Remote control system and method for personal video recorder
AssigneeThomson Licensing
InventorScott Allan Kendall
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A video playback apparatus receives a control signal from a remote control device having a multipurpose key and assigns alternative functions to the received signal depending on the duration of time the control signal is received. For example, the remote may have a combination skip-forward multipurpose key which when pressed for less than a predetermined period such as one second, causes the video playback apparatus to invoke its skip mode, and when pressed for more than the predetermined period causes the video playback apparatus to invoke its forward, fast forward, or super fast forward mode, depending on the duration of time the key is pressed beyond invocation of the forward mode.
Claims21
A video playback apparatus having means to invoke a replay function and a reverse function separately upon receipt of a first signal, wherein said replay function is activated in response to said first signal exhibiting a first duration of time and wherein said reverse function is activated in response to said first signal exhibiting a second duration of time different from said first duration, and means to invoke a skip function and a forward function separately upon receipt of a second signal different from the first signal, wherein said skip function is activated in response to said second signal exhibiting a third duration of time and wherein said forward function is activated in response to said second signal exhibiting a fourth duration of time different from said third duration.
A method of controlling operation of a digital video playback apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:
- invoking a skip function upon receipt of a second signal exhibiting less than a first predetermined duration, invoking a forward function exhibiting a first forward speed upon receipt of the second signal exhibiting greater than the first predetermined duration, invoking the forward function exhibiting a second, faster forward speed upon receipt of either the second signal exhibiting greater than a second predetermined duration or upon receipt of a second occurrence of the second signal;
- and
- invoking a replay function upon receipt of a first signal exhibiting less than a first predetermined duration, invoking a reverse function exhibiting a first reverse speed upon receipt of the first signal exhibiting greater than the first predetermined duration, invoking the reverse function exhibiting a second, faster reverse speed upon receipt of either the first signal exhibiting greater than a second predetermined duration or upon receipt of a second occurrence of the first signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.