Abstract:
There is presently provided a method and an apparatus for control of an electronic device. An exemplary method comprises sending a command signal to an electronic device from a remote control and in response receiving information relating to the command from the electronic device. The exemplary method further comprises displaying an indication on a display of the remote control where the indication corresponds to the command and is constructed based on the information received from the electronic device.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to remote controls. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel remote and electronic device system which allows a user to change settings for the electronic device without obscuring the display of the electronic device. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art which may be related to various aspects of embodiments which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of present embodiments. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. 
         [0003]    Electronic media devices, such as televisions, are common communications devices used in households and institutions for many purposes, such as entertainment, business, education, and information. Existing systems typically include a remote control which allows the viewer to control the device from a distance. For example, in the case of a television, the remote control may be used to change channels, adjust volume, enable closed captioning, and manipulate viewing settings. When the user presses a button on the remote control, a corresponding user-interface display typically appears on the television screen. Specifically, for instance, when the volume is adjusted via the remote control, a volume level indicator (e.g., a bar graph and/or numerical value) may appear at the bottom of the television screen. A typical remote control may also be used to configure settings on the television. For example, when a “menu” button is pressed on the remote control, a menu display may appear on the television screen. The user may then use buttons on the remote control such as up, down, right, and left, to navigate through the menu and change settings such as an aspect ratio, contrast, and parental controls. 
         [0004]    The need to change device settings frequently arises while the viewer is watching programming on a display of the electronic media device. For example, during a television program, a viewer may want to change a brightness setting to account for outside light affecting picture quality. In another example, a viewer may want to change an aspect ratio setting to coordinate with high definition programming during viewing of the programming. However, in order to make these changes, the viewer typically must summon a menu displayed on the television screen, which partially obscures the television programming. Accordingly, viewers are often forced to choose between missing a crucial scene in the programming or waiting to change the setting. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    Advantages of the invention may become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an electronic system in accordance with an embodiment; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is an overhead view of a remote control in accordance with an embodiment; and 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a process flow diagram of a method in accordance with an embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0009]    One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an electronic system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The electronic system, generally referred to by the reference number  100 , includes an electronic device  102  and a remote control  104 . The device  102  may be any electronic device capable of displaying media and controllable by the remote control  104 . For example, in accordance with one embodiment, the electronic device  102  may be a television that a user can manipulate using the remote control  104 . In other embodiments, the electronic device  102  may be another type of media display device, such as a computer or portable DVD player. The remote control  104  may be any type of remote control adapted to control the electronic device  102 . For example, the remote control  104  may be a universal remote for controlling multiple devices or it may be a dedicated remote control used solely for controlling the electronic device  102 . In the illustrated embodiment, both the electronic device  102  and the remote control  104  contain various subsystems, which are represented as functional blocks in  FIG. 1 . Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various functional blocks shown in  FIG. 1  may comprise hardware elements (including circuitry), software elements (including computer code stored on a tangible machine-readable medium), or a combination of both hardware and software elements. 
         [0011]    The electronic device  102  includes a media input  106  for receiving media to display or emit via the electronic device  102 . The media input  106  may be adapted to receive video and/or audio from a variety of sources. For example, the video input  106  may be an antenna or satellite dish for receiving broadcasts transmitted over the airwaves. In another embodiment, the media input  106  may be a cable input for receiving cable television channels. In yet other embodiments, the media input  106  may be a computer interface, a memory card reader, or an input for receiving information from an optical disk or the like. In some embodiments, the media input  106  may contain separate video and audio inputs for receiving video and sound, which may, or may not, correspond to each other. 
         [0012]    A tuner  108  is configured to receive data or information from the media input  106  and/or tune a signal to provide a program for display. For example, the tuner  108  may be used to select a channel on cable television. As one skilled in the art may appreciate, certain media inputs, such as those from a DVD player or memory card, may bypass the tuner  108  because tuning is not required to isolate a video program associated with those signals. 
         [0013]    Information received from the media input  106  may be displayed on a display  110 . The display  110  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a plasma display panel (PDP), a digital light projection (DLP) display, or other suitable display. The display  110  may include a lighting source (not shown) that is used to generate a visible image on the display. 
         [0014]    A processor  112  is adapted to control operation of the device and may be adapted to execute instructions received from the media input  106  or the remote control  104 . The processor  112  is configured to interact with a memory  114  that stores executable code and instructions for the processor  112 . For example, the memory  114  may be adapted to hold machine-readable computer code for displaying a user interface such as a navigable menu. The memory  114  also may store menu commands in a format such as a table that correlates commands received by the processor  112  to functions executed by the electronic device  102 . 
         [0015]    In the illustrated embodiment, the electronic device  102  is configured to receive commands from the remote control  104  through a receiver  116 . The receiver  116  may be any suitable receiver adapted to receive commands from the remote control  104 . For example, the receiver  116  may be an infrared receiver that receives infrared signals generated by the remote control  104 . In other embodiments, the communication link between the electronic device  102  and the remote control  104  may be radio frequency based employing the Bluetooth standard or another wireless communication standard. In yet other embodiments, the receiver  116  may be connected through a cable such as a Firewire connection. 
         [0016]    In addition to the receiver  116 , the electronic device  102  contains a transmitter  118  for sending signals to the remote control  104 . Similar to the receiver  116 , the transmitter  118  may be an infrared transmitter, radio transmitter, or combination receiver and transmitter, such as a Bluetooth transceiver. The transmitter  118  and the receiver  116  together form a two-way communication link with the remote control  104 , enabling the electronic device  102  to both send signals to and receive signals from the remote control  104 . 
         [0017]    Control features  120  included within the remote control  104  may be adapted to facilitate user selection of commands for controlling the electronic device  102 . The control features  120  may be manually actuatable elements such as buttons, click wheels, scroll wheels, or similar features, or any combination thereof. When a user actuates a control feature  120 , a control system  122  may interpret the physical input and translate it into a command. The control system  122  may be a combination of a printed circuit board and an integrated circuit. In other embodiments, the control system  122  may include a microprocessor. 
         [0018]    A transmitter  124  allows the remote control  104  to send signals to the electronic device  102 . For example, after the control system  122  translates an input, such as physical manipulation of the control feature  120 , into a command, the transmitter  124  may send this command to the electronic device  102  using a command signal  126 . In addition to sending signals to the electronic device  102 , the remote  104  may be enabled to receive signals from the electronic device  102 . In the illustrated embodiment, a mode selector  128  is configured to allow a user to enable the remote control  104  to receive signals from the electronic device  102 . The mode selector  128  may be a manually actuatable element that may also enable a display  130  or a specific function of the display  130  located on the remote control  104  when actuated. The mode selector  128  may be a button, scroll wheel, click wheel, or other manually actuatable element. 
         [0019]    When not activated, the display  130  may be used to display status information such as the time or the date. However, upon activation, the display  130  may be used to display information from the device  102  in addition to, or instead of, status information. The mode selector  128  may operate in conjunction with the control system  122  to enable such a function of the display  130 . The display  130  may be any type of display, such as a textual display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), or a light emitting diode (LED) display. In some embodiments, the display  130  may include a touch screen capable of receiving user input. 
         [0020]    When the display  130  on the remote control  104  is active, it may be used to display a menu for navigating and communicating with the electronic device  102 . For example, in an exemplary embodiment employing a television as the electronic device  102 , a television menu may be displayed on the display  130  of the remote control  104 . This menu which would typically be displayed on the display  110  of the television may be displayed on the display  130  of the remote control  104  instead, thus avoiding cluttering the display  110  of the television with the menu. For example, the menu may allow a user to select various settings for the television, such as brightness, contrast, aspect ratio, or parental control settings. When the display  130  on the remote control is active, the menu may be viewed on the remote control display  130  instead of the electronic device display  110 , thus, enabling a user to change settings of the electronic device  102  without obstructing a portion of the device display  110 . In one embodiment, the electronic device  102  detects enablement of certain features of the remote control  104  and enables or disables an on-screen menu based on such detection. For example, the electronic device  102  may be configured to only display an on-screen menu on the display  110  if the remote control  104  is not enabled to display a menu on its display  130 . 
         [0021]    The remote control  104  may receive information  132  from the electronic device  102  though a receiver  134  located on the remote control  104 . The receiver  134  and the transmitter  124  form a two-way communication link with the electronic device  102 , enabling the remote control  104  to both send signals to and receive signals from the electronic device  102 . The information  132 , such as a menu, may be displayed on the remote control display  130 , or it may be used by the control system  122  to create additional information for display. For example, a memory  136  within the remote control  104  may store a table containing data corresponding to the information. In some embodiments, the memory  136  may store a graphic user interface related to the information. 
         [0022]    The information received 132 may be in a text string format corresponding to menu parameters of the electronic device  102 . In other embodiments, the information  132  may include other formats such as a graphical user interface. As noted above, the information received may be displayed in a format similar to the received information, or the information may be used to construct other formats for display. In some embodiments, the remote control  104  may be adapted to display a menu replicating the menu displayed on the electronic device  102 . While the foregoing discussion refers to displaying a menu on the remote control display  130 , it should be noted that the information received also may correspond to other device features such as a volume scale, channel selection, or video frame location. The remote control display  130  may be used to display information corresponding to these features as well. 
         [0023]    As noted above, the inclusion of the receiver  134  and transmitter  124  on the remote control  104 , and the inclusion of the receiver  116  and the transmitter  118  on the electronic device  102  enables two-way communication between the remote control  104  and the electronic device  102 . A user is able to actuate control features  120  on the remote control  104  to send command signals  126  to the electronic device  102 . The electronic device  102  receives the commands and performs corresponding functions enabled by the processor  112 . The processor  112  may execute these commands by consulting tables contained within the memory  114  of the electronic device  102 . The commands  126  received by the electronic device  102  also may correlate to requests for information. For example, when the mode selector  128  has been activated by a user, the command  126  sent to the electronic device  102  may include a request for menu information. Upon receiving such a command, the processor  112  may reference a table within the memory  114  that correlates the command received to information. The processor  112  may select the corresponding information and transmits it, via the transmitter  118 , to the receiver  134  on the remote control  104 . The receiver  134  may send this information through the control system  122  for subsequent display on display  130 . In some embodiments, the control system  122  may reference a table located within the memory  136  to select additional information corresponding to the received information  132 . The information may then be displayed on the display  130 , allowing a user to read the information and use it to select a function on the remote control  104 . The user selection may generate a new command signal that is sent to the electronic device  102 , and in response to the command  126 , the electronic device  102  may perform a function and may send new information  132  to the remote control  104  for display. Thus, the display  130  of the remote control  104  may change in response to user activation of features on the remote control  104 . As a result, the user is able to navigate menus and functions of the electronic device  102  using a display  130  located on the remote control  104 . Therefore, the navigation may occur without obstructing the device display  110 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  is an overhead view of the remote control  104  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The remote control  104  includes a body  200  that encloses the remote control and protects the interior components from damage. The remote control  104  includes the transmitter  124 , the receiver  134 , the display  130 , the mode selector  128 , and the control features  120  discussed above in relation to  FIG. 1 . Additionally, in the illustrated embodiment, an indication  202  is shown on the display  130 . The indication  202  may change in response to information  132  ( FIG. 1 ) received from the device  102  ( FIG. 1 ). For example, when the mode selector  128  has been selected to activate a menu or status feature of the display  130 , information received from the electronic device  102  may be shown on the display  130  as an indication, such as indication  202 . The indication  202  may correspond to menu parameters or features of the electronic device  102  ( FIG. 1 ). As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the indication  202  corresponds to an audio settings menu for the electronic device  102 . In accordance with one embodiment, the user may actuate the control features  120  to navigate within a menu displayed on the display  130  of the remote control. For example, in one embodiment, a scroll wheel may allow the user to move up and down within the menu while a “select” button allows the user to select a menu parameter. Although  FIG. 2  depicts the indication  202  as a text string, other embodiments may display other formats, including, but not limited to, a graphical user interface or a color display. 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  is a process flow diagram of a method  300  in accordance with present embodiments. Dashed lines generally delineate the steps performed by the electronic device  102  and the steps performed by the remote control  104 . In some embodiments, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, some steps may be modified, excluded, or additional steps may be included. The method begins with step  302 , enabling the remote control display  130  or a feature of the remote control display  1340 . This occurs in response to user activation of the mode selector  128  ( FIG. 2 ). Once the display  130  is active, the remote control generates a command signal (step  304 ) that is sent to the electronic device via the remote control transmitter (step  306 ). 
         [0026]    The electronic device  102  receives the signal from the remote control  104  (step  308 ) and in response generates information  132  ( FIG. 1 ). As noted above, this information may be generated from a table that correlates command signals to information. The table may be stored within the memory  114  of the electronic device  102 . The electronic device  102  then transmits the information to the remote control  104  (step  310 ). The remote control  104  receives the information from the electronic device  102  (step  312 ) and in response displays an indication on the remote control display  130  (step  314 ). Step  314  may include preventing display of an indication, such as a menu, on the display  110  of the electronic device  102  if the remote control display  130  is enabled. The indication  202  ( FIG. 2 ) may be constructed directly from the information received from the electronic device  102  or the indication  202  may be constructed using the information in conjunction with data stored in the memory  136  of the remote control  104 . 
         [0027]    After the indication  202  is displayed, a user may read the information presented by the indication  25  and, in response, actuate a control feature to generate a new command signal (step  304 ). For example, this may include navigating a menu presented by the indication  202 . This process may continue for as long as the user wishes to navigate through the menu of the electronic device  102 . In some embodiments, the process may terminate when the user deselects the mode selector  128  ( FIG. 2 ). In other embodiments, the display  130  ( FIG. 2 ) may automatically deactivate after a period of user inactivity has occurred. 
         [0028]    While the present embodiments may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims.