Electronic equipment control system and control method

• US 6,946,971 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2002
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Hironori, Maeda, Kouji, Shibata, Naoya, Matumoto, Isao, Fukuya, Makoto, Nishida, Norifumi, Natori, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, CLARA I
• Application Number:
  US10/308,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20030120356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 318/16, 361/727, 361/729, 361/798, 361/814, 361/679, 369/2, 369/75.1, 369/12, 381/86, 439/12, 439/297, 720/619, 720/647, 701/1, 701/36, 296/37.5
• US Class Current: 340/12.22
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control

Abstract

An electronic equipment control system including an electronic equipment body and a remote control terminal for providing an operation instruction to the electronic equipment body. The electronic equipment body has a receiving part for receiving a remote control signal, a movable operation unit for operating the electronic equipment body, a fixed operation unit, and an arranging part for moving the movable operation unit to bring the fixed operation unit into a visually identifiable state. The remote control terminal has input keys for providing the operation instruction, and a sending part for sending operation information input by the input keys.

Claims

1. An electronic equipment control system comprising:

an electronic equipment body; and

a remote control terminal which provides an operation instruction to the electronic equipment body,

wherein the electronic equipment body comprises;

a receiving part which receives a remote control signal;

a first operation unit to be operated according to the received remote control signal;

a second operation unit disposed in the back of the first operation unit and operated according to the received remote control signal, the second operation unit being equipped with a display part, facing the back of the first operation unit, which displays information about an operation or an operation state of at least one of the first and second operation units; and

an arranging part which moves at least one of the first and second operation units to bring both of the first and second operation units into a visually identifiable state,

wherein the remote control terminal comprises;

an input key which provides the operation instruction; and

a sending part which sends the operation instruction to the electronic equipment body as the remote control signal.

2. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first operation unit further comprises a display part for displaying information about an operation or an operation state of the first operation unit.

3. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arranging part works to bring the second operation unit into a visually identifiable state when the remote control signal relates to an operation to be displayed on the display part of the second operation unit and the second operation unit is in a visually unidentifiable state.

4. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a power source of at least the display part of the second operation unit is turned off when the second operation unit is in a visually unidentifiable state.

5. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein reception of the remote control signal relating to use of a second operation unit function does not make the second operation unit perform an operation corresponding to the remote control signal when the second operation unit is in a visually unidentifiable state, and makes the second operation unit perform the operation corresponding to the remote control signal when the second operation unit is in a visually identifiable state.

6. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic equipment body further comprises a determination part for determining whether or not the received remote control signal relates to use of a second operation unit function.

7. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the arranging part works to bring the second operation unit into a visually identifiable state when the determination part determines that the remote control signal relates to use of the second operation unit function.

8. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 6, wherein a power source of the second operation unit is turned on when the determination part determines that the remote control signal relates to use of the second operation unit function.

9. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving part is disposed on the first operation unit.

10. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving part is disposed at a cabinet front portion of the electronic equipment body.

11. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote control signal is sent using infrared rays.

12. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote control signal is sent using radio waves.

13. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic equipment body further comprises at least one of a reproducing part for reproducing music content information, a radio broadcast receiving part and a television broadcast receiving part.

14. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic equipment body further comprises a slot for record medium insertion, the slot is exposed when the second operation unit is moved.

15. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic equipment body further comprises a third operation unit for operating the electronic equipment body, the third operation unit is exposed when the second operation unit is moved, and

wherein the arranging part moves the second operation unit to bring the third operation unit into a visually identifiable state when the remote control signal relates to use of a third operation unit function.

16. An electronic equipment control method in an electronic equipment control system comprising an electronic equipment body and a remote control terminal for providing an operation instruction to the electronic equipment body, the method comprising:

receiving a remote control signal by the electronic equipment body;

a first operation of operating the electronic equipment body according to the received remote control signal by a first operation unit of the electronic equipment body;

a second operation of operating the electronic equipment body according to the received remote control signal by a second operation unit provided in the back of the first operation unit;

an arrangement operation of moving at least one of the first and second operation units to bring both of the first and second operation units into a visually identifiable state;

inputting an operation instruction to the electronic equipment body by input keys of the remote control terminal, the second operation unit being equipped with a display part facing the back of the first operation unit for displaying information about an operation or an operation state of at least one of the first and second operation units; and

sending the operation instruction toward the electronic equipment body by the remote control terminal as the remote control signal.

17. An electronic equipment control method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

determining whether or not the received remote control signal relates to use of a second operation unit function,

wherein the second operation unit is brought into a visually identifiable state in the arrangement operation when the remote control signal is determined to relate to use of the second operation unit function.

18. An electronic equipment control system comprising:

an electronic equipment body; and

means for providing an operation instruction to the electronic equipment body,

wherein the electronic equipment body comprises;

means for receiving a remote control signal;

a first operation unit to be operated according to the received remote control signal;

a second operation unit disposed in the back of the first operation unit and operated according to the received remote control signal, the second operation unit being equipped with a means for displaying information about an operation or an operation state of at least one of the first and second operation units, said means for displaying facing the back of the first operation unit; and

means for moving at least one of the first and second operation units to bring both of the first and second operation units into a visually identifiable state.

19. An electronic equipment control system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first operation unit further comprises a means for displaying information about an operation or an operation state of the first operation unit.