Interactive device adapted to interactively communicate with a remote device

• US 9,329,589 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2010
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Dadlani Mahtani, Pavankumar M., Sinitsyn, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Kenneth M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huntley, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US13/319,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20120048122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,190 Days
• Field of Search: 236/91.F, 426/233, 426/523, 455/68, 455/353, 455/404.2, 455/408, 455/419, 455/557, 700/17, 700/19, 700/20, 700/22, 700/45, 700/65, 700/83, 700/143, 700/153, 700/174, 700/204, 700/205, 700/211, 700/296, 709/203, 709/218, 715/700, 715/709, 715/864, 715/786, 715/787, 340/5.62, 340/539.23, 340/686.6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23406 Programmer device, portable, handheld detachable programmer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2643 Oven, cooking
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36159 Detachable or portable programming unit, display, pc, pda
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204

Abstract

This invention relates to an interactive device (100) to interactively communicate with a remote device (107). A receiver (101) receives event related information from a remote device which supplies the event related information which includes event progress information. A display (102) displays an image of the current status of the event based on the received event related information. A progress indicator (103) indicates the progress of the event based on received progress information. A sensor (104) receives a modification command from a user indicating a modification of the progress of the event, and a transmitter (105) for transmits the modification command to the remote device. The remote device then adjusts the progress of the event in accordance to the received modification command.

Claims

1. An interactive device adapted for communicating with a remote device, comprising:

a receiver for receiving event related information from a remote device, the remote device being adapted to supply said event related information including event progress information;

a progress indicator for indicating the progress of the event based on received progress information;

a sensor for receiving a modification command from a user indicating a modification of the progress of the event;

a transmitter for transmitting the modification command to the remote device, the remote device being adapted to adjust the progress of the event in accordance to the received modification command; and

a light emitting rim structure that at least partly peripherally surrounds a display for displaying an image of a current status of the event based on the received event related information, wherein the progress indicator comprises an illuminated lengthwise portion of the rim structure such that a length of the illuminated lengthwise portion of the rim structure is proportional to the progress of the event, and

wherein the sensor comprises a light sensor or touch sensor integrated into the rim structure, wherein responsive to the modification command that comprises (i) the user touching the rim structure in a first manner, the length of the illuminated lengthwise portion is adjusted and the modification command is transmitted to the remote device for adjusting the progress of the event, and (ii) the user touching the rim structure in a second manner that includes temporarily touching and releasing a user'"'"'s touch, to either reduce or extend event timing information temporarily, wherein the display displays an image using history data of a status of the event associated with a particular time corresponding to a point of the temporary touch on the rim structure, and as soon as the user'"'"'s touch is released, the length of the illuminated lengthwise portion and the display return to the current status of the event.

2. The interactive device according to claim 1, wherein the progress indicator comprises an illuminated portion of the display, and wherein said sensor further comprises a light sensor or touch sensor integrated into the display adapted to detect the modification command that comprises a touch command from the user onto the display indicating an adjustment of the illuminated portion, and wherein the modification command is transmitted to the remote device for adjusting the progress of the event.

3. The interactive device according to claim 1, wherein the remote device comprises a household appliance that includes a builtin progress adjuster for adjusting the progress in accordance to said modification command, the event being cooking food and the event progress information including:

a time until cooking the food is completed, or

a temperature of an item being cooked, or

a temperature within the household appliance during cooking, or

a combination thereof.

4. The interactive device according to claim 1, wherein the event related information received from said remote device further includes image data of the event, and wherein displaying said current status of the event is based on displaying the received image data of the event.

5. The interactive device according to claim 1, wherein displaying said current status of the event comprises displaying a prestored image or image sequence of the event, wherein the received event related information includes data of the event and wherein displaying said current status of the event is further based on the received data of the event.

6. The interactive device according to claim 1, wherein the event is a person'"'"'s arrival event, wherein the remote device comprises a positioning system and the received event related information includes positioning information indicating a current position of the person, and wherein the progress of the event comprises a remaining time until arrival of the person.

7. The interactive device according to claim 6, wherein the event progress information includes the person'"'"'s arrival time, wherein the remote device further comprises a builtin progress adjuster, wherein the modification command from the user is transmitted via the transmitter for indicating an updated preferred arrival time, and wherein responsive to the modification command, the remote device'"'"'s builtin progress adjuster is adapted to instruct the person, via the remote device, to adjust the person'"'"'s arrival event in accordance with the received modification command.

8. The interactive device according to claim 1, wherein the event comprises activity monitoring and the remote device comprises a user'"'"'s activity monitor, and wherein the progress indicator is adapted to define or adjust goal settings, via the sensor.

11. A remote device in interactive communication with the interactive device as claimed in claim 1, the remote device comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting said event related information including said event progress information;

a receiver adapted to receive said modification command from the user indicating a modification of the progress of the event; and

a program adjuster adapted to adjust the progress of the event in accordance to said modification command.

12. The remote device according to claim 11, wherein the remote device is selected from:

an electronic household appliance,

a device comprising a Global Positioning System (GPS), and

a device comprising a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM).

9. A method of interactively communicating with a remote device, comprising:

receiving, via a receiver, event related information from a remote device, the remote device being adapted to supply said event related information including event progress information;

indicating, via a progress indicator, a progress of the event based on received progress information;

receiving, via a sensor, a modification command from a user indicating a modification of the progress of the event;

transmitting, via a transmitter, the modification command to the remote device, the remote device being adapted to adjust the progress of the event in accordance to the received modification command; and

providing a light emitting rim structure that at least partly peripherally surrounds a display for displaying an image of a current status of the event based on the received event related information, wherein indicating the progress further comprises illuminating a lengthwise portion of the rim structure such that a length of the illuminated lengthwise portion of the rim structure is proportional to the progress of the event, and

wherein receiving, via the sensor, comprises receiving, via a light sensor or touch sensor integrated into the rim structure, wherein responsive to the modification command that comprises (i) the user touching the rim structure in a first manner, adjusting, via the progress indicator, the length of the illuminated lengthwise portion, and transmitting, via the transmitter, the modification command to the remote device for adjusting the progress of the event, and (ii) the user touching the rim structure in a second manner that includes temporarily touching and releasing a user'"'"'s touch, to either reduce or extend event timing information temporarily, displaying, via the display, an image using history data of a status of the event associated with a particular time corresponding to a point of the temporary touch on the rim structure, and as soon as the user'"'"'s touch is released, returning the length of the illuminated lengthwise portion and the display to the current status of the event.

10. A nontransitory computer readable medium embodied with a computer program that comprises a set of instructions executable by a processing unit for instructing the processing unit to carry out the method of claim 9.