Method of programming a universal remote control
Contents
1. wild card code is entered scanning further comprises iterating through all code sets for at least a device type 10 A non transitory computer readable medium embod ied with a computer program that comprises computer pro gram code executable by a processor to perform the steps of setting up a Remote Control of claim 1 11 A method for setting up a Remote Control that includes a keyboard a processor a memory and a transmitter the method comprising the steps of entering via the keyboard and processor a configuration mode scanning via the processor and memory though remote control code sets in a database stored in the memory of the Remote Control testing via the keyboard if individuals keys of a code set send via the transmitter correct codes and receiving via the keyboard user feedback on the correct and or incor rect working of the tested keys replacing via the processor and memory non working codes with codes from at least a further remote control code set and combining via the processor and memory correct working codes from the scanned remote control code sets into a new custom configuration code set and installing via the processor and memory the combined correct working codes of the new custom configuration code set for use by the remote control 12 The method according to claim 11 where codes from the same remote control code set are assigned to keys belong ing to a certain key group 13 T2. INVENTION The table of FIG 4 shows an example ofa table with actual pointers to a list of code sets Ids starting with a 9 the brand ids Philips Pioneer Samsung Sony are actually a pointer to a list of code set ids for a certain brand device type com bination All other ids Philco Sanyo are actually single code set ids The digit convention is just to illustrate the invention For the user there is no difference between the brand ids and the single code set ids the URC s software handles the two different kinds of ids For Philips the software algorithm will look up the code sets to use by using the brand scan process in the software For Philco it will only use Code set id 5689 Another Philco code set id 4566 will not be used since it is very unlikely to be the correct code set anyway Another advantage of this approach is that because the actual code set ids can be entered in the setup it is possible for the user to type in the correct code set in one go This allows the support of brands that were not in the brand list at the time the remote was produced but use a code set that is already available in the Database In that case the instructions for use should be amended accordingly or the helpdesk could instruct the user which ID to enter In case that a new brand appears the instructions for use should reflect this new brand by means of the code set id of the basic IR code set that it uses To the user this code set id
3. example the volume keygroup consists of volume up volume down and mute The teletext key group consists of all keys controlling teletext modes the digits keygroup consists of all digits In practice it is very likely that if one key ofa certain keygroup works all keys will work if their functions are taken from the same IR codeset This will speed up the set up of the remote According to an alternative embodiment the algorithm may abandon the concept of the keygroups in the following situation if the first key of a keygroup works but the second or subsequent key of the key group does not work In that case the algorithm treats all keys in the keygroup individu ally which means that the keys from the keygroup may use codes from different IR code sets It is also possible to use the given feedback in steps 77 and 78 to limit or extend current set of remote control codesets while the algorithm is running For example when in step 78 the user feeds back that a certain button is or isn t working this information can be used to remove codesets from the set of codesets that haven t been iterated through yet So if the user would indicate that the volume up IR code isn t work ing the remote control can omit trying another codeset with that same IR code for the volume up function Also when the user would indicate that the program down function would be correct this information can be used US 8 378 875
4. feedback is used to limit or extend the set of remote control code sets that are scanned through For example if the user feeds back that a certain button is or isn t working this information can be used to remove codesets from the set of codesets that haven t been iterated through yet This will speed up the set up of the remote Preferably the method according to the invention is imple mented by means of a computer program According to a further aspect of the invention a remote control is provided comprising memory means storing brand identifiers pointing to a list of code set identifiers for the brand and storing single code set identifiers which are not pointed to by a brand identifier According to a still further aspect of the invention a remote control is provided comprising means for entering a configuration mode means for accepting an identifier entry means for scanning though remote control code sets wherein the means for scanning are adapted for in case that the identifier entry is a brand identifier iterating through the remote control code sets corre sponding to the brand and testing said remote control code sets in case that the identifier entry is a code set identifier testing the remote control code set corresponding to the code set identifier According to a still further a further aspect of the invention a remote control is provided comprising means for entering a configuration mode means for scann
5. processor and memory though remote control code sets in a database stored in the memory of the Remote Control wherein the step of scanning com prises in case that the identifier entry is a brand identifier that identifies a brand i iterating via the processor and memory through the remote control code sets corre sponding to the brand and ii testing said remote control code sets by sending via the transmitter to a Consumer Electronic device for a given iteration one or more specific control code functions of a corre sponding remote control code set and in case that the identifier entry is a code set identifier that identifies a single remote control code set which in not pointed to by a brand identifier testing the single remote control code set corresponding to the code set identifier by sending via the transmitter to the Consumer Electronic device one or more specific control code functions of the corresponding single remote control code set 2 The method according to claim 1 wherein the iteration through remote control code sets corresponding to the brand continues i until a user approval ofa remote control code set is entered via the keyboard or ii until all the remote control code sets corresponding to the brand have been tested 3 The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of checking via the processor memory and keyboard for user approval of a remote control code set and installing v
6. step 78 He has means to indicate whether the keys function correctly or not In different embodiments the way to indicate that differs In a preferred embodiment the algorithm assumes all keys work OK unless the user keeps the key pressed In other embodi ments the user can after pressing a key press a thumbs up or thumbs down key to indicate if the previous key sent the correct command Or alternatively each key has a green and red backlight Red means that the key doesn t work green means that it does Many alternatives can be conceived of Ifthe user is happy with the result he can choose to end the algorithm and store the current code sets step 80 9 The algorithm determines if the user indicated if a key doesn t work step 79 If the user indeed indicates a key doesn t work continue at step 74 now taking into account the user s feedback for working and non working keys other wise return to step 78 10 When the user is satisfied with all keys after step 77 the algorithm stops step 80 It installs IR codes from one or more IR codesets Optionally the user can indicate that he s still not happy with the current results and wants to start from scratch In that case the user can jump to step 73 after indicating this In an alternative embodiment of this algorithm key groups are taken into account This means that all keys that logically belong together will always be using IR codes from the same IR codeset For
7. B2 9 The combination of IR codes from different code sets may be used with the method as described with reference to FIG 5 but also with the prior art methods Autoscan method 2 and Brand search method 3 FIG 7 shows a block diagram of a remote control 20 suitable for implementing the present invention Only the relevant components are shown The remote control 20 com prises a processor 30 a keyboard 40 an IR or RF transmitter 50 for transmitting control codes and a memory 60 The invention is preferably implemented by a suitable computer program stored in memory 60 which is run by processor 30 The brand identifiers and code set identifiers are also stored in the memory 60 As will be recognized by those skilled in the art the inno vative concepts described in the present application can be modified and varied over a wide range of applications Accordingly the scope of patented subject matter should not be limited to any of the specific exemplary teachings dis cussed but is instead defined by the following claims Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope The invention claimed is 1 A method for setting up a Remote Control that includes a keyboard a processor a memory and a transmitter the method comprising the steps of entering via the keyboard and processor a configuration mode accepting via the keyboard and processor an identifier entry and scanning via the
8. DETERMINES THE CODE SETS TO ITERATE THROUGH 6 ITERATE THROUGH ALL CODE SETS URC SENDS A SPECIFIC or multinie specific gous UNIONS PER CODE SET 9 y User Offered to ry URC buttons 18 Y N Doss the Rteration of Code Sets Belong to a 5T Leye iteration ALGORITHM STOPS WITHOUT INSTALLING A CODE SET lt gt ER 1 ITERATION THROUGH ALL CODE SETS FINISHED Select a 2 Level Set of Code Sets and Re Start iterations ALGORITHM STOPS AND USER APPROVED 14 CONE SET IS INSTALLED FIG 5 U S Patent Feb 19 2013 Sheet 4 of 5 US 8 378 875 B2 a START THE SET UP PROCESS 7i OPTIONALLY SELECT THE DEVICE TYPE i p72 AND OPTIONALLY SELECT THE BRAND f DETERMINE WHAT CODE SETS MAY 73 WORK WITH THE USER S DEVICE ITERATE THROUGH A NEXT DE 74 CODE SET X where X ranges from 1 to N For each Code Set send one or more IR Code s and wait for user to have a chance to react Keys thal previously were i not associated with an iR Cade or ii indicated to be associated with non 77 working IR Codes will be associated with TR Codes from the currant selected Code Set User tests if keys on URC work as expected Algorithm installs IR Codes from one or mare iR Cocde Sets and Stops User indicate a key works FIG 6 U S Patent Feb 19 2013 Sheet 5 of 5 US 8 378 875 B2 KEYBOARD IR or RF PROCESSOR Transmitter MEMORY includ
9. IFIC or multipie specific _7 R FUNCTIONS PER CODE SET ITERATION THROUGH ALL CODE SETS FINISHED Select a 2 Level Set of 13 Code Bels and Re Start tions lt a Does the ALGORITHM ALGORITHM STOPS AND STOPS USER APPROVED WITHOUT 14 CODE SET IS INSTALLED INSTALLING A CODE SET U S Patent Feb 19 2013 Sheet 1 of 5 US 8 378 875 B2 DVD Philips 0392 1253 5547 Sanyo 5661 2236 4587 4566 Sony 0023 0024 2566 5689 6588 4456 Philco 5689 4566 FIG 1 Philips 9375 Samsung 9973 Pioneer 9376 Sony 9876 FIG 2 U S Patent Philips Philco Pioneer Feb 19 2013 Sheet 2 of 5 US 8 378 875 B2 9376 Pioneer 9876 Sony 9375 Philips 9973 Samsung 9876 7500Y 9375 an actual pointer to a list of codesets 5689 a single codeset id 9376 an actual pointer to a list of codesets 0392 1253 5547 2236 4587 4566 5689 6588 5697 4566 4567 4588 6994 0122 0036 4563 5642 6545 6653 7564 1212 0126 4456 3365 0023 0024 2566 4456 FIG 3 Samsung 9973 27 actual pointer to a list of codesets Sanyo 5661 a single codeset id Sony 9876 an actual pointer to a list of codesets FIG 4 U S Patent Feb 19 User 8 Reaction 7 2013 Sheet 3 of 5 US 8 378 875 B2 START CONFIGURATION MODE SELECT DEVICE TYPE TO SETUP THE URC FOR ENTER IDENTIFIER ON THE URC START THE SCANNING PROCESS URC
10. almost all brands can be supported In case that a new brand appears the instructions for use should reflect this new brand by means of the code set id ofthe basic IR code set that it uses To the user this code set id appears to be the brand id of the new brand This assumes that this basic IR code set is already in the IR Database which is often the case According to an embodiment of the invention the iteration through remote control code sets corresponding to the brand continues until a user approval of a remote control code set is entered or until all the remote control code sets correspond ing to the brand have been tested In this way the success rate of finding a working remote control code set for the brand is made as high as possible If the user approves of a certain remote control code set it is installed into the remote control Preferably the step of testing a remote control code set comprises the steps of sending a remote control signal of the remote control code set preferably power toggle or power on off checking for a user reaction and in case of a user reaction enabling the user to test keys of the Remote Control for the remote control code set So first a limited test of the code set is performed sending one ora few codes If this these code s work correctly the user reacts for example by press ing a key of the remote control He is then given the oppor tunity to test also the other codes This way of testing i
11. and search method with the Code set id as US 8 378 875 B2 3 used in the manual code set id selection method To the user all these ids appear to be Brand ids some of these ids are actual Brand ids referring to a pre programmed list of code set ids for a certain brand device type combination others are actual code set ids For brands device type com binations that have only a low number of code sets or the first code set has a very high success rate the user will punch in the code set id directly This means there is no additional memory usage for making a pointer from a brand id to code set ids In technical terms the notion of code set ids and brand ids still exists but this is made invisible to the user There might be a numbering convention to distinguish between brand ids and code set ids e g all brand ids start with 8 or 9 The method according to the present invention has numer ous advantages Within the same memory constraints the Brand search can be extended to ALL brands not a small subset of popular brands It is easier for a user since there is no fallback scenario from Brand search to Auto scan or manual Code set id selec tion needed anymore There is no need for an extensive manual as needed for the Code set id selection method method 1 It makes configu ration of URC functionality easier for users In the method according to the invention by only changing the instructions for use
12. appears to be the brand id of the new brand This assumes that this basic IR code set is already in the IR Database which is often the case The instructions for use may be in the form of a paper manual or in electronic form for example on a user support web site This approach works best if the remote control is universal for only one device type i e TV which is the majority In other cases a different brand list should be present in the instructions for use for each device type Alternatively a single list could be used for all device types 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 Steps to Configure a URC Using a Preferred Method of the Invention The User Interaction can resemble a typical Brand search approach The steps are shown in FIG 5 and may actually be in a different order in different embodiments The different steps are described below The user starts the configuration mode of the URC step 1 There may be different mechanisms to do this such as press ing a setup key for a longer time or by means of a magic key press where different buttons are pressed simultaneously If the remote is universal for more than one Device type the user selects the Device type he wants to setup the URC for step 2 This could be TV VCR DVD Sat Amp as supported by the URC This step is optional Alternatively the device type is not selected and the scan ning process described herein after incl
13. as writing SMS messages using the numerical keyboard of his mobile phone Since most users have expe rience in writing SMS messages this results in a very com prehensible way of entering the brand identifier According to a further aspect of the invention another method for setting up a Remote Control is provided It com prises the steps of entering a configuration mode scanning though remote control code sets testing if individuals keys of a code set send correct codes and receiving user feedback on the correct and or incorrect working of the tested keys replac ing non working codes by codes from at least a further remote control code set combining codes from the remote control code sets and storing them for use by the remote control So a number of remote control code sets are combined into a single remote control code set The single remote control code set is installed in the remote control This is very prac tical if there are multiple code sets that trigger a reaction on the equipment to be controlled but also comprise a few codes that do not work According to an embodiment codes from the same remote control code set are assigned to keys belonging to a certain key group In practice it is very likely that if one key of a certain keygroup works all keys will work if their functions are taken from the same IR codeset This will speed up the set up of the remote According to a further embodiment based on the testing step the user
14. ay in practice be combined with step 71 3 The algorithm determines what Code sets may work for the user s device Suppose there are N different Code sets selected These set of code sets will be iterated through start ing with the first step 73 When the users indicates so by pressing and holding a key continue to next step 4 The algorithm iterates through the next Code set step 74 Codeset x where x ranges from 1 to N 5 For each Code set in the iteration the algorithm sends one or more IR code s and wait some time to give the user the chance to react step 75 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 What IR codes are actually sent out depend on the progress in the algorithm It may be a preconfigured IR code or an IR code for which the user indicated that it didn t work see step 78 6 The algorithm checks for a user reaction indicating a sent IR code triggers some function on the target device This reaction is often the press or release of a key step 76 When the user doesn t react the algorithm continues at step 74 When the user does react the algorithm continues at step 77 7 Assume that code set i is selected Keys that previously weren t associated with an IR code or were indicated to be associated with non working IR codes will be associated with IR codes from code set i Step 77 8 The user can now try pressing the keys on the URC to test if they work as expected
15. az United States Patent D Hoore et al US008378875B2 US 8 378 875 B2 Feb 19 2013 a0 Patent No 45 Date of Patent 54 METHOD OF PROGRAMMING A 56 References Cited UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL 75 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 75 Inventors Michael Walter Paul D Hoore Korbeek Dijle BE Juergen Forscht ple f ih eas E Nanolstadt DE Rogier Louis Jacques 6 344 817 B1 2 2002 Verzulli Willem Thissen Leuven BE 6 774 813 B2 8 2004 Van Ee et al 2003 0141987 AL 7 2003 Hayes en 340 825 72 73 Assignee Koninklijke Philips Electronics N V 2003 0189509 A1 10 2003 Hayes et al 341 176 Eindhoven NL 2004 0257239 Al 12 2004 Griesau et al 2005 0144562 Al 6 2005 Schena etal ou 715 741 Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this EURO TIS ak T A2000 WHEDON patent is extended or adjusted under 35 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS U S C 154 b by 1012 days wo 0070577 Al 11 2000 WO 0243022 A2 5 2002 21 Appl No 12 282 692 wo 03083801 A2 10 2003 22 PCT Filed Mar 5 2007 cited by examiner 86 PCTNo PCT IB2007 050714 Primary Penner DOAN Vo 371 c 1 57 ABSTRACT A Date Mar 6 2003 A method for setting up a Remote Control is described In one 87 PCT Pub No WO2007 105142 step 1 a configuration mode is entered In another step an identifier entry is accepted 3 In case that the identifier is a PCT Pub Date Sep 20 2007 brand id the remote control scans though code sets corre ae sponding to t
16. but it s possible to cap the maximum number of digits In case of overlap two different brands result in the same digit sequence a resolution can be to concatenate the list of Code sets for both brands and iterate through these all in the scan process The SMS keyboard entry of the brand may be used with the method as described with reference to FIG 5 but also with the prior art method Brand search method 3 Combine IR Codes from Different Code Sets During the Scan Process Often the scanning process will find multiple code sets that trigger a reaction on the CE equipment This is because there can be overlap between multiple code sets I e for code set X the Power digits and Teletext works ok but volume does not while for code set Y the Power digits and volume work but Teletext does not In this case it s very practical when a user can indicate for a given matching code set which codes do work and or which codes do not The URC can track this and combine the working codes of multiple code sets into a new custom configuration code set which contains func tions from multiple code sets The scanning process is depicted in the flowchart shown in FIG 6 1 Start the set up process e g by pressing the right magic key combination At this time none of the keys will have associated IR codes step 71 2 Optionally select the device type and optionally select the brand step 72 This can be done in either order and m
17. de set send correct codes and receiving user feedback on the correct and or incorrect working of the tested keys means for replacing non working codes with codes from at least a further remote control code set and means for combining correct working codes from the scanned remote control code sets into a new custom configuration code set and for installing the combined correct working codes of the new custom configuration code set for use by the remote control
18. ed and a specific or multiple specific IR functions is are sent When there is a user reaction by pressing a key or by releas ing the pressed key or when the last IR code is sent the iteration stops If the user reacted he is optionally offered to try the buttons of the URC for the selected code set step 9 Steps 7 8 and 9 together form the step of testing said remote control code sets In step 10 the user indicates if he accepts the current remote control code set or not Ifthe user accepts then the algorithm stops and the user approved code set is installed step 14 If the user doesn t accept the scanning process is continued by going to step 11 In step 12 the algorithm checks if the iteration that was finished in step 11 was an iteration of code sets belonging to a brand first level iteration If so the algorithm proceeds to step 13 This means that no code set was found by iterating through the available code sets In step 13 a second level set of code sets is selected and the iteration is re started This second level set could for instance consist of a list contain ing 1 all Brands for the device type and or 2 a list of back up code sets known to be likely candidates Then the algorithm continues with this new list to iterate through at step 6 Ifin step 12 the algorithm determines that the iteration that was finished in step 11 was a second level iteration the algorithm stops without installi
19. et ids con sist of 3 to 5 digits seemingly random Before entering the first code set id the user needs to press some magic com bination of keys or a special key to go to programming mode After having entered the first code set id the user can try out the codes of the installed IR code set to verify if that works on his CE equipment If the user isn t happy since some codes are not working or he sent the wrong code he can use the programming mechanism to enter another code set id and try again The main drawback of this scenario is that it s tedious for a user to enter the code set id digits and try to find a code set that works Many will not have any effect on the equipment at all Also this requires a pretty extensive list that contains all combinations of Brand Device types and their list of code set ids to be tried This list may be ina manual or ona web site in the case that users get web support The above is illustrated in FIG 1 that shows part of the URC s manual that a user uses to look up the Code set ids for the Brand Device type com binations 2 Auto scan also known as auto search further referred to as method 2 Auto scan makes it simpler for a user to find a code set that works Here the user presses another magic combination of keys optionally selects the device type he wants to search for i e By pressing the TV or DVD button on his URC Then he presses a key to start auto sca
20. he brand by sending a remote control signal 7 65 F ior Publication Data checking for a user reaction 8 testing further remote control US 2009 0237287 A1 Sep 24 2009 signals of a user selected code set 9 and checking for a user approval of the selected code set 10 and wherein the step of 30 Foreign Application Priority Data scanning is repeated until a user approval is entered Lastly the remote control installs the user approved code set 13 In Mar 15 2006 EP cicsivsscccsssccpecodenedecsescttens 06111201 case that the identifier is a code set id the remote control sends a remote control signal of the corresponding code set 51 Int Cl 7 checks for a user reaction 8 tests further remote control HOAL 17 02 2006 01 signals of the code set 9 and checks for a user approval of GOSB 11 01 2006 01 the code set Moreover the invention describes a Remote Con 52 US Cle sicdecss ccs ess 341 176 348 734 340 12 28 trol that is capable of performing the previously described 58 Field of Classification Search 341 176 steps 340 4 11 12 23 12 28 348 114 See application file for complete search history 3 15 Claims 5 Drawing Sheets 1 START CONFIGURATION MODE 2 SELECT DEVICE TYPE TO SETUP THE URC FOR ENTER IDENTIFIER ON THE URC ig START THE SCANNING PROCESS 5 URC DETERMINES THE CODE SETS TO ITERATE THROUGH g ITERATE THROUGH ALL CODE SETS 7 URC SENDS A SPEC
21. he drawback is that a manual is needed to look up the brand ids although it is briefer than the manual needed for method 1 Another big drawback is that for all brands the URC needs to keep a reference to all the code sets for a certain brand device type combination This consumes a lot of stor age space For that reason often only the bigger brands are supported for this mechanism If the right brand is not in this list the user is referred to method 1 or 2 As explained herein above in case of method 1 a bigger manual is needed Also the user has to try multiple methods that all work different and therefore needs to read through many pages of the manual before he successfully can configure his URC The user has to select the correct method to be used which may be confusing Another disadvantage is that brands that are not in the list of supported brands will never work Users will have to revert to method 1 FIG 2 shows a part of the manual that the user uses to look up the brand ids This table is much shorter than the table for method 1 since it only contains the brand ids for the top brands The Philco and Sanyo brands are not in here to save space on the URC s storage Inside this storage there is another table that links the brand ids per device type to the list of code sets that brand search will iterate through This is shown in FIG 3 Brands that are introduced after the produc tion of the remote will never be covered using brand
22. he method according to claim 11 where based on the testing step the user feedback is used to limit or extend a number of remote control code sets that are scanned through 14 Remote Control comprising means for entering a configuration mode means for accepting an identifier entry and means for scanning though remote control code sets in a database stored in a memory of the Remote Control wherein the means for scanning are adapted for in case that the identifier entry is a brand identifier that identifies a brand i iterating through the remote con trol code sets corresponding to the brand and ii testing said remote control code sets by sending to a Consumer Electronic device for a given iteration one of more spe cific control code functions of a corresponding remote control code set and US 8 378 875 B2 11 in case that the identifier entry is a code set identifier that identifies a single remote control code set which is not pointed to by a brand identifier testing the single remote control code set corresponding to the code set identifier by sending to the Consumer Electronic device one or more specific control code functions of the correspond ing single remote control code set 15 Remote Control comprising means for entering a configuration mode means for scanning though remote control code sets in a database stored in the memory of the Remote Control 5 12 means for testing if individuals keys of a co
23. ia the processor and memory the user approved remote control code set for use by the Remote Control 4 The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of testing a remote control code set comprises the following steps sending via the transmitter a remote control signal of the remote control code set checking via the processor memory and keyboard for a user reaction and 0 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 in case of a user reaction enabling via the processor memory and transmitter to test keys of the Remote Control for the remote control code set 5 The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of accepting via the keyboard and processor a device type entry 6 The method according to claim 1 wherein if no user approval ofa remote control code set has been entered via the keyboard during the step of scanning a further scanning step is performed scanning through further remote control code sets 7 The method according to claim 1 further comprising enabling via the processor and memory the use of a numeri cal keyboard for entering a brand identifier comprising let ters 8 The method according to claim 1 wherein a numbering convention is used to distinguish between brand identifiers and code set identifiers 9 The method according to claim 1 wherein the identifier entry is a wild card code and upon detecting via the pro cessor and keyboard that the
24. ing Database 20 REMOTE FIG i 7 CONTROL US 8 378 875 B2 1 METHOD OF PROGRAMMING A UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Technical Field The present invention generally relates to a Universal remote control URC Moreover the present invention relates to a method of programming an URC e g by using brand and code set identifiers 2 Description of Related Art Multiple ways exist how a user can configure a Universal Remote Control URC or another device with URC func tionality to work with his CE equipment like TV Amps DVD players Most URCs actually offer a multitude of ways to do this The goal of all these methods is to help the user to easily find the best matching IR code set set of IR codes for the URC to control the CE equipment Finding that best matching code set is not easy due to the high number of possible code sets for a certain Brand Device combination E g for Philips TVs a user has to pick one of 10 15 code sets The most popular ways of configuring that URC are listed below All have drawbacks as described 1 Enter a code set from the manual further referred to as method 1 The user uses the manual to look up a combination of Brand and Device type e g TV DVD Itis possible that the universal aspect of the remote is limited to just one Device type often TV There he finds a list of code set ids he needs to punch in on his URC Often these code s
25. ing though remote control code sets means for testing if individuals keys of a code set send correct codes and receiving user feedback on the correct and or incorrect working of the tested keys US 8 378 875 B2 5 means for replacing non working codes by codes from at least a further remote control code set means for combining codes from the remote control code sets and storing them for use by the remote control BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be better understood and its numerous objects and advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following drawing in conjunction with the accompanying specification in which FIG 1 shows entries for a code set from a user manual according to the prior art FIG 2 shows a part of a manual that the user uses to look up the brand ids according to the prior art FIG 3 shows a table that links brand ids per device type to a list of code sets that a brand search will iterate through according to the prior art FIG 4 shows an example of a table with actual pointer to a list of code sets FIG 5 shows steps to configure a URC using a preferred method FIG 6 shows steps to configure a URC using a further preferred method FIG 7 shows a block diagram of a remote control suitable for implementing the present invention Throughout the figures like reference numerals refer to like elements DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT
26. n In some variants he has to keep a certain button pressed The URC starts iterating through all code sets for the selected device and sends one or more IR functions in the code set often Power toggle or Power off to the equipment As soon as the CE device reacts by either turning off on or any other response to the IR code sent the user presses a button or releases a button he was holding Now he can try if the other keys work as well or have a mechanism to restart auto scan trying to find another code set that works better The main drawback of this auto scan it that it can take a long time for the URC to find a working code set Also 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 continuing auto scan when it finds a sub optimal code set i e some functions codes are missing or not working properly is tedious The methods 1 and 2 are disclosed in U S Pat No 6 344 817 B1 3 Brand search further referred to as method 3 Using Brand search the user has to enter a brand id in stead of a code set id and choose the device type he wants to find IR codes for There is a magic key press to start this procedure Then the user types the ID of the brand of his CE equipment and presses the device button TV DVD Sat AMP Then an auto scan starts but only for the code sets for that certain brand not for all brands as in auto scan The main advantage is that this is a lot quicker then auto scan T
27. ng a code set step 15 US 8 378 875 B2 7 Alternative Embodiments In a different embodiment the invention may be used to set up the URC functionally of a set top box PVR This may happen when the set top box controls other devices like a Satellite or cable receiver Instead of IR codes the idea can also be applied to RF codes SMS Keyboard Entry of the Brand In the description above the Brand id is represented as an x digit code x 4 in the examples This always requires lookup in the manual To make it even easier the SMS key board can be used instead On a GSM phone the 2 key also has the letters ABC assigned 3 has DEF The SMS keyboard is a way to compose words using the numerical keypad as found on phones Because on remotes the same keyboard is used so these letters are also printed on the digit keys it is possible to perform similar composing Assuming the single tap SMS keyboard one can spell P HILIPS as 7445477 so each digit once Sony becomes 7669 etc Alternatively the use of multi tap is possible PHILIPS becomes 7 44 444 555 444 7 7777 3 taps of the 7 key generate the 3 rd letter R the 7 key also refers to PQRS LED lights may be used to communicate a user that the entry of a brand was successful or not Whether to use single tap multi tap or any other variation is not relevant for the present invention Any number of digits is allowed
28. s very efficient because the user only has to perform an extensive test for the code sets for which the first code s worked correctly For the other code sets no full test has to be per formed According to a further preferred embodiment of the inven tion a device type entry is accepted In this way the scanning can be limited to code sets for a certain device type thereby substantially reducing the time of the scanning process Because there is a small possibility that the brand search initiated by this method doesn t result in a working URC the programming of the URC will automatically go to a further scanning step where the remotes iterates through all back up code sets for the selected device type if no working code set was found during the first scanning step In order to shorten the user manual by taking out the minor brands or to allow new brand names with existing codes sets 0 25 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 a wild card e g 0000 may be selected that will scan through all code sets Preferably the code sets of minor brands with the highest likelihood are first scanned through According to a further embodiment the use of a numerical keyboard for entering a brand identifier comprising letters is enabled This brand identifier preferably is the name of the brand In this way the user can write the brand identifier by means of the numerical keyboard of the remote control in the same way
29. search When new brands appear on the market a software update of the URC is needed Also in case there is a new code set id for a given brand device type combination brand search does not work Furthermore brand search assumes all brand and cor responding brand ids are fixed It is an object of the invention to provide a URC with an easy setup while requiring limited memory resources More over it is an object of the invention to provide a setup method for a URC that is easy for a user SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to an aspect of the invention a method is pro vided for setting up a Remote Control It comprises the steps of entering a configuration mode accepting an identifier entry and scanning though remote control code sets The step of scanning comprises in case that the identifier entry is a brand identifier iterating through the remote control code sets corresponding to the brand and testing said remote con trol code sets and in case that the identifier entry is a code set identifier testing the remote control code set corresponding to the code set identifier This allows making the configuration of a URC simpler for a user At the same time it makes producing the so created simpler URC cheaper for the manufacturer because there is no additional need for electronic storage and the instructions for use e g manual can be kept a lot smaller The main improvement is to combine the Brand id as used in the Br
30. udes code sets for all device types for which the URC is suitable Note that this selection may be combined in step 1 if the magic key press contains the button for the device type to be configured The user looks up the Brand id or the single code set id in the instructions for use of the remote and enters it on the URC step 3 As explained herein above to the user all these ids appear to be Brand ids Optionally a LED may be used to confirm the successful or unsuccessful acceptance of the entered digits Optionally there is an id to press if the Brand is unknown or not in the list e g 0000 a so called wild card The user starts the scanning process step 4 They may be implemented by pressing a button on the URC or by pressing amp holding a button The URC determines the code sets to iterate through step 5 If the entered ID was a pointer to a set of code sets the software iterates through all these codesets step 6 If the ID was a specific Code set id only the list will only contain that single Code set and proceed step 6 During the iteration the URC sends a specific or multiple specific IR functions per code set step 7 In step 8 it is checked if there is a user reaction If there is no user reaction the algorithm waits a certain time Then it is checked if the iteration through the code sets is finished step 11 If this is not the case the iteration is continued step 6 The next code set is retriev
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