System and method for interactive appliance control
AssigneeUniversal Electronics Inc.
InventorJeffrey Kohanek
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A controlling device interacts dynamically with a plurality of appliances using state information known to a master appliance. The master appliance conveys to the controlling device the state information and the controlling device uses the state information to dynamically configure itself to command functional operations of one or more of the plurality of appliances. The master appliance also causes a graphical representation of the current configuration of the controlling device to be displayed on a display device that is associated with the master appliance.
Claims13
A method for providing proactive appliance control in a system comprised of a master routing device, a plurality of media input devices in communication with the master routing device, and a controlling device configurable to transmit command communications, the method comprising:
- receiving at the master routing device a selection of a one of the plurality of media input devices to be used as a media input source for the master routing device;
- determining by the master routing device if the selection of the one of the plurality of media input devices to be used as a media input source for the master routing device originated from the controlling device;
- and
- when it is determined by the master routing device that the selection of the one of the plurality of media input devices to be used as a media input source for the master routing device did not originate from the controlling device, causing the master routing device to determine if the controlling device is in an active state and, when the master routing device determines that the controlling device is in the active state, causing the master routing device to transmit to the controlling device a first message having data indicative of the selection of the one of the plurality of media input devices to be used as a media input source for the master routing device, wherein the data indicative of the selection of the one of the plurality of media input devices to be used as a media input source for the master routing device comprises data for causing the controlling device to automatically configure itself to transmit command communications directly to the one of the plurality of media input devices to be used as a media input source for the master routing device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.