US 6,914,551 B2 · Apparatus and method to facilitate universal remote control

Abstract

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.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A universal remote control, comprising:

a display screen;
a user input mechanism;
a processing unit configured to display information on the display screen and to accept selection data from the user input mechanism;
a wireless communication mechanism configured to provide communications between the processing unit and an appliance;
and
a requesting mechanism configured to request a user-interface menu from the appliance that is specific to the appliance to display on the display screen;
wherein the menu is customized for a current state of the appliance;
and
wherein the processing unit is further configured to accept information through the user-interface menu that is entered through the user input mechanism for communication to the appliance.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method to facilitate universal remote control

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method to facilitate universal remote control

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims29