Patent ID: 7154566

Claim:
A method of programming a universal remote control unit comprising the steps of: initiating, by a user, a programming mode; entering, by a user, a code associated with a device to be controlled by the remote control unit without selecting a device type; identifying, from the code, a signal formatting data entry, which includes signal formatting data, stored in a memory device in the remote control unit, which signal formatting data includes data determinative of a device type of a plurality of device types; and associating, said device type in the remote control unit with the identified signal formatting data entry based upon the determinative data, such that when one or more of a device type key associated with said device type are subsequently depressed, subsequent commands sent by the remote control unit have a format specified by the signal formatting data, and when a command key uniquely associated with the device type is depressed, commands sent by the remote control unit have a format specified by the signal formatting data.