System and method for upgrading the remote control functionality of a device

• US 8,447,841 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Yuh, Han-Sheng, Wang, Weidong William, Hayes, Patrick H., Conway, James N. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bengzon, Greg C
• Application Number:
  US12/882,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A system and method for upgrading remote control application resident on a device. To this end, a markup language file is created. The markup language file has a representation of information used to setup the remote control application to communicate with an appliance. The markup language file may be executed, on the device or an intermediate client with which the device is synchronized, to upload the representation of the information to a remote server. At the remote server, the uploaded information is used to automatically display user-selectable, downloadable data files relevant to the control of the appliance. Downloaded data files, which may include command codes and/or graphical user interface elements, may be used within the device to upgrade the ability of the remote control application to communicate with the appliance. The information uploaded to the server may also be used to generate demographic data regarding consumer preferences.

Claims

1. A method for downloading configuration data for use in connection with a remote control application resident on a device, comprising:

receiving at a server device a request to download configuration data for at least one appliance to be commanded through use of the remote control application resident on the device;

using a serial number associated with the device at the server device to encrypt the configuration data for the at least one appliance to be commanded through use of the remote control application resident on the device; and

downloading the encrypted configuration data from the server device whereupon, after the encrypted configuration data is decrypted using the serial number associated with the device, the configuration data is available for use by the remote control application resident on the device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the serial number is provided to the server device during a Web site registration process.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises codes for commanding functional operations of the at least one appliance when transmitted from the device through use of the remote control application resident on the device.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the configuration data comprises graphical user interface elements displayable within a display of the device, the graphical user interface elements providing a means for a user to interact with the remote control application resident on the device to initiate commanding of functional operations of the at least one appliance.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the remote control application reads the serial number from a memory of the device and provides the serial number to the server device.