Multi-functional residential communication approach

• US 7,248,893 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2004
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Core Brands, LLC (Melrose Industries Plc)
• Original Assignee: ELAN Home Systems, LLC (Melrose Industries Plc)
• Inventors: Christensen, Steve, Farinelli, Robert P., Aguirre, Hector
• Primary Examiner(s): BEAMER, TEMICA M
• Application Number:
  US10/773,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20040176141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/422.1, 455/41.2, 455/556.1, 455/3.02, 455/3.03
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/21 Programming remote control devices via third means
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/41 Remote control of gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• 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 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

A signal-repeating device control arrangement facilitates user control of various types of media equipment in a facility. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, the different types of user-controllable media equipment are located with respective user-interface units in various zones of the facility to provide user-selectable interaction for the user. The signal-repeating device control arrangement includes a transceiver for wirelessly communicating with a user'"'"'s remote control, a data-routing circuit for communication with packet-communicating devices such as over an Ethernet, and an emulation circuit for providing an interface to manufacturer-specific equipment for control of other devices types and/or user input devices. Another aspect of the invention is directed to a related arrangement in which the base station includes a data port adapted to download information for configuring both the signal-repeating base-station and, via the base-station transceiver, for configuring the user-interface control device.

Claims

1. A signal-repeating device control arrangement for use in a facility having different types of user-controllable devices that are co-located with respective user-interface units in various zones of the facility and that provide user-selectable information to the user, the respective user-interface units providing input selectors for controlling operation of the user-controllable devices, the signal-repeating device control arrangement comprising:

a user-interface control device having a user interface for receiving inputs from a user and having a transceiver for sending data wirelessly in response to the user inputs and for receiving data;

for use in communicating with the zone-located user-controllable devices and the zone-located user-interface units, a signal-repeating base-station including

a base-station transceiver adapted to communicate data with the user-interface control device and the zone-located user-interface units, and

a data-routing circuit adapted to respond to the user inputs received via the base-station transceiver by sending designated groups of digital data sets to manipulate operation of at least one of the different types of user-controllable devices.

2. The signal-repeating device control arrangement of claim 1, wherein the user-interface control device further includes a display for communicating user data in response to data received from the signal-repeating base-station.

3. The signal-repeating device control arrangement of claim 2, wherein the display of the user-interface control device is a touch-panel display.

4. The signal-repeating device control arrangement of claim 1, wherein the user-interface control device includes a touch-panel display.

5. The signal-repeating device control arrangement of claim 1, wherein the transceiver of the user-interface control device is further adapted to communicate bi-directionally and wirelessly with the base-station transceiver.

6. The signal-repeating device control arrangement of claim 1, wherein the data-routing circuit includes a data processor that is programmable for controlling operation of the signal-repeating base-station and further includes a data-input circuit for downloading certain programming data.

7. The signal-repeating device control arrangement of claim 6, wherein the certain programming data is configuration data.

8. The signal-repeating device control arrangement of claim 6, wherein the certain programming data is program-execution code for execution by the data processor.

9. The signal-repeating device control arrangement of claim 1, wherein the data-routing circuit includes a programmable data processor that is adapted and programmed to emulate communication with the user-controllable devices, the communication being otherwise provided by at least one of the zone-located user-interface units.

10. The signal-repeating device control arrangement of claim 9, wherein the data-routing circuit communicates with at least one of the user-controllable devices via infrared signaling.

11. The signal-repeating device control arrangement of claim 1, wherein the data-routing circuit communicates with at least one of the user-controllable devices via infrared signaling.

12. The signal-repeating device control arrangement of claim 1, wherein the data-routing circuit includes a programmable data processor that is adapted and programmed to emulate communication with the user-controllable devices, the communication being otherwise provided by at least one of the zone-located user-interface units, and further including a data-routing switch that is adapted to communicatively and selectively couple data between selected ones of the different types of user-controllable devices and the programmable data processor.

13. The signal-repeating device control arrangement of claim 12, wherein the data is communicatively coupled between the data-routing switch and the programmable data processor via infrared circuits located and arranged with the data-routing switch and the signal-repeating base-station, respectively.

14. A signal-repeating device control arrangement for use in a facility having different types of user-controllable devices that are co-located with respective user-interface units in various zones of the facility and that provide user-selectable information to the user, the respective user-interface units providing input selectors for controlling operation of the user-controllable devices, the signal-repeating device control arrangement comprising:

a user-interface control device having a user interface for receiving inputs from a user, having a transceiver for sending data wirelessly in response to the user inputs and for receiving data, and having a programmable configuration for providing user control over the different types of user-controllable devices;

for use in communicating with the zone-located user-controllable devices, a signal-repeating base-station including

a base-station transceiver adapted to communicate data with the user-interface control device,

a data-routing circuit adapted to respond to the user inputs received via the base-station transceiver by sending designated groups of digital data sets to various zones of the facility to manipulate operation of at least one of the different types of user-controllable devices, and

a data port adapted to download information for configuring both the signal-repeating base-station and, via the base-station transceiver, for configuring the user-interface control device.