Abstract:
An A/V device such as a TV presents a series of GUIs that a user can navigate through using a programmable bidirectional remote control to select a type of component to be controlled, the manufacturer, and model number. Once the desired component is selected by navigating through the GUIs, the TV sends back the necessary code information to enable the remote control to communicate with the component.

Description:
I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to programming controlled device communication-related parameters into a remote control using an audio-video device such as a TV. 
       II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Programmable remote controls have been provided for controlling more than one device. Such remote controls typically include mode buttons each of which corresponds to a component to be controlled, e.g., “TV”, “disk player”, “personal video record (PVR)”, etc. When a mode button is toggled by a user the remote control switches its command set, including communication codes, accordingly to correspond to the controlled features of the selected component. 
         [0003]    Users must manually key in communication-related parameters and more particularly the communication codes associated with the components intended to be remotely controlled. This is necessary so that the remote control can generate command signals that are understood by the device to be controlled. But requiring users to manual key in codes is cumbersome, time-consuming, and can be confusing since the user typically does not receive feedback of whether the code was entered correctly until trying (and failing or not) to control the relevant component. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    An audio-video (A/V) device is configured to present, in response to navigation signals wirelessly received from a remote control, a series of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) through which a user can navigate to select a component to be controlled. The A/V device in response transmits to the remote control communication-related information to enable the remote control to communicate with the component. 
         [0005]    The A/V device can be a TV. In non-limiting embodiments the GUI may enable a user to select a type of component, a manufacturer of the component, a model of the component. 
         [0006]    In another aspect, a remote control (RC) has a portable housing, a wireless bidirectional transceiver in the housing, a computer readable storage medium in the housing, and a processor in the housing configured to communicate with the transceiver and storage medium to execute logic. The logic includes receiving, from an A/V device via the transceiver, code information for communicating command signals to a component to be controlled. The logic also includes storing the code information on the storage medium and using the code information to control the component in response to user input on the RC. 
         [0007]    In still another aspect, a method includes establishing a bidirectional link between a remote control (RC) and an audio/video (A/V) device, and using the link to allow a user of the RC to invoke graphical user interface (GUI) on the A/V device. The method also includes allowing a user to select a component from the GUI using the RC. Communication-related information pertaining to the component is sent from the A/V device over the link to the RC. 
         [0008]    The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example system in accordance with present principles; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a series of non-limiting screen shots on the A/V device illustrating present principles; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a flow chart of some of the non-limiting logic that may be executed in accordance with present principles. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0012]    Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a remote control  10  includes a portable hand-held housing  12  holding a processor  14  and tangible computer readable storage medium  16  such as but not limited to disk storage, solid state storage, etc. The storage medium  16  can bear data such as but not limited to component communication codes, as well as logic executable by the processor  14  pursuant to logic set forth herein. 
         [0013]    The processor  14  communicates with a wireless transceiver  18  within the housing  12  to send and receive wireless signals. The transceiver  18  may be, e.g., an infrared transceiver, a radio frequency transceiver, an ultrasonic transceiver, or any combination thereof, etc. The processor  14  may receive input from a user-manipulable keypad  20  and from one or more mode buttons  22 , each of which represents a particular controlled component type, e.g., PVR, disk player, music player, TV, etc. 
         [0014]    The remote control  10  can communicate, using the transceiver  18 , with an audio video (A/V) device  24  having a video display  26  such as a cathode ray tube, a flat panel display, either standard definition or high definition, etc. The A/V device  24  may be embodied by a TV in which case it may include a tuner  28  for receiving TV programming that is presented on the display  26 . A TV processor  30  can communicate with various components within the A/V device  24  including a tangible computer readable storage medium  32  such as but not limited to disk storage, solid state storage, etc. The storage medium  32  can bear data such as but not limited to component communication codes, as well as logic executable by the processor  14  pursuant to logic set forth herein. The codes can be loaded into the medium  32  during manufacture and, if desired, periodically updated from a network such as the Internet by receiving updates through a wide area network (WAN) interface  34  such as but not limited to a modem. 
         [0015]    The TV processor  30  may also communicate with a wireless transceiver  36  that is within the A/V device  24  and that is configured complementarily to the transceiver  18  of the remote control  10 . In this way, communication codes for controlling one or more components  38  to be controlled may be sent from the A/V device  24  to the remote control  10 . The components to be controlled may include but are not limited to PVRs, video disk players and/or recorders, music players, game consoles, etc., and each typically includes a component processor  40  accessing a computer readable storage medium  42  and receiver  44  for receiving commands from the transceiver  18  of the remote control  10 . 
         [0016]      FIG. 2  shows a series of screen shots of non-limiting graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that can be presented on the display  26  of the A/V device  24  in accordance with present principles. As shown in the first screen shot, a top level menu may be presented that can list various selections including “settings” (typically to establish various TV settings) and “program your remote” or terms and/or symbols to that effect. Other top level menu entries may be provided. As shown in the first screen shot, the user has selected “program your remote” using, e.g., navigation keys on the remote control  10  to move a screen cursor and indicate selections. 
         [0017]    This causes the TV processor  30  to automatically display the next lower GUI shown in the second screen shot. This GUI may be entitled “select your device”, meaning the component the user wishes to program into the remote control, and may list various genres of components as shown. 
         [0018]    Assuming for illustration that the user has selected “PVR” in the second screen shot, the TV processor  30  may then automatically display the sub-menu shown in the third screen shot of  FIG. 2 , in which a list of manufacturers may be presented. Assuming for illustration that “Sony” has been selected, the TV processor  30  may then automatically display the next sub-menu shown in the fourth screen shot of  FIG. 2 , in which a list of the selected manufacturer&#39;s PVR models may be presented. 
         [0019]    Assuming for illustration that “model  1 ” has been selected and now referring to  FIG. 3 , at block  46  the TV processor accesses, e.g., the TV storage medium  32  to look up the communication code(s) associated with the selected component. At block  48  the TV processor  30  then causes the code(s) to be transmitted from the A/V transceiver  36  to the remote control transceiver  18 . At block  50  the remote control processor  14  in turn stores the code(s) in the remote control storage medium  16 , so that when the relevant mode button  22  is selected to control the component at block  52 , the processor  14  accesses the correct code in signalling to the component. 
         [0020]    If desired and returning now to  FIG. 2 , after the code(s) has been sent from the A/V device  24  to the remote control  10 , a fifth GUI may be present on the A/V display  26  indicating that the remote control  10  has been successfully programmed. This GUI may be presented in response to an acknowledgement signal from the remote control  10  that a valid code has been received. The GUI may then prompt the user to test the programming by attempting to control the component, e.g., the component  38  shown in  FIG. 1 . The GUI may also prompt the user to select the correct mode on the remote control  10  as shown. Furthermore, because of the bidirectional communication between the A/V device  24  and the remote control  10 , the display  26  can be made to display the actual mode currently selected on the remote control  10 . 
         [0021]    While the particular USING A/V DEVICE TO SEND CONTROLLED DEVICE COMMUNICATION-RELATED PARAMETERS TO PROGRAM REMOTE CONTROL is herein shown and described in detail, it is to be understood that the subject matter which is encompassed by the present invention is limited only by the claims.