System and method for interactive appliance control

• US 8,154,381 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2007
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Kohanek, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEE, ANDREW W.
• Application Number:
  US11/967,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20090167555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/3.1, 340/3.7, 340/3.71, 340/13.24, 348/14.05, 398/107, 725/38, 725/40, 725/49
• US Class Current: 340/3.71
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• 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 21/42218 for mapping a matrix of displayed objects on the screen to the numerical key-matrix of the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42225 characterized by types of remote control, e.g. universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• 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 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

A controlling device interacts dynamically with a plurality of appliances using state information known to a master appliance. The master appliance conveys to the controlling device the state information and the controlling device uses the state information to dynamically configure itself to command functional operations of one or more of the plurality of appliances. The master appliance also causes a graphical representation of the current configuration of the controlling device to be displayed on a display device that is associated with the master appliance.

Claims

1. A method for providing proactive appliance control in a system comprised of a master device, a plurality of devices in communication with the master device including a display device, and a controlling device configurable to transmit commands to one or more of the plurality of devices, the method comprising:

monitoring at the master device the plurality of devices to determine if at least one of the plurality of devices has transitioned from a first state to a desired second state; and

when the master devices determines that the at least one of the plurality of devices has not transitioned from the first state into the desired second state;

causing the master device to transmit to the controlling device a message having data indicative of the at least one of the plurality of devices;

using the data indicative of the at least one of the plurality of devices to automatically change a configuration of the controlling device whereupon the controlling device will be configured to transmit commands directly to the at least one of the plurality of devices in response to activations of one or more input elements of the controlling device; and

causing the master device to display on the display device an instruction to activate a specific one of the one or more input elements of the configured controlling device to thereby cause the controlling device to transition the at least one of the plurality of devices from the first state into the desired second state.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the master device comprises an appliance having audio/visual inputs and the desired second state of the at least one of the plurality of appliance corresponds to a state in which the at least one of the plurality of appliances is a source for an audio/visual input of the master device.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmission of the message having data indicative of the at least one of the plurality of devices is delayed until the master device determines that the controlling device is in an active state.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the controlling device transmits to the master device a signal which signals to the master device that the controlling device is in an active state.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the controlling device transmits to the master device the signal which signals to the master device that the controlling device is in an active state in response to the controlling device being moved.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the controlling device transmits to the master device the signal which signals to the master device that the controlling device is in an active state in response to an actuation of an input element of the controlling device.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data indicative of the at least one of the plurality of devices is used by the controlling device to assign command codes selected from a library of command codes to the one or more input elements of the controlling device.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing the master devices to display on the display device a representation of each of the input elements of the configured controlling device and a visual indication of commands that will be transmitted from the configured controlling device in response to activations of each of the input elements upon the master devices determining that the at least one of the plurality of devices has been caused to transition from the first state into the desired second state.