Entertainment system including selectable IR receive and transmit codes and day/night picture modes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8983385-B2
Application number	US-201314016379-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2013
Priority date	Feb 6, 2007
Publication date	Mar 17, 2015
Grant date	Mar 17, 2015

Abstract

An entertainment system for a vehicle, including a media player and a control panel having an option that allows a user to select either a first communication mode or a second communication mode, wherein the first communication mode sets the entertainment system to respond to a transmitted first set of codes and the second communication mode sets the entertainment system to respond to a transmitted second set of codes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An entertainment system, comprising:
a media player;
a central processing unit (CPU) configured to interpret a first set of remote control codes and a second set of remote control codes that differs from the first;
an infrared receiver configured to wirelessly receive infrared signals including the first set of remote control codes and the second set of remote control codes and send the first and second sets of remote control codes to the CPU; and
wherein the CPU is configured to operate on a command of the first set of remote control codes but to ignore all commands of the second set of remote control codes, when the system is in a first communication mode,
wherein the CPU is configured to operate on a command of the second set of remote control codes but to ignore all commands of the first set of remote control codes, when the system is in a second other communication mode, and
wherein the CPU is configured to relay data to the media player that corresponds to the command operated on.

2. The entertainment system of claim 1 , further comprising a control panel having an option that allows a user to switch the entertainment system between one of the first communication mode and the second communication mode.

3. The entertainment system of claim 2 , wherein the control panel is located in a remote control.

4. The entertainment system of claim 1 , wherein the media player is one of an MPEG player, a card reader, a DVD player, a CD-ROM player, a video game player, a video cassette player, or a digital video recorder.

5. The entertainment system of claim 1 , wherein the entertainment system receives and plays at least one of a digital video disc, a compact disc, a video compact disc, a flash card, a secure digital card, a smart media card or a memory stick card.

6. The entertainment system of claim 1 , wherein the first communication mode sets the entertainment system to output an audio signal from the media player to a first audio channel and the second communication mode sets the entertainment system to output the audio signal from the media player to a second audio channel.

7. The entertainment system of claim 6 , further comprising:
an infrared transmitter configured to wirelessly send the audio signal across the channels using an infrared signal;
a first wireless sound system that wirelessly receives the infrared signal including the audio signal from the first channel; and
a second wireless sound system that wirelessly receives the infrared signal including the audio signal from the second audio channel.

8. The entertainment system of claim 1 , further comprises a display unit set to a pre-stored night brightness level based on an operation by the CPU on a night command of the remote control codes and set to a pre-stored day brightness level based on operation by the CPU on a day command of the remote control codes.

9. An entertainment system, comprising:
an entertainment unit; and
a remote control separate from the entertainment unit, wherein the entertainment unit comprises:
a media player;
a first central processing unit (CPU) configured to interpret a first set of remote control codes and a second set of remote control codes that differs from the first;
an infrared (IR) receiver configured to wirelessly receive infrared signals including the first set of remote control codes and the second set of remote control codes and send the first and second sets of remote control codes to the first CPU,
wherein the remote control comprises:
a keypad;
a button enabling a user to select one of a first mode and a second mode;

an IR transmitter; and
a second CPU configured to convert key presses of the keypad into the first set of remote control codes when the first mode is selected and convert the key presses into the second other set of remote control codes when the second mode is selected, and output the resulting codes to the IR transmitter.

10. The entertainment system of claim 9 , wherein the button is a toggle button comprising two choices, and only one of the choices is selectable at a time.

11. The entertainment system of claim 9 , wherein the first CPU is configured to operate on a command of the first set of remote control codes but to ignore all commands of the second set of remote control codes when in a first communication mode, wherein the first CPU is configured to operate on a command of the second set of remote control codes but to ignore all commands of the first set of remote control codes when in a second communication mode.

12. The entertainment system of claim 11 , wherein the first CPU is configured to relay data to the media player that corresponds to the command operated on.

13. The entertainment system of claim 11 , wherein the entertainment unit comprises a control panel having an option that allows a user to switch the entertainment system between one of the first communication mode and the second communication mode.

14. The entertainment system of claim 11 , wherein the remote control comprises a control panel having an option that allows a user to switch the entertainment system between one of the first communication mode and the second communication mode.

15. The entertainment system of claim 9 , wherein the keypad enables a user to modify a brightness or a contrast of a display unit of the entertainment unit.

16. The entertainment system of claim 9 , wherein the media player is one of an MPEG player, a card reader, a DVD player, a CD-ROM player, a video game player, a video cassette player, or a digital video recorder.

17. The entertainment system of claim 9 , wherein the entertainment unit receives and plays at least one of a digital video disc, a compact disc, a video compact disc, a flash card, a secure digital card, a smart media card or a memory stick card.

18. The entertainment system of claim 11 , wherein the first communication mode sets the entertainment system to output an audio signal from the media player to a first audio channel and the second communication mode sets the entertainment system to output the audio signal from the media player to a second audio channel.

19. The entertainment system of claim 18 , further comprising: an infrared transmitter configured to wirelessly send the audio signal across the channels using an infrared signal; a first wireless sound system that wirelessly receives the infrared signal including the audio signal from the first channel; and a second wireless sound system that wirelessly receives the infrared signal including the audio signal from the second audio channel.

20. The entertainment system of claim 9 , wherein the entertainment unit comprises a display unit set to a pre-stored night brightness level based on an operation by the first CPU on a night command of the remote control codes and set to a pre-stored day brightness level based on operation by the first CPU on a day command of the remote control codes.

Assignees

• Voxx Int Corp

Inventors

• Macholz Jeff

Classifications

• H04N5/4403 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04B1/207

  with an audio or audio/video bus for signal distribution (H04B1/205 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04B1/082 Primary

  to be used in vehicles (H04B1/086 takes precedence; holding or mounting accessories B60R11/02) · CPC title

• H04N21/4184

  providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick · CPC title

• H04N21/42221

  Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF] · CPC title