Remote control with top and lower surface inputs
AssigneeI-Interactive LLC
InventorDAVID L. HENTY
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A remote control having a housing with a top surface and bottom surface. The top surface has a first set of one or more inputs adapted to be used when the housing is held in one hand of a user. The bottom surface has a plurality of second inputs configured in a recessed portion of the bottom surface corresponding at least in part to an area adapted to be held in one hand of a user when activating the first set of inputs. The remote control also has at least one short range transmitter responsive to activation of the first and second inputs.
Claims20
A remote control adapted for control of a digital device responsive to text input commands and having an associated display, comprising:
- at least two sections foldable relative to each other, a first plurality of inputs configured on an outer surface of at least one of the sections and a keyboard including text entry keys comprising separate keys for each letter of the alphabet configured on inner surfaces of both of the sections, the remote control being reconfigurable between a closed configuration wherein the first inputs are exposed and the keyboard is inaccessible and an open configuration wherein the keyboard is exposed and the text entry keys are split across the two sections;
- and
- at least one short range transmitter providing a first set of control signals to the digital device in response to operation of the first inputs when the remote control device is in the closed configuration and a second set of control signals to the digital device in response to operation of the keyboard when the remote control device is in the open configuration, the second set of control signals including text based commands responsive to activation of keyboard text entry keys on both of said at least two sections.
A remote control as set out in method as set out in claim1, wherein each of the two sections has a length of about 6-10 inches.
A method for short range remote control of a digital device responsive to text input commands and having an associated display, the method comprising:
- providing a remote control device having at least two sections foldable relative to each other, a first plurality of inputs on at least one of the sections and a text entry keyboard comprising separate keys of each letter of the alphabet on both of the sections, the remote control device being reconfigurable between a closed configuration wherein first inputs are exposed and the keyboard is inaccessible and an open configuration wherein the keyboard is exposed and the text entry keys are split across two sections;
- providing a first set of control signals to the digital device, in response to operation of the first inputs when the remote control device is in the closed configuration;
- and
- providing a second set of control signals to the digital device in response to operation of the keyboard when the remote control device is in the open configuration, the second set of control signals including text based commands responsive to activation of keyboard keys on both of said at least two sections.
An information display system, comprising:
- a display;
- an information processing device associated with the display and employing the display as an information display device, the device responsive to remote control signals including text input commands;
- and
- a remote control, having a housing with at least two sections connected together so as to be reconfigurable between an open configuration and closed configuration, the remote control further having one or more first inputs on the outside surface of the housing for inputting first commands to the information processing device and a keyboard comprising a plurality of text entry keys comprising separate keys for all the letters of the alphabet configured on inner surfaces of said at least two sections and split across the two sections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.