Set top/back box, system and method for providing a remote control device
A set top/back box and system and method for providing a remote control device are disclosed. In one embodiment, one or more wireless transceivers are located within a housing, which also interconnectively includes television input/output, a processor, and memory. The set top/back box may establish a pairing with a programmable device, such as a proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device having a touch screen display, whereby formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions, including virtual buttons, may be transmitted to the programmable device for display on the touch screen display to create a experience parallel to the experience on the television. The set top/back box receives and processes virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the programmable device to control amenities associated with the set top/back box.
1. A set top/back box comprising:
a housing;
one or more wireless transceivers associated with the housing, the one or more wireless transceivers operable to communicate with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device;
a television input and a television output secured in the housing, the television input and the television output for receiving content from a source in a lodging environment and forwarding content to a television;
a processor coupled to the one or more wireless transceivers and the television input and the television output;
a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
specify a search operation to identify the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, wherein the search operation utilizes the at least one or more wireless transceivers to wirelessly identify the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device,
establish a pairing between the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device and the set top/back box,
send formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions are operable to provide a parallel experience related to the content on the television,
provide instructions for virtual buttons on a touch screen display associated with the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, the virtual buttons being associated with a particular amenity,
receive and process virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, and
send a command to the particular amenity;
a configuration profile associated with the memory and processor-executable instructions that enables the set-top box to control a plurality of proximate amenities in a multi-room environment, the plurality of proximate amenities including the particular amenity, the plurality of proximate amenities being associated with a user's stay in the lodging environment;
the configuration profile, for each amenity of the plurality of amenities, including instructions for virtual buttons on a touch screen display, and instructions for associating virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the touch screen display with commands; and
wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale an image on the television to a first portion of the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device,
wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that selectively display one or more sets of virtual buttons on a second portion of the touch screen display, the one or more sets of virtual buttons corresponding to the plurality of amenities.
2. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more wireless transceivers are configured to communicate with a standard selected from the group consisting of infrared (IR), 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), and Bluetooth.
3. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1 , wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.
4. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1 , wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale, on a frame-by-frame basis, an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.
5. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1 , wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale, on a streaming basis, an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.
6. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1 , wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that display virtual buttons on a second portion of the touch screen display.
7. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of amenities comprise of amenities selected from the group consisting of CD/DVD players, tuners, hospitality suite services, Internet service, pay-per-view terminals, room control devices, and televisions.
8. The set top/back box as recited in claim 1 , wherein the processor being caused to receive and process virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device further comprises receiving and processing the location of a touch-and-click operation on the touch screen display.
9. The set-top/back box as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more transceivers are internal to the housing.
10. The set-top/back box as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more transceivers are external to the housing.
11. A set top/back box comprising:
a housing;
one or more wireless transceivers associated with the housing, the one or more wireless transceivers operable to communicate with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device;
a television input and a television output secured in the housing, the television input and the television output for receiving content from a source in a lodging environment and forwarding content to a television;
a processor coupled to the one or more wireless transceivers and the television input and the television output;
a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
establish a pairing between the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device and the set top/back box,
send formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions are operable to provide a parallel experience related to the content on the television,
provide instructions for virtual buttons on a touch screen display associated with the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, the virtual buttons being associated with a particular amenity,
receive and process virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, and
send a command to the particular amenity;
a configuration profile associated with the memory and processor-executable instructions that enables the set-top box to control a plurality of proximate amenities in a multi-room environment, the plurality of proximate amenities including the particular amenity, the plurality of proximate amenities being associated with a user's stay in the lodging environment;
the configuration profile, for each amenity of the plurality of amenities, including instructions for virtual buttons on a touch screen display, and instructions for associating virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the touch screen display with commands; and
wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale an image on the television to a first portion of the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device,
wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that selectively display one or more sets of virtual buttons on a second portion of the touch screen display, the one or more sets of virtual buttons corresponding to the plurality of amenities.
12. The set top/back box as recited in claim 11 , wherein the one or more wireless transceivers are configured to communicate with a standard selected from the group consisting of infrared (IR), 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), and Bluetooth.
13. The set top/back box as recited in claim 11 , wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.
14. The set top/back box as recited in claim 11 , wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale, on a frame-by-frame basis, an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.
15. The set top/back box as recited in claim 11 , wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale, on a streaming basis, an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.
16. The set-top/back box as recited in claim 11 , wherein the one or more transceivers are internal to the housing.
17. The set-top/back box as recited in claim 11 , wherein the one or more transceivers are external to the housing.
18. A set top/back box comprising:
a housing;
one or more wireless transceivers associated with the housing, the one or more wireless transceivers operable to communicate with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device;
a television input and a television output secured in the housing, the television input and the television output for receiving content from a source in a lodging environment and forwarding content to a television;
a processor coupled to the one or more wireless transceivers and the television input and the television output;
a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
establish a pairing between the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device and the set top/back box,
send formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions are operable to provide a parallel experience related to the content on the television,
provide instructions for virtual buttons on a touch screen display associated with the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, the virtual buttons being associated with a particular amenity,
receive and process virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device, and
send a command to the particular amenity;
wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale an image on the television to a first portion of the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device,
wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that selectively display one or more sets of virtual buttons on a second portion of the touch screen display, the one or more sets of virtual buttons corresponding to the plurality of amenities.
19. The set top/back box as recited in claim 18 , wherein the one or more wireless transceivers are configured to communicate with a standard selected from the group consisting of infrared (IR), 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), and Bluetooth.
20. The set top/back box as recited in claim 18 , wherein the formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions include instructions that scale an image on the television to the touch screen display on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.