Remote control system

• US 8,254,901 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dorfen Enterprises, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Lindahl, Glen Thomas, Almeda, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, DUNG LE
• Application Number:
  US11/640,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20070099643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,080 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 37910201-10203, 340/10.51
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• 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 method includes the steps of selecting an appliance to be controlled from a list of appliances stored in the cellular device, selecting an instruction to be communicated to the selected appliance from a list of instructions stored in the cellular device, and transmitting the instruction to a cellular interface associated with the selected appliance via a public cellular telephone infrastructure by dialing a telephone number stored in the cellular device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling operation of an appliance from a remote location using a cellular device, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting a list of one or more appliances capable of being controlled by a central hub;

receiving a selection of an appliance to be controlled from the list of one or more appliances;

presenting a list of instructions associated with the selected appliance;

receiving a selection of an instruction from the list of instructions;

using the cellular device to transmit the instruction to the central hub; and

wherein the list of one or more appliances and the list of instructions are retrieved from memory in the cellular device, without connecting to a remote device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular device transmits the instruction to the central hub via a cellular communications link.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the cellular device transmits the instruction to the central hub via a text message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of using the central hub to transmit the instruction to the selected appliance.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the central hub wirelessly transmits the instruction to the selected appliance.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the central hub transmits the instruction to the selected appliance using one of WiFi and Bluetooth.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of transmitting a verification from the selected appliance to the central hub indicative of whether the instruction was successfully executed by the selected appliance.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of transmitting a verification from the central hub to the cellular device indicative of whether the instruction was successfully executed by the selected appliance.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the central hub is configured to dial the cellular device.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software for instructing a processor to:

retrieve a list of one or more appliances capable of being controlled from local memory, without connecting to a remote device;

present the list of one or more appliances retrieved from the local memory;

receive a selection of an appliance to be controlled from the list of one or more appliances;

retrieve a list of instructions associated with the selected appliance from the local memory, without connecting to a remote device;

present the list of instructions retrieved from the local memory;

receive a selection of an instruction from the list of instructions;

dial a telephone number associated with the selected appliance, wherein dialing the telephone number establishes a communication link to a hub associated with the selected appliance; and

transmit the instruction to the hub over the communication link.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein each appliance on the list of one or more appliances is associated with a unique telephone number.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein each appliance on the list of one or more appliances is associated with a unique cellular telephone number.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein each telephone number associated with the list of one or more appliances is stored in the local memory.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the hub wirelessly communicates the instruction to the selected appliance.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instruction transmitted to the hub over the communication link is a digital command string generated based on the selected instruction.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising an instruction operable to cause a processor to answer a telephone call from the hub indicative of completion of the instruction.