Controller having reduced control key set and method for operating same in a learning, macro, or cloning mode

A configurable, wall-mountable controller, including:

• a wall-mountable subassembly including circuitry operable in a learning mode, a cloning mode, and a control mode;
• an infrared receiver coupled to the circuitry;
• an infrared emitter coupled to the circuitry;
• and
• control keys coupled to the subassembly,
• wherein the circuitry in the learning mode is configurable to perform control operations in response to actuations of the control keys in the control mode, when performing said control operations the circuitry generates emulated versions of signals received at the infrared receiver during the learning mode, and the circuitry is operable in the cloning mode to learn the configuration of a second device including by receiving at the infrared receiver modulated infrared signals that have been transmitted to said infrared receiver from the second device,
• wherein the circuitry includes a circuit board and a speaker mounted to the circuit board, the circuitry includes illumination elements mounted to the circuit board, the illumination elements include key illumination elements mounted in positions for backlighting the control keys, and the circuitry is configured to assert audible feedback and visual feedback while being configured in the learning mode to perform control operations in response to actuations of the control keys in the control mode,
• wherein the illumination elements include a status indicator, and the circuitry is configured to cause the status indicator to assert visual feedback during the learning mode to indicate when ambient radiation is excessive, and
• wherein the circuitry is configured to cause the status indicator to emit light continuously to indicate excessive ambient radiation during the learning mode, and to cause the status indicator otherwise to emit a sequence of light pulses during the learning mode.

A method for operating a wall-mountable controller having a wall-mountable subassembly including circuitry, an infrared emitter coupled to the circuitry, an infrared receiver coupled to the circuitry, and control keys coupled to the subassembly, said method including the steps of:

• (a) transmitting infrared radiation from the infrared emitter;
• and
• (b) upon receiving answering infrared radiation from a donor in response to the infrared radiation transmitted during step (a), executing a cloning operation in which said controller becomes configured in a manner that emulates the donor in response to modulated infrared radiation received at the infrared receiver from said donor,
• wherein the controller is operable in a control mode to control a target to cause the target to receive content from a selected source, the controller includes a control output at which said controller asserts, during the control mode, the emulated versions of signals received at the infrared receiver during the learning mode, wherein said controller also has a surface, the control keys, the infrared emitter, and the infrared transmitter are in regions of the surface, said controller includes no source input configured to be coupled to the selected source, and the control keys include:
• a first key set in a first region of the surface;
• a second key set in a second region of the surface, where the second region is distinct from the first region and each of the first key set and the second key set includes at least one of the control keys, and
• wherein the circuitry includes switches, the switches include at least one switch that is actuatable in response to actuation of at least one key of the first key set and at least one other switch that is actuatable in response to actuation of at least one key of the second key set, and the circuitry is configurable in the learning mode to perform at least one control operation of a first type in response to actuation of a key of the first key set and to perform at least one control operation of a second type in response to actuation of a key of the second key set, but not to perform a control operation of the second type in response to actuation of any key of the first key set or to perform a control operation of the first type in response to actuation of any key of the second key set.