Remote controller and remote control method

• US 8,031,056 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Arai, Morito
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Syed, Nabil
• Application Number:
  US11/441,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20060279430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,957 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/825.57, 340/825.74, 340/12.22, 340/12.23, 340/12.24, 340/12.28, 340/12.29, 340/4.11, 340/4.3, 340/4.31, 241/176, 341/176
• US Class Current: 340/12.23
• 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 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext

Abstract

A remote controller with a plurality of keys arranged, which remotely controls, upon manipulations of the keys, control-target equipment by transmitting a remote control signal allocated to each of the keys. The remote controller includes a storing section which stores information of a plurality pieces of control-target equipment; an equipment selection operating section which selects control-target equipment to be operated under a remote control from the plurality pieces of control-target equipment whose information is stored in the storing section; a control unit that generates, in a case of manipulation of the equipment selection operating section, a remote control signal to power on the selected control-target equipment, and generates a remote control signal to power off the other control-target equipment information of which is stored in the storing section, except for the selected control-target equipment; and a transmitter for transmitting the remote control signal generated by the control unit.

Claims

1. A remote controller with a plurality of keys arranged, which remotely controls, upon manipulations of the keys, control-target equipment by transmitting a remote control signal allocated to each of the keys, the remote controller comprising:

an input section which receives a first list and a second list from a user, the first list including which control-target equipment should be turned on when a power command is entered by the user and the second list including which control-target equipment should be turned off when the power command is entered by the user;

a storing section which stores information of a plurality pieces of control-target equipment, the storing section storing the first list and the second list;

an equipment selection operating section which selects control-target equipment to be turned on or off under a remote control from the plurality pieces of control-target equipment information of which is stored in the storing section, the equipment selection operating section turning on or off control-target equipment based on the first list and the second list;

a control unit that generates, when the power command is entered, a single remote control signal to power on the control-target equipment and to power off the other control-target equipment based on the first list and the second list; and

a transmitter for transmitting the single remote control signal generated by the control unit.

2. The remote controller according to claim 1, further comprising:

a power key for performing power control of the control-target equipment selected by the manipulation of the equipment selecting operation section is provided as one of the keys, and the control unit generates a remote control signal for changing a power-on state or a power-off state that is presently set, into a reverse state thereof, as a remote control signal to be generated in a case where the power key is manipulated, and generates a remote control signal for directly specifying a power-on or a power-off, as a remote control signal to be generated in a case where the equipment selecting operation section is manipulated.

3. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality pieces of control-target equipment is video equipment or audio equipment that process an inputted video signal or audio signal, and the equipment selection operating section is an operation section for selecting the video equipment or the audio equipment, and equipment connectable to the video equipment or the audio equipment.

4. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the control-target equipment is video equipment or audio equipment that process an inputted video signal or audio signal, and the control unit generates, in a case of a manipulation of the equipment selecting operation section, a remote control signal for switching an input video signal or an input audio signal in the video equipment or the audio equipment.

7. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the first list includes at least two control-target equipment to power on and the second list includes at least two other control-target equipment to power off.

8. The remote controller according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first button that enters the power command when operated by user;

a second button that turns on a television and turns off all other equipment when operated by a user;

a third button that turns off all equipment when operated by a user; and

a fourth button that turns on all equipment when operated by a user.

5. A remote control method for remotely controlling, in a case of manipulations of a plurality of arranged keys, control-target equipment by transmitting a remote control signal allocated to each of the keys, the method comprising:

receiving a first list and a second list from a user, the first list including which control-target equipment should be turned on when a power command is entered by the user and the second list including which control-target equipment should be turned off when the power command is entered by the user;

storing information of a plurality pieces of control-target equipment, the information including the first list and the second list;

deciding an equipment selecting operation to turn on or off a piece of control-target equipment to be operated under a remote control from the plurality pieces of control-target equipment information of which are stored in the storing information based on the first list and the second list;

generating a single remote control signal to power on the control-target equipment selected by the deciding an equipment selecting operation and to power off the other control-target equipment based on the first list and the second list when the power command is entered; and

transmitting the remote control signal generated by the generating a single remote control signal.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first list includes at least two control-target equipment to power on and the second list includes at least two other control-target equipment to power off.