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US 9,310,787 B2Granted
Apparatus, systems, and methods for configuring devices remote control commands
AssigneeEchoStar Technologies L.L.C.
InventorJon Richardson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A particular device may configure one or more of other devices to accept and execute remote control commands from the particular device's remote control unit. This may be performed via one or more various communication links between the devices on that enables the devices to communicate with each other. For example, the remote control of a set-top box can be used to control both the set-top box and a television without a user having to specially program the set-top box or other universal remote control. One example of a communication link between the devices that enables the devices to communicate with each other is a device-to-device messaging protocol such as that provided by the High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard.
Claims14
A method in a system for configuring devices to accept remote control commands, comprising:
- retrieving, by the system for configuring devices to accept remote control commands, remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with a first device and a remote control of the first device, wherein the retrieving the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device includes:
- the first device retrieving the remote control command information on the first device;
- the first device determining, at least in part by evaluating existing firmware programming of the first device, values of data representing the remote control command information, and
- preparing the data representing the remote control command information for communication of the data to the second device;
- and
- configuring, by the system for configuring devices to accept remote control commands, a second device that is associated with another remote control that is different than the remote control of the first device, to accept and execute one or more remote control commands received by the second device from the remote control of the first device based on the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device, wherein the configuring includes the first device communicating to the second device, over a communications network, the remote control command information useful for determining, how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device.
3 more elements
A method in a system for configuring devices to accept remote control commands, comprising:
- retrieving, by the system for configuring devices to accept remote control commands, remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with a first device and a remote control of the first device, wherein the retrieving the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device includes the first device retrieving the remote control command information on the first device;
- and
- configuring, by the system for configuring devices to accept remote control commands, a second device that is associated with another remote control that is different than the remote control of the first device, to accept and execute one or more remote control commands received by the second device from the remote control of the first device based on the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device, wherein the configuring includes the first device communicating to the second device, over a communications network, using a device-to-device messaging protocol, the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device, wherein the communications network is a device communication bus between consumer electronics devices, wherein the communicating to the second device the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device using a device-to-device messaging protocol includes sending on the device communication bus a broadcast message from the first device to other devices on the device communication bus, the broadcast message including at least some of the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device, to facilitate the configuring of the second device to accept and execute one or more remote control commands received by the second device from the remote control of the first device.
A method in a system for configuring devices to accept remote control commands, comprising:
- retrieving, by the system for configuring devices to accept remote control commands, remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with a first device and a remote control of the first device, wherein the retrieving the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device includes the first device retrieving the remote control command information on the first device;
- and
- configuring, by the system for configuring devices to accept remote control commands, a second device that is associated with another remote control that is different than the remote control of the first device, to accept and execute one or more remote control commands received by the second device from the remote control of the first device based on the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device, wherein the configuring includes the first device communication to the second device, over a communications network, using a device-to-device messaging protocol, the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device, wherein the communications network is a device communication bus between consumer electronics devices, wherein the communicating to the second device the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device using a device-to-device messaging protocol includes, in response to a request from the second device, sending on the device communication bus, a message from the first device addressed to the second device including at least some of the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device, to facilitate the configuring of the second device to accept and execute one or more remote control commands received by the second device from the remote control of the first device.
A system for configuring devices to accept remote control commands, comprising:
- at least one processor;
- and
- at least one memory area coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
- retrieve remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with a first device and a remote control of the first device, wherein the retrieval of the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device includes:
- retrieval of the remote control command information on the first device;
- determination by the first device, at least in part by evaluation of existing firmware programming of the first device, of values of data representing the remote control command information;
- and
- preparation of the data representing the remote control command information for communication of the data to the second device;
- configure a second device that is associated with another remote control that is different than the remote control of the first device, to accept and execute one or more remote control commands received by the second device from the remote control of the first device based on the received remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device, wherein the configuration of the second device includes communication by first device to the second device, over a communications network, the remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with the first device and the remote control of the first device;
- and
- execute a device function on the second device in response to receiving a remote control command from the first device based on a determination made, based on the received remote control command information, of whether the device function corresponds to the remote control command received from the remote control of the first device.
8 more elements
A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable instructions thereon that, when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to:
- receive remote control command information useful for determining how to process a set of remote control commands associated with a remote control of a first device;
- receive a remote control command at a second device, wherein the second device is associated with another remote control that is different than the remote control of the first device;
- determine, based on the received remote control command information, whether the remote control command is from the remote control of the first device or from the other remote control associated with the second device;
- and
- in response to the determination of whether the remote control command is from the remote control of the first device or from the other remote control associated with the second device, if it is determined that the remote control command is a remote control command received from the remote control of the first device, then:
- determine whether a device function of the second device corresponds to the remote control command received from the remote control of the first device based on the received remote control command information useful for determining how to process the set of remote control commands associated with the remote control of the first device;
- if it is determined that a device function of the second device corresponds to the remote control command received from the remote control of the first device, execute on the second device the corresponding device function of the second device;
- and
- if it is determined that no device function of the second device corresponds to the received remote control command, then send a request over a communications network to one or more devices on the communications network for remote control command information useful for determining how to process remote control commands associated with one or more corresponding remote controls of the one or more devices on the communications network.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.