Remote control system and appliance for use in the remote control system

• US 8,179,404 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagatomo, Tamio
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Xiao M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoang, Phi
• Application Number:
  US11/257,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20060090188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,394 Days
• Field of Search: 725/25, 725/135, 341/176, 345/88, 348/734
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared

Abstract

An appliance according to the present invention is operative under instructions from a plurality of control units, which includes a first control unit and a second control unit. The first control unit outputs a first control signal to the appliance to instruct the appliance to perform a predetermined operation. The second control unit outputs a second control signal to the appliance to instruct the appliance to perform the predetermined operation. The appliance includes a receiving section that receives the first and second control signals and an image control section that changes sizes of a particular image to be presented during the predetermined operation depending on whether the receiving section has received the first control signal or the second control signal.

Claims

1. An appliance that is operative under instructions from a plurality of control units, which includes a first control unit and a second control unit,

wherein the first control unit outputs a first control signal associated with a first display size of a command icon for a predetermined operation to the appliance to instruct the appliance to perform the predetermined operation, and

wherein the second control unit outputs a second control signal associated with a second display size, different from the first display size, of the command icon to the appliance to instruct the appliance to perform the predetermined operation, and

wherein the appliance comprises:

a receiving section that receives the first and second control signals; and

an image control section that changes sizes of a particular image which presents the predetermined operation to the first display size independent of a distance between the first control unit and a display for presenting the particular image thereon when the receiving section has received the first control signal or to the second display size independent of a distance between the second control unit and the display when the receiving section has received the second control signal.

2. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the first control unit has a first button and outputs the first control signal when the first button is pushed, and

wherein the second control unit has a second button and outputs the second control signal when the second button is pushed, and

wherein the first button has a bigger size than the second button, and

wherein the image control section makes the size of the particular image to be presented when the receiving section receives the first control signal bigger than that of the particular image to be presented when the receiving section receives the second control signal.

3. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the first control unit has a first button and outputs the first control signal when the first button is pushed, and

wherein the second control unit has a second button and outputs the second control signal when the second button is pushed, and

wherein the first control unit has a label of the predetermined operation that is associated with the first button, and

wherein the second control unit has a label of the predetermined operation that is associated with the second button, and

wherein the label of the predetermined operation on the first control unit has a bigger size than that of the predetermined operation on the second control unit, and

wherein the image control section makes the size of the particular image to be presented when the receiving section receives the first control signal bigger than that of the particular image to be presented when the receiving section receives the second control signal.

4. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the first control unit has a first button and outputs the first control signal when the first button is pushed, and

wherein the second control unit has a second button and outputs the second control signal when the second button is pushed, and

wherein the first control unit has a smaller number of buttons than the second control unit, and

wherein the image control section makes the size of the particular image to be presented when the receiving section receives the first control signal bigger than that of the particular image to be presented when the receiving section receives the second control signal.

5. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the image control section changes the sizes of the particular image while maintaining the status of the operation that has been performed until the sizes of the particular image are changed.

6. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the first and second control units are remote controllers, and

wherein the appliance is one of a display device, a player, a recorder, a recorder/player and an image editor.

7. The appliance of claim 1, wherein if the receiving section has received the first control signal, the image control section presents an interface that connects the user of the appliance to a support center.

8. The appliance of claim 7, wherein if the receiving section has received the second control signal, the image control section hides the interface.

9. An appliance that operates under an instruction from a control unit,

wherein the control unit has a first button and outputs a first control signal associated with a first display size of a command icon for a predetermined operation to the appliance to instruct the appliance to perform the predetermined operation when the first button is pushed, and

wherein the control unit also has a second button and outputs a second control signal associated with a second display size, different from the first display size, of the command icon to the appliance to instruct the appliance to perform the predetermined operation when the second button is pushed, and

wherein the appliance comprises:

a receiving section that receives the first and second control signals; and

an image control section that changes sizes of a particular image which presents the predetermined operation to the first display size independent of a distance between the control unit and a display for presenting the particular image thereon when the receiving section has received the first control signal or to the second display size independent of the distance when the receiving section has received the second control signal.

10. The appliance of claim 9, wherein the first button has a bigger size than the second button, and

wherein the image control section makes the size of the particular image to be presented when the receiving section receives the first control signal bigger than that of the particular image to be presented when the receiving section receives the second control signal.

11. The appliance of claim 9, wherein the control unit has labels of the predetermined operation that are associated with the first and second buttons, respectively, and

wherein the label of the predetermined operation associated with the first button has a bigger size than that of the predetermined operation associated with the second button, and

wherein the image control section makes the size of the particular image to be presented when the receiving section receives the first control signal bigger than that of the particular image to be presented when the receiving section receives the second control signal.

12. A remote control system comprising

a plurality of control units, and

an appliance that is operative under instructions from the control units, which include a first control unit and a second control unit,

wherein the first control unit outputs a first control signal associated with a first display size of a command icon for a predetermined operation to the appliance to instruct the appliance to perform the predetermined operation, and

wherein the second control unit outputs a second control signal associated with a second display size, different from the first display size, of the command icon to the appliance to instruct the appliance to perform the predetermined operation, and

wherein the appliance comprises:

a receiving section that receives the first and second control signals; and

an image control section that changes sizes of a particular image which presents the predetermined operation to the first display size independent of a distance between the first control unit and a display for presenting the particular image thereon when the receiving section has received the first control signal or to the second display size independent of a distance between the second control unit and the display when the receiving section has received the second control signal.

13. A remote control system comprising

a control unit, and

an appliance that operates under an instruction from the control unit,

wherein the control unit has a first button and outputs a first control signal associated with a first display size of a command icon for a predetermined operation to the appliance to instruct the appliance to perform the predetermined operation when the first button is pushed, and

wherein the control unit also has a second button and outputs a second control signal associated with a second display size, different from the first display size, of the command icon to the appliance to instruct the appliance to perform the predetermined operation when the second button is pushed, and

wherein the appliance comprises:

a receiving section that receives the first and second control signals; and

an image control section that changes sizes of a particular image which presents the predetermined operation to the first display size independent of a distance between the control unit and a display for presenting the particular image thereon when the receiving section has received the first control signal or to the second display size independent of the distance when the receiving section has received the second control signal.