Systems, methods and apparatus for providing an audio indicator via a remote control

• US 9,257,034 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Reams, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harold, Jefferey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khalid, Omer
• Application Number:
  US12/389,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20100208146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,546 Days
• Field of Search: 348/734, 340/12.22, 340/4.37, 340/8.1, 340/7.57, 340/7.58, 340/426.13, 340/5.61, 340/5.64, 340/815.6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 for digital sound signals

Abstract

Apparatus, systems and methods are described for outputting audible or visual indicators via a remote control for a controlled device. A remote control queries an associated controlled device for information. The controlled device generates a request for the remote control to activate an audio or visual indicator. The request is integrated with a response to the query that is transmitted to the remote control. The remote control outputs an audio or visual indicator responsive to the request.

Claims

1. A remote control comprising:

a sound emitting device;

a battery;

a wireless transceiver configured to be powered by the battery;

an output interface; and

control logic comprising at least one processing device communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and communicatively coupled to the output interface, the control logic operable to;

from a limited power mode state, automatically turn the wireless transceiver of the remote control on to a full power mode state and to initially place the wireless transceiver of the remote control into a transmit mode to transmit a query message from the remote control to a controlled device, wherein the control logic is operable perform said turning-on of the transceiver, said initial placing into transmit mode, and said transmitting of the query message without any input to said remote control by a user, and wherein the operation of turning-on of the transceiver comprises supplying additional battery power to the transceiver that initially had limited battery power supplied thereto;

subsequent to initially placing the wireless transceiver into the transmit mode, automatically and without input to said remote control by the user switch the transceiver of the remote control from the transmit mode to a receive mode to thereby receive a reply message sent by the controlled device in response to the query message;

identify that the reply message includes a request to activate the sound emitting device of the remote control;

activate the sound emitting device of the remote control responsive to the request;

subsequent to and in response to receiving the reply message, automatically return the wireless transceiver of the remote control to the limited power mode state after the reply message is received to thereby conserve power in the battery, wherein the operation of returning to the limited power mode state of the transceiver comprises removing at least some of the supply of battery power from the transceiver so that the transceiver returns to its initial state of having limited battery power supplied thereto, and said returning is performed without any input to said remote control by the user.

2. The remote control of claim 1, wherein the control logic is operable to activate the sound emitting device for a specified period of time based on a type of the request.

3. The remote control of claim 1 wherein the control logic is configured to turn the wireless transceiver on and to direct the transmission of the query message without input from a user.

4. The remote control of claim 1 wherein the control logic is configured to maintain the remote control in a limited power mode wherein, at regular time intervals, the wireless transceiver is automatically turned on and query messages are transmitted, and wherein the wireless transceiver is automatically turned off between the transmissions of the successive query messages to thereby conserve battery power while the remote control remains in the limited power mode.

5. The remote control of claim 1, wherein the control logic is operable to activate the sound emitting device to emit a specified tone determined based on a type of the request.

6. The remote control of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is further operable to transmit a second query message to the controlled device and receive a second reply message from the controlled device and wherein the control logic deactivates the sound emitting device responsive to the second reply message.

7. The remote control of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one light emitting device;

wherein the control logic is further operable to activate the light emitting device responsive to the request.

8. The remote control of claim 1, further comprising:

user input circuitry communicatively coupled to the control logic, the user input circuitry operable to receive user input;

wherein the control logic is operable to deactivate the sound emitting device responsive to the user input.

9. A method of locating a lost remote control, the method comprising:

receiving user input, at a controlled device, the user input requesting to locate a lost remote control for the controlled device, wherein the user input comprises a user pressing a button of the controlled device;

in response to receiving the user input, generating at the controlled device a command to the remote control to activate a sound emitting device of the remote control;

subsequent to generating the command, receiving a first query message at the controlled device from the remote control, wherein the first query message is automatically generated by the remote control without any input to said remote control by the user, wherein the first query message requests any commands or other information from the controlled device to be transmitted to the remote control;

in response to the controlled device receiving the first query message from the remote control, the controlled device transmitting a first reply message comprising the generated command to the remote control, the first reply message indicating that the user input requesting to locate the lost remote control was received at the controlled device to thereby activate the sound emitting device of the remote control responsive to the reply message transmitted by the controlled device to the remote control.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a second query message at the controlled device from the remote control;

transmitting a second reply message from the controlled device to the remote control; and

deactivating the sound emitting device of the remote control responsive to the second reply message received from the controlled device by the remote control.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a duration of time between the transmission of the first query message and the second query message is determined based on a schedule that is independent of the content of the first reply message.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the user input further comprises:

receiving the user input through a button of the controlled device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the user input further comprises:

receiving the user input through a second remote control for the controlled device.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

deactivating the sound emitting device of the remote control after elapse of a specified period of time following activation of the sound emitting device.

15. A method executable by a remote control device powered by a battery to assist a user in locating the remote control device, the method comprising:

automatically activating a wireless transceiver of the remote control, without any input by a user of the remote control, wherein said automatically activating comprises supplying additional battery power to the transceiver that was initially in a limited power mode state;

automatically transmitting a query message from the remote control to a controlled device via the wireless transceiver, wherein said activating of the transceiver and said transmitting of the query message is performed by the remote control device without any input to said remote control device by a user;

receiving a reply message from the controlled device that is responsive to the query message and that includes a request to activate a sound emitting device of the remote control, the reply message comprising a command to activate the sound emitting device that had been generated by the controlled device prior to the remote control automatically transmitting the query message;

activating the sound emitting device of the remote control responsive to the request;

subsequent to and in response to receiving the reply message, automatically deactivating the wireless transceiver of the remote control after the reply message is received to thereby conserve power in the battery, wherein the step of deactivating comprises removing at least some of the supply of battery power from the transceiver so that the transceiver returns to its initial limited power mode state of having limited battery power supplied thereto, said deactivating being performed without any input to said remote control device by the user.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the request to activate the sound emitting device is generated by the controlled device in response to a user input received at the controlled device indicating a desire to locate the remote control device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the user input is provided to the controlled device via a second remote control.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the controlled device operates a reminder timer regarding a specified event, and wherein the first reply message instructs the second control logic to activate the sound emitting device based on the reminder timer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the specified event comprises a reminder for a television program receivable by the controlled device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the reminder is associated with one of a plurality of users of the entertainment device, and wherein the first reply message specifies a particular tone to be played by the sound emitting device depending on the particular one of the plurality of users that is associated with the reminder.