System and method for upgrading the remote control functionality of a device

• US 9,317,021 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Yuh, Han-Sheng, Wang, Weidong William, Hayes, Patrick H., Conway, James N. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bengzon, Greg C
• Application Number:
  US13/897,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20130262636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A system and method for upgrading a remote control application resident on a device. Information identifying a controllable appliance is caused to be uploaded to a remote server device and the uploaded information is used to automatically display user-selectable, downloadable data files relevant to the control of the controllable appliance. Downloaded data files, which may include command codes and/or graphical user interface elements, may be used within the device to upgrade the ability of the remote control application to communicate with the controllable appliance. The information uploaded to the server may also be used to generate demographic data regarding consumer preferences.

Claims

1. A method for downloading configuration data for use in connection with a remote control application resident on a device, comprising:

retrieving from a memory of the device information which functions to identify a controllable appliance, the information comprising at least a first data value which is indicative of a device type for the controllable appliance and a second data value which is indicative of a command code set that was caused to be provisioned to the remote control application during a previously executed configuration process of the remote control application for the purpose of configuring the remote control application to use the set of command codes when commands are caused to be transmitted to command functional operations of the controllable appliance from the device via use of the remote control application;

causing the information which functions to identify the controllable appliance to be uploaded to a server device having access to a library of command code sets where at least the first data value and the second data value of the information which functions to identify the controllable appliance is used to identify within the library of command code sets accessible to the server device those command codes for advanced key features which have a correspondence with the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device via use of the remote control application;

receiving at the device from the sever device one or more of the command codes for advanced key features which have a correspondence with the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device via use of the remote control application; and

updating the remote control application resident on the device to allow the remote control application resident on the device to use both the command codes for advance key features which have a correspondence with the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device via use of the remote control application and the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device when the remote control application is placed into an operating mode which is intended to control one or more functional operations of at least the controllable appliance.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information which functions to identify the controllable appliance comprises a third data value which is indicative of a brand for the controllable appliance.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first data value and the second data value of the information which functions to identify the controllable appliance comprises a hexadecimal value.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second data value corresponds to a keystroke sequence provided to the remote control application to configure the remote control application to control one or more functional operations of the controllable appliance.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing the server device to present a listing of those command codes for advanced key features which have a correspondence with the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device via use of the remote control application and allowing a user to select from the listing the one or more of the command codes for advanced key features which have a correspondence with the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device via use of the remote control application to be received at the device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the device comprises a tablet computing device.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the device comprises a PDA computing device.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising receiving at the device from the server device one or more graphical user interface elements for use in updating the remote control application resident on the device wherein the one or more graphical user interface elements function to provide user access to at least the command codes for advance key features which have a correspondence with the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device via use of the remote control application when the remote control application is placed into an operating mode which is intended to control one or more functional operations of at least the controllable appliance.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information which functions to identify the controllable appliance is uploaded to the server device directly from the device and wherein the one or more of the command codes for advanced key features which have a correspondence with the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device via use of the remote control application are received at the device directly from the server device.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information which functions to identify the controllable appliance is uploaded to the server device via an intermediate device and wherein the one or more of the command codes for advanced key features which have a correspondence with the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device via use of the remote control application are received at the device from the server device via the intermediate device.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the intermediate device comprises a personal computer.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the one or more of the command codes for advanced key features which have a correspondence with the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device via use of the remote control application are received at the device from the server device via the intermediate device during a process in which the device is synched with the intermediate device.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more of the command codes for advanced key features which have a correspondence with the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device via use of the remote control application are encrypted when received at the device from the server device.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the device uses a serial number of the device to decrypt the encrypted one or more of the command codes for advanced key features which have a correspondence with the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device via use of the remote control application.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising uploading to the server device information representative of a hardware platform for the device where the information representative of the hardware platform for the device is also used to identify within the library of command code sets accessible to the server device those command codes for advanced key features which have a correspondence with the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device via use of the remote control application.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising uploading to the server device information representative of a version of the remote control application resident on the device where the information representative of the version of the remote control application resident on the device is also used to identify within the library of command code sets accessible to the server device those command codes for advanced key features which have a correspondence with the set of command codes stored in the memory of the device to which the controllable appliance will respond when transmitted from the device via use of the remote control application.