Communications: electrical – Continuously variable indicating – With meter reading
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-23
2004-03-30
Zimmerman, Brian (Department: 2635)
Communications: electrical
Continuously variable indicating
With meter reading
C340S870030, C340S870030, C340S870030, C340S870030, C348S734000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06714137
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of consumer electronics systems, and more particularly, to apparatus, methods, and systems for transmitting wireless signals within such consumer electronics systems.
BACKGROUND
There has been long-standing concern regarding the undesirable jamming of infrared (IR) signals transmitted within consumer electronics systems. Such IR jamming occurs when two or more transmitting devices simultaneously transmit IR signals that cannot be resolved at a receiving device. A typical scenario in which IR jamming may occur involves consumer electronics systems, such as home theater systems, wherein primary and secondary IR signals are transmitted between the components of the consumer electronics system.
For example,
FIG. 1
depicts a prior art consumer electronics system
10
, which generally includes a remote control
12
, a television
14
, and an audio/video device
16
, e.g., an audio receiver, video cassette recorder (VCR), etc. The remote control
12
can be used to perform a variety of operations within the consumer electronics system
10
. The performance of such operations within the consumer electronics system
10
may require different transmission protocols to be used, since typically, the individual components of a consumer electronics system are fabricated by different manufacturers. These differences, however, are transparent to the remote control
12
, which utilizes the television
14
to communicate with other devices, including the audio/video device
16
. This arrangement, however, is susceptible to IR jamming problems.
Although a jamming problem typically does not arise when the operation is performed within the television
14
, the same cannot be said when the operation is performed within the audio/video device
16
, since the remote control
12
communicates with the audio/video device
16
through the television
14
, creating the possibility that two signals may be transmitted to the audio/video device
16
. Specifically, an operation can be performed in the audio/video device
16
by depressing a corresponding remote function key
18
on the remote control
12
. In response, a primary IR signal S
IR1
is transmitted to the television
14
. The television
14
detects and interprets the primary IR signal S
IR1
, and then transmits a corresponding secondary IR signal S
IR2
to the audio/video device
16
, which, in the absence of IR interference, effects the performance of the operation in the audio/video device
16
. If the audio/video device
16
is visible to the remote control
12
, however, there is a chance that the audio/video device
16
will receive the primary IR signal S
IR1
as IR interference simultaneous with the secondary IR signal S
IR2
. In this case, the primary IR signal S
IR1
acts as a jamming signal, thereby creating a jamming problem.
This jamming problem usually occurs when the remote function key
18
(e.g., the function key that controls volume-up or volume-down) is continuously depressed, creating a high likelihood that the remote control
12
will still be transmitting the primary IR signal S
IR1
during transmission of the secondary IR signal S
IR2
from the television
14
. In this case, the remote control
12
does not gain control of the audio/video device
16
until the remote function key
18
is released, i.e., when the audio/video device
16
no longer receives the interfering primary IR signal S
IR1
. Thus, this specific jamming problem creates the annoying situation where the user, anticipating that the continuous depression of the remote function key
18
will repeatedly perform the corresponding operation in the audio/video device
16
, continuously depresses the remote function key
18
with no results. Only after the remote function key
18
is released is the corresponding operation performed, but only slightly. Thus, in order to repeatedly perform the operation within the audio/video device
16
, the user is forced to repeatedly depress the remote function key
18
, which may be an annoying task in itself.
This IR jamming phenomenon is illustrated in FIG.
2
. Waveform
20
represents the continuous depression of the remote function key
18
, remaining high as long as the corresponding remote function key
18
is depressed. Waveform
22
represents the primary IR signal S
IR1
, which is transmitted from the remote control
12
in response to the depression of corresponding the remote function key
18
. As can be seen, the primary IR signal S
IR1
is continuously transmitted in the form of a series of data blocks
28
for the duration that the corresponding remote function key
18
remains depressed. Waveform
24
represents the secondary IR signal S
IR2
, which is transmitted from the television
14
in response to the detection and interpretation of the primary IR signal S
IR1
. The secondary IR signal S
IR2
is continuously transmitted in the form of a series of data blocks
30
for the duration that the primary IR signal S
IR1
is received from the remote control
12
. Waveform
26
represents the duration of the performance of the corresponding operation within the audio/video device
16
, remaining low until the operation is performed. As can be seen, the operation is not performed until the transmission of the primary IR signal S
IR1
terminates, signifying the release of the corresponding function key
18
. At this point, the audio/video device
16
is receiving only the secondary IR signal S
IR2
, allowing the corresponding operation to be performed without significant IR interference. Such control is momentary, however, since the transmission of the secondary IR signal S
IR2
ceases when the primary IR signal S
IR1
is no longer detected.
Thus, there arises a need to prevent IR jamming in consumer electronics systems that utilize primary and secondary signals to effect the performance of an operation in response to a continuous remote function key press.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present inventions comprise novel methods and systems for preventing such jamming. In accordance with a first aspect of the present inventions, signal jamming within a consumer electronics system is prevented by wirelessly transmitting a primary signal comprising first and second messages having a predetermined quiescent period therebetween. In the preferred embodiment, the first and second messages are identical and each comprises one or more data blocks. The present inventions, however, should not be limited to this implementation. The primary signal is received and interpreted, and a secondary signal is generated and wirelessly transmitted in response to the primary signal. In the preferred embodiment, the third message corresponds with the first message. For example, both the first message and third message comprise a command that the volume be turned up or down in a component of the consumer electronics system. The secondary signal includes a third message, the entirety of which is transmitted during the quiescent period. In this manner, no portion of the primary signal messages and no portion of the secondary messages is transmitted at the same time. The primary and secondary signals may be transmitted at any frequency, but preferably are transmitted at IR frequencies, as most consumer electronics devices wirelessly communicate with each other using IR frequencies.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present inventions, an interpreting device can be implemented in the consumer electronics system. The interpreting device includes a receiver for receiving the wirelessly transmitted primary signal. The interpreting device further includes processing circuitry for interpreting the first message and generating a third message in response thereto. This processing circuitry may be implemented as a microcomputer or microprocessor. The interpreting device further includes a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the third message within the secondary signal in a manner such that the third message is transmitted during the quiescent period. In the case where the first and
Hulse Adrian
Maxson Brian Dean
Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America Inc.
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Yang Clara
Zimmerman Brian
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