Remote controller utilizing a proxy adapter to enable sending a plurality of commands by user actuation of a single-button

• US 7,969,513 B1
• Filed: 02/14/2007
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Savvystuff Property Trust
• Original Assignee: Savvystuff Property Trust
• Inventors: Weber, Harold J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIA, SHERRIE Y
• Application Number:
  US11/705,782
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 348/734, 348/725, 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 340/825.22
• US Class Current: 348/734
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/33 Remote control using macros, scripts
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• 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 21/42214 using alphanumerical characters

Abstract

An appurtenant remote control adapter device suited for application with portable remote controllers commonly used with entertainment equipment including television receptors. The proxy adaptor is configured to intercept a sequence of wireless command signals emitted by the remote control. The intercepted command signals are adapted for temporal storage in a memory. A singular “SEND” command button may be subsequently actuated by a user to urge discharge of the temporarily stored wireless command signal from the memory for forthright translation to a remotely controlled apparatus as a usually singular packetized data burst of wireless signal. The adapter allows a user to leisurely enter individual keystrokes composing the command signal sequence and only then necessarily aim the adapter towards the remotely controlled apparatus with a concurrent singular actuation of the SEND key-button to translate the wireless signal to command the remotely controlled apparatus.

Claims

1. A remote control operational enhancement method utilizing a coactive proxy adapter, comprising steps of:

conjoining the adapter and a standard remote controller;

manually submitting a sequence of distinct keybutton entries into the standard remote controller;

urging the adapter to intercept and first store an ensuing sequence of several wireless data signals emitted by the standard remote controller'"'"'s wireless sender; and

,

manually actuating a single “

SEND”

keybutton embraced by the adapter to resend the first stored sequence of several data signals as a composite emission originated from the adapter'"'"'s emitter;

whereby, a user may complete the manual entry of several distinctive keystroke selections prior to wireless linking of the conjoined remote controller and adapter with a remotely controlled apparatus, while an actuation of a singularly designated “

SEND”

keybutton may urge sending the first stored content as a composite wireless translation faithfully conveying the manually submitted sequence of distinctive keybutton entries to the remotely controlled apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising:

configurating the adapter as a docking station;

conjoining the docking station and the standard remote controller to urge a synergetic operational unification;

rendering the sequence of several wireless data signals emitted by the standard remote controller to be promptly captured by the adapter and retained in a first storage; and

,

facilitating the user to manually urge the “

SEND”

keybutton to initiate a retrieval and composite rapid-fire re-sending of the first stored data signal sequence concurrent with the user'"'"'s alignment of the adapter'"'"'s emitter and a receptor associated with the remotely controlled apparatus;

whereby, the user may leisurely enter the distinctive keybutton selections which are retentively stored, then read-out and repeatably re-sent to the remotely controlled apparatus in a metered sequence.

3. The adjunctive remote control adapter of claim 1 comprising:

the proximate emplacement of the adapter and the standard remote controller are conjoined by;

establishing the adapter as a docking station; and

,

affixing the docking station to the standard remote controller as an accessorial appurtenance;

whereby the conjoinment results in a unitary controller having all the command functions of the standard remote controller combined with the advantages of storing the commands and enabling the user to directly send a consolidated sequence of wireless commands by singularly actuating the “

SEND”

key-button.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising:

operating a secondarily designated “

SEND”

keybutton embraced by the adapter to initiate at least one of the following modes;

a first mode converting a virtual channel number entry into a real channel number before resending the composite emission;

a second mode converting a virtual channel number entry into a surrogate channel number before resending the composite emission; and

,

a third mode converting an alphanumeric weighted entry into one of a real and a surrogate channel number before resending the composite emission;

whereby a user may select a mode state for conversion of the manual keybutton entries into a mutually compatible command signal intended for the remotely controlled apparatus.

5. The method of claim 3 comprising:

a code changer for adapting the first encoded signal format delivered by the remote controller and intercepted by the docking station into a second encoded signal format for subsequential resending to the remotely controlled apparatus; and

,

whereby the first encoded signal format may be converted in the second encoded signal format to be compatible with the remotely controlled apparatus.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising:

processing value of the stored data sequence into an alternate data value sequence; and

,

weighting the composite emission sent by the adapter with the alternate data value sequence;

whereby, entry of a real command number selection may result in a sending of a virtual command number selection to the remotely controlled apparatus.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising;

ascribing channel number values to the manual keybutton entries; and

,

converting the ascribed channel number values representing an over-the-air channel number into a surrogated channel number precedent to the subsequential sending as the composite emission;

whereby in a CATV, cable or satellite delivery system the over-the-air channel number content may be re-assigned a surrogate channel number and the adapter may automatically compensate for this re-assignment by sending the surrogate channel number command in substitution for the over-the-air channel number selection entered by a user.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising:

configurating the remotely controlled apparatus as a television signal receptor;

overlaying the standard remote controller'"'"'s usual numerical keypad with an alternate visage providing an alpha-numerical redefinition of the keypad;

submitting the actuation of the sequence of manual keybutton entries as alphameric selections representative of a program provider'"'"'s acronym; and

,

converting a first stored sequence of the alphameric selections into a channel number equivalent precedent to the subsequential sending as the composite emission;

whereby in a CATV, cable or satellite delivery system the channel number equivalent may represent one of a real channel number and a surrogate channel number recognized for reception from the delivery system by the television signal receptor.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

configurating the remotely controlled apparatus as one of a television receiver, a VCR, DVR, a cable box, a satellite receiver and a home theater system;

an option urging the adapter to produce at least two of a plurality of operational modes selected from;

a first mode whereby the manual keybutton entries define the resulting selfsame value of the subsequentially sent composite emission;

a second mode whereby the manual keybutton entries usually represent over-the-air channel numbers which are permuted into surrogate channel numbers for the subsequentially sent composite emission;

a third mode whereby the standard remote controller'"'"'s usually numerical keypad is overlaid with an alternate visage providing an alphanumerical redefinition of the keypad enabling the manual keybutton entry of an alphameric acronym representing a program provider'"'"'s appellation that converts into a real over-the-air channel number for the subsequentially sent composite emission; and

,

a fourth mode whereby the standard remote controller'"'"'s usually numerical keypad is overlaid with an alternate visage providing an alphanumerical redefinition of the keypad enabling the manual keybutton entry of an alphameric acronym representing a program provider'"'"'s appellation that converts into a surrogated channel number for the subsequentially sent composite emission.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the actuation of the singularly designated “

SEND”

keybutton is intently maintained; and

,

delaying a sending of the composite emission of the stored sequence of the several data signals until a release of the intently maintained “

SEND”

keybutton occurs;

whereby an occurrence of a finite time lapse is allowed to enable the user to leisurely orient the manual linkage of the adapter with the remotely controlled apparatus prior to commencing the sending of the several data signals.

11. The method of claim 1 comprising:

configuring the remotely controlled apparatus as a television signal receptor intercoupled with a televisor;

second storing a preset selection of ancillary data values representing necessitous input selection setting for the associated televisor; and

,

collectively sending the first stored sequence of the several data signals to include sending the ancillary data values;

whereby, the televisor'"'"'s input selection setting is confirmedly established.

12. The method of claim 1 comprising:

first encoding the intercepted wireless data signals originative from the standard remote controller with commands originated by the manual keybutton entries;

recoding the signal sent by the adapter into a second data signal encodement with substantially equivalent commands; and

,

sending the second data signal encodement as the composite wireless translation in response to the actuation of the “

SEND”

keybutton;

whereby, code-switching of the first encoded data signal command obtained from the standard remote controller may be supplanted by the second encoded data signal having substantially the same command intent prior to the wireless translation to the remotely controlled apparatus.

13. A remote control complementary command method, comprising:

adjoining an ordinary remote controller and a portable docking facility;

conducting the remote controller to emit a succession of wireless data signals weighted by keystroke values entered by a user;

urging the portable docking facility to intercept and store the wireless data signals in a memory;

actuating a first “

SEND”

key subsequent to a completion of the plural sequence of user entries;

urging a consecutive readout of the intercepted data signals stored in the memory; and

,

translating the readout of the intercepted data signals as a composite data signal consecution for interception by and command of a remotely controlled apparatus;

whereby the ordinary remote controller may be adapted by conjugation with the portable docking facility to allow a sequence of individual keystrokes to be casually entered and subsequently delivered as the composite command signal consecution upon user actuation of a singularly designated first “

SEND”

key while the portable docking facility is manually aimed at the remotely controlled apparatus.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising:

overlaying the remote controller'"'"'s keypad with an alpha-numeric visage;

the plural sequence of keystroke values entered by the user are an emblematic acronym;

converting the intercepted data values representing the emblematic acronym into one of a real and a surrogate channel number to occur between the interception and the translation of the composite data package by the docking facility.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising:

accepting the user entry of the keystroke values as command signals denotative of at least one of;

a. a real “

over-the-air”

television channel number;

b. a virtual television channel number representing an “

over-the-air”

channel number;

c. a surrogate television channel number ordinarily assigned by a program provider to a number of proprietary television programming channels;

d. alphanumeric entries representative of a emblematic acronym;

adapting the accepted command signal entry into an encoded format appropriate for seeking the desired command result from the remotely controlled apparatus once the singularly designated “

SEND”

key is actuated and the translation of the composite data signal consecution is consummated;

whereby the docking facility may express capability for intercepting first command encoded wireless data signals from the ordinary remote controller and subsequently re-encoding them in a second command encodement necessitous for attaining desired command results from the remotely controlled apparatus.

16. The portable docking facility of claim 13 to comprise:

storing a code library for an extensive plurality of remotely controlled apparatus;

re-encoding the intercepted wireless data signals into an alternate encoding format derived from the code library;

sending the re-encoded wireless data signals for compatible interception by the remotely controlled apparatus;

whereby, the portable docking facility may include capability for re-encoding the intercepted wireless data signals into an encoded format compatible with the remotely controlled apparatus.

17. The method of claim 13 comprising:

asserting a reset of a televisor'"'"'s primary video input to one of an “

unused”

channel and alternate input for intercoupling with a video source such as a cable box, satellite receiver and VCR/DVD player and equivalent;

initiating the reassertion by a reset sending method utilizing one of the steps of;

automatically sending the input selection signal to the televisor when the first “

SEND”

key is actuated;

separately actuating a second “

SEND”

key dedicated for sending the input selection signal independent from the sending of the input selection signal;

operating the first “

SEND”

key in two modes where a first actuation mode enables the sending of the composite command signal and a second actuation mode enables the sending of the input selection signal;

whereby, the televisor'"'"'s primary video input or channel number selection may be re-asserted to overcome confusion that may otherwise occur when the composite command signal is sent to the remotely controlled apparatus and the televisor'"'"'s input selection is maladjusted.

18. An adjunctive remote control adapter device, comprising:

an adaptive means affixable to a standard remote controller (SRC);

the SRC including a keypad means enabling user submission of a sequence of keybutton entry commands;

an interceptive means for primarily receiving wireless command data signals urged by the user submissions;

a data storage means for retention of the command data signals;

a “

SEND”

command means for initiating a read-out of the command data signals retained by the data storage means;

a translating means for wireless submission of the command data signals read-out from the data storage means; and

,

a remotely controlled apparatus receptive of and responsive to the command data signal'"'"'s content;

whereby, a user may make a sequence of usual keystroke entries into a keypad on the SRC, whereupon the usual wireless signals emitted by the SRC are intercepted and temporally data-stored by the adaptive means and subsequently retrieved upon user actuation of the “

SEND”

command followed by a resending of the temporally stored data to the remotely controlled apparatus for a commanded response reflective of the sequence of keystroke entries urged through the keypad on the SRC.

19. The device of claim 18 comprising:

an augmentive indicia bearing overlay preempting the SRC'"'"'s usual set of keybutton indicia;

the translating means including at least two operative modes, including;

transferring a stored command data signal as a rapid-fire sequence of command data signals weighted by the user submissions guided by the SRC'"'"'s usual set of keybutton indicia;

the translating means effectually altering an initial value of a stored command data signal read-out from the data storage means into an alternate value of command data signal weighted by one of the SRC'"'"'s usual set of keybutton indicia and otherwise guided by the augumentive indicia;

whereby the resulting command data signal sent to the remotely controlled apparatus is determined to represent at least one of;

a sequence of keybutton values initially entered by the user,

a conversion of a real channel number user entry into a virtual channel number for the sending,

a conversion of a virtual channel number into a real channel number for sending, and,

a conversion of an acronymical sequence into one of a real channel number and a virtual channel number for sending.

20. The device of claim 18 comprising:

a supplementary sending means for conveying an input selection command usually to a televisor means to affirm a cooperative interlink selection between the televisor means and a video signal source means;

whereby the televisor input setting may be automatically affirmed as appropriate for coupling with an associated video signal source, that may include at least one of a cable box means, a satellite receiver means, a VCR/DVD/DVR means and a CATV means.