Graphical user interface and data transfer methods in a controlling device

• US 9,804,757 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2015
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Hilbrink, Marcel, Xu, Rex, Alvarado, Cesar, Arling, Paul D., Hayes, Patrick H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdul-Ali, Omar
• Application Number:
  US14/628,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20150169201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• 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 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game

Abstract

A smart device is provided with a main remote control application that may be configured using information obtained from a QR code. The main remote control application may present images of original remote controls corresponding to devices which are controllable by the configured main remote control application. In connection with a presented image of an original remote control, the display may present icons that are representative of a subset of the buttons of the original remote control. The user interface also allows a user to select amongst the images of the original remote controls to change which appliances are to be controlled via the user interface. A pop-up remote control widget may also be provided which may be invoked without switching to the main remote control application provisioned on the smart device.

Claims

1. A non-transitory, computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processing device of a smart device, cause the smart device to perform steps comprising:

causing a first graphical user interface to be displayed in a touch sensitive display of the smart device;

responding to a first predetermined user input provided to the smart device while the first graphical user interface is caused to be displayed in the touch sensitive display of the smart device to cause a second graphical user interface having a plurality of user selectable user interface elements to be made active within the touch sensitive display of the smart device whereupon the user interface elements of the second user interface are caused to be temporarily displayed in the touch sensitive display of the smart device over at least a portion of the first graphical user interface;

determining if a user has interacted with at least one of the plurality of user selectable user interface elements of the second graphical user interface caused to be temporarily displayed in the touch sensitive display of the smart device over at least a portion of the first graphical user interface; and

when it is determined that the user has interacted with at least one of the plurality of user selectable user interface elements of the second graphical user interface caused to be temporarily displayed in the touch sensitive display of the smart device over at least a portion of the first graphical user interface causing the smart device to transmit a command to control at least one of a first plurality of functional operations of at least one intended target controllable device correspond to the at least one of the plurality of user selectable user interface elements interacted with by the user;

wherein user input received into the smart device is used to select from a library of command code sets a command code set appropriate for use in commanding functional operations of the at least one intended target controllable device and wherein the command caused to be transmitted in response to the user interacting with at least one of the plurality of user selectable user interface elements of the second graphical user interface caused to be temporarily displayed over the first graphical user interface in the touch sensitive display of the smart device is selected from the command code set selected from the library of command code sets.

2. The non-transitory, computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of user selectable user interface elements of the second graphical user interface are caused to be temporarily displayed in the touch sensitive display of the smart device over the first graphical user interface until a second predetermined user input is provided to the smart device.

3. The non-transitory, computer-readable media as recited in claim 2, wherein the first predetermined user input comprises a first predetermined user interaction with the touch screen display of the smart device and the second predetermined user input comprises a second predetermined user interaction with the touch screen display of the smart device.

4. The non-transitory, computer-readable media as recited in claim 3, wherein the second predetermined user interaction with the touch screen display comprises a touching of the touch screen display of the smart device outside of the displayed second graphical user interface.

5. The non-transitory, computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions determine which user selectable user interface elements to include in the second user interface when the second user interface is caused to be made active within the touch screen display of the smart device.

6. The non-transitory, computer-readable media as recited in claim 2, wherein the second predetermined user input provided to the smart device is the same as the first predetermined user input provided to the smart device excepting that the second predetermined user input is provided to the smart device subsequent to the first predetermined user input being provided to the smart device.

7. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of user selectable user interface elements of the second graphical user interface comprises one or more user selectable user interface elements for controlling volume operational functions of the at least one intended target controllable device.

8. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of user selectable user interface elements of the second graphical user interface comprises one or more user selectable user interface elements for controlling channel tuning operational functions of the at least one intended target controllable device.

9. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of user selectable user interface elements of the second graphical user interface comprises one or more user selectable user interface elements for controlling media transport operational functions of the at least one intended target controllable device.

10. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions provide a main remote control application usable on the smart device to command functional operations of the at least one intended target device and wherein the main remote control application functions to receive the user input into the smart device used to select from the library of command code sets the command code set appropriate for use in commanding functional operations of the at least one intended target controllable device.

11. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the second graphical user interface having a plurality of user selectable user interface elements is capable of being made active independently of the main remote control application being made active.