Graphical user interface and data transfer methods in a controlling device

• US 9,851,879 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2014
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• 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:
  US14/535,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20150066166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 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. 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, perform steps comprising:

receiving into the smart device data that functions to identify an intended target appliance;

configuring a remote control application of the smart device to communicate commands to the intended target device identified by the data received by the smart device, the remote control application providing a main remote control user interface when the remote control application is caused to be invoked on the smart device and a secondary remote control user interface;

wherein the remote control application is caused to be invoked on the smart device in response to a first predetermined input being provided to the smart device and, when invoked, provides to a display of the smart device the main remote control user interface wherein the main remote control user interface includes a first plurality of user interface elements whereby user interactions with the first plurality of user interface elements will cause the smart device to transmit commands for controlling functional operations of the intended target device;

wherein the secondary remote control user interface is caused to be provided to the display of the smart device in response to a second predetermined input being provided to the smart device wherein the secondary remote control user interface includes a second plurality of user interface elements whereby user interactions with the second plurality of user interface elements will cause the smart device to transmit commands for controlling functional operations of the intended target device; and

wherein the instructions cause the smart device to be responsive to the second predetermined user input to provide the secondary remote control user interface to the display of the smart device independent of the remote control application being invoked on the smart device.

2. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the second predetermined input comprises a predetermined motion gesture made upon a surface of the display of the smart device.

3. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the second predetermined input comprises a predetermined movement of the smart device.

4. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the secondary remote control user interface, when provided to the display of the smart device, is caused to be superimposed over content currently being displayed in the display of the smart device.

5. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the secondary remote control user interface, when provided to the display of the smart device, is caused to be temporarily displayed in the display of the smart device.

6. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the second plurality of user interface elements comprises a subset of and less than all of the first plurality of user interface elements.

7. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions cause an infrared transmission system of the smart device to transmit commands for controlling functional operations of the intended target device.

8. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions cause a radio frequency transmission system of the smart device to transmit commands for controlling functional operations of the intended target device.

9. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the smart device comprises a tablet computing device.

10. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the smart device comprises a smart phone.

11. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the data that functions to identify an intended target appliance comprises data indicative of an appliance type and data indicative of an appliance brand.

12. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 11, wherein the instructions cause a menu to be displayed in the display of the smart device, the menu being used to receive the data indicative of the appliance type and the data indicative of the appliance brand.

13. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the instructions cause the menu to be displayed in the display of smart device in connection with a process that is used to install the remote control application on the smart device.

14. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein an entirety of the display of the smart device is used by the main remote control user interface and wherein less than the entirety of the display of the smart device is used by the secondary remote control user interface.

15. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the smart device to use the data to retrieve from an Internet server a command code set appropriate for the intended target device and wherein the retrieved command code set is used when the smart device is caused to transmit commands for controlling functional operations of the intended target device.

16. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the smart device to use the data to select from a memory device of the smart device a command code set appropriate for the intended target device and wherein the selected command code set is used when the smart device is caused to transmit commands for controlling functional operations of the intended target device.

17. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 6, wherein the second plurality of user interface elements comprises one or more frequently selected ones of the first plurality of user interface elements.

18. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 17, wherein the instructions monitor selections of the first plurality of user interface elements to automatically determine the second plurality of user interface elements.

19. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the second plurality of user interface elements provide for control of a predetermined, controllable activity.

20. The computer-readable media as recited in claim 19, wherein the second plurality of user interface elements provide for control of volume operational functions and media transport functions.