Interactive web-based codeset selection and development tool

• US 9,792,133 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2012
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Jonathan, Miramontes, Oscar C., Mui, Daniel SauFu
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, MUSHFIKH I
• Application Number:
  US13/463,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20130125195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,993 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/21 Programming remote control devices via third means
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices

Abstract

A web server uses selection criteria for identifying an electronic consumer device to identify a codeset likely to be appropriate for communicating with the electronic consumer device and data indicative of at least one code of the identified codeset is provided to a remote control device whereupon the data indicative of the at least one code of the identified codeset is automatically activated by the remote control device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing a first electronic consumer device to display a navigable menu in response to the first electronic consumer device receiving from a remote control device a configuration signal, the navigable menu providing a plurality of selectable brand and model selection criteria for use in identifying a second electronic consumer device;

receiving at the first electronic consumer device user input provided to select from the navigable menu one or more of the plurality of selectable brand and model selection criteria;

causing the first electronic consumer device to send data indicative of the selected one or more of the plurality of selectable brand and model selection criteria to a web server to thereby cause the web server to identify in a database associated with the web server a codeset that is already stored in a memory of the remote control device;

receiving at the first electronic consumer device from the web server a single code that was selected from the identified codeset by the server wherein the single code corresponds to at least one controllable function of the second electronic consumer device;

causing the first electronic consumer device to transmit to the remote control device the single code that was selected from the identified codeset;

using by the remote control device the single code that was selected from the identified codeset to identify within a plurality of codesets already stored within the memory of the remote control device a one of the plurality of codesets that corresponds to the identified codeset; and

causing the one of the plurality of codesets already stored within the memory of the remote control device to be automatically used by the remote control device when the remote control device is placed into a remote control device operating mode in which functional operations of the second electronic consumer device are to be controlled in response to activations of one or more input elements of the remote control device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one controllable function of the second electronic consumer device is taken from a group consisting of:

a power on function, a volume up function, a volume down function, a cursor up function, a cursor down function, a cursor right function, a cursor left function, a select function, a play function, a stop function, a forward function, a back function, and a pause function.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first electronic consumer device and the remote control device communicate via use of infrared transmissions.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first electronic consumer device comprises a set top box associated with a television and wherein the set top box uses the television to display the navigable menu.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first electronic consumer device and the remote control device communicate via use of radio frequency transmissions.

6. A set top box having a memory and a processing unit, the memory having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the processing device, cause the set top box to perform steps comprising:

receiving from a remote control device a configuration signal and, in response, initiating a display of a navigable menu, the navigable menu providing a plurality of selectable brand and model selection criteria for use in identifying a second electronic consumer device;

receiving from the remote control device user input provided to select from the navigable menu one or more of the plurality of selectable brand and model selection criteria;

sending data indicative of the selected one or more of the plurality of selectable brand and model selection criteria to a web server to thereby cause the web server to identify in a database associated with the web server a codeset that is already stored in a memory of the remote control device;

receiving from the web server data indicative of the identified codeset;

using the data indicative of the identified codeset to select a single code from the identified codeset that is already stored in the memory of the remote control device; and

transmitting to the remote control device the single code that was selected from the identified codeset;

wherein the single code that was selected from the identified codeset corresponds to at least one controllable function of the second electronic consumer device and wherein the single code is selected from the identified codeset to cause the identified codeset that is already stored in the memory of the remote control device to be automatically used by the remote control device when the remote control device is placed into a remote control device operating mode in which functional operations of the second electronic consumer device are to be controlled in response to activations of one or more input elements of the remote control device in response to the remote control device receiving the data indicative of the selected at least one code.

7. The set top box as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one controllable function of the second electronic consumer device is taken from a group consisting of:

a power on function, a volume up function, a volume down function, a cursor up function, a cursor down function, a cursor right function, a cursor left function, a select function, a play function, a stop function, a forward function, a back function, and a pause function.

8. The set top box as recited in claim 6, wherein the set top box and the remote control device communicate via use of infrared transmissions.

9. The set top box as recited in claim 6, wherein the instructions cause a display of the navigable menu on a television associated with the set top box.

10. The set top box as recited in claim 6, wherein the set top box and the remote control device communicate via use of radio frequency transmissions.