Method, computer program product, and system for preventing inadvertent configuration of electronic devices provided with infrared data association interfaces

• US 9,000,886 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Motion Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company), Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Micro Motion Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Sobel, Michael Ezra, DiGrazia, Xiaoling
• Primary Examiner(s): GIRMA, FEKADESELASS
• Application Number:
  US12/933,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20110018681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,562 Days
• Field of Search: 340/4.3, 340/825.72, 340/12.23, 340/6.1, 341/173, 341/25, 341/31, 324/686, 324/690, 382/124, 382/127, 382/126, 382/190
• US Class Current: 340/4.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method, computer program product, and system for preventing an inadvertent configuration of an electrical device provided with an infrared interface (30). The method, computer program product, and system include activation of one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) provided on the infrared interface (30) in order to configure the electrical device. The method, computer program product, and system include a display (40) that indicates an infrared button sequence), wherein said button sequence is entered before the configuration occurs and includes activation of at least a first infrared button (31, 32, 33, or 34) and at least a second infrared button (31, 32, 33, or 34).

Claims

1. A method for preventing an inadvertent configuration of an electrical device provided with an infrared interface (30), comprising the steps of:

activation of one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) provided on the infrared interface (30) in order to configure the electrical device, wherein at least one of the one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) is activated by detecting infrared radiation emitted by an infrared radiation emitter (36) and received by a radiation detector (37), the infrared radiation passing through a lens (35) a first time, reflecting back towards the lens (35), and passing through the lens (35) a second time;

indicating an infrared button sequence on a display (40), wherein said button sequence includes activation of at least a first infrared button (31, 32, 33, or 34) and at least a second infrared button (31, 32, 33, or 34) of the one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) used to configure the electrical device; and

entering the infrared button sequence to activate the one or more infrared buttons before the configuration occurs.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the infrared button sequence includes the step of activation of at least two buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) sequentially.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the infrared button sequence includes the step of activation of at least two buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) simultaneously.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a time limit is imposed on the infrared button sequence or at least one step in the infrared button sequence.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrical device is a measurement device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of activation of the one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) provided on the infrared interface (30) in order to configure the electrical device occurs before the step of entering the infrared button sequence.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of activation of the one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) provided on the infrared interface (30) in order to configure the electrical device occurs after the step of entering the infrared button sequence.

8. A non-transitory computer program product comprising computer usable medium including executable code for executing a process for preventing an inadvertent configuration of an electrical device provided with an infrared interface (30), the process comprising the steps of:

activation of one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) provided on the infrared interface (30) in order to configure the electrical device, wherein at least one of the one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) is activated by detecting infrared radiation emitted by an infrared radiation emitter (36) and received by a radiation detector (37), the infrared radiation passing through a lens (35) a first time, reflecting back towards the lens (35), and passing through the lens (35) a second time;

indicating an infrared button sequence on a display (40), wherein said button sequence includes activation of at least a first infrared button (31, 32, 33, or 34) and at least a second infrared button (31, 32, 33, or 34) of the one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) used to configure the electrical device; and

entering the infrared button sequence to activate the one or more infrared buttons before the configuration occurs.

9. The non-transitory computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the infrared button sequence includes the step of activation of at least two buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) sequentially.

10. The non-transitory computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the infrared button sequence includes the step of activation of at least two buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) simultaneously.

11. The non-transitory computer program product according to claim 8, wherein a time limit is imposed on the infrared button sequence or at least one step in the infrared button sequence.

12. The non-transitory computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the electrical device is measurement device.

13. The non-transitory computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the step of activation of the one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) provided on the infrared interface (30) in order to configure the electrical device occurs before the step of entering the infrared button sequence.

14. The non-transitory computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the step of activation of the one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) provided on the infrared interface (30) in order to configure the electrical device occurs after the step of entering the infrared button sequence.

15. A system for preventing an inadvertent configuration of an electrical device provided with an infrared interface (30), comprising:

the electrical device;

the infrared interface (30) provided with a plurality of infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34), wherein one or more of the infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) of the one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) used to configure the electrical device are activated in order to configure the electrical device, wherein the infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) include a lens (35), an infrared radiation emitter (36), and an infrared radiation detector (37) and wherein the plurality of IrDA buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) are activated by using the radiation detector (37) to detect infrared radiation emitted by the infrared radiation emitter (36) and reflected toward the radiation detector (37), wherein the infrared radiation passing through a lens (35) a first time, reflecting back towards the lens (35), and passing through the lens (35) a second time; and

a display (40) that indicates an infrared button sequence that is entered to activate the one or more infrared buttons before the configuration occurs, wherein the infrared button sequence includes activation of at least a first infrared button (31, 32, 33, or 34) and at least a second infrared button (31, 32, 33, or 34).

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the infrared button sequence includes activation of at least two buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) sequentially.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the infrared button sequence includes activation of at least two buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) simultaneously.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein a time limit is imposed on the infrared button sequence or at least one step in the infrared button sequence.

19. The system according to claim 15, wherein the electrical device is a measuring device.

20. The system according to claim 15, wherein the activation of the one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) provided on the infrared interface (30) in order to configure the electrical device occurs before entering the infrared button sequence.

21. The system according to claim 15, wherein the activation of the one or more infrared buttons (31, 32, 33, or 34) provided on the infrared interface (30) in order to configure the electrical device occurs after the entering the infrared button sequence.