Patent ID: 8552832
Filing Date: 2013-10-08
Classification: G08C,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for providing proactive appliance control in a system comprised of a master routing device having an A/V input, and a controlling device configurable to transmit command communications, the method comprising: receiving at the master routing device from the controlling device a signal; causing the master routing device to respond to the signal by determining if a media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device is different than a media input device that was previously associated with the A/V input of the master routing device; when the master routing device determines that the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device is different than a media input device that was previously associated with the A/V input of the master routing device, causing the master routing device to transmit to the controlling device a first message having data indicative of the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device; causing the controlling device to use the data indicative of the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device to automatically assign to a first input element of the controlling device a command code for controlling an operational function of the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device; and causing the master routing device to determine if the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device is currently in a desired operating state and, when the master routing device determines that the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device is not currently in the desired operating state, causing an instruction to be displayed on a media rendering device wherein the instruction indicates at least one input element of the controlling device to activate to place the media input device that is currently associated with the A/V input of the master routing device into the desired operating state.