Coded data generation or conversion – Code generator or transmitter – Transmitter for remote control signal
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-30
2003-05-20
Edwards, Timothy (Department: 2635)
Coded data generation or conversion
Code generator or transmitter
Transmitter for remote control signal
C340S870030, C359S199200, C348S734000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06567032
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to directing communication between diverse, electronically controlled devices (“targets”), using a pointing device that can communicate with dissimilar types of targets from a position remote from those targets.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior art by virtue of their inclusion within this section.
Remote control communications systems are often employed to allow control of certain electronic targets from a distance. Such targets may include electronically controlled appliances. Exemplary forms of such appliances include any type of home-based appliance, as well as appliances that are found outside the home such as, for example, automotive controls, industrial controls, or security locks.
Although conventional remote control systems provide convenience over non-remote operation, these systems do have some limitations. One such limitation is that multiple handheld remote control units may be required to control multiple targets (or appliances). Although “universal” remote control units are available which can control multiple appliances, such units typically work for a limited number of appliances, and the remote control unit must be programmed with information about each appliance. The particular appliance to be controlled is selected, typically by pushing a button or key dedicated to that appliance. This may result in a handheld unit having a large number of buttons, which may make the unit more complex or cumbersome to operate so that mistakes are more likely.
Another limitation of.conventional remote control communications systems is that remote control is routinely available for only a relatively small variety of appliances. Consumer electronic appliances, for example, are routinely provided with remote control units, but remote control may not be readily available for other types of appliances, such as, e.g., kitchen appliances, lighting, and climate control. Furthermore, conventional remote control communications systems generally rely on optical transmission, so that a clear line of sight between the remote control unit and the appliance is required. It may be desirable, however, to control appliances situated such that a clear line of sight does not exist. For example, control of a stereo or a thermostat from another room may be convenient without having to optically target the appliance to be controlled.
One approach to providing such non-line-of-sight control is to use radio-frequency (RF) transmission in addition to or instead of optical transmission. The RF range is quite broad, extending from approximately 10 kHz (10
4
Hz) to about 300 GHz (3×10
11
Hz), and is used for various types of communications. For example, wireless voice and data communications typically use frequencies in a range from about 800 MHz to a few GHz. The lower frequencies associated with RF communications, as compared to communication at infrared and visible optical frequencies (from about 10
13
to 10
15
Hz), allow transmission over larger distances, and diffraction around or transmission through certain obstacles. Remote control communications systems have been developed which employ RF transmission. Some systems may use solely RF transmission, while others, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,227,780 to Tigwell, allow RF transmission from a remote control unit to a transponder located in the vicinity of the appliance to be controlled. The transponder then transmits an infrared control signal to the appropriate appliance. Other systems, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,993 to Sato, allow either RF or optical transmission to be chosen, based on the nature of the path between the remote control unit and the appliance to be controlled, and some, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5, 659, 883 to Walker et al., transmit RF and optical signals simultaneously, allowing the appliance receiver to extract the highest-quality signal.
A disadvantage of using RF transmission is that the ensuing increased transmission range may inadvertently cause communication with multiple appliances simultaneously, when communication with only one appliance may be desired. For this reason, currently available remote control communications systems which use RF transmission must typically be configured so that only a specific receiving appliance will respond to a signal from a remote control unit. Identification of the specific receiving appliance is generally accomplished by transmission of an identifying code from the remote control unit to the receiver associated with the appliance, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,691 to Martin et al. The requirement for such an identifying code unfortunately may limit the number of appliances which can be conveniently controlled by a single remote control unit. For example, if codes corresponding to various appliances are stored in the remote control unit, and the particular appliance to be controlled is chosen by pressing a corresponding button on the control unit, space constraints on the remote control unit may allow for only a limited number of appliances to be addressed.
It would therefore be desirable to develop a remote control communications system and method in which a single handheld remote control unit may be used to communicate with a wide variety of appliances. It would further be desirable to develop a system and method allowing communication with an appliance without the requirement of maintaining a line-of-sight path between the handheld unit and the appliance. The desired system and method should be simple to use and require minimal programming by the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The problems outlined above are in large part addressed by a system and method for communicating with diverse electronically controlled targets, henceforth known as appliances, which may perform dissimilar functions and may be produced by different manufacturers. Diversity stems from a myriad of possible electronically controlled appliances found either within the home or outside the home, possibly in an industrial setting. Appliance is thusly used to refer to any device for which remote communication or control may be desired in order to perform any electronically controlled function. For example, electronic devices such as television sets, stereos, and personal computers, household and kitchen appliances such as washing machines and microwave ovens, and other devices such as thermostats, lights, and fans may all be considered “appliances”. Each appliance communicated with, or target appliance, has a built-in or retrofitted appliance interface adapted to receive commands transmitted by the pointing device and forward these commands to appropriate appliance circuitry such that the commands are carried out by the appliance.
The system described herein, in which a single pointing device, or pointer, may be used to communicate with and control multiple appliances, is believed to be analogous to user interaction via a graphical user interface (GUI). A simple form of GUI is that by which a user interacts, via the display screen, with executable programs or stored files held within a storage media, such as semiconductor memory or a hard disk drive. GUI is therefore a representation of computer-based entities including programs, files, and commands in a graphical form on a display screen. The user may interact with a program or operating system by selecting and/or moving objects on the screen using a pointing device such as a mouse. Use of a GUI can make interaction with a program or operating system more intuitive than use of a command interface in which specific commands are typed in by the user. This may be true particularly in the case of relatively inexperienced. users, because they are freed from having to learn specific commands. According to one embodiment, the pointing device recited herein may include an electronic display on which a GUI is p
Burleson Winslow Scott
Henkler Richard A.
Mullaly John Martin
Daffer Kevin L.
Edwards Timothy
International Business Machines Corp.
P.C. Conley Rose
Van Leeuwen, IBM Leslie A.
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