Remote email or SMS control of CE device such as TV
View Patent ↗A user can control a CE device such as a TV using another CE device to send email or text message commands to an Internet server, which relays the commands to the device to be controlled when polled.
1. Method comprising:
sending, from a control device, short message service (SMS) messages or emails to a server, the SMS messages or emails containing operational commands intended for a remote audio video (AV) device;
controlling the remote AV device by means of the SMS messages or emails;
wherein the operational command is compared by the server to a table containing at least one set of equivalent commands that are formatted differently but contain the same instruction, the server associating the at least one operational command in an extensible markup (XML) message with a “smart” command to be encapsulated using the table; wherein
a set of equivalent commands are associated in the table with a “smart” command embodying an instruction that is the same as the instruction included in the equivalent commands in the set.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the server sends the commands to the AV device only when polled by the AV device.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the AV device is a TV.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control device sends SMS messages to the server to control the AV device.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control device sends emails to the server to control the AV device.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control device sends an identity of the AV device to the server along with the commands the user desires to be executed by the AV device.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a command is for the AV device to turn on.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a command is for the AV device to turn off.
9. Server comprising:
processor;
non-transitory computer readable medium accessible to the processor and bearing instructions causing the processor to:
receive a text message or email from a control device containing destination AV device identifying information and at least one command;
parse the text message or email to extract the information and command;
encapsulate at least one “smart” command associated with the extracted command in an extensible markup language (XML) message; and
send the XML message to the AV device; wherein
the at least one command that is extracted is compared by the server to a table containing at least one set of equivalent commands that are formatted differently but contain the same instruction, the server associating the at least one extracted command with a “smart” command to be encapsulated using the table; wherein
a set of equivalent commands are associated in the table with a “smart” command embodying an instruction that is the same as the instruction included in each of the equivalent commands in the set.
10. The server of claim 9 , wherein the AV device is a TV and the server sends the XML message to a network address associated with the TV.
11. The server of claim 9 , wherein the server receives a text message from the control device containing the destination AV device identifying information and the at least one command.
12. The server of claim 9 , wherein the server receives an email from the control device containing the destination AV device identifying information and the at least one command.
13. The server of claim 9 , wherein the server further relays command completion status messages from the AV device to the control device.