System and method of using a remote control and apparatus

• US 8,228,224 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: BRANDT, Jeffrey Lewis, Kortum, Philip Ted, Sullivan, Marc Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US11/924,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20080100492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 341/20, 341/174, 341/175, 341/176, 348/14.05, 348/734, 340/825.69, 340/825.72
• US Class Current: 341/176
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/00 Non-electrical signal transmission systems, e.g. optical systems

Abstract

A method includes receiving a first identification signal, where the first identification signal corresponds to a first control. The method also includes determining an active device function to which the first control corresponds, where the active device function is a first function of a first device when the first device is active and where the active device function is a second function of a second device when the second device is active. The method also includes triggering emission of an audible signal identifying the active device function.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting that an agent is within a first proximate distance of a first control of a device, wherein the first proximate distance defines an activation threshold; and

triggering a particular audible signal in response to detection of the agent within the first proximate distance of the first control;

wherein the particular audible signal identifies a particular function of the first control to which the first control is configured to operate, the particular function selected from a plurality of functions of the first control, the selection of the particular function based on an indication of a particular configured state of an apparatus selected from a plurality of configurable states of the apparatus, wherein the apparatus is remote from the device; and

wherein the particular audible signal is selected from a plurality of audible signals, each of the plurality of audible signals identifying a corresponding function of the plurality of functions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a spoken language; and

selecting at least a portion of the particular audible signal based at least in part on the selection of the spoken language.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user-defined audible message; and

including at least a portion of the user-defined audible message in the particular audible signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is received at the device from the apparatus.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first control is an automobile control to control one or more functions that are associated with an automobile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent is detected to be within the particular proximate distance of the first control by using an optical sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent is detected to be within the particular proximate distance of the first control by detecting that an electrical property of a circuit satisfies a threshold value.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular audible signal is emitted by an audio system, the audio system located within the device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular audible signal is emitted by an audio system, the audio system located within the apparatus.

10. A device comprising:

a detector to detect that an agent is within a first proximate distance of a first control of a device, wherein the first proximate distance defines an activation threshold; and

a trigger to trigger a particular audible signal in response to detection that the agent is within the first proximate distance of the first control;

wherein the particular audible signal identifies a particular function of the first control to which the first control is configured to operate, the particular function selected from a plurality of functions of the first control, the selection of the particular function based on an indication of a particular configured state of an apparatus selected from a plurality of configurable states of the apparatus, wherein the apparatus is remote from the device; and

wherein the particular audible signal is selected from a plurality of audible signals, each of the plurality of audible signals identifying a corresponding function of the plurality of functions.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the detector includes an optical sensor, the optical sensor to detect a position of the agent with respect to the first control.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the detector includes an electrical sensor, the electrical sensor to detect that an electrical property of a circuit satisfies a threshold value in response to a position of the agent being within the first proximate distance of the first control, and to detect that the electrical property of the circuit fails to satisfy the threshold value in response to the position of the agent being outside of the first proximate distance of the first control.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the trigger is configured to trigger the particular audible signal prior to activation of the first control, wherein the activation causes the first control to perform the particular function.

14. The device of claim 10, further comprising an audio system, the audio system to emit the particular audible signal based that is selected.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the apparatus includes an audio system, the audio system to emit the particular audible signal that is selected.

16. The device of claim 10, wherein the apparatus includes a memory device, the memory device storing one or more audio signals, wherein in response to the selection of the particular audible signal, a corresponding audio signal stored in the memory device is retrieved and converted into the particular audible signal prior to triggering the particular audible signal.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the corresponding audio signal includes information that is converted to words that are included in the particular audible signal.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing processor-executable instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

detect that an agent is within a first proximate distance of a first control of a device, wherein the first proximate distance defines an activation threshold; and

trigger a particular audible signal in response to detection of the agent within the first proximate distance of the first control;

wherein the particular audible signal identifies a particular function of the first control to which the first control is configured to operate, the particular function selected from a plurality of functions of the first control, the selection of the particular function based on an indication of a particular configured state of an apparatus selected from a plurality of configurable states of the apparatus, wherein the apparatus is remote from the device; and

wherein the particular audible signal is selected from a plurality of audible signals, each of the plurality of audible signals identifying a corresponding function of the plurality of functions.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the particular configured state of the apparatus is determined based at least in part upon data stored in a table.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the indication of the particular configured state of the apparatus is received from the apparatus.