Remote control device signal distribution

• US 9,819,989 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2015
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Belz, Steven M., Sullivan, Marc, Pratt, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Mohammad J
• Application Number:
  US14/860,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20160014445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• 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 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• 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 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4396 by muting the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4432 Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals

Abstract

Signals from a remote control device may be received in a first viewing area and retransmitted to a second viewing area to control customer premises equipment (CPE) devices in the second viewing area. In some embodiments, signals are translated for compatibility with the CPE devices in the second viewing area. A repeater in the first viewing area may receive infrared signals encoded with a remote control command and retransmit the remote control command with an RF signal to a receiver in the second viewing area. The repeater may be incorporated into a multimedia processing resource such as a set-top box.

Claims

1. A customer premises device, comprising:

a processor;

a first interface for initiating a wireless broadcast of an outgoing radio frequency repeater signal responsive to wirelessly receiving an original remote control signal indicative of an original remote control command from a remote control device;

a second interface for wirelessly receiving an incoming radio-frequency repeater signal from a second customer premises device;

a network interface for coupling the customer premises device to an access network for receiving a stream of encoded multimedia content from a multimedia service provider; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium, accessible to the processor, and including processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

responsive to receiving the original remote control signal;

performing the original remote control command; and

wirelessly broadcasting a radio frequency signal indicative of the original remote control command;

responsive to receiving the incoming radio-frequency repeater signal, performing a second remote control command indicated by the incoming radio-frequency repeater signal; and

responsive to receiving encoded multimedia content from the multimedia service provider, decoding the stream of encoded multimedia content stream for presentation of a multimedia program on a display device coupled to the customer premises device.

2. The customer premises device of claim 1, wherein the network interface is configured to couple the customer premises device to a residential gateway coupled to the access network.

3. The customer premises device of claim 1, wherein the access network comprises a coaxial cable access network.

4. The customer premises device of claim 1, wherein the access network comprises a fiber optic cable access network.

5. The customer premises device of claim 1, wherein the first interface comprises an infrared interface for receiving infrared signals and the second interface comprises a radio frequency local area network interface for transmitting and receiving radio frequency local area network signals.

6. The customer premises device of claim 1, wherein the original remote control command is a channel selection command and wherein performing the original remote control command changes the multimedia program presented to the display device.

7. The customer premises device of claim 1, wherein the original remote control command is a mute volume command.

8. The customer premises device of claim 1, wherein the original remote control command is a power on command.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium including processor executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

wirelessly receiving, with a remote control interface of a first customer premises device, an original remote control signal indicative of an original remote control command from a remote control device;

receiving, with an access network interface, an encoded multimedia content stream from a multimedia service provider;

responsive to receiving the original remote control signal;

performing the original remote control command; and

wirelessly broadcasting an outgoing radio-frequency repeater signal indicative of the original remote control command;

responsive to receiving an incoming radio-frequency repeater signal, performing a second remote control command indicated by the incoming radio-frequency repeater signal; and

responsive to receiving the encoded multimedia content stream from the multimedia service provider, decoding the encoded multimedia content stream for presentation of a multimedia program on a display device coupled to the customer premises device.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the network interface is configured to couple the non-transitory computer readable medium to a residential gateway coupled to the access network.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first interface comprises an infrared interface for receiving infrared signals and the second interface comprises a radio frequency local area network interface for transmitting and receiving radio frequency local area network signals.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the original remote control command is a channel selection command and wherein performing the original remote control command changes the multimedia program presented to the display device.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the original remote control command is a mute volume command.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the original remote control command is a power off command.

15. A method for distributing remote control commands, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving, with a remote control interface of a first customer premises device, an original remote control command from a remote control device;

receiving, with an access network interface of the first customer premises device, a stream of encoded multimedia content from a multimedia service provider;

responsive to receiving the original remote control command;

performing the original remote control command; and

wirelessly broadcasting an outgoing repeater signal indicative of the original remote control command;

responsive to receiving an incoming radio-frequency repeater signal wirelessly transmitted by a second customer premises device, executing a second remote control command indicated by the incoming radio-frequency repeater signal; and

responsive to receiving the stream of encoded multimedia content from the multimedia service provider, decoding the stream of encoded multimedia content stream for presentation of a multimedia program on a display device coupled to a customer premises device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the access network interface is configured to couple the first customer premises device to a residential gateway coupled to the access network.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the remote control interface comprises an infrared interface for receiving infrared signals and the wireless local area network interface comprises a WiFi interface.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the original remote control command is a channel selection command and wherein performing the original remote control command changes the multimedia program presented to the display device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the original remote control command is a mute volume command.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the original remote control command is a power off command.