Apparatus and method to facilitate universal remote control

• US 20070176820A1
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Vidal, Alberto
• Granted Patent: US 8,054,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/176
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/91 Remote control based on location and proximity
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a universal remote control, which includes a display screen and a user input mechanism. The universal remote control also includes a processing unit that is configured to display information on the display screen and to accept selection data from the user input mechanism. The universal remote control additionally includes a wireless communication mechanism that is configured to provide communications between the processing unit and an appliance or computer program running on a computer system. The appliance provides information to be displayed on the display screen, and information entered through the user input mechanism is communicated to the appliance. Since the appliance provides the information to be displayed on the display screen and also interprets the entries on the input mechanism, the universal remote control needs no special knowledge about the appliance.

Claims

1. A universal remote control, comprising:

a display screen,

a user input mechanism;

a processing unit configured to display information on the display screen and to accept selection data from the user input mechanism; and

a wireless communication mechanism configured to provide communications between the processing unit and an appliance;

wherein the processing unit is configured to receive a specification for a user interface from the appliance that is specific to the appliance to display on the display screen;

wherein the specification for the user interface is customized for a current state of the appliance;

wherein the processing unit is configured to use the specification to implement the user interface so that the universal remote control can operate with the appliance.

2. The universal remote control of claim 1, further comprising a touch screen, wherein the touch screen includes the display screen and the user input mechanism.

3. The universal remote control of claim 1, further comprising a discovery mechanism that is configured to discover the appliance through an entry on the user input mechanism.

4. The universal remote control of claim 1, further comprising a discovery mechanism that is configured to discover the appliance through the wireless communication mechanism.

5. The universal remote control of claim 4, wherein the discovery mechanism includes a Bluetooth™

discovery mechanism.

6. The universal remote control of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication mechanism includes a receiving mechanism within the universal remote control that is configured to receive information to be displayed on the display screen in a markup language.

7. The universal remote control of claim 6, wherein the markup language includes extensible markup language (XML) or hypertext transport protocol (HTTP).

8. The universal remote control of claim 1, wherein a set of standard graphical representations of appliance-control mechanisms is stored in the universal remote control to choose for display to a user by the appliance.

9. The universal remote control of claim 8, wherein the set of standard graphical representations of appliance-control mechanisms is stored in the appliance and can be sent over a wireless communications link to the universal remote control for display to the user.

10. The universal remote control of claim 1, wherein the appliance includes a plurality of appliances.

11. The universal remote control of claim 10, wherein the plurality of appliances includes one or more of a television, a video tape player, a video disk player, a stereo, a home control system, and a computer system with remotely controllable software.

12. A method for configuring a remote control to operate an appliance, comprising:

sending a request for a specification of a user interface from the remote control to the appliance;

in response to the request, receiving the specification for the user interface from the appliance; and

configuring the remote control to implement the user interface to operate the appliance.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a user can navigate through a number of user interfaces by consecutive uses of the remote control.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein a user can switch between appliances using a list of currently active appliances maintained by the remote control.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending the request for the specification of the user interface on a wireless communication link.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving the specification of the user interface on the wireless communication link.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the wireless communication link includes a Bluetooth™

communication link.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the specification is encoded in a markup language, wherein the markup language includes extensible markup language (XML) or hypertext transport protocol (HTTP).

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising discovering the appliance using a Bluetooth™

discovery mechanism.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the appliance includes a plurality of appliances.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the plurality of appliances includes one or more of a television, a video tape player, a video disk player, a stereo, a home control system, and individual software programs running on a computer system.

22. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for configuring a remote control to operate an appliance, the method comprising:

sending a request for a specification of a user interface from the remote control to the appliance;

in response to the request, receiving the specification for the user interface from the appliance that is specific to the appliance;

wherein the specification provides a user-interface that is customized for a current state of the appliance; and

configuring the remote control to implement the user interface so that the universal remote control can operate with the appliance.

23-29. -29. (canceled)