Optical: systems and elements – Deflection using a moving element – Using a periodically moving element
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-17
2001-09-18
Chan, Jason (Department: 2633)
Optical: systems and elements
Deflection using a moving element
Using a periodically moving element
C359S199200, C359S199200, C348S734000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06292283
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to consumer electronic devices such as televisions, video cassette recorders, optical disk players and the like, and more particularly to consumer electronic devices including remote control units for remotely controlling the operations of the electronic devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many consumer electronic devices (e.g., televisions, video cassette recorders, optical disk players, etc.) are available with handheld infrared (IR) remote control units. Such remote control units typically include IR transmitters for sending coded IR signals to the electronic devices. The IR signals are received by IR receivers within the electronic devices, and the decoded IR signals are used to control the operations of the electronic devices. Remote control units allow a user to conveniently control the operations of an electronic device from virtually any location within the room in which the electronic device resides.
One problem that arises is that each electronic device typically requires a different remote control unit. Thus a user having several different electronic devices typically has a corresponding number of remote control units, each of which controls only one of the electronic devices. Compounding this problem is the fact that remote control units are often very similar in appearance. The user must remember to use the right remote control unit to control a given electronic device, and experiences frustration when he or she attempts to use the wrong remote control unit by mistake.
A typical remote control unit is a simple device including a keypad in addition to the IR transmitter. The keypad typically has several electronic switches or “keys”, many of which are assigned a specific function. For example, a typical remote control for a television (TV) includes separate keys which toggle electrical power to the TV, change the channel to a higher number, change the channel to a lower number, turn the sound volume up, and turn the sound volume down. A typical remote control unit for a video cassette recorder (VCR) includes separate keys which toggle electrical power to the VCR, activates replay of a cassette tape within a cassette receiver, stops replay of a cassette tape within the receiver, and rewinds a cassette tape within the receiver.
Many video devices such as TVs, VCRs, and digital versatile disk (DVD) players allow configuration via on-screen programming using the corresponding remote control device. The user configures the video device by selecting an option from a list of options or “menu” displayed upon the TV screen. Such on-screen programming allows a user to properly configure a complex video device by simply pressing keys on the keypad of a remote control device.
Many different types of portable computing devices, including laptop computers, notebook computers, sub-notebook computers, hand-held computers, palmtop computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs), are now widely available. Most sub-notebook and smaller computers include an IR transceiver port, as do many laptop and notebook computers. IR transceiver ports allows wireless communication with other devices configured for IR communication (e.g., other portable computers, desktop computers, printers, etc.).
Software configuration and control of the IR transceiver ports allows many different IR signal coding methods and transmission protocols to be supported. Thus a portable computing device with an IR transceiver port is most likely capable of sending the coded IR signals used by consumer electronics devices. In addition, most laptop computers and PDAs also include a display device capable of displaying menus which could be used to configure consumer electronics devices. It would thus be desirable to have an apparatus and method for configuring and controlling multiple consumer electronics devices using a portable computing device having an IR tansceiver port. Such an apparatus and method would allow a user owning a portable computing device having an IR transceiver port to configure and control multiple consumer electronic devices using the portable computing device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The problems outlined above are in large part solved by an audio/video device including audio/video circuitry, a control unit, and an infrared transceiver. The audio/video circuitry receives input presentation data (i.e., video and/or audio data) and performs an audio/video operation (e.g., decoding, filtering, amplification, etc.) upon the input presentation data in order to produce output presentation data The control unit is coupled to and controls the operations of the audio/video circuitry and the infrared transceiver. The infrared transceiver transmits and receives configuration data via infrared signals, wherein received configuration data is used to configure operation of the audio/video circuitry.
The input presentation data may originate external to the audio/video device (e.g., from another audio/video device, an antenna, a cable television service provider, etc.), or the audio/video device may include a drive unit for retrieving the input presentation data from a recording medium. When the recording medium is an optical disk, the drive unit is a disk drive unit. When the recording medium is magnetic tape wound around a reel of a cassette, the drive unit is a cassette drive unit.
The infrared transceiver includes an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver. The infrared transmitter is used to transmit infrared signals conveying a set of configuration options to a device external to the audio/video device. The infrared receiver is used to receive an infrared signal indicating a selected member of the set of configuration options. The external device may be a portable computer having an infrared transceiver and including a main unit having a battery power supply which provides all of the electrical power requirements of the main unit. The infrared signal indicating the selected member of the set of configuration options may be received from the external device (e.g., the portable computer). The infrared signals may include modulated IR light. The IR light may have a wavelength between about 750 nanometers and approximately 3,000 nanometers.
The audio/video device may also include a remote control unit having an infrared transmitter for transmitting infrared signals. In this case, it is advantageous for the portable computer to transmit IR signals in the same manner as (i.e., emulate) the remote control unit. When the portable computer emulates the remote control unit, the infrared signal indicating the selected member of the set of configuration options may be received from either the external device or from the remote control unit.
The audio/video device may be, for example, a television set. In this case, the audio/video circuitry receives encoded video information from an external source (e.g., an antenna, a cable television service provider, another audio/video device, etc.). The encoded video information may be encoded according to a standard television broadcast format (e.g., national television system committee or NTSC, phase alternate line or PAL, etc.). The audio/video circuitry decodes the encoded video information producing decoded video information, and provides the decoded video information to a display device (e.g., a cathode ray tube). The display device receives and displays the decoded video information. The audio/video device includes an infrared transceiver for transmitting and receiving configuration data via infrared signals as described above. Received configuration data is used to configure the audio/video circuitry.
The audio/video device may also be, for example, a video cassette recorder (VCR) or a digital versatile disk (DVD) player. Such an audio/video device includes a drive unit for retrieving encoded video data from a recording medium. When the audio/video device is a DVD player, the recording medium is an optical disk, and the drive unit is a disk drive unit. When the audio/video device
Chan Jason
Leung Christina Y.
LSI Logic Corporation
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