System and method for optimized appliance control

• US 9,942,509 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2017
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Arling, Paul D., Ammari, Ramzi, Hatambeiki, Arsham, Williams, Graham
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aziz, Adnan
• Application Number:
  US15/626,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20170289484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 295 Days
• 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 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• 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 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals

Abstract

A device receives a request from a controlling device, such as a remote control, smart phone, or the like, where the request is intended to have one or more target devices perform one or more functional operations. The device responds to the request by applying the optimum methodology to propagate one or more commands to each intended target appliance to cause each intended target appliance to perform the intended one or more functional operations.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a controlling device to control a functional operation of a controllable device, comprising:

receiving at an intermediate device data that functions to identify the controllable device;

using by the intermediate device a capability profile associated with the data that functions to identify the controllable device to determine whether the functional operation of the controllable device is controllable via use of one of a wired communication protocol and a wireless communication protocol;

in response to the intermediate device determining that the functional operation of the controllable device is controllable via use of the wired communication protocol, causing the intermediate device to configure itself to communicate a command for controlling the functional operation of the controllable device via use of the wired communication protocol and also causing the intermediate device to issue a communication to the controlling device to cause the controlling device to configure itself to send a command to the intermediate device for causing the intermediate device to communicate the command for controlling the functional operation of the controllable device to the controllable device via use of the wired communication protocol; and

in response to the intermediate device determining that the functional operation of the controllable device is controllable via use of the wireless communication protocol, causing the intermediate device to issue a communication to the controlling device to cause the controlling device to configure itself to send a command directly to the controllable device for controlling the functional operation of the controllable device via use of the wireless communication protocol.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the intermediate device and the controlling device communicate via use of a radio frequency protocol.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the wired communication protocol comprises a consumer electronic control protocol.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the wireless communication protocol comprises an infrared communication protocol.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the wireless communication protocol comprises a radio frequency communication protocol.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication protocol comprises an infrared communication protocol.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication protocol comprises a radio frequency communication protocol.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the functional operation of the controllable device comprises a volume function of the controllable device.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the functional operation of the controllable device comprises a power function of the controllable device.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the controllable device comprises a television.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the intermediate device comprises a media source device for the television.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the intermediate device receives the data that functions to identify the controllable device from the controllable device.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the intermediate device receives the data that functions to identify the controllable device from a user.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the intermediate device has a memory in which is pre-stored the capability profile associated with the data that functions to identify the controllable device.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the intermediate device receives the capability profile associated with the data that functions to identify the controllable device from a server device located remotely from the intermediate device.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the controlling device comprises a smart phone.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the controlling device comprises a remote control.