System and method for interactive appliance control

• US 9,357,253 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2014
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Kohanek, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): BEE, ANDREW W.
• Application Number:
  US14/531,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20150049254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• 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 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42218 for mapping a matrix of displayed objects on the screen to the numerical key-matrix of the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• 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 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

A controlling device interacts dynamically with a plurality of appliances using state information known to a master appliance. The master appliance conveys to the controlling device the state information and the controlling device uses the state information to dynamically configure itself to command functional operations of one or more of the plurality of appliances. The master appliance also causes a graphical representation of the current configuration of the controlling device to be displayed on a display device that is associated with the master appliance.

Claims

1. A method for providing proactive appliance control in a system comprised of a master routing device, a media source device in communication with the master routing device, a plurality of media sink devices associated with the master routing device, and a controlling device configurable to transmit command communications, the method comprising:

receiving at a media input of the master routing device an audio signal from the media source device;

causing the master routing device to select a media output of the master routing device to route the audio signal received from the media source device to a one of the plurality of media sink devices as a function of an audio characteristic associated with the audio signal received from the media source device at the media input of the master routing device;

causing the master routing device to transmit to the controlling device a message having at least data indicative of the one of the plurality of media sink devices that is currently associated with the selected media output of the master routing device; and

causing the controlling device to use at least the data indicative of the one of the plurality of media sink devices that is currently associated with the selected media output of the master routing device to automatically assign to at least one input element of the controlling device a command code for controlling an operational function of the one of the plurality of media sink devices that is currently associated with the selected media output of the master routing device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the message is transmitted to the controlling device via a RF communication channel.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing the master routing device to present on a media rending device a representation of the controlling device in which a label is provided to a representation of the at least one input element of the representation of the controlling device and wherein the label indicates the operational function of the one of the plurality of media sink devices to be controlled in response to an actuation of the at least one input element.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data indicative of the one of the plurality of media sink devices comprises data indicative of an appliance category type for the one of the plurality of media sink devices.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the operational function of the one of the plurality of media sink devices to be controlled via the at least one input element comprises a volume control function of the one of the plurality of media sink devices.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the message further comprises data indicative of the at least one input element and the operational function.