Education and demonstration – Cathode ray screen display and audio means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-16
2003-11-18
Cheng, Joe H. (Department: 3713)
Education and demonstration
Cathode ray screen display and audio means
C434S365000, C463S001000, C340S870030, C348S734000, C369S024010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06650867
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO APPENDICES IN ATTACHED MICROFICHE
Appendices A-L which are a part of the present disclosure, are attached herewith in a microfiche consisting of a total of 18 sheets that contain a total of 1,138 frames.
Appendix A contains computer programs and related data for programming a microcontroller e.g. COP 820CJ available from National Semiconductor Corporation, 1090 Kifer Road, Sunnyvale, Calif. 94086, used in a remote control as described below. On being programmed by the computer programs of Appendix A, the microcontroller wakes up in response to a predetermined event and causes a signal transmitter to transmit a remote control signal carrying an identifier code that identifies, at least partially, the information to be displayed as described below. The computer programs of Appendix A can be compiled by the in-circuit simulator “ice MASTER COP8 Module” also available from National Semiconductor Corporation.
Appendix B describes an infrared protocol called “TVIR” used in the computer programs of Appendix A to encode the predetermined number in the remote control signal, and used in the computer programs of Appendix C to decode the number from the remote control signal.
Appendix C contains computer programs and related data for programming another microcontroller e.g. COP922C used in a signal receiver to extract data from a remote control signal and to pass the extracted data to a host device. The computer programs of Appendix C can also be compiled by the in-circuit simulator “ice MASTER COP8 Module” (described above).
Appendix D describes an architecture of the host device and the format of data supplied by the signal receiver to the host device using the well-known RS-232 signal interface.
Appendices E-G contain computer programs and related data for programming a host device including e.g. the microprocessor PENTIUM available from INTEL Corporation, Santa Clara, Calif., and the operating system WINDOWS 95 available from MICROSOFT Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Wash. 98052. The computer programs of Appendices E-G cause the host device to respond to the identifier code received by the signal receiver by displaying information indicated by the identifier code. The computer programs of Appendices E-G can be compiled by the following programming tools available from MICROSOFT Corporation (at the above address) and well known to a person skilled in the art of programming host devices. For the assembly language and C language computer programs in Appendices E-G:
Assembler:
MASM.EXE v. 5.01A (supplied with
Microsoft Windows 3.1 DDK)
Compiler:
CL.EXE v. 8.00C (MSVC 1.52c)
Linker:
LINK.EXE v. 5.60.339 (MSVC 1.52c)
RC:
RC.EXE v. 3.11 (MSVC 1.52c)
Implib:
IMPLIB.EXE v. 1.50 (MSVC 1.52c)
Make:
MAKE.EXE v. 4.07
For the VBX computer program in Appendix E (Pages 94-107):
Compiler:
CL.EXE v. 8.00C (MSVC 1.52c)
Linker:
LINK.EXE v. 5.60.339 (MSVC 1.52c)
RC:
RC.EXE v. 3.11 (MSVC 1.52c)
Implib:
IMPLIB.EXE v. 1.50 (MSVC 1.52c)
Make:
NMAKE.EXE v. 1.40 (MSVC 1.52c)
Appendix H is a reference guide for a parameter file used by the computer program in Appendix I (described below).
Appendix I contains visual basic language computer program that causes a personal computer to receive the data from a remote control signal and display the selected information. The programs in Appendix I can be compiled by:
Microsoft Visual Basic v. 3.0 (professional edition)
Appendix J contains subroutines called by the software in Appendix F.
Appendix K contains Java code that can be compiled by:
Microsoft Visual J++v.1.1 (Professional Edition)
Appendix L contains software used to translate an identification code received from a remote control into an Internet address used to retrieve and display the selected information.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for the remote control of the display of information by an interactive media, such as a host device, e.g., a personal computer (PC) or a television (TV).
BACKGROUND
A conventional remote control for a television (TV) includes a rectangular box, with buttons that are marked with symbols, such as the numerals “1”, “2” . . .“0”. A user touches one or more such buttons to switch the TV's display to a desired channel. For example, the user instructs the TV to display channel
5
by pressing a button labeled “5”. However, the user performs several steps prior to the display: consults a TV guide, selects a desired program, remembers a channel number for the program, and enters the channel number on the remote control. Alternatively, the user presses a button labeled for example “CH+/−” to sequentially display each TV channel, until the user finds a desirable TV program.
Universal remote controls allow a user to control the operation of a video cassette player (VCR) in addition to the TV, e.g. to control a movie's retrieval by the VCR and display by the TV. However, the user again performs several steps prior to the display: reviews a list of available movies (for example by consulting an index in a movie rental store), selects and rents a desired movie's video tape, brings home and inserts the video tape into the VCR, tunes the TV to a predetermined channel, e.g. channel
3
, and then presses a button labeled “PLAY” on the remote control.
A settop box available from VideoGuide, Inc., 209 Burlington Road, Bedford, Mass., 01730 (see the Web page at www.vgi.com on the Internet), displays on a user's TV a list of upcoming TV programs, and requires the user to press a button labeled “TV” to select one of the listed TV programs. See also the Web page at www.theGIST.com for another similar product.
A mouse and a keyboard for remotely controlling information displayed on a computer's monitor are also well known. The mouse and keyboard are more difficult to use than a TV remote control, because the user is required to be knowledgeable about computers. Specifically, the user must know computer instructions or be aware of the need to press, e.g., a left button of the mouse while a cursor is positioned on an icon.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A remote control in accordance with this invention includes a remote control base (also called simply “base”), and an insert that is attached in a detachable manner to the remote control base. The base includes (1) a support structure, (2) a remote control circuit supported by the support structure, and (3) a button also supported by the support structure and coupled to operate the remote control circuit. On operation of the button(s), the remote control circuit generates a signal that can control the operation of a host device, such as a personal computer (PC) or a television.
The insert includes a printed publication having one or more leaves that are printed with content such as text and graphics. A user assembles the remote control by physically attaching the insert to the base so that a leaf of the printed publication is laid over the button in the base. Thereafter, when the user touches content (e.g. text or graphics) located on the leaf (e.g. printed thereon or affixed by a sticker), pressure from the touch transfers through the leaf to operate the button and transmit a remote control signal (e.g. a “wireless signal” or a signal over a cable) to the host device.
The printed publication is attached to the base in a detachable manner so that the user can replace the attached printed publication with another printed publication, thereby to reuse the base any number of times. Detachable attachment of a printed publication to the remote control base allows the attached printed publication to be free of electronic components, and therefore be manufactured by conventional printin
Redford Peter M.
Stern Donald S.
Cheng Joe H.
MacPherson Kwok & Chen & Heid LLP
Smartpaper Networks Corporation
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