Patent ID: 8508345

Claim:
A remote control accessory for a wireless communication system, the remote control accessory comprising: a radio frequency to infrared converter that receives transmitted radio frequency signals and that converts the radio frequency signals to infrared commands; a plurality of infrared transmitters that wirelessly transmit the infrared commands to an infrared sensor eye of a media processor; a housing assembly that houses the radio frequency to infrared converter and the plurality of infrared transmitters, wherein the plurality of infrared transmitters are integrated into the housing assembly with no exposed wires, and wherein the remote control accessory does not include a user interface for directly inputting the infrared commands at the remote control accessory; a universal serial bus connector adjacent to and connected to the housing assembly, wherein the universal serial bus connector removably connects the remote control accessory with a universal serial bus port of the media processor, wherein the remote control accessory receives power only via the universal serial bus connector, and wherein the universal serial bus connector receives power via the universal serial bus port of the media processor without providing the infrared commands to the media processor via the universal serial bus port of the media processor; and a tethered infrared transmitter that is tethered via a wire to the housing assembly, the wire being connected to the housing assembly at a connection point proximate to the universal serial bus connector, the tethered infrared transmitter operative to be connected in proximity to the infrared sensor eye for providing the infrared commands to the infrared sensor eye of the media processor.