IP Library Granted Patent US 10,986,392
Granted Patent B2
US 10,986,392 · App. 16/435,099 · Granted Apr 20, 2021

Hybrid IR/RF remote control system

Inventors: Stephen Bartlett (Castle Rock, CO); Gregory Greene (Littleton, CO); Wen-Yen Huang (Englewood, CO)
Assignee: Charter Communications Operating, LLC
H04N21/41265H04N21/4126H04N21/42221H04N21/4131H04N21/4184H04N21/42225
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,986,392
App. No.
16/435,099
Granted
Apr 20, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments include systems and methods for hybrid IR/RF communication over remote controller device. Controlling a smart lighting device. In embodiments, a processor of a remote controller device may receive receiving, from a customer premises device via an RF transceiver, synchronization information about a device under control in communication with the customer premises device. The remote controller device processor may update an indication of a device under control status based on the synchronization information. The remote controller device processor may send, via the IR transmitter, a command to the device under control based on the updated status of the device under control.

Claims (65)

1. A remote controller device, comprising:

a memory;

a radio frequency (RF) transceiver;

an infrared (IR) transmitter;

an output device; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the RF transceiver, the IR transmitter and the output device, and configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a customer premises device via the RF transceiver, synchronization information about a device under control in communication with the customer premises device;

updating an indication of a device under control status based on the synchronization information;

receiving, from the customer premises device via the RF transceiver, operation information generated by the device under control;

generating a command upon receipt of the operation information, wherein the generated command is based on the updated status of the device under control and the operation information generated by the device under control, and wherein the operation information serves as a trigger for generating the command; and

sending, via the IR transmitter, the generated command to the device under control.

2. The remote controller device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

performing a RF pairing operation with the customer premises device that enables the remote controller device to send commands to the device under control.

3. The remote controller device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

receiving, from the customer premises device via the RF transceiver, device under control configuration information; and

configuring the remote controller device to send commands to the device under control via the IR transmitter based on the device under control configuration information.

4. The remote controller device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

sending, via the IR transmitter, a command for the device under control to the customer premises device based on both the updated status of the device under control and the operation information generated by the device under control that is presented on the output device.

5. The remote controller device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

receiving, from the customer premises device via the RF transceiver, operation information generated by the device under control sent by the customer premises device to the remote controller device; and

presenting the operation information generated by the device under control received from the customer premises device on the output device.

6. The remote controller device of claim 5 , wherein the operation information comprises media content, and

wherein presenting the operation information generated by the device under control received from the customer premises device on the output device comprises presenting the media content on the output device.

7. The remote controller device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that sending, via the IR transmitter, a command to the device under control that is generated based on both the updated status of the device under control and the operation information generated by the device under control that is presented on the output device comprises:

formatting the command based on the synchronization information.

8. A method of hybrid IR/RF communication, comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a remote controller device from a customer premises device via an RF transceiver, synchronization information about a device under control in communication with the customer premises device;

updating, by the processor, an indication of a device under control status based on the synchronization information;

receiving, by the processor from the customer premises device via the RF transceiver, operation information generated by the device under control;

generating a command upon receipt of the operation information, wherein the generated command is based on the updated status of the device under control and the operation information generated by the device under control, and wherein the operation information serves as a trigger for generating the command; and

sending, by the processor via the IR transmitter, the generated command to the device under control.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

performing, by the processor, a RF pairing operation with the customer premises device that enables the remote controller device to send commands to the device under control.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

receiving, by the processor from the customer premises device via the RF transceiver, device under control configuration information; and

configuring, by the processor, the remote controller device to send commands to the device under control via the IR transmitter based on the device under control configuration information.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

sending, by the processor via the IR transmitter, a command for the device under control to the customer premises device based on both the updated status of the device under control and the operation information generated by the device under control that is presented on the output device.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

receiving, by the processor from the customer premises device via the RF transceiver, operation information generated by the device under control sent by the customer premises device to the remote controller device; and

presenting, by the processor, the operation information generated by the device under control received from the customer premises device on an output device of the remote controller device.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the operation information comprises media content, and

wherein presenting the operation information generated by the device under control received from the customer premises device on the output device comprises presenting the media content on the output device.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein sending, via the IR transmitter, a command to the device under control that is generated based on both the updated status of the device under control and the operation information generated by the device under control that is presented on the output device comprises:

formatting, by the processor, the command based on the synchronization information.

15. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of a remote controller device to perform operations, comprising:

receiving, from a customer premises device via an RF transceiver, synchronization information about a device under control in communication with the customer premises device;

updating an indication of a device under control status based on the synchronization information;

receiving, from the customer premises device via the RF transceiver, operation information generated by the device under control;

generating a command upon receipt of the operation information, wherein the generated command is based on the updated status of the device under control and the operation information generated by the device under control, and wherein the operation information serves as a trigger for generating the command; and

sending, via an IR transmitter, the generated command to the device under control.

16. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the processor of the remote controller device to perform operations further comprising:

performing a RF pairing operation with the customer premises device that enables the remote controller device to send commands to the device under control.

17. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the processor of the remote controller device to perform operations further comprising:

receiving, from the customer premises device via the RF transceiver, device under control configuration information; and

configuring the remote controller device to send commands to the device under control via the IR transmitter based on the device under control configuration information.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the processor of the remote controller device to perform operations further comprising:

sending, via the IR transmitter, a command for the device under control to the customer premises device based on both the updated status of the device under control and the operation information generated by the device under control that is presented on the output device of the remote controller device.

19. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the processor of the remote controller device to perform operations further comprising:

receiving, from the customer premises device via the RF transceiver, operation information generated by the device under control sent by the customer premises device to the remote controller device; and

presenting the operation information generated by the device under control received from the customer premises device on the output device of the remote controller device.

20. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the operation information comprises media content, and

wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the processor of the remote controller device to perform operations such that presenting the operation information generated by the device under control received from the customer premises device on the output device comprises presenting the media content on the output device of the remote controller device.

21. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the processor of the remote controller device to perform operations such that sending, via the IR transmitter, a command to the device under control that is generated based on both the updated status of the device under control and the operation information generated by the device under control that is presented on the output device comprises:

formatting the command based on the synchronization information.

Assignments (6)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE PROPERTY ASSIGNMENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 051433 FRAME 0654. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SECURITY AGREEMENT. Recorded Mar 4, 2020
From: TIME WARNER CABLE ENTERPRISES, LLC; CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING, LLC
To: WELLS FARGO TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 052091/0071 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 27, 2019
From: TIME WARNER CABLE ENTERPRISES, LLC; CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING, LLC
To: WELLS FARGO TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 051433/0654 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 4, 2019
From: TIME WARNER CABLE ENTERPRISES, LLC; CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING, LLC; BRIGHT HOUSE NETWORKS, LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 051287/0057 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 4, 2019
From: CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING, LLC; TIME WARNER CABLE ENTERPRISES, LLC; BRIGHT HOUSE NETWORKS, LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 051287/0087 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE THIRD INVENTORS NAME FROM WEN-YEN HUANG TO WEN-YEN (PICARD) HUANG DATED 06/20/2019 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 049431 FRAME 0816. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jun 21, 2019
From: BARTLETT, STEPHEN; GREENE, GREGORY; (PICARD) HUANG, WEN-YEN
To: CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING, LLC
Reel/Frame 051801/0377 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 11, 2019
From: BARTLETT, STEPHEN; GREENE, GREGORY; HUANG, WEN-YEN
To: CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING, LLC
Reel/Frame 049431/0816 →
Continuity (1)
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