Abstract:
A control hub and method of operating the control hub are presented. The hub/method receives instructions remotely, and for each instruction, identifies one of a plurality of appliances as an intended recipient of the instruction, translates the instruction into a format readable to the one of the plurality of appliances, and sends the translated instruction to the one of the plurality of appliances identified as the intended recipient of the instruction via one of one or more communication mechanisms of the control hub.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/585,469, which was filed Aug. 14, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/640,582, filed on Dec. 18, 2006, entitled “Remote Control System,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,769, filed on Sep. 16, 2005, entitled “Remote Control System,” now U.S. Pat. No. 7,155,213, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to system for controlling the operation of an electrical appliance, such as a VCR or a TiVo, from a remote location. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system for controlling the operation of an electrical appliance from a remote location using a cellular device, such as a cellular telephone or a cellular-enabled PDA. 
         [0003]    Typically, a home has many electrical appliances—such as, VCR, DVD or any type of video or audio recording devices, TV receiver, air conditioner, furnace, thermostat, indoor and outdoor lights, and the like. It is desirable to control the operation of such appliances from a remote location. For example, it may be desirable to program a VCR to record a specified program, or to program an air conditioner or a furnace to keep the temperature in a home within a certain range. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present invention comprises a method and an apparatus that has one or more of the following steps or features or combinations thereof, which alone or in any combination may comprise patentable subject matter. 
         [0005]    A method is provided using a control hub for controlling the operation of an appliance, such as a TV receiver or an air conditioner, from instructions from a remote location using a device, such as a phone or a PDA. A processor in the control hub that is operatively coupled with one or more communication mechanisms is programmed to, for each instruction, identify one of the plurality of appliances as an intended recipient of the instruction; translate the instruction into a format readable to the one of the plurality of appliances; and send the translated instruction to the one of the plurality of appliances identified as the intended recipient of the instruction via one of the one or more communication mechanisms 
         [0006]    The method and control hub may further include sending the translated instruction to the one of the plurality of appliances identified as the intended recipient of the instruction using a wireless modality that is appropriate for the one of the plurality of appliances identified as the intended recipient of the instruction. 
         [0007]    The list of appliances may include any one or more of the following appliances: a furnace, a thermostat, a wall air conditioner, a central air conditioner, a ceiling fan, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, an oscillating fan, a fire place, a VCR, A DVD, a TV, a CD player, a Jacuzzi, a personal computer, a pool, a sauna, a camcorder, an iPod, a video camera, an alarm clock, a clock radio, a sound system, a stereo, a business computer, a fax, an answering machine, a copier, a scanner, a printer, a laminator, an alarm system, a side door, a garage door, a front door, a back door, an inside light, an outside light, a video camera, a coffeemaker, a dishwasher, a microwave, and an oven. 
         [0008]    Additional features, which alone or in combination with any other feature(s), such as those listed above and those listed in the appended claims, may comprise patentable subject matter and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the embodiments as presently perceived. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures, in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic view showing a remote control system for controlling the operation of an electric appliance from a remote location via a public cellular infrastructure according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic view showing a remote control system for controlling the operation of an electric appliance from a remote location via a public cellular infrastructure according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a flow chart showing exemplary tasks performed by an initiating cellular device, such a cellular telephone; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart showing exemplary tasks performed by a cellular interface embedded in a controlled appliance; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart showing exemplary tasks performed by a cellular interface incorporated in a central hub associated with a controlled appliance; and 
           [0015]      FIGS. 6 and 7  are screen shots of screens that appear on a display screen of the initiating cellular device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. 
         [0017]    A first embodiment  20  of a remote control system according to the present disclosure is shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  3 , and  4 . A second embodiment  120  of the remote control system  200  according to the present disclosure is shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  5 . Like reference numerals are used, where appropriate, to denote elements of the remote control system  120  that are substantially similar to like elements of the remote control system  20 . For example, a cellular interface in the remote control system  20  is denoted by reference numeral  24 , while a cellular interface in the remote control system  120  is denoted by reference numeral  124 . 
         [0018]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , the remote control system  20  includes a cellular device  22 , such as a cellular telephone (CT) or a cellular enabled PDA (CE-PDA) that sends one or more instructions to a cellular interface  24  embedded in an appliance  26  located remote from the cellular device  20  via a public cellular telephone infrastructure  28 . Likewise, the cellular device  22  sends one or more instructions to cellular interfaces  24 ′,  24 ″ embedded in respective appliances  26 ′,  26 ″ via the public cellular telephone infrastructure  28 . Each cellular interface  24 ,  24 ′,  24 ″, has a unique telephone number that is stored in the cellular device  22 . The appliances  26 ,  26 ′,  26 ″ may all be located at the same location or at different locations. Illustratively, the cellular device  22  may be a cellular telephone, Model V55, manufactured by Motorola. 
         [0019]    The cellular device  22  has on-board software program  30  that enables a user to select an appliance to be controlled from a list of appliances (such as appliances  26 ,  26 ′, and  26 ″), to select an instruction to be communicated to the selected appliance from a list of instructions, and to transmit the instruction to the cellular interface embedded in the selected appliance via the public cellular telephone infrastructure  28  by dialing a telephone number. In addition, the program  30  enables the user to receive a verification from a cellular interface  24  embedded in a selected appliance that the instruction was received and/or executed via the public cellular telephone infrastructure. 
         [0020]    As diagrammatically shown in  FIG. 1 , the illustrative cellular device  22  has an antenna  40 , a microprocessor  42 , a memory  44 , a touchscreen display panel  46 , a keypad  48   
         [0021]    having a plurality of buttons  50 , a microphone  52 , a speaker  54 , a control ball  56 , a graphic capability, and a voice recognition capability. The cellular interface  24 , on the other hand, has an antenna  140 , a microprocessor  142 , and a memory  144 . As used in the specification and claims, a cellular interface (also referred to as a transceiver) is functionally substantially the same as a cellular device, but without a display screen, a keypad, a microphone, and a speaker. The memory  44  of the cellular device  22  stores a list of the appliances, a list of instructions associated with each appliance and a telephone number associated with a cellular interface embedded in each appliance. 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , in the second embodiment of the remote control system  120 , the cellular device  22  sends an instruction to a cellular interface  124  incorporated in a central hub  110  associated with a plurality of appliances, such as appliances  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″ remote from the cellular device  22  via the public cellular telephone infrastructure  28 . The hub  110 , in turn, transmits the instruction to the selected appliance in machine accessible code (MAC) format, or other comparable format, using a communication modality that is appropriate for the selected appliance. Thus, if an appliance has a wireless modality, the hub  110  transmits the user instructions to the selected appliance using wireless modality, such as IR, BT, and Wi-Fi. On the other hand, if an appliance does not have a wireless modality, the hub  110  transmits the user instructions to the selected appliance over electric wires. In the illustrated embodiment, the appliances  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″ are all located in a building  112 , such as a home or an office. 
         [0023]    The cellular interface  124  has an antenna  140 , a microprocessor  142 , and a memory  144 . As used in the specification and claims, the cellular interface  124  is functionally substantially the same as the cellular device  22 , but without a display screen, a keypad, a microphone, and a speaker. The cellular interface  124  has on-board software  80  for converting the user instructions received from the cellular device  22  to command strings in MAC format, or other comparable format, for transmission to the respective appliances  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″. In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the hub  110  is equipped with an IR modality  132 , a BT modality  134 , a Wi-Fi modality  136 , and a hard wire modality  138 . Illustratively, the hub  110  uses the IR modality  132  to transmit an instruction to an appliance having the IR modality, the BT modality  134  to transmit an instruction to an appliance having the BT modality, and the Wi-Fi modality  136  to transmit an instruction to an appliance having the Wi-Fi modality. On the other hand, the hub  110  transmits an instruction to an appliance, such as a thermostat, not having a wireless modality over electric wires. It will be understood that the list of modalities in this paragraph is illustrative, and not exhaustive. 
         [0024]    The cellular interface  124  has a unique telephone number that is stored in the cellular device  22 . As indicated above, the software program  30  stored in the cellular device  22  enables a user to select an appliance to be controlled from a list of appliances (such as appliances  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″), and to select an instruction to be communicated to the selected appliance from a list of instructions. In addition, the program  30  enables the user to transmit the instruction to the cellular interface  124  via the public cellular telephone infrastructure  128  by dialing a telephone number. As indicated above, the hub  110 , in tum, transmits the instruction to the selected appliance in the MAC format, or other comparable format, via a modality that is appropriate for the selected appliance. 
         [0025]    Moreover, with respect to appliances having a bi-directional communication capability, the program  30  enables the user to receive a verification from the cellular interface  124  that the instruction was received and/or executed by the selected appliance via the public cellular telephone infrastructure. Verification is received only from appliances having a bidirectional capability, and not from appliances having a receive-only capability. The memory  144  of the cellular interface  124  stores a list of the appliances, a list of instructions associated with each appliance and a telephone number associated with the hub cellular interface associated with the appliances. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is a flow chart showing illustrative steps performed by the initiating cellular device  22  when the remote control program  30  stored therein is executed during the operation of the remote control systems  20 ,  120 . As indicated by block  200 , when the user presses a menu button  44  on the cellular device  22 , a menu or a list of programs, including the program  30 , is displayed on the screen  46  of the cellular device  22 . The user then selects the program  30 , which is then executed. At block  202 , the program  30  requests the user&#39;s password, and the user provides the password. The program  30  determines if the user&#39;s password is correct at block  204 . If the user enters a correct password, the program  30  continues to the next step  210 . If the user enters a wrong password, the program  30  terminates as indicated by block  206 . The user&#39;s password is located in a file  208  stored in the cellular device  22 . If there are multiple users, multiple passwords are stored in the file  208 . 
         [0027]    At block  210 , the program  30  displays on the screen  46  a list of appliances that can be remotely controlled, such as an air conditioner, a VCR, a DVD, etc. The user then selects an appliance for remote programming from the list of appliances in the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , upon selection of an appliance, the program  30  displays on the screen  46  a graphic representation of a control panel having buttons for controlling the operation of the selected appliance at block  212 . The graphic representations of the control panels of the various appliances that can be remotely controlled are located in a file  214  stored in the cellular device  22 . The program  30  includes graphic software that enables it to display a control panel. In some embodiments, the program  30  displays a remote control associated with a selected appliance, such as a TV receiver, instead of a control panel. 
         [0028]      FIG. 6  is an illustrative screen shot  216  of a screen showing a list  218  of appliances. As shown therein, the illustrative list  218  includes an air conditioner  220 , a VCR  222 , a DVD player,  224 , a refrigerator  226 , and a furnace  228 . The selection of an appliance is indicated by LED lights  229  arranged along a left side of the screen shot  216 .  FIG. 7  is an illustrative screen shot  230  of a screen showing a control panel  232  of the air conditioner  220 . As shown therein, the control panel  232  includes a plurality of buttons for selecting the mode of operation of the air conditioner  220 , such as a cool button  234 , a heat button  236 , a ventilate button  238 , and an off button  240 . The selection of a mode is indicated by LED lights  242  arranged along a left side of the screen shot  230 . In addition, the control panel  232  includes a button  244  for increasing the room temperature setting and a button  246  for decreasing the room temperature setting. The temperature setting is indicated in a window  248 . The control panel  232  has a button  250  for inputting the operation mode and the temperature setting to the program  30  upon completion of selection. 
         [0029]    At block  252 , the user inputs one or more instructions (i.e., the tasks to be performed by the appliances) that are to be transmitted to the selected appliance. For example, in the case of the air conditioner  220 , the user selects a mode, such as a cool mode, and sets the temperature, such as 70° F. The user uses the button  250  to input his instructions. The program  30  then creates command strings that correspond to the instructions for transmission to the air conditioner  220 . The command strings may be a series of ones and zeroes. The command strings may be temporarily stored in a buffer memory of the cellular device  22  until their transmission to the selected appliance. 
         [0030]    In some embodiments, at block  254 , the program  30  calls a stored number of the cellular interface  24  embedded in the selected appliance to establish a communication link between the cellular device  22  and the embedded cellular interface  24 . In some other embodiments, at block  254 , the program  30  calls a stored number of the cellular interface  124  incorporated in the hub  110  associated with a selected appliance to establish a communication link between the cellular device  22  and the hub cellular interface  124 . At block  256 , the command strings are transmitted to the embedded cellular interface  24  or the hub cellular interface  124 . As indicated above, the hub  110 , in turn, transmits the instruction to the selected appliance in the MAC format, or other comparable format, via a modality that is appropriate for the selected appliance, such as IR, BT, Wi-Fi, and the like. 
         [0031]    At block  258 , with respect to the appliances having bi-directional capability, the embedded or hub cellular interface  24 ,  124  sends a verification to the program  30  that the command strings were received and/or executed. The program  30  then terminates communication with the embedded or hub cellular interface  24 ,  124 , and resets to the select appliance step  210 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart showing illustrative steps performed by the embedded cellular interface  24  when the software program  60  stored therein is executed during the operation of the remote control system  20 .  FIG. 5  is a flow chart showing illustrative steps performed by the hub cellular interface  124  when the software program  80  stored therein is executed during the operation of the remote control system  120 . The steps performed by the program  80  are substantially the same as the steps performed by the program  60  except steps  310 ,  410  where the instructions are transmitted from the cellular interfaces  24 ,  124  to the respective appliances  26 ,  126 . In the remote control system  20  of  FIG. 1 , the cellular interfaces  24 ,  24 ′,  24 ″ are embedded in the respective appliances  26 ,  26 ′,  26 ′″. The command strings are, therefore, transmitted from the embedded cellular interfaces  24 ,  24 ′,  24 ″ to the respective appliances  26 ,  26 ′,  26 ″ internally over electric lines. In the remote control system  120 , however, the user instructions are transmitted from the hub cellular interface  124  to the respective appliances  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″ in the MAC format, or other comparable format, via a modality that is appropriate for the selected appliance, such as IR, BT, Wi-Fi, and hard wire. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , as indicated by block  300 , when the user plugs in an appliance, the operating program  60  is executed during the operation of the remote control system  20 . At block  302 , the program  60  verifies the link between the embedded cellular interfaces  24 ,  24 ′,  24 ″ and the associated appliances  26 ,  26 ′,  26 . If the links are working correctly, the program  60  continues to the next step  304 . If the links are not working correctly, the program  60  terminates as indicated by block  306 . In some embodiments, if the links are not working correctly, the program  60  notifies the cellular device  22  before terminating communication therewith that one or more appliances are currently not available for remote programming. 
         [0034]    At block  304 , the program  60  awaits an incoming call from the cellular device  22 . When the cellular device  22  calls, the program  60  answers the call to establish a communication link between the cellular device  22  and the embedded cellular interface  24 ,  24 ′,  24 ″. Thus, if the user selects the appliance  26  for remote control, a communication link is established between the cellular device  22  and the embedded cellular interface  24  associated with the selected appliance  26 . If the user selects the appliance  26 ′ for remote control, a communication link is established between the cellular device  22  and the embedded cellular interface  24 ′ associated with the selected appliance  26 ′, and so on. 
         [0035]    At block  308 , the program  60  receives the command strings from the cellular device  22 . At block  310 , the program  60  sends the command strings to the selected appliance  26 ,  26 ′,  26 ″ internally over electric lines. Thus, if the user selects the appliance  26  for remote control, the program  60  sends the command strings to the appliance  26 . If the user selects the appliance  26 ′ for remote control, the program  60  sends the command strings to the appliance  26 ′, and so on. The selected appliance  26 ,  26 ′,  26 ″ then executes the command strings. For example, a VCR may be programmed to record a specified program, or an air conditioner or a furnace may be programmed to keep the temperature in a home within a certain range. 
         [0036]    At block  312 , the program  60  receives a verification from the selected appliance  26 ,  26 ′,  26 ″ that the command strings were executed when the selected appliance  26 ,  26 ′,  26 ″ executes the command strings. At block  314 , the program  60  establishes a communication link with the cellular device  22 . The communication link is established by calling a stored number of the cellular device  22 . The program  60  then sends a verification to the cellular device  22  that the command strings were executed by the selected appliance  26 ,  26 ′,  26 ″. At block  316 , the program  60  terminates communication with the cellular device  22  and resets to the answer step  304  where the program  60  awaits next incoming call from the cellular device  22 . 
         [0037]    As indicated above,  FIG. 5  is a flow chart showing illustrative steps performed by the hub cellular interface  124  when the software program  80  stored therein is executed during the operation of the remote control system  120 . As indicated by block  400 , when the user plugs in the central hub  110 , the operating program  80  is executed. At block  402 , the program  80  verifies the link between the hub cellular interface  124  and each of the associated appliances  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″. If the links are working correctly, the program  80  continues to the next step  404 . If the links are not working correctly, the program  80  terminates as indicated by block  306 . In some embodiments, if the links are not working correctly, the program  80  may notify the cellular device  22  before terminating communication therewith that one or more appliances are currently not available for remote programming. 
         [0038]    At block  404 , the program  80  awaits an incoming call from the cellular device  22 . When the cellular device  22  calls, the program  80  answers the call to establish a communication link between the cellular device  22  and the hub cellular interface  124 . At block  408 , the program  80  receives the command strings from the cellular device  22 . At block  410 , the program  60  sends the command strings in the MAC format, or other comparable format, to the selected appliance  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″ using a modality that is appropriate for the selected appliance  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″. Thus, the program  60  uses the IR modality  132  to transmit an instruction to an appliance having the IR. modality, the BT modality  134  to transmit an instruction to an appliance having the BT modality, the Wi-Fi modality  136  to transmit an instruction to an appliance having the Wi-Fi modality. The program  60  transmits an instruction to an appliance not having a wireless modality, such as a thermostat, over electric wires. The selected appliance  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 , then executes the command strings. For example, a VCR may be programmed to record a specified program, or an air conditioner or a furnace may be programmed to keep the temperature in a home within a certain range. 
         [0039]    At block  412 , with regard to appliances  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″ that have a bidirectional capability, the program  80  receives a verification from the appliance  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″ that the command strings were executed when the selected appliance  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″ executes the command strings. At block  414 , the program  80  establishes a communication link with the cellular device  22 . The communication link is established by calling a stored number of the cellular device  22 . The program  80  then sends a verification to the cellular device  22  that the command strings were executed by the selected appliance  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″. At block  416 , the program  80  terminates communication with the cellular device  22  and resets to the answer step  4304  where the program  60  awaits next incoming call from the cellular device  22 . 
         [0040]    In the remote control system  20  of  FIG. 1 , the cellular device  22  sends instructions to the cellular interfaces  24 ,  24 ′,  24 ″ embedded in respective appliances  26 ,  26 ′,  26 ″. In the remote control system  120  of  FIG. 2 , the cellular device  22  sends instructions to the cellular interfaces  124  incorporated in the hub  110  associated with a plurality of appliances  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″. In a remote control system according to a third embodiment, the cellular device  22  sends instructions to the cellular interfaces  24 ,  24 ′,  24 ″ embedded in a respective one of the first plurality of appliances  26 ,  26 ′,  26 ″, and, in addition, sends instructions to the cellular interfaces  124  incorporated in the hub  110  associated with the second plurality of appliances  126 ,  126 ′,  126 ″,  126 ′″. 
         [0041]    In the illustrated embodiment, the user may provide inputs to the program  30  in a number of ways. 1) The program  30  displays a list of items on the screen. The user selects an item by pressing one or more keys  50  on the keypad  48  that correspond to a selected item. For example, a channel up key having a “1” marked thereon may be operated by pressing the number “I” key, and a channel down key having a “2” marked thereon may be operated by pressing the number “2” key. 2) The program  30  displays a list of items on the screen. The user selects an item by using the control ball  56 . 3) The program  30  displays a list of items on the touchscreen display panel  46 . The user then selects an item by touching the item on the touchscreen display panel  46 . 4) The program  30  displays a graphic representation of the choices on the display panel  46 , for example, as shown in  FIG. 7 . The user then makes a choice by touching an icon on the touchscreen display panel  46  that corresponds to his choice. 5) The program  30  displays a list of items on the screen  46 . The user then selects an item by speaking into a microphone. It will be understood that this list of ways of providing inputs to the program  30  is illustrative, not exhaustive. 
         [0042]    Illustratively, some of the examples of appliances that can be controlled from a remote location using the cellular device  22  via the public cellular telephone infrastructure  28  are as follows: a furnace, a thermostat, a wall air conditioner, a central air conditioner, a ceiling fan, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, an oscillating fan, a fire place, a VCR, A DVD, a TV, a CD player, a Jacuzzi, a personal computer, a pool, a sauna, a camcorder, an iPod, a video camera, an alarm clock, a clock radio, a sound system, a stereo, a business computer, a fax, an answering machine, a copier, a scanner, a printer, a laminator, an alarm system, a side door, a garage door, a front door, a back door, an inside light, an outside light, a video camera, a coffeemaker, a dishwasher, a microwave, and an oven. It will be understood that this list is illustrative, not exhaustive. 
         [0043]    While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have herein been described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. 
         [0044]    There are a plurality of advantages of the present invention arising from the various features of the embodiments described herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of the present invention may not include all of the features described yet still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations of a device that incorporates one or more of the features of the present invention and fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.