Controlling devices, for example remote controls, for use in issuing commands to entertainment and other appliances, and the features and functionality provided by such controlling devices are well known in the art and have become ubiquitous in the home. Increasingly in today's environment, such controlling devices are used to interact with displayed menu systems, browse web pages, etc., and perform other similar activities which may require entry of text data such as URLs, search terms, messages, etc. In such instances entry of text data may be facilitated by the provision of qwerty keypad functionality as part of a controlling device. Further, as a result of the increasing complexity of modern appliance feature sets, in other instances it has become desirable to offer the user of such an appliance both a simplified controlling device keypad supporting commonly-used appliance functions and a secondary keypad supporting less frequently used appliance functionalities, or alternatively to distribute the increasingly large number of available functions across multiple keypads in order to reduce visual clutter. Accordingly, controlling devices which support various combinations of keypad input mechanisms across multiple surfaces are becoming increasingly common.
This invention relates generally to controlling devices such as remote controls, and more specifically to controlling devices having multiple, usable sides, i.e., sides which support activatable keys or buttons. In an exemplary embodiment, a three-sided or prism-shaped controlling device is disclosed having a first side which supports a keypad for use in controlling a first set of functional operations of one or more controllable appliances, a second side which supports a keypad for use in controlling a second set of functional operations of one or more controllable appliances, and a third side which supports a conventional qwerty keypad. The keypad of the first and second sides of the controlling device may be intuitively mapped to corresponding operational modes of the controlling device. For example, the first side may support keys for use in controlling commonly used functions of entertainment equipment in a home theater mode of the controlling device while the second side may support keys for use in controlling a specific piece of controllable equipment, such as a television in a television mode of the controlling device. The controlling device may utilize one or more sensors, such as accelerometers, to determine which one of the multiple sides of the controlling device is facing generally upwards or otherwise facing in an predetermined orientation of use (e.g., positioned under a thumb of a right handed or left handed user when held in the respective hand) to thereby render one or more of the multiple sides active, i.e., a mode in which activations of keys of that side will cause the controlling device to perform an action, while rendering the other one or more of the multiple sides inactive, i.e., a mode wherein activations of keys of the remaining sides will not cause the controlling device to perform an action. In further embodiments, the selection of an operational mode of the controlling device may be manually controlled by a user, for example, via activation of one or more switches, instead of being automatically controlled via the use of the sensors. In a further embodiment, infrared light emitting elements may be positioned under one or more keycaps to thereby allow control signals to be effectively emitted from the controlling device in various orientations of the controlling device.
A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features, properties and relationships of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth illustrative embodiments and which are indicative of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.
For a better understanding of the various aspects of the invention, reference may be had to preferred embodiments shown in the attached drawings in which:
With reference to
With reference to
To cause the controlling device 100 to perform an action, the controlling device 100 may be adapted to be responsive to events, such as a sensed user interaction with the key matrix 216, a signal from a sensor 222, etc. In response to an event, appropriate instructions within the program memory (hereafter the “controlling device operating program”) may be executed. For example, when a command function key is actuated on the controlling device 100, the controlling device 100 may retrieve from the command data stored in memory 204, 205, 206 a command value and control protocol corresponding to the actuated function key and, where necessary, current device mode of controlling device 100 (e.g., TV mode, home theater mode, etc.) and transmit that command to an intended target appliance, e.g., STB 106, in a format recognizable by that appliance to thereby control one or more functional operations of that appliance. It will be appreciated that the controlling device operating program can be used not only to cause the transmission of commands and/or data to the appliances, but also to perform local operations. While not limiting, local operations that may be performed by the controlling device 100 may include displaying information/data, favorite channel setup, macro key setup, function key relocation, etc. Examples of local operations can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,481,256, 5,959,751, and 6,014,092. Additionally, in the instant invention the controlling device operating program of exemplary controlling device 100 may be operative to monitor orientation sensor 222 in order to enable and/or disable subsets of key matrix 216 which are appropriate to the current orientation of controlling device 100.
In some embodiments, controlling device 100 may be of the universal type, that is provisioned with a library comprising a multiplicity of command codes and protocols, i.e., command data, suitable for controlling various appliances. In such cases, for selecting sets of command data to be associated with the specific appliances to be controlled (hereafter referred to as a setup procedure), data may be entered into the controlling device 100 that serves to identify each intended target appliance by its make, and/or model, and/or type. Such data allows the controlling device 100 to identify the appropriate command data set within the library of command data that is to be used to transmit recognizable commands in formats appropriate for such identified appliances. The library of command data may represent a plurality of controllable appliances of different types and manufacture, a plurality of controllable appliances of the same type but different manufacture, a plurality of appliances of the same manufacture but different type or model, etc., or any combination thereof as appropriate for a given embodiment. In conventional practice as is well known in the art, such data used to identify an appropriate command data set may take the form of a numeric setup code entered via activation of those keys that are also used to cause the transmission of commands to an appliance (obtained, for example, from a printed list of manufacturer names and/or models with corresponding code numbers, from a support Web site, etc.). Alternative setup procedures known or proposed in the art include scanning bar codes, sequentially transmitting a predetermined command in different formats until a target appliance response is detected, user interaction with a Web site culminating in downloading of command data and/or setup codes to the controlling device, etc. Since such methods for setting up a controlling device to command the operation of specific home appliances are well-known, these will not be described in greater detail herein. Nevertheless, for additional information pertaining to setup procedures, the reader may turn, for example, to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,959,810, 5,614,906, or 6,225,938, all of like assignee and incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
As further illustrated in
The controlling device operating program of controlling device 100 may utilize inputs from one or more orientation sensors, e.g., accelerometers, proximity sensors, etc., to automatically transition between each of the various operating modes. For example, orientation sensor 222 may function to indicate which of the three sides 300, 302, or 304 is oriented in an operating position and thereby cause the controlling device operating program to configure the controlling device to transmit commands and/or data in response to activations of the keys of such active mode. The operating position may be, without limitation, a one of the sides being oriented as the upward facing side, a one of the sides being angled into a position that would have the side positioned under the thumb of a right handed or left handed user, etc. While the orientation sensor would function to make active the keys corresponding to the active side or sides of the controlling device, i.e., those keys that that are used to support the discerned, current operating mode of the controlling device, the controlling device operating program would also preferably render some or all of the keys positioned on the side or sides corresponding to the discerned, inactive modes of the controlling device inactive to thereby prevent inadvertent operation of such keys. For example, a key on an inactive side of the controlling device 100 that might be positioned under a thumb of a user holding the controlling device 100 may be allowed to remain active to thereby allow that key to be used as a trigger switch, a shift key, or the like as desired. One or more switches may also be provided to allow the user to manually switch between the various supported modes of the controlling device 100. For further information regarding multi-sided remote controls used to transmit both commands and data, reference may be had to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/849,497, of common ownership and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Turning now to
More particularly, one or more sides of controlling devices 100 or 400 may be provided with special keycap arrangements that support one or more IR transmitters that may be available for use when another side of the controlling device is active. For example, in double sided controlling device 400 remote with a qwerty keyboard on the back side 404, the navigation key cap 408, or the volume or channel rocker key caps 410 and 412, or the like on the front side 402 of controlling device 400 may be used as an IR lens when the qwerty keyboard side of the controlling device 400 is in use, i.e., the rear side 406 is the active side. In the alternative three sided design 100, the navigation key cap 308 on side 300 may be used as the IR lens.
In either instance, the mechanical design may comprise a key cap 408 that is made of a material which is translucent to infrared light, for example a dark polycarbonate material or the like. Key cap 408 may be arranged to allow the key cap to tilt in two or more directions as needed to thereby allow for the key caps to be actuated in an otherwise conventional manner, such as up/down/left/right, CH+/− or volume up/down, etc. For example, as illustrated, the periphery of key cap 408 may rest on one or more dome switches 422 which form part of key matrix 216. Preferably, one or more IR diodes, for example IR diode 224, may be disposed intermediate the dome switches 422, e.g., behind the center of key cap 408, and used to transmit IR command and/or data when the appropriate keys on another, active side of the controlling device are activated. The result is a discrete design that allows the controlling device operating program to cause the transmission of IR command and data signals from hidden IR diodes located in different parts of the device depending on the orientation or keys in use. In this manner, IR transmission and coverage may be optimized and energy usage may be reduced, for example only one of IR diodes 224 may be in use at any given time. As will be appreciated, further detailed design of the key cap and/or light pipes may also improve IR performance and IR angle to accommodate different hand grips in various usage orientations.
Turning now to
If the detected key does correspond to a command function, at steps 508 through 512 an IR output path may be set which is suitable for the currently active surface. For example, if either of surfaces 300 or 302 are active, at step 510 the IR transmitter positioned behind endcap 306 may be selected as the output path, while if surface 304 (the qwerty keypad) is active, at step 512 the IR transmitter positioned behind keycap 308 may be selected as the output path. Thereafter, at step 516 the requested operational command may be transmitted to the target appliance using the designated IR output path, and processing is complete.
In some embodiments of a three-sided, prism-like controlling device design—which design allows a device such as controlling device 100 to be placed into a free-standing position, e.g., upright on its end—one or more IR transmitters on one or more sides 300, 302, and 304 of controlling device 100, e.g., the IR transmitter under keycap 308, may be further utilized to facilitate IR transmissions when the controlling device is used as a relay or bridge device, such as described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/071,661, of common ownership and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In such embodiments, input from the orientation sensor may also be utilized by the controlling device operating program to automatically place the controlling device into such a relay or bridge mode when the controlling device is sensed as being placed into such an upright, free-standing position.
While various concepts have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those concepts could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Further, while described in the context of functional modules and illustrated using block diagram format, it is to be understood that, unless otherwise stated to the contrary, one or more of the described functions and/or features may be integrated in a single physical device and/or a software module, or one or more functions and/or features may be implemented in separate physical devices or software modules. It will also be appreciated that a detailed discussion of the actual implementation of each module is not necessary for an enabling understanding of the invention. Rather, the actual implementation of such modules would be well within the routine skill of an engineer, given the disclosure herein of the attributes, functionality, and inter-relationship of the various functional modules in the system. Therefore, a person skilled in the art, applying ordinary skill, will be able to practice the invention set forth in the claims without undue experimentation. It will be additionally appreciated that the particular concepts disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.
All patents cited within this document are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/584,488, filed on Jan. 9, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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