Patent Document ID: 6052666
Application ID: 08728488

Base Claim:
1. A method for controlling a plurality of consumer electronic target devices interconnected via a digital bus to a central authority device, said central authority performing the steps of: receiving a speech command from a user; evaluating said received speech command to determine whether one of said target devices is identified; issuing, in response to said identified target device, a corresponding command from said central authority to said target device; evaluating said received speech command to determine whether said received speech command is unique to a specific target device; issuing, in response to said unique received speech command, a corresponding command from said central device to said specific target device; and thereafter generating, in response to said speech command not identifying said target device and not being unique to one of said target devices, a list of target devices capable of being controlled by said received speech command.

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Claim 2:
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein each of said target devices identified on said list performs the step of: generating uniquely identifiable speech information in response to said received speech command.