USER INTERFACE FOR AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE USED AS A HOME CONTROLLER

• US 20080180228A1
• Filed: 05/14/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Camp, William O., Angelhag, Bo Anders, Wakefield, Ivan N.
• Granted Patent: US 7,649,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/310.11
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• 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 2201/30 User interface
• 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 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop

Abstract

A system, device and method for wirelessly controlling a plurality of electronic appliances arranged within a local area include an electronic device having a location detection circuit, a user interface circuit and a display device. The location detection circuit is operative to determine a general location of the electronic device within the local area, and the user interface circuit is operative to receive the determined general location. Based thereon, the user interface circuit configures at least one user interface for control of at least one electronic appliance located in the same general location as the electronic device. The display device may display the user interface configured by the user interface circuit.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device for controlling a plurality of electronic appliances arranged within a local area, comprising:

a location detection circuit operative to determine a general location of the electronic device within the local area; and

a user interface circuit operative to receive the general location and, based thereon, configure at least one user interface for control of at least one electronic appliance located in the same general location.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a display device for displaying the user interface configured by the user interface circuit.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising call circuitry operative to establish a two-way call over a communication network.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a wireless communication circuit operative to at least transmit commands to the electronic appliances.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the wireless communication circuit is a short range wireless transceiver for establishing two-way communications with the at least one electronic appliance, and the user interface circuit is operative to configure the user interface based on data received from the at least one electronic appliance.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing user interface configuration data, wherein the user interface circuit is operative to configure the user interface based on the configuration data and the general location.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising an input device for entering at least one user input into the electronic device, wherein the at least one electronic appliance is selected and/or controlled based on the at least one user input.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the input device is a keypad, a touch screen or a microphone.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises selection entries to select the at least one electronic appliance from the plurality of electronic appliances.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the user interface comprises an output for indicating the selected electronic appliance.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the user interface comprises at least one control entry that defines a control operation of the at least one electronic appliance.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the user interface comprises a plurality of pages for the at least one electronic appliance, each page comprising at least one control entry for the at least one electronic appliance.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the control entries comprise at least one of a volume function, a channel function, a frequency function, a power function, an enable function, or a configuration function.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one user interface is a plurality of user interfaces, each user interface corresponding to a general area within the local area, and wherein the user interface circuit is operative to automatically select a user interface that corresponds to the general location of the electronic device.

15. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the user interface circuit is operative to automatically select the at least one electronic appliance based on a particular event.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the event is a time of day, day of the week, or time of year.

17. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the user interface circuit is operative to select an electronic appliance from the plurality of electronic appliances based on a predetermined sequence of events.

18. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a mobile telephone.

19. A system for controlling a plurality of electronic appliances within a local area, comprising:

the electronic device of claim 1;

a controller communicatively coupled to the plurality of electronic appliances and to the electronic device, wherein the electronic device wirelessly transmits control data to the controller, and the controller is operative to route the control data to the appropriate electronic appliance of the plurality of electronic appliances.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of wireless devices arranged within the local area, wherein the location detection circuit is operative to base the general location of the electronic device on communications with at least one of the wireless devices.

21. A method of using an electronic device to control devices arranged in a local area, comprising:

automatically determining a general location of the electronic device within the local area; and

automatically configuring a user interface of the electronic device based on the determined location, said user interface including a user entry for controlling at least one electronic appliance within the general location.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising displaying the user interface on a display of the electronic device.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

retrieving configuration data from the at least one electronic appliance; and

using the retrieved configuration data to configure the user interface for the at least one electronic appliance.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising creating a plurality of pages for the at least one electronic appliance, wherein each page includes a user entry for controlling the at least one electronic appliance.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising automatically changing the user interface to correspond to electronic appliances in the same general area as the electronic device as the as the electronic device is moved about the local area.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising automatically selecting the at least one electronic appliance based on an event.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the event is a time of day, day of the week, or time of year.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising automatically selecting the at least one electronic appliance based on a predetermined sequence of events.

29. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for using an electronic device to control devices arranged in a local area, comprising:

code that automatically determines a general location of the electronic device within the local area; and

code that automatically configures a user interface of the electronic device based on the determined location, said user interface including a user entry for controlling at least one electronic appliance within the general location.