Two-way communications between a remote control unit and one or more devices in an audio/visual environment

• US 6,255,961 B1
• Filed: 05/08/1998
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Douma, Peter, Van Ryzin, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US09/074,682
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.25, 340/825.24, 340/825.69, 341/176, 455/151.4, 455/92, 455/95
• US Class Current: 340/3.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units
• 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 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A remote control unit in an audio/visual system has a two-way communications link with one or more audio/visual devices. The bi-directional flow of information between the remote control unit and the audio/visual device(s) provides for the creation of remote control commands that are customized based upon the characteristics of the particular A/V device being controlled by the remote control unit. The remote control unit may additionally have another two-way communications link with one or more information-providing devices, such as a personal computer capable of accessing the Internet, that can provide the remote control unit with information available outside the audio/visual environment. The bi-directional flow of information of the two-way communications links is accomplished with a two-way infra-red link or a two-way serial link.

Claims

1. An audio/visual system that provides for the bi-directional exchange of information, comprising:

an audio/visual device;

a remote control unit for controlling the audio/visual device;

a first two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the audio/visual device that provides for information to be transmitted by the remote control unit and received by the audio/visual device and for information to be transmitted by the audio/visual device and received by the remote control unit;

an information-providing device capable of accessing information external to the audio/visual system; and

a second two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the information-providing device that provides for information to be transmitted by the remote control unit and received by the information-providing device and for information to be transmitted by the information-providing device and received by the remote control unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the information-providing device is a personal computer capable of accessing information from the Internet and transmitting information from the Internet to the remote control unit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the information-providing device is an infra-red communications link and wherein the remote control unit and the information-providing device each have an infra-red receiver and an infra-red transmitter.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the audio/visual device is a first infra-red communications link and the second two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the information-providing device is a second infra-red communications link and wherein the remote control unit, the audio/visual device, and the information-providing device each have an infra-red transmitter and an infra-red receiver.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the information-providing device is a serial communications link and wherein the remote control unit and the information-providing device each have a serial port.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote control unit and the information-providing device contain software that enables the second two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the information-providing device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein information transmitted by the audio/visual device and received by the remote control unit over the first two-way communications link is displayed on a display of the remote control unit.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein information transmitted by the information-providing device and received by the remote control unit over the second two-way communications link is displayed on a display of the remote control unit.

19. The audio/visual system of claim 1, wherein one or more remote control features are developed with the information transmitted by the audio/visual device and received by the remote control unit over the two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the audio/visual device.

9. A remote control unit capable of bi-directional exchange of information with one or more audio/visual devices in an audio/visual system and of bi-directional exchange of information with an information-providing device capable of accessing information external to the audio/visual system, wherein the remote control unit has a first port of a first two-way communications link for transmitting information to the one or more audio/visual devices, a second port of the first two-way communications link for receiving information from the one or more audio/visual devices, a first port of a second two-way communications link for transmitting information to the information-providing device, and a second port of the second two-way communications link for receiving information from the information-providing device.

10. The remote control unit of claim 9, wherein the information-providing device is a personal computer capable of accessing information from the Internet and transmitting information from the Internet to the remote control unit.

11. The remote control unit of claim 9, wherein the first two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the one or more audio/visual devices is an infra-red communications link.

12. The remote control unit of claim 9, wherein the second two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the information-providing device is an infra-red communications link.

13. The remote control unit of claim 9, wherein the first two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the one or more audio/visual devices is a serial communications link.

14. The remote control unit of claim 9, wherein the second two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the information-providing device is a serial communications link.

15. The remote control unit of claim 9, wherein the remote control unit contains contain software that enables the first two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the one or more audio/visual devices and the second two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the information-providing device.

16. The remote control unit of claim 9, wherein information received by the remote control unit from the one or more audio/visual devices or from the information-providing device is displayed on a display of the remote control unit.

20. The remote control unit of claim 9, wherein one or more remote control features are developed with information transmitted by the one or more audio/visual devices and received by the remote control unit over the two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the one or more audio/visual devices.

17. A method for the bi-directional exchange of information between a remote control unit and one or more audio/visual devices and between the remote control unit and an information-providing device of an audio/visual system capable of accessing information external to the audio/visual system, comprising the steps of:

establishing a first two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the one or more audio/visual devices;

establishing a second two-way communications link between the remote control unit and the information-providing device;

transmitting information between the remote control unit and the one or more audio/visual devices over the first two-way communications link;

utilizing information transmitted by the one or more audio/visual devices over the first two-way communications link to the remote control unit to develop one or more control features of the remote control unit;

the information-providing device accessing information external to the audio/visual system;

transmitting the information accessed by the information-providing device external to the audio/visual system between the remote control unit and the information-providing device over the second two-way communications link; and

utilizing information transmitted by the information-providing device over the second two-way communications link to the remote control unit to develop the one or more control features of the remote control unit.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising the further step of:

displaying information received by the remote control unit over the second two-way communications link from the information-providing device on a display of the remote control unit.