Remote control of electronic devices

• US 8,195,141 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Louch, John O., Seymour, Eric Taylor, Shebanek, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Nahn
• Application Number:
  US12/616,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20100056130A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 455/550.1, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 345/169
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C

Abstract

A controlling device (e.g., a telephony device) can remotely control various tasks associated with a controlled device (e.g., a personal computer), including the navigation of user interfaces associated with applications or an operating system associated with the controlled device. A task can be controlled at the controlled device by mapping user input received at the controlling device to control commands suitable for execution at the controlled device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining a first spatial position in relation to a plurality of objects on a user interface;

receiving through a network an input from a telephony device;

determining a second spatial position on the user interface in response to the input;

outputting an audio segment related to the second spatial position; and

manipulating a cursor to move from the first spatial position to the second spatial position on the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, where the input is input from a keypad of the telephony device.

3. The method of claim 1, where the input is a voice signal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising stepping from the first spatial position to the second spatial position in the user interface.

5. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining a first spatial position in relation to a plurality of objects on a user interface;

receiving through a network an input from a telephony device;

determining a second spatial position on the user interface in response to the input;

outputting an audio segment related to the second spatial position; and

manipulating a cursor to move from the first spatial position to the second spatial position on the user interface.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, where the input is input from a keypad of the telephony device.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, where the input is a voice signal.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, where the operations further comprise stepping from the first spatial position to the second spatial position in the user interface.