System and method for interactive appliance control

• US 8,552,832 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2012
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• 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): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEE, ANDREW W.
• Application Number:
  US13/442,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20120212680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 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: 340/3.1
• 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 routing device having an A/V input, and a controlling device configurable to transmit command communications, the method comprising:

receiving at the master routing device from the controlling device a signal;

causing the master routing device to respond to the signal by determining if a media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device is different than a media input device that was previously associated with the A/V input of the master routing device;

when the master routing device determines that the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device is different than a media input device that was previously associated with the A/V input of the master routing device, causing the master routing device to transmit to the controlling device a first message having data indicative of the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device;

causing the controlling device to use the data indicative of the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device to automatically assign to a first input element of the controlling device a command code for controlling an operational function of the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device; and

causing the master routing device to determine if the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device is currently in a desired operating state and, when the master routing device determines that the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device is not currently in the desired operating state, causing an instruction to be displayed on a media rendering device wherein the instruction indicates at least one input element of the controlling device to activate to place the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device into the desired operating state.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first message having data indicative of the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device is transmitted to the controlling device via a RF communication channel.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing the master routing device to transmit to the controlling device a second message having data indicative of the media rendering device that is currently associated with an A/V output of the master routing device and, causing the controlling device to use the data indicative of the media rendering device that is currently associated with the A/V output of the master routing device to automatically assign to a second input element of the controlling device a command code for controlling an operational function of the media rendering device that is currently associated with an A/V output of the master routing device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing the master routing device to present on the media rendering device a representation of the controlling device in which a label is provided to a representation of the first input element of the representation of the controlling device and wherein the label indicates the operational function of the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device that was automatically assigned thereto.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the instruction comprises highlighting at least one input element on the representation of the controlling device presented on the media rendering device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing the controlling device to transmit the signal to the master routing device in response to the controlling device exiting a quiescent state.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing the controlling device to transmit the signal to the master routing device in response to the controlling device being touched.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing the controlling device to transmit the signal to the master routing device in response to the controlling device being picked up.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data indicative of the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device comprises data indicative of an appliance category type for the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device.