Tethered digital butler consumer electronic device and method

A multi-media and communications system, including:

• a palm-held remote;
• and
• a console component in wireless communication with the remote;
• wherein the palm-held remote integrates at least:
• a speaker, microphone and volume control adapted for use a telephone,
• a display at least capable of showing a telephone number,
• a cursor control and trigger adapted to select and control resources of the console,
• a compact keypad including numeric keys usable for telephone dialing,
• the compact keypad further including alphabetic keys usable for messaging, and
• a limited range radio for communicating with the console component via a lightweight wireless protocol;
• wherein the console component integrates at least a DVD/CD player, a network port and logic and resources adapted to:
• connect the palm-held remote to the telephone network,
• send and receive messages across a communications network, displaying the messages on a monitor or television,
• control channels accessed by a video receiver,
• drive speakers and provide volume control,
• provide playback control for the DVD/CD player, and
• decode VoIP to a remote control device format and decode DVD video,
• implement the lightweight wireless protocol used to forward signals in the remote control device format to the limited range radio of the palm-held remote;
• whereby the palm-held remote allows a user to select among and use the console component's telephone network connection, messaging, channel control, volume control, and DVD/CD playback control without performing the decoding of VoIP or DVD video performed by the resources of the console.

A multi-media and communications system, including:

• a palm-held remote;
• and
• a console component in wireless communication with the remote;
• wherein the palm-held remote integrates at least
• a speaker, microphone and volume control adapted for use as a telephone,
• a display at least capable of showing a telephone number,
• a cursor control and trigger adapted to select and control resources of the console,
• a compact keypad including numeric keys usable for telephone dialing,
• the compact keypad further including alphabetic keys usable for web browsing,
• a limited range radio for communications with the console component via a lightweight wireless protocol;
• wherein the console component integrates at least a media card reader or hard drive, a network port and logic and resources adapted to
• connect the palm-held remote to the telephone network,
• control with the palm-held remote retrieval, transfer and playback of digital
• content from the media card reader,
• control channels accessed by a video receiver,
• drive speakers and provide volume control,
• decode VoIP to a remote control device format and decode digital content from the media card reader or hard drive, and
• implement the lightweight wireless protocol used to forward signals in the remote control device format to the limited range radio of the palm-held remote;
• and
• whereby the palm-held remote allows a user of to select among and use the console component's telephone network connection, media card reader functions, channel control, and volume control without performing the decoding of VoIP or digital content from the media card reader or hard drive Performed by the resources of the console component.

A hand held remote control device with slaved audio and video reproduction, the device including:

• a limited range radio;
• a plurality of slaved inputs and outputs built into the hand held remote control, including at least a slaved microphone, a slaved fingerprint reader, a slaved display and a slaved audio output;
• a keyboard and navigation control built into the hand held remote control;
• hardware resources coupled between the radio and the slaved inputs, the slaved outputs, the keyboard and the navigation control;
• a light weight protocol stack running on the hardware resources and exchanging packets with a master device;
• a decoder logic running on the hardware resources, logically coupled to the light weight protocol stack, adapted to receive the packets processed by the master device into a remote control device format and to decode the remote control device format into signals to drive the slaved outputs;
• wherein the remote control
• depends on the master device to process at least one audio stream from one or more source formats into the remote control device format,
• depends on the master device to transcode input from and output to the slaved microphone and audio output between VoIP and the remote control device format,
• relies on the master device to respond to the control signals to change the audio stream delivered in the packets, and
• sends raw fingerprint data to the master device for interpretation.

A hand held remote control device with slaved audio reproduction, the device including:

• a limited range radio;
• a plurality of slaved inputs and outputs built into the hand held remote control, including at least a slaved microphone, a slaved display and a slaved audio output;
• hardware resources coupled between the radio and the slaved inputs and outputs;
• a light weight protocol stack running on the hardware resources and exchanging packets with a master device;
• wherein the remote control depends on the master device to process an audio stream from one or more source formats into a remote control device format;
• a decoder logic running on the hardware resources, logically coupled to the light weight protocol stack, adapted to receive the packets processed by the master device, and adapted to decode the remote control device format into signals to drive the slaved outputs;
• a encoder logic running on the hardware resources, logically coupled to the light weight protocol stack, adapted to encode signals from the microphone into a remote control audio format, and adapted to send audio packets in the remote control audio format to the master device;
• and
• further including a keyboard and navigation control coupled to the hardware resources adapted to send control signals via the radio to the master device, whereby the remote control relies on the master device to respond to the control signals to change the audio stream delivered in the packets and to direct the audio packets sent by the remote control for appropriate processing on the master device, including transcoding input from and output to the slaved microphone and audio output between VoIP and the remote control device format.