiver includes dust or other blemish removal, motion blur compensation, transition effects, color correction, exposure correction, red eye reduction, rotating, panning, scrolling or cropping, or editing an object, selecting which objects to display, or erasing and reordering objects, or combinations thereof;

controlling the A/V data processing with the remote control handset including holding the remote control handset in a single hand of a user and, using a push-button image processing interface including multiple push-buttons of the remote control handset, selectably depressing the buttons with one or more fingers or a thumb or both of the same hand within which the remote control handset is being held by the user; and

outputting processed A/V data or a processed image, or both, based on the A/V data processing.

42. The one or more storage devices of claim 41, further comprising a program for directly controlling the CE appliance.

43. The one or more storage devices of claim 41, further comprising a program for indirectly controlling the CE appliance through the receiver.

44. The one or more storage devices of claim 43, wherein said controlling indirectly through the receiver comprises controlling the receiver to control the CE appliance for playing, displaying, transitioning or editing said A/V data, or combinations thereof.

45. The one or more storage devices of claim 41, further comprising a program for reading the A/V data for transmitting to the receiver.

46. The one or more storage devices of claim 41, further comprising an internal storage for storing printer data.

47. The one or more storage devices of claim 41, further comprising an interface for interfacing with the acquisition device via a cable or wireless communication interface for receiving the data for transmitting to the receiver.

48. The one or more storage devices of claim 41, further comprising a program for configuring said interface according to Picture Transfer Protocol (“

PTP”

).

49. The one or more storage devices of claim 48, further comprising a program for further configuring said interface according to USB Still Imaging Device Class over PTP.

50. The one or more storage devices of claim 41, wherein the A/V device comprises a digital camera.

51. The one or more storage devices of claim 41, wherein the A/V device comprises a digital video camera.

52. The one or more storage devices of claim 41, wherein the A/V device comprises a digital audio player.

53. The one or more storage devices of claim 41, further comprising a program for processing A/V data prior to transmitting to the receiver.

54. An apparatus for the remote wireless control of internet uploading, comprising

a remote control handset that is configured to directly or indirectly control the CE appliance for playing, displaying, transitioning or editing audio or visual data, or both (hereinafter “

A/V”

data), or combinations thereof, including a push-button image processing interface including multiple push-buttons configured to be depressable by one or more fingers or a thumb or both of a same hand within which the remote control handset is being held by a user, and a second interface for receiving internet content from an A/V device; and

a wireless receiver coupled to an internet upload device for uploading content to be accessible on the internet,

wherein the interface of the remote control handset comprises a display unit, and one or more of a reader for a removable storage medium for A/V data, or a cable or wireless communications interface to the A/V device for receiving the A/V data, such that A/V data transmitted to the receiver is respectively read from the storage medium by the reader or is read from the A/V device via the cable or wireless communications interface, or combinations thereof;

wherein the remote control unit is configured for processing A/V data, or the wireless receiver is configured for processing the A/V data, or both, prior to uploading content to be accessible on the internet;

wherein the remote control handset is configured to transmit the A/V data and control codes wirelessly to the receiver, and

wherein the receiver is configured to be responsive to the internet content and control codes from the remote control handset, and to process the A/V data responsive to metadata associated with the A/V data, and to control the internet uploading of the content, and

wherein the wireless receiver processes the A/V data, including dust or other blemish removal, motion blur compensation, transition effects, color correction, exposure correction, red eye reduction, rotating, panning, scrolling or cropping, or editing an object, selecting which objects to display, or erasing and reordering objects, or combinations thereof, under the push-button control of the remote control handset for providing a processed image or processed A/V data, or both, to be output at the CE appliance based on the processed image data.

55. The apparatus as claimed in claim 54, wherein the remote control handset is further configured to directly control the internet upload device.

56. The apparatus as claimed in claim 54, wherein the remote control handset is configured to indirectly control the internet upload device through the receiver.

57. The apparatus as claimed in claim 54, wherein the interface of the remote control handset comprises a reader for a removable storage medium for internet content, such that internet content transmitted to the receiver is read from the storage medium by the reader.

58. The apparatus as claimed in claim 54, wherein the interface of the remote control handset comprises a cable or wireless communication interface to the A/V device for receiving the internet content, such that said internet content transmitted to the receiver is read from the A/V device.

59. The apparatus as claimed in claim 54, wherein the A/V device comprises a digital stills camera.

60. The apparatus as claimed in claim 54, wherein the A/V device comprises a digital video camera.

61. The apparatus as claimed in claim 54, wherein the A/V device comprises a digital audio player.

62. The apparatus as claimed in claim 54, wherein the receiver is connectable to a further electronic appliance and controls the internet upload device via the further electronic appliance.

63. The apparatus as claimed in claim 62, wherein the further electronic appliance comprises a digital camera.

64. The apparatus as claimed in claim 62, wherein the further electronic appliance comprises a home server appliance.

65. The apparatus as claimed in claim 62, wherein the further electronic appliance comprises a centralized remote control unit.

66. The apparatus as claimed in claim 62, wherein the further electronic appliance comprises a docking station.

67. The apparatus as claimed in claim 62, wherein the wireless receiver is incorporated in the further electronic appliance.

68. The apparatus as claimed in claim 54, wherein the remote control unit is configured for processing internet content prior to transmission to the wireless receiver.

69. The apparatus as claimed in claim 54, wherein the wireless receiver is configured for processing the internet content prior to internet uploading.