Apparatus, systems and methods for pairing a controlled device with an RF remote control using an RFID tag

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9252848-B2
Application number	US-201314012807-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2013
Priority date	Mar 25, 2011
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

Systems and methods are operable to initiate a pairing process and a de-pairing process between a controlled device and a radio frequency (RF) remote control. An exemplary embodiment detects presence of a radio frequency identifier (RFID) tag in an interrogation zone established by an RFID tag reader, automatically initiates a pairing process in response to detecting the presence of the RFID tag in the interrogation zone, and completes the pairing process between the RF remote control and the controlled device, wherein the pairing process identifies a unique identifier associated with the RF remote control. A subsequently received RF signal emitted by the RF remote control includes at least one command configured to control operation of the controlled device and includes the unique identifier.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for pairing radio frequency (RF) remote controls with controlled media devices, the method comprising:
detecting presence of a radio frequency identifier (RFID) tag of an RF remote control in a first interrogation zone established by a first RFID tag reader of a first controlled media device that is configured to receive a media content stream with a media content event of interest;
automatically initiating a first pairing process between the first controlled media device and the RF remote control in response to detecting presence of the RFID tag in the first interrogation zone, wherein upon completion of the first pairing process, the first controlled media device becomes paired with the RF remote control and becomes configured to operate in accordance with a subsequently received RF signal emitted by the RF remote control when the subsequently received RF signal is one of a first plurality of RF signals;
detecting presence of the RFID tag in a second interrogation zone established by a second RFID tag reader of a second controlled media device that is operating at the same time as the first controlled media device, wherein the second controlled media device is configured to receive the media content event of interest from the first controlled media device and is configured to present video information of the media content event of interest to a user on a display of the second controlled media device; and
automatically initiating a second pairing process in response to detecting the presence of the RFID tag in the second interrogation zone, wherein upon completion of the second pairing process, the second controlled media device becomes paired with the RF remote control and becomes configured to operate in accordance with the subsequently received RF signal emitted by the RF remote control when the subsequently received RF signal is one of a second plurality of RF signals, wherein the second plurality of RF signals are different from the first plurality of RF signals,
wherein during concurrent operation of the first controlled media device and the second controlled media device, while the first controlled media device and the second controlled media device are concurrently paired with the RF remote control, the subsequently received RF signal emitted by the RF remote control is detected by the first controlled media device and the second controlled media device,
wherein the first controlled media device operates in response to the subsequently received RF signal when the subsequently received RF signal emitted by the RF remote control is one of the first plurality of RF signals, and
wherein the second controlled media device operates in response to the subsequently received RF signal emitted by the RF remote control when the subsequently received RF signal is one of the second plurality of RF signals.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at the first controlled media device, a unique identifier associated with the RF remote control after detecting the presence of the RFID tag in the first interrogation zone established by the first RFID tag reader;
storing, at the first controlled media device, the unique identifier associated with the RF remote control, wherein the first controlled media device operates in response to the subsequently received RF signal emitted by the RF remote control only when the unique identifier associated with the RF remote control is included in the subsequently received RF signal;
receiving, at the second controlled media device, the unique identifier associated with the RF remote control after detecting the presence of the RFID tag in the second interrogation zone established by the second RFID tag reader, and
storing, at the second controlled media device, the unique identifier associated with the RF remote control, wherein the second controlled media device operates in response to the subsequently received RF signal emitted by the RF remote control only when the unique identifier associated with the RF remote control is included in the subsequently received RF signal.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein after the first controlled media device becomes configured to operate in accordance with at least one command in the subsequently received RF signal emitted by the RF remote control, and further comprising:
subsequently detecting the presence of the RFID tag in the first interrogation zone established by the first RFID tag reader;
automatically initiating a de-pairing process between the RF remote control and the first controlled media device; and
completing the de-pairing process between the RF remote control and the first controlled media device,
wherein the first controlled media device then becomes reconfigured to not operate in accordance with the subsequently received RF signal emitted by the RF remote control.

4. A method for pairing a radio frequency (RF) remote control with controlled devices, the method comprising:
detecting presence of a radio frequency identifier (RFID) tag of the RF remote control in a first interrogation zone established by a first RFID tag reader of a first controlled device that is configured to receive a media content stream with a media content event of interest;
pairing the RF remote control and the first controlled device, wherein the pairing is based on a unique identifier associated with the RF remote control that is identifiable by the first controlled device when operating;
detecting presence of the RFID tag of the RF remote control in a second interrogation zone established by a second RFID tag reader of a second controlled device, wherein the second controlled media device is configured to receive the media content event of interest from the first controlled media device and is configured to present video information of the media content event of interest to a user on a display of the second controlled media device; and
pairing the RF remote control and the second controlled device, wherein the pairing is based on the unique identifier associated with the RF remote control that is identifiable by the second controlled device when operating,
wherein the concurrently operating first controlled device and second controlled device are concurrently paired with the RF remote control,
wherein a subsequently received first RF signal emitted by the RF remote control that is received by both the concurrently operating first controlled device and second controlled device includes at least one first command configured to control operation of the first controlled device and includes the unique identifier, wherein the first controlled device responds to the at least one first command only when the unique identifier associated with the RF remote control is present in the subsequently received first RF signal, and
wherein a subsequently received second RF signal emitted by the RF remote control that is received by both the concurrently operating first controlled device and second controlled device includes at least one second command configured to control operation of the second controlled device and includes the unique identifier, wherein the second controlled device responds to the at least one second command only when the unique identifier associated with the RF remote control is present in the subsequently received second RF signal.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein detecting presence of the RFID tag in the first interrogation zone comprises:
detecting the unique identifier associated with the RF remote control in a magnetic field modulated by the RFID tag.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein detecting presence of the RFID tag comprises:
receiving the unique identifier associated with the RF remote control in an RF identification signal emitted by the RF remote cont

Assignees

• Echostar Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Hale Nathan
• Innes David A

Classifications

• G08C17/02 Primary

  using a radio link · CPC title

• H04B5/0062 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N21/441

  Acquiring end-user identification {, e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card} · CPC title

• 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

• G08C2201/20

  Binding and programming of remote control devices · CPC title