System for providing electronic media and commands via remote control and docking station
View Patent ↗Media rendering system including a remote control device and associated docking station. The remote control device interfaces with a remote server to stream media content for local and/or external playback. The remote control device may interface with a docking station to playback rendered media on one or more entertainment appliances. The portable device preferably has standard remote control capability in order to enable advanced features and functions for media playback.
1. A system, comprising:
a hand-held, portable device having a library of remote control commands for remotely controlling functional operations of a plurality of different appliances; and
a docking station adapted to releasably receive the hand-held, portable device having an address readable by the hand-held, portable device when the hand-held, portable device is received within the docking station;
wherein the hand-held, portable device comprises programming which uses the address of the docking station to cause the hand-held, portable device to automatically configure itself to use command formats and sequences appropriate for remotely commanding functional operations of the plurality of appliances wherein the command formats and sequences comprise those remote control commands within the library of remote control commands of the hand-held, portable controlling device that are appropriate for remotely commanding functional operations of the plurality of appliances that have been pre-associated within the hand-held, portable device with the address of the docking station.
2. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the docking station recharges a battery of the hand-held, portable device when the hand-held, portable device is received within the docking station.
3. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the programming of the hand-held, portable device further causes the hand-held, portable device to transmit one or more of the remote control commands to at least one of the plurality of appliances in response to the hand-held, portable device being be received into the docking station.
4. The system as recited in claim 3 , wherein the programming of the hand-held, portable device causes the hand-held, portable device to transmit one or more of the remote control commands to at least one of the plurality of appliances in response to the hand-held, portable device being removed from the docking station.
5. The system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising an appliance adapted to render media in communication with the docking station wherein the hand-held portable device exchanges communications directly with both the docking station and the appliance adapted to render media and wherein the programming of the hand-held portable device causes the hand-held, portable device to automatically route media that is currently being rendered by the hand-held portable device to the appliance adapted to render media, via the docking station, for rendering by the appliance adapted to render media in lieu of the hand-held, portable device in response to the hand-held, portable device being be received into the docking station.