US 2002/0054028 A1Published application

Bi-directional communication system, display apparatus, base apparatus and bi-directional communication method

AssigneeSony Corporation

InventorsMami Uchida, Ayumi Mizobuchi, Kasumi Takeda

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Abstract

A bi-directional communication system comprising a base apparatus and a display apparatus. The display apparatus is a portable liquid crystal display for viewing video programs and browsing the internet. The base apparatus contains a television tuner for receiving broadcast signals and wirelessly transmits programming to the display apparatus. An infrared remote control device connected to the base apparatus is used to control various external input devices (e.g., a VCR or DVD player). Control menus for the base apparatus and the external input device can be displayed on the display apparatus. The display apparatus contains a touch screen, so that a user can select operational commands for controlling the base apparatus and external input devices. The display apparatus wirelessly transmits selected operational commands to the base apparatus, which then retransmits the commands to the appropriate external input device using the infrared remote control device.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A bi-directional communication system, comprising:

a display apparatus, including:
information signal receiving means for wirelessly receiving an information signal;
a display screen for displaying an image corresponding to said information signal;
operation display means for displaying an operation display on said display screen;
said operation display comprising a plurality of display items corresponding to user selectable operations;
a touch screen provided on said display screen for detecting a touched position on said display screen corresponding to a location at which a user touches said display screen;
operation signal means for generating an operation signal corresponding to the display item displayed at the touched position on said display screen;
and
operation signal transmission means for wirelessly transmitting said operation signal;
and
a base apparatus, including:
information signal transmission means for wirelessly transmitting said information signal to said display apparatus;
operation signal receiving means for wirelessly receiving said operation signal from said display apparatus;
control signal means for generating a control signal when said operation signal corresponds to an operation of an external input apparatus;
and
control signal transmission means for transmitting in the infrared said control signal to said external input apparatus;
whereby said external input apparatus executes said operation.

14 more elements

A bi-directional communication method for a bi-directional communication system including a display apparatus and a base apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:

wirelessly transmitting an information signal from said base apparatus to said display apparatus;
wirelessly receiving at said display apparatus the information signal from said base apparatus;
displaying a video corresponding to said information signal on a display screen of said display apparatus;
displaying an operation display on said display screen, said operation display comprising a plurality of display items corresponding to user selectable operations;
detecting a touched position corresponding to a location at which a user touches a touch screen provided on said display screen;
generating an operation signal corresponding to the display item displayed at the touched position on said display screen;
wirelessly transmitting said operation signal from said display apparatus to said base apparatus;
wirelessly receiving at said base apparatus said operation signal from said display apparatus;
generating a control signal when said operation signal corresponds to an operation of an external input apparatus;
and
transmitting said control signal from said base apparatus to said external input apparatus;
whereby said external input apparatus executes said operation.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/906,922Filed 16 Jul 2001
Priority: JP 2000-21535917 Jul 2000
Published: 9 May 2002
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification18 codes

H04N 21/426
Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals: internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof
H04N 7/163
Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing: by receiver means only
H04N 21/41265
The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones: having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote…
H04N 21/42204
Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]: user interfaces…