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US 2003/0193426 A1Published application
Apparatus and method to facilitate universal remote control
AssigneeApple Computer, Inc.
InventorAlberto Vidal
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AssigneeApple Computer, Inc.
InventorAlberto Vidal
Estimating the term…
One embodiment of the present invention provides a universal remote control, which includes a display screen and a user input mechanism. The universal remote control also includes a processing unit that is configured to display information on the display screen and to accept selection data from the user input mechanism. The universal remote control additionally includes a wireless communication mechanism that is configured to provide communications between the processing unit and an appliance or computer program running on a computer system. The appliance provides information to be displayed on the display screen, and information entered through the user input mechanism is communicated to the appliance. Since the appliance provides the information to be displayed on the display screen and also interprets the entries on the input mechanism, the universal remote control needs no special knowledge about the appliance.
A universal remote control, comprising:
A method for configuring a remote control to operate an appliance, comprising:
A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for configuring a remote control to operate an appliance, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Backward citations are indexed for grants only.
Non-electrical signal transmission systems, e.g. optical systems: using light waves, e.g. infrared
Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link: using a radio link
Transmission systems of control signals via wireless link: binding and programming of remote control devices
Transmission systems of control signals via wireless link: user interface
Term end not estimated
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to remote controls. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method to facilitate a just-in-time universal remote control for controlling multiple appliances.
2. Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates remote control 102 controlling multiple devices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates an appliance selection page on remote control 102 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates an appliance control page on remote control 102 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.
The data structures and code described in this detailed description are typically stored on a computer readable storage medium, which may be any device or medium that can store code and/or data for use by a computer system. This includes, but is not limited to, magnetic and optical storage devices such as disk drives, magnetic tape, CDs (compact discs) and DVDs (digital versatile discs or digital video discs), and computer instruction signals embodied in a transmission medium (with or without a carrier wave upon which the signals are modulated). For example, the transmission medium may include a communications network, such as the Internet.
Controlling Multiple Devices