Set top/back box, system and method for providing a remote control device

• US 8,875,195 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2014
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enseo, LLC (Enseo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Enseo, Inc.
• Inventors: Ogle, Vanessa, Fang, Bill, Miller, Tom, Straitiff, David, Horton, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): MONTOYA, OSCHTA I
• Application Number:
  US14/177,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20140165114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 259 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/83
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• 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 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A set top/back box and system and method for providing a remote control device are disclosed. In one embodiment, one or more wireless transceivers are located within a housing, which also interconnectively includes television input/output, a processor, and memory. The set top/back box may establish a pairing with a programmable device, such as a proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device having a touch screen display, whereby formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions, including virtual buttons, may be transmitted to the programmable device for display on the touch screen display to create a experience parallel to the experience on the television. The set top/back box receives and processes virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the programmable device to control amenities associated with the set top/back box.

Claims

1. A set top/back box comprising:

a housing;

one or more wireless transceivers associated with the housing, the one or more wireless transceivers operable to communicate with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device;

a television input and a television output secured in the housing, the television input and the television output for receiving content from a source in a lodging environment and forwarding content to a television;

a processor coupled to the one or more wireless transceivers and the television input and the television output;

a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

specify a search operation to identify the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, wherein the search operation utilizes the at least one or more wireless transceivers to wirelessly identify the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device,

establish a pairing between the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device and the set top/back box,

send formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions are operable to provide a parallel experience related to the content on the television,

provide instructions for virtual buttons on a touch screen display associated with the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, the virtual buttons being associated with a particular amenity,

receive and process virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, and

send a command to the particular amenity;

a configuration profile associated with the memory and processor-executable instructions that enables the set-top box to control a plurality of proximate amenities in a multi-room environment, the plurality of proximate amenities including the particular amenity, the plurality of proximate amenities being associated with a user'"'"'s stay in the lodging environment;

the configuration profile, for each amenity of the plurality of amenities, including instructions for virtual buttons on a touch screen display, and instructions for associating virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the touch screen display with commands; and

wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale an image on the television to a first portion of the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device,

wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that selectively display one or more sets of virtual buttons on a second portion of the touch screen display, the one or more sets of virtual buttons corresponding to the plurality of amenities.

2. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless transceivers are configured to communicate with a standard selected from the group consisting of infrared (IR), 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), and Bluetooth.

3. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.

4. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale, on a frame-by-frame basis, an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.

5. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale, on a streaming basis, an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.

6. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that display virtual buttons on a second portion of the touch screen display.

7. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of amenities comprise of amenities selected from the group consisting of CD/DVD players, tuners, hospitality suite services, Internet service, pay-per-view terminals, room control devices, and televisions.

8. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor being caused to receive and process virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device further comprises receiving and processing the location of a touch-and-click operation on the touch screen display.

9. The set-top/back box as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more transceivers are internal to the housing.

10. The set-top/back box as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more transceivers are external to the housing.

11. A set top/back box comprising:

a housing;

one or more wireless transceivers associated with the housing, the one or more wireless transceivers operable to communicate with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device;

a television input and a television output secured in the housing, the television input and the television output for receiving content from a source in a lodging environment and forwarding content to a television;

a processor coupled to the one or more wireless transceivers and the television input and the television output;

a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

establish a pairing between the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device and the set top/back box,

send formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions are operable to provide a parallel experience related to the content on the television,

provide instructions for virtual buttons on a touch screen display associated with the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, the virtual buttons being associated with a particular amenity,

receive and process virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, and

send a command to the particular amenity;

a configuration profile associated with the memory and processor-executable instructions that enables the set-top box to control a plurality of proximate amenities in a multi-room environment, the plurality of proximate amenities including the particular amenity, the plurality of proximate amenities being associated with a user'"'"'s stay in the lodging environment;

the configuration profile, for each amenity of the plurality of amenities, including instructions for virtual buttons on a touch screen display, and instructions for associating virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the touch screen display with commands; and

wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale an image on the television to a first portion of the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device,

wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that selectively display one or more sets of virtual buttons on a second portion of the touch screen display, the one or more sets of virtual buttons corresponding to the plurality of amenities.

12. The set top/back box as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more wireless transceivers are configured to communicate with a standard selected from the group consisting of infrared (IR), 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), and Bluetooth.

13. The set top/back box as recited in claim 11, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.

14. The set top/back box as recited in claim 11, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale, on a frame-by-frame basis, an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.

15. The set top/back box as recited in claim 11, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale, on a streaming basis, an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.

16. The set-top/back box as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more transceivers are internal to the housing.

17. The set-top/back box as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more transceivers are external to the housing.

18. A set top/back box comprising:

a housing;

one or more wireless transceivers associated with the housing, the one or more wireless transceivers operable to communicate with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device;

a television input and a television output secured in the housing, the television input and the television output for receiving content from a source in a lodging environment and forwarding content to a television;

a processor coupled to the one or more wireless transceivers and the television input and the television output;

a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

establish a pairing between the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device and the set top/back box,

send formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions are operable to provide a parallel experience related to the content on the television,

provide instructions for virtual buttons on a touch screen display associated with the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, the virtual buttons being associated with a particular amenity,

receive and process virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, and

send a command to the particular amenity;

wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale an image on the television to a first portion of the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device,

wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that selectively display one or more sets of virtual buttons on a second portion of the touch screen display, the one or more sets of virtual buttons corresponding to the plurality of amenities.

19. The set top/back box as recited in claim 18, wherein the one or more wireless transceivers are configured to communicate with a standard selected from the group consisting of infrared (IR), 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), and Bluetooth.

20. The set top/back box as recited in claim 18, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.