KR20010090849A - Universal remote control unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The programmable remote control unit 104 may initiate retrieval of a control configuration from the storage device 108 external to the unit. The unit 104 includes a memory 116 for storing the retrieved control configuration; A display 120 for displaying an icon representing the configuration; And a touch screen 120 for inputting a selection based on the displayed icon. The storage device 108 is one component of a consumer electronic apparatus 102. By storing or backing up the control configuration for a particular device within the device itself, the remote control unit 104 is made truly universally programmable.

Description

Universal remote control unit {UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL UNIT}

Universal remote control units (URCUs) are available today in a variety of forms. There are URCUs that can be programmed to emulate a remote control unit for a particular device, and there are URCUs that can be programmed to emulate several different devices. Typically, these URCUs are user programmed using a chart specifying device type and manufacturer. One number is selected from this chart and entered into the URCU. The URCU then acts like a remote control unit for that particular device.

These URCUs usually have a set number of buttons and a set functionality for each button. Many of such URCUs do not include all of the buttons of the emulated remote control unit. As a result, the most commonly used functions are represented. For example, the URCU for a TV remote control unit may not include a button for picture-in-picture (PIP), so that the user may actuate that function. It may be necessary to use the front panel of the TV or its own remote control unit.

To avoid this problem, high-end URCUs have fixed and plus-variable button architectures. There is a fixed set of buttons, and an embedded LCD screen, which may be used to emulate the buttons. One example of such a URCU is Marantz RC2000. Recently, URCUs in which all or most of the buttons are variable have been produced. One example of such URCU is the Pronto of Royal Philips Electronics. The fronto has an LCD for the display of the button and a touch screen for actuating the button. For such high-end URCUs, button real estate requires that the emulated button may be paged. The entire LCD screen may include such a page.

Programmability of hand-held devices, such as universal programmable remote controls and mobile phones, allows a user to page a particular function, such as a graphical user interface (GUI) or control panel of the device. It allows you to customize what you do. The front has an editing function that allows the user to program its control characteristics, for example the arrangement of buttons in the page and the pages in the page hierarchy, the macros, the arrangement of IR control codes assigned to the buttons, and the like. The following patent document is directed to the fronton and is incorporated herein by reference.

U.S. Pat.No.09 / 062,364 (agent control number PHA23,387), filed April 17, 1998, and written by Jan van Ee and Sung Choi, entitled "Auto Zoom GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE TOUCH SCREEN WITH AUTO ZOOM FEATURE ". This patent document relates to a GUI with a touch screen that has a full set of icons displayed. The individual functions of each icon are displayed in a recognizable size, but the size of the icon is too small to easily access the features of the function. As soon as you touch the area of the screen that contains the area, the screen provides a zoomed-in version of the area, allowing you to choose the features you want.

US Pat. No. 09 / 128,839 (Agent No. PHA23,469), filed Aug. 4, 1998, and written by Jan van Ee, entitled "Remote Controller with Animated GUI ( REMOTE CONTROL HAS ANIMATED GUI ". This patent document relates to a remote control device for remote control of home theater equipment. The remote control device has a display with a touch screen representing a GUI. The user-run of the GUI changes its appearance. The change occurs through animation. An animation is a simulation of an action created by displaying a series of bitmaps. Animation allows the user to perceive the change as a smooth transition. Therefore, there is no feeling of suddenly facing the new layout.

U.S. Pat.No. 09 / 129,300 (agent control number PHA23,470), filed Aug. 5, 1998, and written by Jan van Ee, entitled "Remote editing user-friendly macro" GUI OF REMOTE CONTROL FACILITATES USER-FRIENDLY EDITING OF MACROS This patent document relates to a remote control device for a home theater The device has a touch screen GUI The device GUI of the remote control device It has a macro creation / editing mode with an authoring tool accessible via: One of the editing tools includes a step on the GUI to change the sequence of steps selected by the user to a macro step selected by the user. Allows you to move visually up and down the list.

U.S. Patent No. 09 / 271,200 (Agent Control Number PHA23,607), filed March 17, 1999, and written by Jan van Ee, entitled "Full Functional Remote Control Editor and Emulator (FULLY). FUNCTIONAL REMOTE CONTROL EDITOR AND EMULATOR). This document relates to a universal programmable remote control device, which has a programmability function that allows the end-user to customize the device by editing or programming the control functions of the device. . Programming can be done via a PC. The control configuration created by the editor on the PC can be downloaded to the device. The PC has emulator software to test the configuration before downloading. The emulator software and the control software of the remote control device are made identically as a result of a software layer that extracts from the hardware of the remote control device. Thus, emulators for end-users are obtained as a byproduct that is inexpensive at the manufacturer's software development stage.

U.S. Patent No. 09 / 311,128 (Agent Control Number PHA23,501), filed May 13, 1999, and written by Joost Kemink, entitled "Internet-Based Service to Update Programmable Control Devices. (INTERNET-BASED SERVICE FOR UPDATING A PROGRAMMABLE CONTROL DEVICE) ". This document is about Internet-based services for updating programmable control devices. The Internet site includes graphical user interface (GUI) links to feature-dependent control and feature option information that can be downloaded to the programmable control device. A user interface is provided at the site so that a user can easily specify a target device and then selectively download the interface and control information available to the target device. The Internet site also includes system integrators that provide an interface based on inventory of user controllable equipment, hobbyists who share configurations and macros that they find useful. Includes links to other providers of constructs and macros.

US Patent No. 09 / 210,416 (Agency Management Number PHA23,522), filed December 11, 1998, and written by Joost Kemink and Eugene Shteyn, entitled "Location-Dependent Interface REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE WITH LOCATION DEPENDENT INTERFACE ". This document is about providing a user-controlled interface that depends on location within the home environment. Context control parameters are combined with location, and the user control interface is customized to the situation in which the device is operating. The control interface includes a presentation of context sensitive information and communication of corresponding context sensitive user commands via the interface. Positioning can be any technique commonly available, such as direct entry, infrared sensors and relative badges for relative positioning, as well as conventional absolute positioning devices such as LORAN and GPS. The number is made by using. In a preferred embodiment, the device communicates with a remote information source providing context sensitive control information. The remote information source can be a home network server, an internet server, a public service network, or other communication network.

The Pronto can be driven and programmed on a PC by using either its onboard programmability options or an application with an editor and emulator. Programming the fronto using its built-in capabilities is convenient because it does not require system set-up of a PC converted to an editor and emulator. However, frequent reprogramming of the fronttow by a user or a different user in the same home is not controlled for the undesirable configuration of the remote control unit, such that the user would rather return to the default or reference configuration of the control option. It results in evolution. Furthermore, the onboard storage capacity of the remote control unit is somewhat limited.

The present invention relates to a programmable hand-held control or communication device, in particular a programmable remote control device.

1 and 2 are system block diagrams in the present invention.

Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals represent similar or corresponding features.

Accordingly, the inventors propose to provide a remote control device that initiates retrieval of a predefined control configuration from a repository. For example, the reference or default control mode is backed up so that the user can always return to the reference configuration without too much effort. This default or reference mode may be stored in the remote control unit by either a manufacturer or a retailer, or retrieved from an external storage, eg, a user's PC, for later retrieval when desired in a communication procedure initiated by the remote control unit. It contains a user-programmed configuration, which is downloaded from the device. Alternatively, or auxiliary, the apparatus to be controlled serves as a reservoir for the control configuration of the device itself. The remote control device retrieves configuration from the apparatus, if necessary. In this way, the remote control device is very convenient and truly versatile for the user to use and serves as a mobile interface to nearby equipment.

The invention is explained by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

ProntoEdit (see US Patent No. 09 / 271,200 (see Agent Control Number PHA23,607, above)) is a software program running on a PC. It can emulate the front, construct the front, and upload / download information from / to the front. In order to upload information from the front to the front editing program, a serial cable must be connected between the front printing and the PC driven front editing. By clicking on a specific icon on the frontto edit toolbar, the upload process begins to transfer information from frontto to fronttoedit. Of all this, Fronto acts like a slave to the Frontier editing program.

In the present invention, a universal programmable remote control unit allows information such as display state to be backed up, for example on a PC. Here, the remote control unit is a master that controls the transfer of information between the remote control unit and the PC. Rather than being part of the configuration tool, the transmission of information is an integral feature feature of the remote control unit. The transmission of information may be activated by command or automatically during operational use. The remote control unit may be shared by several family members at home, each member having its own preferences that are part of the internal program of the remote control unit. However, the internal memory of the remote control unit may not be large enough to contain the configuration of the family member power source. Thus, the user may select his or her own configuration and, if present, will use that configuration. Otherwise, the remote control unit will have the user's configuration that is in contact with the PC and sent to the remote control unit. This may include creating a room for this configuration by storing the current configuration on a remote control unit to the PC. This only occurs if the configuration in the remote control unit is more recent than the configuration in the PC. If for a particular user, the configuration on the PC is the same as on the remote control unit, the space on the remote control unit is reused without back-up to the PC. The interconnect medium may be wireless or wired. Thus, the PC storage is part of the storage hierarchy of the system with the memory / storage of the remote control unit on top. The storage layer can be extended to the Internet / Web. Thus, information may flow through the storage layer when the remote control unit operates automatically and self-governing in nature, much like paging in a virtual memory computer system. .

1 is a block diagram of a system 100 in the present invention. System 100 includes a station 102 and a programmable remote control unit 104. Station 102 is a non-volatile processor 106 for control, an internal memory 108 for buffering data, for example a hard disk drive or flash memory that stores remote control commands and user preferences. Storage device 110 and transmitter / receiver 112 for transmitting / receiving data to / from remote control unit 104. The remote control unit 104 includes a processor 114 for control, a memory 116 (eg, RAM, or flash) that holds remote control instructions, macros, and user preferences, a remote control unit A display control unit 118 that controls the display screen and touch screen combination 120 of 104 and a transmitter / receiver 122 that transmits / receives data to / from the station 102.

In system 100, remote control unit 104 interacts with station 102 to obtain and store control information coupled with a controllable appliance. The remote control unit 104 may control several instruments and may be dedicated to a particular user. Station 102 may include remote control codes for several appliances as well as several user preferences. Station 102 is, for example, a PC, which may be one of the instruments, or each instrument may have a functionally similar station function.

The remote control unit 104 can control a number of mechanisms, while its local memory 116 may be finite and cannot accommodate all of the control codes, macros, preferences, and so forth. Thus, local memory 116 is paged to station 102. If the user selects an instrument to control, and if the necessary control code is not in the local memory 116 of the remote control unit 104, the processor 114 of the remote control unit 104 may send a transmitter to retrieve these control codes. Signal to station 102 by sending a message to station 102 via receiver 122. In order to make a new control code, i.e. the content of the recently updated memory 116, for example a space for user preference, it may be necessary to send it to the station 102 as a back-up, thus sending a new control code To make room for it. In this case, the updated memory content is accompanied by a message.

The receiver 112 of the station 102 receives this message and stores it in the local memory 108 of the station 102. The processor 106 of the station 102 decodes the message to determine whether to send the specific control code back to the remote control unit 104. If there are memory contents accompanying the message, they are stored in the non-volatile storage device 110 of the station 102. The control code defined by the message is then retrieved from the station's nonvolatile storage device 110 and temporarily stored in the local memory 108, where the processor 106 sends the control code to the transmitter 112. Instructs transmission to the remote control unit 104. Receiver 122 of remote control unit 104 receives the code and stores it in a suitable location in local memory 116. The user can then use the remote control unit 104 to control the new instrument.

As mentioned, the station 102 can be used to time-shift the play-out of a live computer, a device such as a personal computer, a TV receiver or a set-top box, or a TV live broadcast. a recording device (also called a time-warp recorder) that enables time-shift {stop, rewind, and slow-motion}, or local to the user's equipment Another intelligent storage device. Each time the control context of the remote control unit 104 is switched to the next instrument, the remote control unit 104 retrieves control information from the instrument. This makes the remote control unit 104 automatically compatible with any device capable of communicating with the remote control unit.

For the retrieval of information for the control configuration, the communication between the remote control unit 104 and the station 102 may be, for example, via a channel such as that which is subsequently used during the operational use of the remote control unit 104. It is preferably initiated by the remote control unit 104 sending a request to the station 102. For example, the remote control unit 104 sends a request in IR code to the station 102. Upon receiving the request, the station 102 begins uploading the control information necessary to configure the remote control unit 104 for operative use of the remote control unit 104.

2 is a block diagram 200 with a plurality of devices 202, 204, 206 and 208 and a remote control unit 104. Each device 202-208 has a user selectable function. For example, device 202 includes a TV set, device 204 includes a DVD player, device 206 includes a time-warp recorder, and device 208 includes a home security system. do. Each device 202-208 includes the functionality of a station 102, as described with reference to FIG. Specifically, each device 202-208 has a memory that stores control information including respective instructions associated with each of the user selectable functions of the associated device. Each device 202-208 has a receiver that receives an input to initiate control information transmission and a transmitter that transmits the control information to the remote control unit 104. The receiver may also receive a selected one of the respective commands from the remote control unit 104. The control information includes graphical information for generating a GUI on the display / touch screen 120 of the remote control unit 104.

The retrieval of control information is initiated as described above, for example. Preferably, the control configuration is uploaded in segments, and the segments are also called "pages." Control information is usually organized in hierarchies. For example, the first level contains a selection menu for selecting a particular device, the second level contains a selection menu for basic control of the selected device, and the third level gives more detailed control over the selection made in the previous level. It is included. See, for example, US Pat. No. 5,956,025 to Goulden et al., Which is incorporated herein by reference. This patent relates to a remote control unit for a home entertainment system. The remote control unit has a GUI with a touch screen function. The visible portion of the GUI is organized hierarchically into several levels of control. Every level is a first area for a selectable item at a first location, a second area with control for the selected item of the items at a second location, and a third area for content data associated with the selected item at a third location. It has lay-outs that match the area. The spatial relationship between location and region is maintained throughout this level. Such GUIs have a profound effect on the ease of use of home entertainment systems.

Within the context of the present invention, the user selects an option at a particular level and the page for the next level is in progress uploading to the remote control unit while the device performs the selected operation at the current level. Retrieval of the control configuration, one page at a time during operational use, reduces bandwidth requirements.

As mentioned above, the present invention is used in programmable hand-held control or communication devices, in particular programmable remote control devices.

Claims (6)

Programmable remote control unit 104, which may initiate retrieval of control configuration from storage device 110 external to the programmable remote control unit 104. . The method of claim 1, A memory 116 for storing the retrieved control configuration; A display 120 for displaying menu options representing the configuration, Touch screen 120 for entering a selection based on the displayed menu options A programmable remote control unit that includes. Programmable remote control unit 104, Device 102 which can be controlled via the unit As the information processing system 100 to include The unit being external to the unit and capable of initiating a retrieval of a control configuration from a storage device (110) coupled with the apparatus (102). 4. An information processing system according to claim 3, wherein the storage device comprises component parts in the apparatus (102). A device 102 comprising user-selectable functionality, the device comprising A memory 116 for storing control information including respective instructions associated with each one of the user-selectable functions; A transmitter 112 for transmitting the control information; A receiver 112 which receives an input to initiate transmission of the control information and which receives a selected one of the respective commands; The device further includes. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control information comprises graphical information for generating a GUI.