Hand held device having a browser application

• US 20050080496A1
• Filed: 10/06/2004
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Hayes, Patrick H., Yuh, Han-Sheng, Wang, Weidong William, Presseau, Joyce M., Lim, Jonathan Christian, Huang, Steven LanPing
• Granted Patent: US 7,143,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/65
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/21 Programming remote control devices via third means
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• 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 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 21/42224 : Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 : characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 : Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 : for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 : for displaying subtitles

Abstract

A hand-held device having a display and a browser application which supports functionality particularly suited for the hand-held device. For example, the browser application supports a full screen tag which allows information to be displayed as a full screen within the display. The browser application may also support a tag for use in displaying a link the activation of which will cause the hand-held device to transmit command codes to a consumer appliance. Still further, the browser application can support a tag which the hand-held device can use to issue reminders.

Claims

1. In a remote control having a plurality of modes each used to command the operation of a different consumer appliance, a readable media having instructions for displaying a reminder to operate a given one of the consumer appliances at a selected time, the instructions performing steps comprising:

allowing a user to set a reminder event to display the reminder at a selected time; and

displaying the reminder if the remote control is in a mode for commanding the operation of a consumer appliance other than the given one of the consumer appliances at approximately the selected time.

2. A method for displaying command keys in the display of a remote control device adaptable to transmit commands recognizable by an appliance, the method comprising:

determining functions supported by the appliance; and

displaying in the display of the remote control device command keys for use in commanding functions of the appliance, each displayed command key corresponding to a function determined to be supported by the appliance whereby display of command keys for functions unsupported by the appliance is avoided.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising accepting input for adapting the remote control device to transmit commands recognizable by the appliance.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the input comprises a designation of a type of the appliance.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the input further comprises a selection of one of a plurality of possible command code sets for the type of the appliance.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising causing the remote control device to transmit a command code selected from each of the plurality of possible command code sets and selecting the one of the plurality of possible command code sets that includes a transmitted command code when the appliance responds by performing a function associated with the transmitted command code.

7. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the input comprises a designation of a brand of the appliance.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the input further comprises a selection of one of a plurality of possible command code sets for the brand of the appliance.

9. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the input comprises an alphanumeric code representative of a type and a brand of the appliance.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the alphanumeric code is further representative of one or more models within the type and the brand of the appliance.

11. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the input comprises a selection of one of a plurality of command code sets downloaded into the remote control device.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising downloading at least a portion of the plurality of command code sets via an Internet connection.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising downloading at least a portion of the plurality of command code sets via a telephonic connection.

14. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising providing on a Web server data for adapting the remote control device to transmit commands recognizable by the appliance.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, accepting input at the Web server used to select data for adapting the remote control device to transmit commands recognizable by the appliance.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the input comprises a designation of a brand of the appliance.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the input comprises a selection of one of a plurality of possible command code sets for the brand of appliance.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the input comprises a designation of a type of the appliance.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the input further comprises a selection of one of a plurality of possible command code sets for the type of the appliance.

20. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the input comprises an alphanumeric code representative of a type and brand of the appliance.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the alphanumeric code is further representative of one or more models within the type and the brand of the appliance.

22. A computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for displaying command keys in the display of a remote control device adaptable to transmit commands recognizable by an appliance, the instructions performing steps comprising:

determining functions supported by the appliance; and

displaying in the display of the remote control device command keys for use in commanding functions of the appliance, each displayed command key corresponding to a function determined to be supported by the appliance whereby display of command keys for functions unsupported by the appliance is avoided.

23. The media as recited in claim 22, wherein the instructions perform the step of accepting input for adapting the remote control device to transmit commands recognizable by the appliance.

24. The media as recited in claim 23, wherein the input comprises a designation of a type of the appliance.

25. The media as recited in claim 24, wherein the input further comprises a selection of one of a plurality of possible command code sets for the type of the appliance.

26. The media as recited in claim 25, wherein the instructions perform the step of accepting input to select a one of the plurality of possible command code sets that includes a transmitted command code when the appliance responds by performing a function associated with a transmitted command code.

27. The media as recited in claim 23, wherein the input comprises a designation of a brand of the appliance.

28. The media as recited in claim 27, wherein the input further comprises a selection of one of a plurality of possible command code sets for the brand of the appliance.

29. The media as recited in claim 23, wherein the input comprises an alphanumeric code representative of a type and a brand of the appliance.

30. The media as recited in claim 29, wherein the alphanumeric code is further representative of one or more models within the type and the brand of the appliance.

31. The media as recited in claim 23, wherein the input comprises a selection of one of a plurality of command code sets downloaded into the remote control device.

32. The media as recited in claim 31, wherein the instructions perform the step of downloading at least a portion of the plurality of command code sets via an Internet connection.

33. The media as recited in claim 31, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of command code sets are downloaded via a telephonic connection.