Radio controller system and method for remote devices

• US 8,600,304 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Rejoice Holdings, GP
• Inventors: Frost, Harlie D., Reber, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Application Number:
  US13/590,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20130035080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 455 412- 413, 455418-420, 455/566, 244189-190, 348/211.99, 348/211.2, 348/211.8, 348/211.11
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A system and method for remote device control are disclosed. A system incorporating teachings of the present disclosure may include a radio controlled toy and a controller for controlling the toy. In some embodiments, the controller may have an input mechanism and a housing component that defines a cavity, within which may be located a wireless wide area transceiver and a wireless local area transceiver. Some controllers may also have an operating system for the controller and an application resident on the controller and operable to convert inputs received via the input mechanism into commands for the toy. The controller may have a microprocessor operable to execute the application and to cause the commands to be communicated to the toy using the wireless local area transceiver.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a network based repository configured to allow a first device, which is remotely located and wirelessly enabled, to search for an application;

a surveillance system application accessible via the repository, the surveillance system application comprising a first set of instructions that are saved in a storage medium that is communicatively coupled to the repository and configured to enable the first device to;

receive a user input at the first device, initiate communication from the first device to a surveillance system, recognize first data received in the first device from the surveillance system as image data, recognize second data received in the first device from the surveillance system as second image data, and display a first image obtained from the image data and a second image obtained from the second image data at the same time on a display of the first device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein instructions of the surveillance system application further enable the first device to transmit first instructions to control an image capturing device of the surveillance system when the image capturing device is remote from the first device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein instructions of the surveillance system application further enable the first device to transmit second instructions to control a second image capturing device located remotely from the first device and to display on the display a second image obtained from second image data received from the second image capturing device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a first display pane configured to display the first image and a second display pane configured to display the second image simultaneously with the first image and to indicate in a graphical user interface (GUI) an identifier for an image capturing device capturing the image data for the first image represented in at least one of the display panes.

5. A non-transitory storage medium comprising instructions to enable a network based repository to:

receive a request from a wireless telephone for an over the air download of an application for execution by the wireless telephone, the application to enable receipt of image data from a first image capturing device and a second image capturing device of a surveillance system by the wireless telephone, display of a first image based on first image data from the first image capturing device and display of a second image based on second image data from the second image capturing device at the same time;

associate the application with an identifier for the surveillance system associated with the request for the application; and

communicate the application to the wireless telephone.

6. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 5, wherein the application is further to enable the wireless telephone to display the first image at a first display pane of the wireless telephone and display the second image at a second display pane of the wireless telephone, and indicate in a graphical user interface (GUI) which image capturing device is represented in at least one of the display panes.

7. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 5, wherein the application is further to enable the wireless telephone to communicate at least one of the first image and the second image to another wireless telephone via a wide area cellular network.

8. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 5, wherein the identifier includes a port number for the surveillance system.

9. A surveillance system comprising:

a plurality of image capturing devices;

a computer readable medium storing instructions configured to be executed by a processing system of a wireless telephone device located remote from the plurality of image capturing devices such that the wireless telephone device is operable;

(1) to simultaneously display a representation of a first image and a second image captured by first and second ones of the plurality of capturing devices, respectively; and

(2) generate a command for at least one of the first and second image capturing devices responsive to an input received from a user of the wireless telephone device; and

a transceiver communicatively coupled to the plurality of image capturing devices and configured to receive instructions from the wireless telephone device to control a characteristic of at least one of the first and second image capturing devices responsive to the instructions.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein at least a portion of a communication between the surveillance system and the wireless telephone device is via a radio frequency (RF) link.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions are associated with identification information for the first image capturing device and stored such that a user can search for the instructions based at least partially on the identification information.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first image capturing device includes a digital zoom capability.