Communicating with a remote control
AssigneeSBC Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
InventorsScott White, James Cansler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system to communicate with a remote control are described herein. A device mode is selected from a plurality of device modes, each of which is associated with a media device. A user makes the selection in response to a prompt received from the media device. Next, mode data, which is associated with the selected device mode, is transmitted from the media device to a remote control. The remote control includes a plurality of selectively illuminated indicators. Furthermore, predetermined indicators from the plurality of selectively illuminated indicators are illuminated in response to the transmission of the mode data.
Claims29
A system to communicate with a remote control, the system comprising:
- a media device including a plurality of device modes and a particular device mode from the plurality of device modes to be selected by a user in response to a prompt received from the media device,
- wherein the media device is to transmit mode data, which is associated with the selected device mode, to a remote control having predetermined indicators of a plurality of selectively illuminated indicators to be illuminated in response to the transmission of the mode data.
A method to communicate with a remote control, the method comprising:
- prompting, from a media device, a selection of a particular device mode from a plurality of device modes of the media device;
- and
- transmitting mode data associated with the selected device mode from the media device to a remote control having a plurality of selectively illuminated indicators to be illuminated in response to the transmission of the mode data.
A system to communicate with a remote control, the system comprising:
- means for prompting, from a media device, a selection of a particular device mode from a plurality of device modes of the media device;
- and
- means for transmitting mode data associated with the selected device mode from the media device to a remote control having a plurality of selectively illuminated indicators to be illuminated in response to the transmission of the mode data.
A tangible machine readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:
- prompt, from a media device, a selection of a particular device mode from a plurality of device modes of the media device;
- and
- transmit mode data associated with the selected device mode from the media device to a remote control having a plurality of selectively illuminated indicators to be illuminated in response to the transmission of the mode data.
A system to communicate with a media device, the system comprising:
- a remote control having a plurality of selectively illuminated indicators,
- wherein at least one of the plurality of selectively illuminated indicators is used to select a particular device mode from a plurality of device modes of a media device in response to a prompt from the media device,
- wherein predetermined indicators of the plurality of selectively illuminated indicators are illuminated in response to a transmission of mode data of the media device, wherein the mode data is associated with the selected device mode.
A method to communicate with a media device, the method comprising:
- using at least one of a plurality of selectively illuminated indicators of a remote control to select a particular device mode from a plurality of device modes of a media device in response to a prompt from the media device;
- receiving a transmission of mode data of the media device, wherein the mode data is associated with the selected device mode;
- and
- illuminating predetermined indicators of the plurality of selectively illuminated indicators in response to the transmission of mode data.
A system to communicate with a remote control, the system comprising:
- an interface with a prompt used in selection of a device mode from a plurality of device modes, each of which is associated with a media device;
- and
- a transmitter to transmit mode data associated with the selected device mode from the media device to a remote control, wherein predetermined indicators on the remote control are illuminated in response to transmission of the mode data.
A system to associate mode data with a device mode to communicate with a remote control, the system comprising:
- a mode data generator to generate mode data corresponding to each of a plurality of device modes of a media device;
- and
- a mode data associator to associate the generated mode data with a user-selected device mode from the plurality of device modes, wherein the associated mode data is suitable for transmission to a remote control to illuminate predetermined indicators of a plurality of remote control indicators, wherein the predetermined indicators correspond to the user-selected device mode made in response to a prompt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.