System and method for retrieving information while commanding operation of an appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10168869-B2
Application number	US-201313801157-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2013
Priority date	Nov 20, 2001
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

When a command key of a controlling platform is activated, the platform performs an operation to initiate a playing of media content and also initiates the retrieval of information from an information source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for causing media content to be presented on an appliance using a remote control device having a display and configured to communicate with the appliance, comprising:
causing the remote control device to display in the display of the remote control device a user interface element representative of a media content provider; and
in direct response to a sensed interaction with the user interface element displayed in the display of the remote control device by the remote control device, causing the remote control device to transmit both a first command to cause the appliance to perform an operation to thereby provide access via the appliance to media content available from the media content provider and a second command to cause a retrieval of information from a network address that is predetermined within the remote control device prior to the sensed interaction with the user interface element; and
causing the remote control to display the information retrieved from the network address in the display of the controlling device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the network address comprises a wide area network address.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , comprising automatically mapping the wide area network address to the user interface element.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 , comprising receiving input into the remote control device to manually map the wide area network address to the user interface element.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the wide area network address comprises a URL.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the user interface element representative of the media content provider is pre-stored in a memory of the remote control device.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the user interface element representative of the media content provider is retrieved from a memory of a device external to the remote control device.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein the device external to the remote control device comprises an Internet server device.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the information that is retrieved using the network address comprises a further user interface element and wherein, in response to a sensed interaction with the further user interface element, causing the remote control device to transmit a third command to cause a retrieval of further information from a further network address.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first command comprises a channel tuning command.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the display comprises a touch screen display.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the remote control device comprises a table computing device.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first command is caused to be transmitted in a first signal and wherein the second command is caused to be transmitted in a second signal.

Assignees

• Universal Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lilleness Robert P
• Yuh Han-Sheng
• Wang Weidong William
• Scott Wayne

Classifications

• G08C23/04

  using light waves, e.g. infrared · CPC title

• G08C2201/42

  Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network · CPC title

• H04N21/4131

  home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices (home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807) · CPC title

• H04N21/4316

  for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window · CPC title

• G08C2201/92

  Universal remote control · CPC title