Context-sensitive remote control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10741060-B2
Application number	US-201715832311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2017
Priority date	Dec 5, 2017
Publication date	Aug 11, 2020
Grant date	Aug 11, 2020

Abstract

Various implementations include approaches for controlling content via a playback device. In a particular implementation, a remote control device includes: a keypad having a set of actuatable buttons for controlling a playback device; and a control module, where the remote control device is operable in a plurality of different operating states, and where the control module is configured to highlight one or more distinct subsets of the set of actuatable buttons at the keypad based upon a current operating state of the remote control device.

First claim

We claim:

1. A remote control device operable in a plurality of different operating states, the remote control device comprising:
a casing including a keypad comprising:
a set of actuatable buttons for controlling a playback device, wherein the remote control device is operable to control one or more other devices via the playback device; and
a set of permanent buttons distinct from the set of actuatable buttons,
wherein the casing has a translucent color that obscures the actuatable buttons such that the actuatable buttons cannot be seen by a naked eye of a human user without highlighting, and wherein the actuatable buttons are not highlighted in a resting state; and

a control module configured to:
highlight one or more distinct subsets of the set of actuatable buttons at the keypad based upon a current operating state of the remote control device; and
in response to detecting movement of the remote control device or user contact with the keypad, highlight one or more of the distinct subsets of the set of actuatable buttons at the keypad based upon the current operating state of the remote control device,
wherein the set of permanent buttons are permanently displayed at the keypad regardless of the current operating state of the remote control device, and the set of permanent buttons provide a tactile reference point at the keypad, and
wherein the permanent buttons are selectively highlighted in only some of the operating states of the remote control device, and are only actuatable when highlighted.

2. The remote control device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a light source coupled with the control module and located proximate the keypad, wherein the light source is configured to highlight one or more of the distinct subsets of the set of actuatable buttons in response to a highlight command from the control module.

3. The remote control device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a communications module coupled with the control module, wherein the communications module is configured to communicate with the playback device to detect a current operating state of the playback device in response to the detected movement of the remote control device or user contact with the keypad, and based upon the communication, update the current operating state of the remote control device to coincide with the current operating state of the playback device,
wherein the communications module is configured to communicate with the playback device over a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communications protocol, a radio frequency (RF) communications protocol, a wireless local area networking communications protocol, a Zigbee communications protocol, a Z-Wave communications protocol, a Wi-Fi communications protocol or a Wi-Fi direct communications protocol.

4. The remote control device of claim 1 , further comprising a motion detector coupled with the control module,
wherein the playback device is configured to control operation of a plurality of other devices, the plurality of other devices including at least one of an audio content source or a video content source.

5. The remote control device of claim 1 , wherein the playback device is configured to receive control commands from a separate controller distinct from the remote control device, wherein the separate controller is configured to modify a current operating state of the playback device, and wherein the control module is configured to update the current operating state of the remote control device by highlighting one or more of the distinct subsets of the actuatable buttons based upon the modified current operating state of the playback device.

6. The remote control device of claim 1 , wherein each of the highlighted distinct subsets of the actuatable buttons corresponds with at least one function associated with the current operating state of the remote control device.

7. The remote control device of claim 1 , wherein, in at least one of the operating states of the remote control device, the remote control device is configured to control another device via the playback device.

8. The remote control device of claim 1 , wherein the keypad further comprises a set of source buttons each corresponding to a different one of the operating states of the remote control device, wherein the source buttons are operable to select the current operating state of the remote control device,
wherein the remote control device is configured to distinguish the source button associated with the current operating state of the remote control device from the other source buttons in the set of source buttons.

9. The remote control device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a light source coupled with the control module and located proximate the keypad, wherein the light source is configured to distinguish a source button associated with the current operating state of the remote control device from other source buttons associated with distinct operating states of the remote control device via at least one of a relative difference in illumination or a difference in color.

10. The remote control device of claim 1 , wherein the highlighting includes backlighting one or more of the distinct subsets of the set of actuatable buttons, wherein the permanent buttons provide the tactile reference point regardless of the operating state of the remote control device, and wherein the set of actuatable buttons do not provide a tactile reference point at the keypad in any operating state.

11. A system comprising:
a playback device; and
a remote control device operable in a plurality of different operating states and communicatively coupled with the playback device, the remote control device comprising:
a casing including a keypad comprising:
a set of actuatable buttons for controlling the playback device, wherein the casing has a translucent color that obscures the actuatable buttons such that the actuatable buttons are substantially invisible to a naked eye of a human user without highlighting, wherein the actuatable buttons are not highlighted in a resting state, wherein the translucent color further obscures the actuatable buttons such that the actuatable buttons cannot be seen by the naked eye of the human user without highlighting, wherein the highlighting includes backlighting one or more of the distinct subsets of the set of actuatable buttons; and
a set of permanent buttons distinct from the set of actuatable buttons, the set of permanent buttons being permanently displayed at the keypad regardless of the current operating state of the remote control device, wherein the set of permanent buttons provide a tactile reference point at the keypad regardless of the current operating state of the remote control device, and wherein the set of actuatable buttons do not provide a tactile reference point at the keypad in any operating state;

a control module configured to:
highlight one or more distinct subsets of the set of actuatable buttons at the keypad based upon a current operating state of the remote control device; and
in response to detecting movement of the remote control device or user contact with the keypad, highlight one or more of the distinct subsets of the set of actuatable buttons at the keypad based upon the current operating state of the remote control device,
wherein the permanent buttons are selectively highlighted in only some of the operating states of the remote control device, and are only actuatable when highlighted; and

a communications module coupled with the control module, the communications module configured to:
communicate with the playback device to detect a current operating state of the playback device in response to the detected movement of the remote

Assignees

• Bose Corp

Inventors

• Pucci Lino Antony
• Cunningham Ii Douglas Jeans
• Joyce John D
• White Brian Robert
• Larsen Paul William

Classifications

• H04N21/42204

  User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor (constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205) · CPC title

• H04N21/42222

  Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device · CPC title

• G08C2201/92

  Universal remote control · CPC title

• G08C2201/34

  Context aware guidance · CPC title

• G08C2201/93

  Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop · CPC title