WO2001067315A1 - Combined remote control and telephone - Google Patents

Combined remote control and telephone Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2001067315A1
WO2001067315A1 PCT/FI2001/000233 FI0100233W WO0167315A1 WO 2001067315 A1 WO2001067315 A1 WO 2001067315A1 FI 0100233 W FI0100233 W FI 0100233W WO 0167315 A1 WO0167315 A1 WO 0167315A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
remote control
terminal
receiver
user
wireless connection
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/FI2001/000233
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Jaakko Visuri
Original Assignee
Alma Media Oyj
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Alma Media Oyj filed Critical Alma Media Oyj
Priority to AU2001246569A priority Critical patent/AU2001246569A1/en
Publication of WO2001067315A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001067315A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/422—Input-only peripherals, i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
    • H04N21/42204—User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
    • H04N21/4104—Peripherals receiving signals from specially adapted client devices
    • H04N21/4126—The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
    • H04N21/41265—The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B1/00—Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
    • H04B1/06—Receivers
    • H04B1/16—Circuits
    • H04B1/20—Circuits for coupling gramophone pick-up, recorder output, or microphone to receiver
    • H04B1/202—Circuits for coupling gramophone pick-up, recorder output, or microphone to receiver by remote control
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L12/00—Data switching networks
    • H04L12/66—Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
    • H04M1/72—Mobile telephones; Cordless telephones, i.e. devices for establishing wireless links to base stations without route selection
    • H04M1/724—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
    • H04M1/72403—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
    • H04M1/72409—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality by interfacing with external accessories
    • H04M1/72415—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality by interfacing with external accessories for remote control of appliances
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/478—Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
    • H04N21/4788—Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application communicating with other users, e.g. chatting
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N7/00—Television systems
    • H04N7/16—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
    • H04N7/173—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
    • H04N7/17309—Transmission or handling of upstream communications
    • H04N7/17318—Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M2250/00—Details of telephonic subscriber devices
    • H04M2250/14—Details of telephonic subscriber devices including a card reading device

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a remote control for a terminal to which control signals can be transmitted.
  • Said terminal may be a television receiver, a radio receiver or for example an STB device (Set-Top-Box) connected to a television receiver or a radio receiver.
  • STB device Set-Top-Box
  • the above known terminals are increasingly utilized for providing users with various interactive services.
  • interactive services are implemented by utilizing the user's existing terminals, such as a television set, a radio or an STB device, in the direction from the service pro- vider to the user. This allows data associated with the service, such as video signals or audio signals, to be transmitted to the user.
  • some known solutions utilize the user's telephone. In practice, this means that when the user utilizes an interactive service, he needs, not only the remote control of a termi- nal, but also a telephone. In other words, the user is able to play a computer game on a TV screen by means of the keyboard of a telephone.
  • a drawback in the above known solution is that the user has to have two devices at his disposal, i.e. a remote control and a telephone, in order to be able to utilize an interactive service.
  • the object of the present invention is to solve the problem associated with the prior art and provide a solution that facilitates the use of interactive services and lowers the costs of devices required by the utilization of interactive services.
  • a remote control for a terminal such as a television receiver, a radio receiver or an STB device, comprising: a user interface including at least a keyboard, and a transmitter for transmitting control signals to the terminal for controlling the terminal in response to measures taken by a user of the remote control via the user interface.
  • the remote control of the invention is characterized in that the remote control comprises means for providing telephony func- tions and including a receiver and a speaker connected to the receiver for producing audio signals from signals received by the receiver from the terminal via a wireless connection, and a microphone connected to the transmitter means for transmitting audio signals received by the microphone further to the terminal via the wireless connection.
  • the invention also relates to a system comprising: a termi- nal, such as a television receiver, a radio receiver or an STB device, and a remote control comprising a user interface including at least a keyboard, and a transmitter for transmitting control signals to the terminal for controlling the terminal in response to measures taken by a user of the remote control via the user interface.
  • a termi- nal such as a television receiver, a radio receiver or an STB device
  • a remote control comprising a user interface including at least a keyboard, and a transmitter for transmitting control signals to the terminal for controlling the terminal in response to measures taken by a user of the remote control via the user interface.
  • the system of the invention is characterized in that the remote control comprises means for providing telephony functions and including a receiver and a speaker connected to the receiver for producing audio signals from signals received by the receiver from the terminal via a wireless connection, a microphone connected to the transmitter means for transmitting audio signals received by the microphone further to the terminal via a wireless con- nection, and that the terminal comprises means for transmitting the audio signals transmitted on the wireless connection further to a second party to a call via a data transmission connection.
  • the invention further relates to a terminal, such as a television receiver, a radio receiver or an STB device, the terminal comprising a re- ceiver for receiving control signals from a remote control via a wireless connection.
  • a terminal such as a television receiver, a radio receiver or an STB device
  • the terminal comprising a re- ceiver for receiving control signals from a remote control via a wireless connection.
  • the terminal of the invention is characterized in that the terminal further comprises a transmitter, that said transmitter and receiver are arranged to transmit audio signals on said wireless connection between the remote control and the terminal, and that the terminal comprises means for transmitting the audio signals to be transmitted on said wireless connection further via a data transmission connection.
  • the invention is based on the idea of a significant improvement in the user-friendliness of a remote control by providing the remote control with means enabling telephony functions for transmitting audio signals on a wireless connection. Furthermore, the utilization of interactive services is significantly facilitated, since the user of the remote control does not need any other devices to utilize them.
  • transmitting audio signals on a wireless connections means that the audio signals are coded before transmission into a form suitable for use on said wireless connection. For these coded signals to be able to be input via a speaker to the second party to a call, they are to be decoded with a decoder located somewhere between the wireless connection and the speaker of the telephony device of the second party to the call.
  • the invention enables a user of a terminal to utilize the same remote control for controlling a terminal and for making calls.
  • the solution of the invention thus provides the advantages that the user does not have to acquire a remote control for the terminal and a separate telephone, since he is able to utilize the same device for both purposes. This means that the number of required devices decreases, which lowers equipment costs, for example. Furthermore, the user-friendliness is improved when the user of the devices does not have to use several separate devices simultaneously for exam- pie in connection with interactive services.
  • the speaker of the remote control generates audio signals from signals received by the receiver from the terminal via a wireless connection. Furthermore, the transmitter means of the remote control transmit audio signals received by the microphone to the termi- nal via said wireless connection.
  • the terminal controlled by the remote control, provides the user with the telephony functions.
  • the remote control transmits signals associated with calls via the wireless connection to the terminal, via which they are transmitted further on a data transmission connection.
  • the terminal may be connected to a telephone network, or, alter- natively, the terminal may transmit signals associated with a call via the Internet, for example (Internet call).
  • Internet call Internet call
  • Figure 1 is a block diagram of a first preferred embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 2 is a block diagram of a second preferred embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first preferred embodiment of the invention.
  • a remote control 1 controls a terminal 2.
  • terminal 2 In the following, it is assumed by way of example, that the terminal
  • STB device Set-Top-Box
  • television receiver 3 for pro- viding services to the user of the remote control.
  • the terminal 2 is connected to the Internet.
  • the terminal is also connected to a telephone network ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) and to a cable television network 9.
  • ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network
  • cable television network 9 a telephone network
  • the alternative shown in Figure 1 for connecting the terminal 2 is only an example. In practice, the terminal may be connected to only one of the above, or, alternative, the connection to the Internet may be arranged via a telephone network.
  • the remote control 1 comprises a keyboard 4, via which the user is able to control the functions of the terminal 2.
  • the keyboard may comprise numeric keys and alphanumeric keys.
  • the remote control may also comprise a display (not shown in the Figures) for displaying text and/or graphics to the user of the remote control.
  • the remote control 1 communicates with the terminal 2 via a wireless connection 8.
  • Said wireless connection may an infrared connection or a radio link.
  • a feasible implementation is Bluetooth.
  • the remote control 1 comprises a transmitter TX and a receiver RX, which, depending on the implementation, are composed of for example of a radio transmitter and a radio receiver or, alternatively, for example an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver.
  • the remote control 1 also comprises means that enable telephony functions for the user of the remote control. These means include for example a speaker 5 and a microphone 6.
  • the remote control operates as a conventional wireless telephone, allowing the user of the remote control to use the remote control 1 for making calls.
  • the audio signals associated with a call are transmitted from the remote control 1 to the terminal 2 on the same wireless connection 8 on which the control signals of the remote control are transmitted to the terminal.
  • the audio signals associated with a call can be coded in the remote control 1 suitable for the wireless connection 8, whereupon they can be decoded to be further transmit- ted for example in the terminal 2 or a telephone network.
  • the terminal communicates with a second party 7 to the call via the ISDN.
  • the call is switched via the Internet, in which case the terminal 2 comprises the necessary means for enabling Internet calls.
  • the terminal 2 Since in the case of Figure 1 the terminal 2 is connected both to a telephone network and to the Internet, the user is able to use the same remote control to make calls and surf the Internet. This enables the same remote control 1 and terminal to be utilized as for example an answering machine, a fax machine and for reading and writing e-mail messages and text messages. Since the terminal 2 is also connected to a cable television network 9, the terminal can be used to utilize services transmitted via the cable television network, such as for watching videos on demand.
  • a card reader CR enabling the electronic identification of the user of the remote control is integrated into the remote control 1.
  • Electronic identification and the devices needed for it can correspond to those used for microcomputers for the identification of their users based on data on an electronic identity card.
  • Electric identification may be performed by the user of the remote control 1 placing his personal identifying means, such as an electronic identity card, into the card reader CR.
  • the remote control 1 may then perform an identification operation known per se, in which user-specific encryption keys stored in the identification means are utilized in the identification of the user.
  • the identification allows chargeable digitally distributed services, and electronic business and order services, for example, to be provided for the user.
  • the identification also enables the user of the remote control to be authorized to change the settings of services or call functions.
  • the terminal offers call services to the user of the remote control, the user does not need a separate telephone in addition to the remote control. This allows the user to use the same remote control to e.g. utilize e-mail services, fax, call services, select the desired television programme and surf the Internet.
  • the option to electronically identify the user by means of the card reader of the remote control also provides the user with access to chargeable services and such confidential services that require identification of the person using them.
  • Such services include various banking services, for example.
  • Figure 2 is a block diagram of a second preferred embodi- ment of the invention.
  • the embodiment of Figure 2 largely corresponds to that of Figure 1.
  • the terminal 2" is not connected to a fixed telephone network. Instead, radio parts of a subscriber device of a cellular radio system are integrated into the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal 2" communicates with a base station BS of the cellular radio system via a ra- dio link 1 1 , and the base station transmits the signals associated with the call further via a mobile switching centre MSC to the second party to the call.
  • the remote control and the terminal are not connected to a fixed telephone network. Instead, radio parts of a subscriber device of a cellular radio system are integrated into the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal 2" communicates with a base station BS of the cellular radio system via a ra- dio link 1 1 , and the base station transmits the signals associated with the call further via a mobile switching centre MSC to the second party to the call.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Selective Calling Equipment (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention relates to a remote control (1) for a terminal (2, 2'), such as a television receiver, a radio receiver or an STB device, comprising: a user interface including at least a keyboard (4), and a transmitter (TX) for transmit-ting control signals to the terminal (2, 2') for controlling the terminal in re-sponse to measures taken by a user of the remote control via the user inter-face. To provide a more user-friendly remote control, the remote control (1) comprises means for providing telephony functions and including: a receiver (RX) and a speaker (5) connected to the receiver for producing audio signals from signals received by the receiver (RX) from a wireless connection (8), and a microphone (6) connected to the transmitter means (TX) for transmitting audio signals received by the microphone further via the wireless connection (8).

Description

Combined Remote Control and Telephone
[0001] The present invention relates to a remote control for a terminal to which control signals can be transmitted. Said terminal may be a television receiver, a radio receiver or for example an STB device (Set-Top-Box) connected to a television receiver or a radio receiver.
[0002] Several different types of terminal devices controlled by means of a remote control are previously known. Such terminals typically include for example television sets, videos, radios and STB devices used in association therewith. However, known remote controls have the drawback that they are suitable only for controlling the functions of the terminal.
[0003] The above known terminals are increasingly utilized for providing users with various interactive services. In known solutions, interactive services are implemented by utilizing the user's existing terminals, such as a television set, a radio or an STB device, in the direction from the service pro- vider to the user. This allows data associated with the service, such as video signals or audio signals, to be transmitted to the user. In the opposite transmission direction, i.e. from the user to the service provider, some known solutions utilize the user's telephone. In practice, this means that when the user utilizes an interactive service, he needs, not only the remote control of a termi- nal, but also a telephone. In other words, the user is able to play a computer game on a TV screen by means of the keyboard of a telephone.
[0004] A drawback in the above known solution is that the user has to have two devices at his disposal, i.e. a remote control and a telephone, in order to be able to utilize an interactive service. [0005] The object of the present invention is to solve the problem associated with the prior art and provide a solution that facilitates the use of interactive services and lowers the costs of devices required by the utilization of interactive services. In accordance with the invention, these objects are achieved with a remote control for a terminal, such as a television receiver, a radio receiver or an STB device, comprising: a user interface including at least a keyboard, and a transmitter for transmitting control signals to the terminal for controlling the terminal in response to measures taken by a user of the remote control via the user interface. The remote control of the invention is characterized in that the remote control comprises means for providing telephony func- tions and including a receiver and a speaker connected to the receiver for producing audio signals from signals received by the receiver from the terminal via a wireless connection, and a microphone connected to the transmitter means for transmitting audio signals received by the microphone further to the terminal via the wireless connection.
[0006] The invention also relates to a system comprising: a termi- nal, such as a television receiver, a radio receiver or an STB device, and a remote control comprising a user interface including at least a keyboard, and a transmitter for transmitting control signals to the terminal for controlling the terminal in response to measures taken by a user of the remote control via the user interface. The system of the invention is characterized in that the remote control comprises means for providing telephony functions and including a receiver and a speaker connected to the receiver for producing audio signals from signals received by the receiver from the terminal via a wireless connection, a microphone connected to the transmitter means for transmitting audio signals received by the microphone further to the terminal via a wireless con- nection, and that the terminal comprises means for transmitting the audio signals transmitted on the wireless connection further to a second party to a call via a data transmission connection.
[0007] The invention further relates to a terminal, such as a television receiver, a radio receiver or an STB device, the terminal comprising a re- ceiver for receiving control signals from a remote control via a wireless connection. The terminal of the invention is characterized in that the terminal further comprises a transmitter, that said transmitter and receiver are arranged to transmit audio signals on said wireless connection between the remote control and the terminal, and that the terminal comprises means for transmitting the audio signals to be transmitted on said wireless connection further via a data transmission connection.
[0008] The invention is based on the idea of a significant improvement in the user-friendliness of a remote control by providing the remote control with means enabling telephony functions for transmitting audio signals on a wireless connection. Furthermore, the utilization of interactive services is significantly facilitated, since the user of the remote control does not need any other devices to utilize them. Herein, transmitting audio signals on a wireless connections means that the audio signals are coded before transmission into a form suitable for use on said wireless connection. For these coded signals to be able to be input via a speaker to the second party to a call, they are to be decoded with a decoder located somewhere between the wireless connection and the speaker of the telephony device of the second party to the call.
[0009] The invention enables a user of a terminal to utilize the same remote control for controlling a terminal and for making calls. The solution of the invention thus provides the advantages that the user does not have to acquire a remote control for the terminal and a separate telephone, since he is able to utilize the same device for both purposes. This means that the number of required devices decreases, which lowers equipment costs, for example. Furthermore, the user-friendliness is improved when the user of the devices does not have to use several separate devices simultaneously for exam- pie in connection with interactive services.
[0010] In accordance with the invention, the speaker of the remote control generates audio signals from signals received by the receiver from the terminal via a wireless connection. Furthermore, the transmitter means of the remote control transmit audio signals received by the microphone to the termi- nal via said wireless connection. This means that the terminal, controlled by the remote control, provides the user with the telephony functions. The remote control transmits signals associated with calls via the wireless connection to the terminal, via which they are transmitted further on a data transmission connection. The terminal may be connected to a telephone network, or, alter- natively, the terminal may transmit signals associated with a call via the Internet, for example (Internet call). The solution is advantageous since the remote control becomes simple, as it only has to communicate with the terminal via a wireless connection.
[0011] The preferred embodiments of the remote control and sys- tem of the invention are disclosed in the attached dependent claims 2 to 4 and 6.
[0012] In the following, the invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a block diagram of a first preferred embodiment of the invention, and
Figure 2 is a block diagram of a second preferred embodiment of the invention.
[0013] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a first preferred embodiment of the invention. In the case shown in Figure 1 , a remote control 1 controls a terminal 2. In the following, it is assumed by way of example, that the terminal
2 is an STB device (Set-Top-Box) connected to a television receiver 3 for pro- viding services to the user of the remote control.
[0014] In the exemplary case of Figure 1 , the terminal 2 is connected to the Internet. The terminal is also connected to a telephone network ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) and to a cable television network 9. It is to be noted that the alternative shown in Figure 1 for connecting the terminal 2 is only an example. In practice, the terminal may be connected to only one of the above, or, alternative, the connection to the Internet may be arranged via a telephone network.
[0015] The remote control 1 comprises a keyboard 4, via which the user is able to control the functions of the terminal 2. Depending on the implementation, the keyboard may comprise numeric keys and alphanumeric keys. The remote control may also comprise a display (not shown in the Figures) for displaying text and/or graphics to the user of the remote control. The remote control 1 communicates with the terminal 2 via a wireless connection 8. Said wireless connection may an infrared connection or a radio link. A feasible implementation is Bluetooth. The remote control 1 comprises a transmitter TX and a receiver RX, which, depending on the implementation, are composed of for example of a radio transmitter and a radio receiver or, alternatively, for example an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver. [0016] In addition to the above, the remote control 1 also comprises means that enable telephony functions for the user of the remote control. These means include for example a speaker 5 and a microphone 6. Thus, the remote control operates as a conventional wireless telephone, allowing the user of the remote control to use the remote control 1 for making calls. The audio signals associated with a call are transmitted from the remote control 1 to the terminal 2 on the same wireless connection 8 on which the control signals of the remote control are transmitted to the terminal. The audio signals associated with a call can be coded in the remote control 1 suitable for the wireless connection 8, whereupon they can be decoded to be further transmit- ted for example in the terminal 2 or a telephone network.
[0017] In the case of Figure 1 , the terminal communicates with a second party 7 to the call via the ISDN. An alternative is that the call is switched via the Internet, in which case the terminal 2 comprises the necessary means for enabling Internet calls. [0018] Since in the case of Figure 1 the terminal 2 is connected both to a telephone network and to the Internet, the user is able to use the same remote control to make calls and surf the Internet. This enables the same remote control 1 and terminal to be utilized as for example an answering machine, a fax machine and for reading and writing e-mail messages and text messages. Since the terminal 2 is also connected to a cable television network 9, the terminal can be used to utilize services transmitted via the cable television network, such as for watching videos on demand.
[0019] A card reader CR enabling the electronic identification of the user of the remote control is integrated into the remote control 1. Electronic identification and the devices needed for it can correspond to those used for microcomputers for the identification of their users based on data on an electronic identity card. Electric identification may be performed by the user of the remote control 1 placing his personal identifying means, such as an electronic identity card, into the card reader CR. The remote control 1 may then perform an identification operation known per se, in which user-specific encryption keys stored in the identification means are utilized in the identification of the user. The identification allows chargeable digitally distributed services, and electronic business and order services, for example, to be provided for the user. The identification also enables the user of the remote control to be authorized to change the settings of services or call functions. [0020] Since the terminal offers call services to the user of the remote control, the user does not need a separate telephone in addition to the remote control. This allows the user to use the same remote control to e.g. utilize e-mail services, fax, call services, select the desired television programme and surf the Internet. The option to electronically identify the user by means of the card reader of the remote control also provides the user with access to chargeable services and such confidential services that require identification of the person using them. Such services include various banking services, for example.
[0021] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a second preferred embodi- ment of the invention. The embodiment of Figure 2 largely corresponds to that of Figure 1. However, in the case of Figure 2, the terminal 2" is not connected to a fixed telephone network. Instead, radio parts of a subscriber device of a cellular radio system are integrated into the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal 2" communicates with a base station BS of the cellular radio system via a ra- dio link 1 1 , and the base station transmits the signals associated with the call further via a mobile switching centre MSC to the second party to the call. [0022] In the case of Figure 2, the remote control and the terminal
2" otherwise correspond to the remote control and terminal 2" described in connection with Figure 1. That is, both the control signals to the terminal 2" and the signals associated with the call are transmitted between the remote control 1 and the terminal 2" on the same wireless connection 8.
[0023] It is to be understood that the above specification and the related figures are only intended to illustrate the present invention. Different variations and modifications of the invention are apparent to those skilled in the art, without deviating from the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed in the attached claims.

Claims

1. A remote control (1) for a terminal (2, 2"), such as a television receiver, a radio receiver or an STB device, comprising: a user interface including at least a keyboard (4), and a transmitter (TX) for transmitting control signals to the terminal (2,
2") for controlling the terminal in response to measures taken by a user of the remote control via the user interface, characterized in that the remote control (1) comprises means for providing telephony functions and including: a receiver (RX) and a speaker (5) connected to the receiver for pro- ducing audio signals from signals received by the receiver (RX) from the terminal (2, 2") via a wireless connection (8), and a microphone (6) connected to the transmitter means (TX) for transmitting audio signals received by the microphone further to the terminal (2, 2") via the wireless connection (8). 2. A remote control as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the remote control (1) comprises means (CR) for receiving a user-specific identification means and for electronic identification of the user of the remote control by utilizing information stored in the identification means.
3. A remote control as claimed in claim 1 or 2, character- i z e d in that the remote control (1) communicates with the terminal (2, 2") via an infrared connection or a radio link.
4. A remote control as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, c h a r - acterized in that the remote control (1 ) comprises a display for displaying text and/or graphics to the user of the remote control.
5. A system comprising: a terminal (2, 2"), such as a television receiver, a radio receiver or an STB device, and a remote control (1) comprising a user interface including at least a keyboard (4), and a transmitter (TX) for transmitting control signals to the ter- minal (2, 2") for controlling the terminal in response to measures taken by a user of the remote control via the user interface, characterized in that the remote control (1) comprises means for providing telephony functions and including a receiver (RX) and a speaker (5) connected to the receiver for pro- ducing audio signals from signals received by the receiver (RX) from the ter- minal (2, 2") via a wireless connection (8), a microphone (6) connected to the transmitter means (TX) for transmitting audio signals received by the microphone further to the terminal (2, 2") via a wireless connection (8, 10), and that the terminal (2, 2") comprises means for transmitting the audio signals transmitted on the wireless connection (8) further to a second party to a call via a data transmission connection (ISDN, INTERNET, 9, 11).
6. A system as claimed in claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the terminal (2) comprises means for transmitting the audio signals transmitted on the wireless connection (8) further via a telephone network (ISDN) to the second party (7) to the call.
7. A terminal, such as a television receiver, a radio receiver or an STB device, the terminal (2, 2") comprising a receiver for receiving control signals from a remote control (1) via a wireless connection, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the terminal (2, 2") further comprises a transmitter, that said transmitter and receiver are arranged to transmit signals associated with a call on a wireless connection (8) between the remote control (1 ) and the terminal (2, 2"), and that the terminal (2, 2") comprises means for transmitting the signals associated with the call and to be transmitted on the wireless connection (8) further via a data transmission connection (INTERNET, ISDN, 9, 11 ).
PCT/FI2001/000233 2000-03-10 2001-03-09 Combined remote control and telephone WO2001067315A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

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AU2001246569A AU2001246569A1 (en) 2000-03-10 2001-03-09 Combined remote control and telephone

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FI20000558A FI20000558A (en) 2000-03-10 2000-03-10 Remote control

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GB2463107A (en) * 2008-09-05 2010-03-10 Skype Ltd A remote control unit of a media device for placing/receiving calls, comprising activating one of the two wireless transceivers when needed.
GB2463108A (en) * 2008-09-05 2010-03-10 Skype Ltd A remote control unit of a media device for placing/receiving calls, comprising two wireless transmitters powered from first and second power sources.
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GB2463108B (en) * 2008-09-05 2012-08-29 Skype Communication system and method
US9654726B2 (en) 2008-09-05 2017-05-16 Skype Peripheral device for communication over a communications system
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US8407749B2 (en) 2008-09-05 2013-03-26 Skype Communication system and method
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WO2013185508A1 (en) * 2012-06-15 2013-12-19 惠州Tcl移动通信有限公司 Method and wireless communication device for implementing wireless headset feature of television

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FI20000558A0 (en) 2000-03-10
AU2001246569A1 (en) 2001-09-17
FI20000558A (en) 2001-09-11

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