Universal remote control unit
Contents
1. 200 5 A 7 109 908 B2 9 2006 Griesau et al 341 176 5 710 605 A 1 1998 Nelson 2001 0011940 A1 8 2001 Williams et al 340 39 5 715 020 A 2 1998 Kuroiwa et al 348 734 2004 0066308 A1 4 2004 Sampsell 340 825 69 RE35 954 11 1998 Levine 5 872 562 2 1999 McConnell et al FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 5 959 751 9 1999 Darbee et al 359 146 6 008 735 A 12 1999 Chiloyan et al 340 825 22 0566516 Al 10 1993 6 097 441 A 8 2000 Allport 348 552 6 104 334 8 2000 Allport 341 175 OTHER PUBLICATIONS 6 107 951 A 8 2000 Katayama et al 341 176 US Electronics Components Corporation 3 in 1 Remote Con 6 157 319 12 2000 Johns et al 340 10 31 trols two pages May 1998 6 236 350 1 5 2001 Andrews 340 825 69 US Electronics Components Corporation 4 in 1 Remote Con 6 469 634 B1 10 2002 Williams et al 340 825 72 trols two pages May 1998 6 476 825 B1 11 2002 Croy et al 715 716 Universal Electronics Inc The Millennium 3 two pages 1999 6 480 587 B1 11 2002 Rao et al 379 110 01 Universal Electronics Inc The Millennium 4 two pages 1999 6 507 306 Bl 1 2003 Griesau et al Universal Electronics Inc We don t just make wireless devices 6 509 908 BL 1 2003 et al 715 716 We make your life eas2. versal remote control unit 10 are accomplished through use of DEVICE push button 40 Identifying Current Operating Mode With reference still to FIG 3 if a user does not know which is the current operating mode of universal remote control unit 10 processor 60 FIG 2 may be programmed so that the user at 100 can press DEVICE push button 40 FIG 1 which causes one of mode push buttons 50 FIG 1 to illuminate which corresponds to the current mode of operation of universal remote control unit 10 at 102 For US 7 324 168 B2 5 example if the current mode is the television operating mode TV push button 54 remains illuminated as illustrated in FIG 1 desirably for a predetermined amount of time The predetermined amount of time may be from about five seconds to about ten seconds With reference again to FIG 1 if the identified current operating mode after activating DEVICE push button 40 is the operating mode desired by the user the user may then activate the other push buttons e g function push buttons of keyboard 30 to control that device For example if the current mode is the television mode CHANNEL push button 31 can be activated for increasing decreasing the channels of television set 24 or VOLUME push button 34 can be activated for increasing decreasing the volume of television set 24 Changing Operating Modes With reference to again FIG 3 processor 60 FIG 2 may be programmed so that changing the operatin
3. 10 as well as turn on and off cable box 22 Desirably CABLE push button 52 may also be user programmable to transmit a plurality of functions in addition to its normal cable power on off toggle function For example the user can program processor 60 so that CABLE push button 52 turns on cable box 22 and television set 24 with one push button press For example processor 60 may be programmed to allow CABLE push button 52 to be programmed as follows With universal remote control unit 10 in the cable mode CABLE push button 52 and OK SEL push button 45 are pressed at the same time and held down until CABLE push button 52 illuminates indicating that processor 60 is ready to receive a plurality of push button presses With CABLE push button 52 illuminated CABLE push button 52 TV push button 54 are pressed in order To store the desired push button presses in processor 60 an end programming push button CHAN NEL UP push button 32 is pressed Thereafter when CABLE push button 52 is pressed universal remote control unit 10 performs the above noted actions for controlling cable box 22 and television set 24 Programmable BYPASS Push Button Universal remote control unit 10 may also desirably include a BYPASS push button 47 the activation of which US 7 324 168 B2 7 results in transmission of a command for activating deacti vating the bypass mode of cable box 22 Typically the bypass mode on cable box 22 is designed to allow the us
4. push button For example with the universal remote control unit in the cable mode to turn on the cable box a user presses a POWER push button Next if the user wants to turn on the television set the user must first press the TV push button then the POWER push button Thereafter in order to operate the cable box again the user must then press the CABLE push button before selecting for example the channel up or down push buttons on the universal remote control unit Later if the user wishes to turn off the television and the cable box the user must press the CABLE push button the POWER push button the TV push button and then the POWER push button A drawback with this type of universal remote control unit is that it is easy for a user to unintentionally change the operating mode of the universal remote control unit by inadvertently pressing the CABLE TV or VCR push but tons Another drawback is that the operation of the universal remote control is often confusing particularly when a user first turns on several devices and desires to control one of the devices without first placing the universal remote control back in the proper operating mode to control that device A further drawback is that numerous button presses are typi cally required to turn on off multiple devices Other universal remote control units have included a single mode push button instead of separate push buttons corresponding to each of the devices By pressing t
5. EO push button 56 or CABLE push button 52 While the current mode either the VIDEO push button or CABLE push button is illuminated within a predetermine amount of time pressing VCR VOD push button 49 again switches the function of the video function push buttons 38 to the other non illuminated mode Desirably when the operating mode cable or video device of the video function push buttons 38 jak 5 40 60 8 is changed the new mode push button CABLE push button or VIDEO push button blinks and goes out Preprogrammed ALL Push Button Universal remote control unit 10 may also include an ALL push button 48 which turns on off all of the devices upon one button press Desirably once a user sets up universal remote control unit to operate the various devices processor 60 is desirably programmed so that activation of ALL push button 48 turns on off the power to each of the devices That is to say the user does not need to program the ALL push button in order for the ALL push button operate upon activation thereof to turn on or off all of the devices Advantageously from the present description remote control unit 10 overcomes a number of major operational problems that users of prior art universal remote control units encounter For one universal remote control unit 10 makes it more difficult for users to unintentionally change operating modes of remote control unit 10 This is accom plished by requiring the user to first
6. Examiner Brian Yenke 51 Int Cl 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Heslin Rothenberg Farley amp HOAN 5 44 2006 01 Mesiti P C HOAL 17 02 2006 01 G05B 19 02 2006 01 57 ABSTRACT 92 MS EN esc 348 734 300 822 245 ee A universal remote control unit for controlling the operation of a plurality of devices such as cable box a television a 58 Field of Classification Search 348 734 video device and an audio device includes a processor 340 825 22 825 24 341 176 having a plurality of operating modes In one embodiment See application file for complete search history the universal remote control unit includes an ALL key 56 References Cited preprogrammed to allow a user to turn on or off all of the devices In another embodiment a remote control unit U S PATENT DOCUMENTS allows assigning an additional function to a key having a 4 488 250 A 12 1984 Lipsey et al 708 137 Preprogrammed function 4 702 359 A 10 1987 Rumbolt et al 4 712 105 A 12 1987 Kohler 340 825 69 21 Claims 4 Drawing Sheets 22 24 26 28 a CABLE TELEVISION VIDEO AUDIO BOX SET DEVICE DEVICE US 7 324 168 B2 Page 2 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 6 784 462 B2 8 2004 Schubert 257 98 6 794 992 B1 9 2004 Rogers 340 825 25 5 839391 A 7 1996 Yuen 6 888 472 B2 5 2005 Yoshimura et al 340 825 22 5 644 303 7 1997 Gioscia
7. Off the Devices Mode push buttons 50 may also be used and processor 60 suitably programmed so that activation of each mode push buttons 50 turns on off a corresponding one of devices 20 This is accomplished by not pressing device button 40 and only pressing one of mode push buttons 50 e g CABLE push button 52 TV push button 54 VIDEO push button 56 and AUDIO push button 58 For example if a mode push button is not pressed within the predetermined time of pressing DEVICE push button 40 the current operating mode is not changed at 107 FIG 3 and the activated mode push button 50 toggles that device on off at 109 FIG 3 Activating any of the mode push buttons 50 thereafter toggles the corresponding device on off Programmable Mode Push Buttons Universal remote control unit 10 may also include user programmable mode push buttons 50 that can be pro 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 grammed for example with up to eight functions in addition to its normal function e g power on off toggle to transmit a plurality of functions that simplify the operation of uni versal remote control unit 10 and desirably reduce the number of push button presses Desirably keyboard 30 includes a programming push button or OK SEL push button 45 for use in programming processor 60 as described below Programmable TV Push Button As discussed above TV push button 54 and DEVICE push button 40 may be used to identify
8. SAL REMOTE CONTROL UNIT CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a divisional of U S patent application Ser No 09 419 605 filed Oct 18 1999 the entire subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates generally to remote control units and more particularly to remote control units for remotely controlling a plurality of devices BACKGROUND INFORMATION Remote control units have gained widespread popularity for use in remotely controlling home entertainment systems which typically include several devices such as a television set a cable box or converter a videocassette recorder and a stereo Often with each device the manufacturer will supply a remote control unit for use in remotely controlling that device A universal remote control unit provides a single unit having a plurality of operating modes for controlling a plurality of devices Each operating mode allows a user to remotely control a respective one of the devices Typically a universal remote control unit includes a plurality of mode push buttons e g CABLE TV and VCR push buttons which correspond to the different devices to be controlled and which are used to directly change the operating mode of the universal remote control unit Changing operating modes of the universal remote control is often accomplished by simply pressing the appropriate mode push button i e CABLE TV or VCR
9. United States Patent US007324168B2 12 10 Patent No US 7 324 168 B2 Griesau et al 45 Date of Patent Jan 29 2008 54 UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL UNIT 4 746 919 A 5 1988 Reitmeier 4 774 511 9 1988 Rumbolt et al 340 825 69 75 Inventors Gene W Griesau Albany NY US 5 187 469 A 2 1993 Evans et al 340 825 22 Rebecca J Carlotti Rotterdam 5 287 109 2 1994 340 309 15 5 297 204 A 3 1994 Levine Junctions INYAUS 5 341 166 A 8 1994 Garr et al 5 386 251 A 1 1995 Movshovich 348 734 73 Assignee CONTEC LLC Schenectady NY 5 410 326 A 4 1995 Goldstein 348 734 US 5412377 A 5 1995 Evans et al 340 825 22 5 414 426 5 1995 O Donnell et al 340 825 57 Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this D366 263 S 1 1996 Darbee et al patent is extended or adjusted under 35 5 481 252 A 1 1996 Kwon etal 340 825 22 U S C 154 b by 498 days Continued 21 Appl No 10 283 641 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 22 Filed Oct 30 2002 EP 0 566 516 Al 10 1993 65 Prior Publication Data Continued US 2003 0053002 A1 Mar 20 2003 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Primestar PrimeFinder Remote Control User s Manual four Related U S Application Data pages date unknown 62 Division of application No 09 419 605 filed on Oct Continued 18 1999 now Pat No 6 507 306 Primary
10. and or change the operating mode of universal remote control unit 10 as well as turn on and off television set 24 Desirably TV push button 54 may also be user program mable to transmit a plurality of functions in addition to its normal television power on off toggle function For example the user can program processor 60 so that TV push button 54 turns on or off television set 24 and tunes television set 24 to any desired channel typically channel 3 with one push button press For example processor 60 may be programmed to allow TV push button 54 to be programmed as follows With universal remote control unit 10 in the television mode TV push button 54 and OK SEL push button 45 are pressed at the same time and held down until TV push button 54 illuminates indicating that processor 60 is ready to receive a plurality of push button presses With TV push button 54 illuminated TV push button 54 numerical push button 0 and numerical push button 3 are pressed in order To store the desired push button presses in processor 60 an end programming push button or CHANNEL UP push button 32 is pressed Thereafter when TV push button 54 is pressed universal remote control unit 10 performs the above noted actions for controlling television set 24 Programmable CABLE Push Button As discussed above CABLE push button 52 and DEVICE push button 40 may be used to identify and or change the operating mode of universal remote control unit
11. e to turn on or off a respective one of the plurality of different devices and an additional single default key effective without programming and upon a single first activation by the user to transmit transmis sions operable to turn on more than one different device and upon a single second activation by the user to transmit transmissions operable to turn off the more than one different device 9 The universal remote control unit of claim 8 wherein said single key comprises a push button 20 25 30 35 40 45 10 10 The universal remote control unit of claim 8 wherein said plurality of transmissions comprises a plurality of different transmissions 11 The universal remote control of claim 8 wherein the plurality of devices comprises a television and a cable box 12 The universal remote control unit of claim 8 wherein said single key is associated with indicia comprising the word ALL 13 The universal remote control unit of claim 8 wherein said single key is associated with indicia regarding power on off 14 A television system comprising a television set and a universal remote control unit of claim 8 for remotely controlling said television set 15 A system for receiving cable television the system comprising a cable box and a universal remote control unit of claim 8 for remotely controlling said cable box 16 A method for remotely controlling a plurality of different devices the method compr
12. ed transmitter to generate pulses in accordance with the control code which are received by one of the plurality of devices 20 FIG 1 thereby causing one of the controlled devices e g cable box 22 television 24 video device 26 or audio device 28 to carry out the command function Processor 60 may include a programmable infrared IR low voltage microcontroller device Examples of such a device include a Z8 MCU single chip device from Zilog Inc and a GMS344XXXT series device from LG Goldstar Semicon Co Ltd The processor is run by application software or programming e g assembly language and is typically governed by the manufacturer s protocol The devices can be of single package design or multiple package design with external or additional memory storage from the processor The invention is not limited to such a processing envi ronment however The present invention can be incorpo rated and be used within many types of processing environ ments From the following description computer readable program code means for use in processor 60 and for imple menting the present invention may be readily programmed by those skilled in the art and stored in memory 70 such as memory chip or an integrated circuit FIG 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of the invention operating universal remote control unit 10 As discussed in greater detail below identifying the current operation mode and changing the operating modes of uni
13. er to record one program through cable box 22 via video device 26 while watching a different program on television set 24 A common problem is that users forget to re tune their television to channel 3 or 4 when exiting the cable box bypass mode which results in no picture or a snowy picture at best Desirably BYPASS push button 47 may also be user programmable to transmit a plurality of functions in addition to its normal cable bypass on off toggle function Advan tageously BYPASS push button 47 can be programmed so that any time it is pressed it will also tune television set 24 to a specific channel e g channel 3 or 4 This is desirable because when exiting the bypass mode of cable box 22 television 24 should be re tuned to its default channel typically channel 3 or 4 for proper cable reception Processor 60 may be programmed to allow BYPASS push button 47 to be programmed as follows With universal remote control unit 10 in the cable mode BYPASS push button 47 and OK SEL push button 45 are pressed at the same time and held down until CABLE push button 52 illuminates indicating that processor 60 is ready to receive and store a plurality of push button presses With CABLE push button 52 illuminated DEVICE push button 40 TV push button 54 numerical push button 0 and numerical push button 3 are pressed in order To store the desired push button presses in processor 60 an end programming push button or CHANNEL UP pu
14. f claim 1 wherein said single power function means comprises a push button 3 The universal remote control unit of claim 1 wherein said plurality of transmissions comprises a plurality of different transmissions 4 The universal remote control of claim 1 wherein the plurality of devices comprises a television and a cable box 5 The universal remote control unit of claim 1 wherein said single power function means is associated with means for identifying power on off 6 A television system comprising a television set and a universal remote control unit of claim 1 for remotely controlling said television set 7 A system for receiving cable television the system comprising a cable box and a universal remote control unit of claim 1 for remotely controlling said cable box 8 A universal remote control unit having a set up routine for matching it to a plurality of different devices said universal remote control unit comprising an input unit activatable by a user to control the operation of each of the plurality of different devices a transmitter a processor having a plurality of operating modes each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of different devices said processor being operable in each of said plurality of operating modes to control trans mission from said transmitter in response to activation of said input unit by the user and said input unit including a plurality of keys each of which is operabl
15. f devices a transmitter and a processor having a plurality of operating modes each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of devices The processor is operable in each of the plurality of oper ating modes to control transmission from the transmitter in response to activation of the function means or the input unit by the user The function means or the input unit also includes a single preprogrammed means or a prepro grammed ALL key activatable by the user for simulta neously turning on off all the plurality of devices The present invention provides in a second aspect a method for remotely controlling a plurality of devices The method includes obtaining a universal remote control having a preprogrammed ALL key activatable by the user for simultaneously turning on off all the plurality of devices and activating the ALL key to at least one of simultaneously turn on and off all of the plurality of devices The present invention provides in a third aspect a universal remote control unit for remotely controlling a plurality of device The universal remote control unit includes function means or an input unit activatable by a user to select any of a plurality of functions in connection with the operation of each of the plurality of devices a transmitter and a processor having a plurality of operating modes each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of devices The processor is operable in each of the plurality of
16. g mode of universal remote control unit 10 comprises pressing DEVICE push button 40 FIG 1 for example at 100 pressing one of mode push buttons 50 FIG 1 at 104 and determining whether the mode push button was pressed within a predetermined amount of time at 106 If one of the mode push buttons 50 is selected within the predetermined amount of time at 108 the operating mode is set and or changed to the activated mode push button This predeter mined amount of time may be from about five to about ten seconds and desirably corresponds to the current operating amount of time for illuminating the mode push button corresponding to the current operating mode With reference again to FIG 1 for example after pressing DEVICE push button 40 and while the mode push button corresponding to the current operating mode is illuminated e g TV push button 54 the user can select a different device to operate by pressing one of the other non illuminated mode push buttons 506 e g CABLE push button 52 VIDEO push button 56 or AUDIO push button 58 Desirably when a non illuminated mode push button 50 is selected the mode push button illuminates for example blinks and then goes out at 108 FIG 3 By requiring a user to activate two push buttons and also activate the two push buttons within a predetermined time the likelihood of a user unintentionally changing the oper ating mode of universal remote control unit 10 is reduced Turning On
17. he mode push button the operating mode of the universal remote control unit changes i e cycles from one operating mode to the next A drawback with this type of universal remote control unit is that it is often necessary to press the mode push button a 20 40 45 50 60 65 2 number of times in order to change from one operating mode to another Another drawback with this type of universal remote control unit is that it is also easy for a user to unintentionally change the operating mode of the universal remote control unit by inadvertently pressing the mode push button SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore there is a need for a universal remote control unit which reduces the likelihood of the user unintentionally changing the operating mode of the universal remote control unit In addition desirably the universal remote control unit allows the user to readily turn on or off all of the devices using a single button and with a single button press Further still the universal remote control may allow programming a button having a preprogrammed function with one or more additional functions The present invention provides in a first aspect a uni versal remote control unit for remotely controlling a plural ity of devices The universal remote control unit includes function means or an input unit activatable by a user to select any of a plurality of functions in connection with the operation of each of the plurality o
18. ier four pages 1999 6 516 467 B1 2 2003 Schindler et al 725 153 6 567 984 B1 5 2003 Allport 725 110 cited by examiner US 7 324 168 B2 Sheet 1 of 4 Jan 29 2008 U S Patent 20 1 FIG 181 Bi 6 e MU TELEVISION CN CN Ll e x lt x we mo om U S Patent Jan 29 2008 Sheet 2 of 4 US 7 324 168 B2 10 70 MEMORY INPUT MEANS PROCESSOR TRANSMITTER Ply 2 U S Patent Jan 29 2008 Sheet 3 of 4 US 7 324 168 B2 100 PRESS DEVICE PUSH BUTTON 102 ILLUMINATE MODE PUSH BUTTON CORRESPONDING TO CURRENT OPERATING MODE 104 PRESS MODE PUSH BUTTON FOR DESIRED MODE OF OPERATION 106 107 WAS MODE PUSH BUTTON PRESSED WITHIN A NO CURRENT PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OPERATING OF TIME OF ACTIVATION MODE NOT OF DEVICE CHANGED PUSH BUTTON is TURN ON OFF DEVICE CORRESPONDING TO ACTIVATED MODE PUSH BUTTON YES 108 OPERATE UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL UNIT IN OPERATING MODE CORRESPONDING TO THE ACTIVATED MODE PUSH BUTTON FIG 35 U S Patent Jan 29 2008 Sheet 4 of 4 US 7 324 168 B2 ASSIGNING AN ADDITIONAL FUNCTION TO AT LEAST ONE KEY PREPROGRAMMED WITH A FIRST FUNCTION FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLING A DEVICE ACTIVATING THE AT LEAST ONE KEY TO REMOTELY CONTROL THE DEVICE TO EFFECT THE PREPROGRAMMED FUNCTION AND THE ASSIGNED ADDITIONAL FUNCTION FIG 4 US 7 324 168 B2 1 UNIVER
19. ising obtaining a universal remote control having a set up routine for matching it to the plurality of different devices said universal remote control having a plural ity of keys each of which is operable to turn on or off a respective one of the plurality of different devices and an additional single default key effective without programming and upon a single first activation by the user to transmit transmissions operable to turn on more than one different device and upon a single second activation by the user to transmit transmissions oper able to turn off the more than one different device activating the single key with the single first activation to turn on the more than one different device and activating the single key with the single second activation to turn off the more than one different device 17 The method of claim 16 wherein said single key comprises a push button 18 The method of claim 16 wherein said plurality of transmissions comprises a plurality of different transmis sions 19 The method of claim 16 wherein the plurality of devices comprises a television and a cable box 20 The method of claim 16 wherein said single key is associated with indicia comprising the word ALL 21 The method of claim 16 wherein said single key is associated with indicia regarding power on off
20. on and the assigned additional function Other aspects of the present invention include television systems having a television set and a universal remote control unit or remote control unit as described above and systems for receiving cable television having a cable box and a universal remote control unit or remote control unit as described above BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the con cluding portion of the specification The invention however both as to organization and method of practice together with further objects and advantages thereof may best be under stood by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings in which FIG 1 is front plan view of one embodiment of a universal remote control unit according to the present inven tion along with several devices controllable by the universal remote control unit FIG 2 is a block diagram of the universal remote control unit shown in FIG 1 FIG 3 is a flowchart of a process for operating the remote control unit shown in FIG 1 and FIG 4 is a flowchart of a process for assigning an additional function to a button of a remote control unit which button also has a preprogrammed function DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG 1 illustrates an exemplary universal remote control unit 10 of the present in
21. ons 36 a plurality of video function push buttons 38 etc In addition as explained in greater detail below input means 12 FIG 2 also includes a first mode means or DEVICE push button 40 for initiating a mode change and a plurality of second mode means or mode push buttons 50 such as a CABLE push button 52 a TV push button 54 a VIDEO push button 56 and an AUDIO push button 58 for placing universal remote control unit 10 in a respective one of a plurality of operating modes For example universal remote control unit 10 in its cable mode operates the functions of the cable box 22 In its television mode universal remote control unit 10 operates the functions of television set 24 Desirably as explained below each of the plurality of mode push buttons may be illuminatable hav ing for example a backlit light emitting diode With reference to FIG 2 universal remote control unit 10 includes in addition to input means 12 a processor 60 having a plurality of operating modes each of which corre sponds to a different one of the plurality of devices 20 FIG 1 a memory 70 and a transmitter 80 Activation of one of the plurality of push buttons of keyboard 30 FIG 1 by a user generates a command signal when depressed This command is supplied to processor 60 In response thereto processor 60 retrieves an appropriate control code from a memory 70 as is well known in the art Processor 60 then causes transmitter 80 such as an infrar
22. operating modes to control transmission from the trans mitter in response to activation of the function means or the input unit by the user The function means or the input unit includes a plurality of means or keys each of which is preprogrammed to enable the user to turn on off one of the plurality of devices and each of which is user programmable to effect at least one additional function The present invention provides in a fourth aspect a remote control unit for remotely controlling a device The remote control unit includes function means or an input unit activatable by a user to select any of a plurality of functions in connection with the operation of the device a transmitter and a processor operable to control transmission from the transmitter in response to activation of the function means or the input unit by the user The function means or the input unit includes at least one means or key preprogrammed with US 7 324 168 B2 3 a first function and user programmable to effect at least one additional function different from the first function for controlling the device The present invention provides in a fifth aspect a remote control unit for controlling at least one device The method includes assigning an additional function to at least one key preprogrammed with a first function for controlling the at least one device and activating the at least one key to control the at least one device to effect the preprogrammed functi
23. press a DEVICE push button followed by the mode push button for the device to be operated within a predetermined amount of time Second remote control unit 10 reduces the number of push button presses required to turn on off a plurality of devices by making each mode push button operate as a power on off for its device Third the illuminated mode push buttons readily allow identification of the device being operated Fourth the VCR VOD push button allows switching the function of the video function push buttons between the cable box and the video device Fifth making the various mode push buttons user programmable further reduces the number of push button presses necessary for remotely controlling a plurality of devices From the present description it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a suitable display e g liquid crystal display having a touch screen may be used instead of the push buttons for allowing a user to select an operating mode and or a function for remote control of the devices In addition it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that instead of illuminatable push buttons one or more light emitting diodes may be disposed on universal remote control unit to indicate the current operating mode indicate a change in the operating mode etc Further it will be appreciated that instead of a cable mode button a digital satellite system receiver button may be provided for con trolling such a receive
24. r Thus while various embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described it will be appreciated to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention What is claimed is 1 A universal remote control unit having a set up routine for matching it to a plurality of different devices said universal remote control unit comprising function means activatable by a user to control the opera tion of each of the plurality of different devices a transmitter a processor having a plurality of operating modes each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of different devices said processor being operable in each of said plurality of operating modes to control trans mission from said transmitter in response to activation of said function means by the user and said function means including a plurality of power func tion means each of which is operable to turn on or off US 7 324 168 B2 9 a respective one of the plurality of different devices and an additional single power default function means effective without programming and upon a single first activation by the user to transmit transmissions oper able to turn on more than one different device and upon a single second activation by the user to transmit transmissions operable to turn off the more than one different device 2 The universal remote control unit o
25. sh button 32 is pressed Thereafter pressing BYPASS push button 47 universal remote control unit 10 performs the above noted actions for controlling cable box 22 and television set 24 To return TV push button 54 CABLE push button 52 BYPASS push button 47 to their normal default settings programming for each push button is initiated and the CHANNEL DOWN push button 33 is pressed VCR VOD Cable box 22 may also include video on demand capa bility which allows a viewer the ability to watch a movie When a video on demand movie is ordered it is down loaded into the memory of cable box 22 where the viewer can watch it similar to a rented movie on tape e g using the VCR push buttons on a remote control unit to control various functions e g play stop rewind etc Universal remote control unit 10 may further comprise a VCR VOD push button 49 and processor 60 programmed to allow the plurality of video function push buttons 38 to be used for activating control of video device 26 or for controlling the viewing a video on demand movie stored in cable box 22 From the present description it will be appreciated that VCR VOD push button 49 and processor 60 eliminates changing operating modes of universal remote control unit 10 between the cable mode and video mode For example pressing VCR VOD push button 49 the current mode function of the plurality of video function push buttons 38 may be indicated by illumination of either VID
26. vention for controlling a plurality of devices 20 As will be explained in greater detail below universal remote control unit 10 is configured to be effective to reduce the likelihood of unintentionally changing the operating mode of universal remote control unit 10 In addition universal remote control unit 10 readily allows a user to determine the current operating mode of remote control unit 10 Furthermore universal remote control unit 10 may include individual mode buttons for each device that turn on off each device and which mode buttons may be user programmable to simplify operating universal remote control unit 10 Examples of the plurality of devices 20 which may be controlled by universal remote control unit 10 include a cable box or converter 22 a television set 24 a video device 26 such as a videocassette recorder a digital video disk DVD player or a laser disk LD player and an audio device 28 such as an amplifier a digital music converter or an audio video receiver With reference to FIG 1 universal remote control unit 10 includes input means 12 FIG 2 which may include func tion means or a keyboard 30 for enabling a user to select a plurality of functions in connection with the operation of the plurality of devices 20 As best shown in FIG 1 keyboard 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 30 may include a CHANNEL push button 31 a VOLUME push button 34 a plurality of numbered push butt
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