Display apparatus and remote control apparatus

• US 7,383,507 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2003
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shibamiya, Yoshikazu, Fukuda, Tetsu, Matsumoto, Yuichi, Mori, Shigeki, Kutsuna, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dasgupta; Soumya
• Application Number:
  US10/712,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20040095316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,663 Days
• Field of Search: 348/734, 348/14.05, 348/106, 725/139, 725/32, 362/253, 463/41, 463/20, 463/31, 463 36- 39, 248/127, 340/588, 340/825, 398/106
• US Class Current: 715/721
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• 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 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A remote control apparatus is disclosed, in which a first remote control device and a second remote control device can be separated or combined. A configuration is also disclosed in which a remote control apparatus including a first remote control device and a second remote control device controls a display apparatus. Also disclosed is a display apparatus controlled by a remote control apparatus including a first remote control device and a second remote control device that can be separated or coalesce.

Claims

1. A display apparatus operated by a remote control apparatus including physically attachable and detachable first and second remote control devices that can be switched between a combined state in which the first and second remote control devices are physically attached to each other and a separated state, in which the first and second remote control devices are physically separated from each other, said display apparatus comprising:

a display unit;

a communication portion configured to communicate with the first and the second remote control devices, and

a control portion configured to change the number of display picture frames displayed on said display unit in accordance with whether the first and second remote control devices are physically attached to or separated from each other.

2. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control portion increases the number of display picture frames in response to the physical separation of the first and the second remote control devices so that the first and second remote control devices change the state from the combined state to the separated state.

3. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control portion reduces the number of display picture frames in response to the physical attachment of the first and second remote control devices so that the first and second remote control devices change the state from the separated state to the combined state.

4. A display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein each of different picture frames displayed on said display unit is controlled in accordance with operations of a corresponding one of the first and second remote control devices in the separated state.

5. A display apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a transmission portion configured to transmit to one of the first and second remote control devices a voice signal corresponding to one of the picture frames controlled by operations of the one of the remote control devices.

6. A remote control apparatus for controlling a display apparatus, comprising:

a first remote control device;

and a second remote control device,

wherein the first remote control device and the second remote control device are physically attachable to and detachable from each other so as to be switched between a combined state in which the first and second remote control devices are physically attached to each other and a separated state in which the first and second remote control devices are physically separated from each other,

wherein the number of picture frames displayed on the display apparatus depends upon whether the first and second remote control devices are in the combined state or the separated state, and

wherein the first remote control device controls a first picture frame from among a plurality of picture frames displayed on the display apparatus and the second remote control device controls another picture frame from among the plurality of picture frames in the separated state.

7. A remote control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a signal for discriminating between the combined state and the separated state is output by one or the other of the remote control devices to the display apparatus.

8. A remote control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the first and second remote control devices includes a receiving circuit configured to receive a voice signal corresponding to one of the picture frames controlled by operations of said one of the remote control devices, output from the display apparatus.