Systems and methods for smart remote-control devices

• US 9,317,463 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Mayorga, Miguel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ryan, Patrick A
• Application Number:
  US12/491,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20100328547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,490 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.05, 348/734, 348/E5.096, 725/38, 725139-141, 725151-153, 710/10, 340/12.3, 340 1222- 1229, 340 1253- 1255
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42225 characterized by types of remote control, e.g. universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4435 Memory management allocation of memory to service a request G06F9/5016; addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures G06F12/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306

Abstract

Various embodiments provide a smart remote-control device. In one embodiment, a smart remote-control device includes a keypad and a display. The smart-remote-control device is configured to obtain information about other media devices, and to display that information upon the display. The smart remote-control device is further configured to establish master-slave relationships between itself and other media devices, including set-top boxes, presentation devices, and other remote-control devices. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A remote-control device configured to control a set-top box, comprising:

a display;

a memory; and

device logic that is stored on the memory and that is configured, when executed, to;

transmit a query to the set-top box, the query based at least in part on a received user input;

receive a response from the set-top box, the response based at least in part on the transmitted query;

display information on the display, the information based on the received response and reflecting an operational state of the set-top box; and

establish a master-slave relationship between the remote-control device and the set-top box, by making the remote-control device operable to be controlled by the set-top box.

2. The remote-control device of claim 1 wherein the display is a bit-mapped graphics display, and wherein the device logic is further configured, when executed, to display user interface controls that present information about the set-top box and/or facilitate control of the set-top box.

3. The remote-control device of claim 1 wherein the displayed information includes at least one of:

current channel setting on the set-top box, current power state of a presentation device associated with the set-top box, current recording state of the set-top box, information about a scheduled future recording, access control information, parental control settings, and instructional information.

4. The remote-control device of claim 1 wherein the set-top box is configured to display programming on multiple presentation devices, and wherein the displayed information includes information about operational states of each of the multiple presentation devices.

5. A method in a remote-control device for controlling one or more media devices, the method comprising:

transmitting a command to a media device, the command based at least in part on a user input received via a keypad of the remote-control device;

receiving from the media device a response to the transmitted command; and

displaying information on a display of the remote-control device, the displayed information based at least in part on the received response; and

establishing a master-slave relationship between the remote-control device and the media device, by making the remote-control device operable to be controlled by the media device.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein transmitting the command includes transmitting a query for information about the media device.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein transmitting the command includes configuring access controls associated with the media device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the media device is a set-top box, and wherein configuring access controls associated with the media device includes at least one of setting a password for the set-top box, identifying programming that cannot be viewed via the set-top box, and disabling a function of the set-top box.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the media device is a set-top box, and wherein displaying information on the display includes displaying information about multiple presentation devices coupled to the set-top box.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein the media device is another remote-control device.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein establishing the master-slave relationship includes identifying the remote-control device as a master remote-control device with respect to at least one of a plurality of set-top boxes, a plurality of presentation devices, and at least one other remote-control device.

12. The method of claim 5 wherein displaying information on the display includes displaying information about the established master-slave relationship.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium whose contents enable a remote-control device to control one or more media devices, by performing a method comprising:

transmitting a command to a media device, the command based at least in part on a user input received via a keypad of the remote-control device;

receiving from the media device a response to the transmitted command;

displaying information on a display of the remote-control device, the displayed information based at least in part on the received response; and

establishing a master-slave relationship between the remote-control device and the media device, by making the remote-control device operable to be controlled by the media device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the computer-readable storage medium is a memory in the remote-control device, and wherein the contents are instructions that when executed cause the remote-control device to perform the method.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein establishing the master-slave relationship includes identifying the remote-control device as a slave remote-control device with respect to another remote-control device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein displaying information on the display includes displaying information about the established master-slave relationship.