Remote control transmitter

• US 7,271,734 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2004
• Issued: 09/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sata, Norifumi, Taketa, Yoshiki, Imada, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, III; Edwin C.
• Application Number:
  US10/784,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20040207766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/825.22, 340/825.24, 340/825.25, 341/175, 341/176, 348/734, 398/106, 398/112, 345/156, 345/158, 345/169, 715/864, 715/716, 715/744, 725/38
• US Class Current: 340/12.54
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A remote control transmitter is so constructed that when a group menu representing a combination of individual functions is selected by operation of an operating part, a controller effects display of the individual functions of the group menu in parallel with the group menu. Since the correspondence between an overview of the plurality of group menus and the individual functions of the specified group menu is easy to understand, the remote control transmitter obtained allows easy setting of the function.

Claims

1. A remote control transmitter comprising:

a display part for displaying an apparatus menu for selecting an apparatus, a plurality of individual functions of the selected apparatus to be remotely controlled, and a group menu representing a combination of the individual functions;

an operating part for selecting and deciding on the at least one of the individual function and the group menu;

a transmitter for sending a signal for remotely controlling the apparatus; and

a controller for controlling a view of the display part in response to an operation of the operating part,

wherein the controller causes the display part to simultaneously display, the apparatus menu, the group menu in response to the selection of the apparatus, and the plurality of individual functions, corresponding to a selection from the group menu when the group menu is selected by the operation of the operating part.

2. The remote control transmitter of claim 1, wherein the individual functions of the group menu are all transmitted when the group menu is decided on by the operation of the operating part, and only a specified individual function is transmitted when the specified individual function displayed in parallel with the group menu is decided on.

3. The remote control transmitter of claim 1, wherein the display part displays at least one of an apparatus menu, which denotes the apparatus to be remotely controlled, and a representative menu, which represents a combination of the group menus, in addition to the group menu and the individual function.

4. The remote control transmitter of claim 1, wherein the group menu is displayed on an outer periphery of a cylindrical frame, and the individual function is displayed on an outer periphery of a cylindrical frame.

5. The remote control transmitter of claim 1, wherein the operating part includes a plurality of selection buttons for selecting and deciding on the at least one of the individual function and the group menu.

6. The remote control transmitter of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of selection buttons is spherical.