Programming a universal remote control via direct interaction

• US 9,111,439 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2013
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Vleck, Paul, Belz, Steven M., Edwards, Gregory, Pratt, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai M
• Application Number:
  US13/851,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20130207788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 341/176
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A method and system for programming a universal remote control (URC) to operate with a remote-controlled device is disclosed. Programming codes for the remote-controlled device may be transferred from an original remote control using a programming interface. The transfer may be performed directly with the URC. The transfer may also be performed using consumer-premises equipment of a multimedia content distribution network. The URC may be configured to use at least one of the programming codes to remotely control the remote-controlled device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

establishing a near-field wireless connection between a consumer-premises equipment and an original remote control;

receiving, via an original remote control interface, an original remote control code, generated by the original remote control, for controlling a remote-controlled device; and

configuring a universal remote control to generate the original remote control code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the near-field wireless connection includes establishing a connection between a radio-frequency identification device coupled to the original remote control and a radio-frequency identification receiver coupled to the consumer-premises equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the near-field wireless connection is a personal area network connection.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input for assigning original remote control codes to universal remote control control elements.

5. A consumer-premises equipment apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

memory media accessible to the processor, including processor executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including;

receiving from an original remote control first information indicating an identified remote-controlled device controllable associated with the original remote control;

requesting a network server for programming codes associated with the remote-controlled device;

receiving second information, including the programming codes, in reply to the requesting; and

programming a universal remote control to use at least one of the programming codes.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the operations include:

displaying the programming codes to the user in response to first user input; and

receiving second user input specifying which of the programming codes to use for programming the universal remote control.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the operations include:

receiving, from the universal remote control, a command to control the remote-controlled device, wherein the command is associated with at least one of the programming codes; and

instructing the remote-controlled device to execute the command.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the operations include:

indicating that the universal remote control has been successfully programmed visually.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the operations include:

displaying a message indicating that certain programming codes are not available on the universal remote control in response to detecting a number of received programming codes exceeding a number of control elements available on the universal remote control.

10. Computer-readable memory media, including executable instructions for configuring a universal remote control, the instructions executable to cause a processor to perform operations including:

establishing a near-field wireless connection between a consumer-premises equipment and an original remote control;

receiving, via an original remote control interface, an original remote control code, generated by the original remote control, for controlling a remote-controlled device; and

configuring the universal remote control to generate an output signal including the original remote control code.

11. The memory media of claim 10, wherein the operations include:

initiating a learning mode on the universal remote control in response to user input.

12. The memory media of claim 10, wherein the operations include:

outputting an indication that the universal remote control has been configured successfully to use the original remote control code.

13. The memory media of claim 10, wherein the operations include:

associating a universal remote control control element with an original remote control code.

14. The memory media of claim 10, wherein the operations include:

outputting the original remote control code to the remote-controlled device in response to detecting user input activating the universal remote control control element.

15. The memory media of claim 10, wherein the operations include:

associating a previously configured control element of the universal remote control to correspond to an original remote control code.