| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080201753 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SAVING AND RECALLING STATE DATA FOR MEDIA AND HOME APPLIANCES - A set of media playback and device settings data from each home appliance of a first set of home appliances is stored on a central server and/or sent to a remote control device upon initiation of a suspend command by a user. The stored media and devices states may be used at a later time to control the first set of home appliances, or a user may, after relocating to a second set of home appliances, initiate a resume state command whereupon media playback and device settings data from the central server and/or remote control device controls each home appliance in the second set of home appliances to bring about the same or substantially similar media and device states as in the first set of home appliances. | 08-21-2008 |
| 20080201754 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SAVING AND RECALLING STATE DATA FOR MEDIA AND HOME APPLIANCES - A set of media playback and device settings data from each home appliance of a first set of home appliances is stored on a central server and/or sent to a remote control device upon initiation of a suspend command by a user. The stored media and devices states may be used at a later time to control the first set of home appliances, or a user may, after relocating to a second set of home appliances, initiate a resume state command whereupon media playback and device settings data from the central server and/or remote control device controls each home appliance in the second set of home appliances to bring about the same or substantially similar media and device states as in the first set of home appliances. | 08-21-2008 |
| 20090002219 | TWO WAY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN AN APPLIANCE AND A REMOTE CONTROL - A method for storing and using information received from a controllable appliance in a controlling device. In response to a detected activation of a key of the controlling device the controlling device transmits a request signal to the controlled appliance for the purpose of retrieving from the controlled appliance data associated with a media tuning state of the controlled appliance, such as a tuned-to channel, CD or DVD track being played, or the like, The controlling device receives from the controlled appliance the media tuning state data and stores the media tuning state data in memory. The media tuning state data stored in the memory of the controlling device may then be used to transmit from the controlling device to the controlled appliance a media tuning command to cause the controlled appliance to replicate the previously captured media tuning state. | 01-01-2009 |
| 20090079594 | MEDIA RETURN SYSTEM - A remote control stores a sequence of key strokes in memory for as long as a predetermined key of a plurality of keys of the remote control is held down. The stored sequence of key strokes may then be repeated, for example, upon release of the predetermined key or upon further activation and release of the predetermined key. | 03-26-2009 |
| 20090102984 | MEDIA RETURN SYSTEM - A remote control provides a return to channel feature for use with a media device adapted to play media but not itself equipped with a return to channel feature. The remote control stores a primary channel in memory and is programmed such that, in direct response to a first input being manually provided to a remote control, a timer in the remote control is caused to commence a timing of a predetermined interval such that, in response to expiration of the predetermined interval timed by the timer, the remote control is caused to transmit a command signal corresponding to the primary channel stored in memory to the media device. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20100180307 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADAPTIVELY CONTROLLING THE RECORDING OF PROGRAM MATERIAL USING A PROGRAM GUIDE - In response to the establishment of a communication connection between an appliance capable of effecting a recording of a program and a portable device capable of displaying to a user in a display of the portable device a program guide including a listing for the program the appliance capable of effecting the recording of the program receives data indicative of a request to record the program that is stored in a memory of the portable device via user interaction with the program guide prior to establishment of the communication connection and the appliance capable of effecting the recording of the program then functions to record the program in accordance with the received data indicative of the request to record the program. | 07-15-2010 |
| 20110033167 | MEDIA RETURN SYSTEM - A system includes a consumer electronic device adapted to render a media content and a hand-held, portable device having a touch screen display, a transmitter, a receiver, and a processing unit. The processing unit of the hand-held, portable device uses data related to the media content received via the receiver to cause command icons related to rendering of the media content to be defined and displayed in the touch screen display and to cause the transmitter to transmit one or more commands for controlling a functional operation related to rendering of the media content by the consumer electronic device in response to a user interaction with one or more of the command icons caused to displayed in the touch screen display. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110074591 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECONFIGURATION OF AN ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM CONTROLLING DEVICE - An entertainment device is used to notify a user of a change in an audio visual entertainment system configuration in which at least one of a plurality devices is connected to the entertainment device as an audio and/or visual source and at least one of the plurality of devices is connected to the entertainment device as an audio and/or visual output destination for the entertainment device and/or to notify a user of a perceived problem in a configuration of a controlling device used to control functional operations of the audio visual entertainment system. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110075052 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACTIVITY BASED CONFIGURATION OF AN ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM - A command value corresponding to an activity key of a controlling device is associated with a configuration of an entertainment device in which at least one of a plurality of devices is selected as an audio visual input source device for the entertainment device and at least one of the plurality of devices is selected as an audio visual output destination device for the entertainment device. When the entertainment device receives from the controlling device a signal which includes the command value corresponding to the activity key of the controlling device, the entertainment device accesses and uses the configuration associated with the command value corresponding to the activity key of the controlling device. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110102131 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING DEVICE LOCATION DETERMINATION - A controlling device such as a remote control has programming for transmitting a signal response to a plurality of control environments, each environment including a signaling device. Each signaling device in receipt of the signal request sends a signal response having a unique ID which is chosen to be characteristically attenuated by the surroundings of the environment. Because the controlling device can only be in one environment at a given time, and given the attenuation characteristics of the signal response from each signaling device, only one signal response will be received by the controlling device in each environment. Location definitions associated with the received unique ID may be used by programming in the controlling device to recall saved devices states, commands sets, macros, and even to dynamically generate commands based on the location information. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110126135 | SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR INTERACTING WITH A CONTROL ENVIRONMENT - A system and methods for facilitation of user interactions with an electronic device. A number of user interface methods are described and may be used alone or in combination with one another to present an enhanced interface to a user. A method of providing user interaction using a compact status indicator is described. A method for providing a virtual scroll wheel to a user for interaction with content sets is described. A method for allowing a user to dynamically modify a scalable user interface is described. A method for providing gesture based input to a user via a virtual gesture pad is described. A method of providing an interactive graphic search query interface is described. A method for indicating and selecting available content type is described. | 05-26-2011 |
| 20110157476 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SAVING AND RECALLING STATE DATA FOR MEDIA AND HOME APPLIANCES - A set of media playback and device settings data from each home appliance of a first set of home appliances is stored on a central server and/or sent to a remote control device upon initiation of a suspend command by a user. The stored media and devices states may be used at a later time to control the first set of home appliances, or a user may, after relocating to a second set of home appliances, initiate a resume state command whereupon media playback and device settings data from the central server and/or remote control device controls each home appliance in the second set of home appliances to bring about the same or substantially similar media and device states as in the first set of home appliances. | 06-30-2011 |
