Performing optical recognition on a picture of a remote to identify an associated codeset

• US 8,094,875 B1
• Filed: 04/18/2008
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: UEI Cayman Incorporated (Universal Electronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pope, Steven M., Chock, Raymond O., Sheridan, Norman G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W
• Assistant Examiner(s): GORADIA, SHEFALI DINESH
• Application Number:
  US12/148,475
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 455/92, 455/352, 455/3.03
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control

Abstract

A home entertainment device eliminates the need to use multiple remotes. The device is connected (by wired and/or wireless links) to electronic consumer devices (ECDs) to be controlled. A user uses a portable display device to view pages served by the device, and thereby to communicate with the device and indirectly control the ECDs. In a first aspect, a HDMI-CEC communication is used to identify a codeset from a codeset database. In a second aspect, the codeset of a remote is identified by serving pictures of remotes to the user. The user selects a picture and the system looks up its codeset. In a third aspect, keys on an illustration of a remote are dragged and dropped to create a new custom remote. In a fourth aspect, the user supplies a digital photograph of a remote. The system performs optical recognition and identifies the type of remote and its codeset.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a digital image of a particular control device;

(b) maintaining a database of information, the database storing pieces of information about a plurality of remote control devices including;

a shape of each of the plurality of remote control devices, a location of buttons on each of the plurality of remote control devices, a shape of the buttons on each of the plurality of remote control devices, and characters that appear on each of the plurality of remote control devices;

(c) performing optical recognition on the digital image by analyzing a shape of the particular control device, analyzing a location of buttons on the particular control device, analyzing the shape of the buttons on the particular control device, and analyzing characters that appear on the particular control device; and

(d) comparing the optical recognition results to said information in said database so that possibilities of which of the plurality of remote control devices the particular control device is can be narrowed down.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein (a) involves receiving the digital image via the internet, and wherein steps (a) through (d) are performed by a computer that is accessible via the internet.

3. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a processor-executable medium that stores a set of processor-executable instructions, the instructions causing the system to;

perform optical recognition on a digital image of a particular remote control device to obtain information about the particular remote device control, the obtained information including a shape of the particular control device, a location of buttons on the particular control device, the shape of the buttons on the particular control device, and characters that appear on the particular control device; and

interact with a database in which is stored pieces of information about a plurality of remote control devices including;

a shape of each of the plurality of remote control devices, a location of buttons on each of the plurality of remote control devices, a shape of the buttons on each of the plurality of remote control devices, and characters that appear on each of the plurality of remote control devices, to determine, via use of the obtained information about the particular remote control device, which one or ones of the plurality of remote control devices that particular remote control device likely is.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the database includes codeset information.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the system is a web-based system, and wherein the web-based system can receive the digital image via the internet.