Patent ID: 7671758

Claim:
A method for programming a target remote control, comprising: storing control data at a computing device that identifies a plurality of mode codes, wherein each mode code of the plurality of mode codes identifies a set of signals used by a type of remote control to control a type of device; displaying, to a user, a list of brands; wherein each mode code of the plurality of mode codes is associated with one brand in the list of brands, a particular brand in the list of brands being associated with two or more mode codes of the plurality of mode codes; in response to receiving a selection of a specific brand in the list of brands from the user, eliminating from consideration one or more mode codes of the plurality of mode codes, the one or more mode codes not being associated with the specific brand, to produce one or more candidate mode codes; receiving an input signal, at the computing device, from a source remote control, transmitted in response to pressing a particular button on said source remote control; determining, at the computing device, a particular mode code from said one or more candidate mode codes, the particular mode code is associated with said source remote control based on matching the input signal to a particular signal in a set of signals that are associated with the particular mode code; and transmitting said particular mode code from the computing device to a target remote control, the target remote control configures itself using said particular mode code.