Remote Control Apparatus for Consumer Electronic Appliances

Abstract

An apparatus for the remote wireless control of a consumer electronic audio visual appliance such as a TV set, and/or for internet uploading, includes a remote control handset and a wireless receiver for connection to the appliance. The remote control unit is adapted to transmit audio and/or visual data (A/V data) and control codes to the receiver. The receiver is responsive to the A/V data and control codes to control the appliance to play and/or display the A/V data. The remote control unit includes a reader for a storage medium for A/V data, or a cable or wireless interface to an A/V acquisition device such as digital video or digital still camera or digital music player or recorder.

1 . A remote control handset for the remote wireless control of a consumer electronic (CE) appliance, comprising
 means for receiving audio or visual data, or both (hereinafter “A/V” data) from an A/V device at an interface of a remote control handset, wherein the interface of the remote control handset comprises a processor and a display unit, and the A/V device being electrically connected to the remote control handset for providing the A/V data to the remote control handset;   means for processing A/V data prior to transmission to a wireless receiver coupled to the CE appliance, said processing of the data prior to said transmission comprising:
 adjusting a parametric input to the processing, including color, exposure, brightness, or blur, or combinations thereof, 
 initiating customized image processing, or both, 
 wherein the remote control handset comprises one or more arrow key input buttons to permit panning, zooming or scrolling, or combinations thereof; 
 means for transmitting the A/V data and control codes to the wireless receiver or CE appliance, or both, wherein the wireless receiver or CE appliance, or both, is configured to be responsive to the A/V data and control codes from the remote control handset to control the CE appliance to output the A/V data, including directly or indirectly controlling the CE appliance for playing, displaying, transitioning or editing the A/V data, or combinations thereof; 
 means for controlling A/V data processing at the wireless receiver or CE appliance, or both, in response to metadata associated with the A/V data, said metadata including image processing modifications performed on the remote control handset, wherein the processing at the wireless receiver or CE appliance, or both, includes dust or other blemish removal, motion blur compensation, transition effects, color correction, exposure correction, red eye reduction, rotating, panning, scrolling or cropping, or editing an object, selecting which objects to display, or erasing and reordering objects, or combinations thereof; 
 wherein the means for controlling the A/V data processing with the remote control handset including means for holding the remote control handset in a single hand of a user and, using a push-button image processing interface including multiple push-buttons of the remote control handset, means for selectably depressing the buttons with one or more fingers or a thumb or both of the same hand within which the remote control handset is being held by the user; and means for outputting processed A/V data or a processed image, or both, based on the A/V data processing. 
   
     
     
         2 . An apparatus for a remote wireless control of a consumer electronic (CE) appliance, comprising:
 a remote control handset that directly or indirectly control the CE appliance via a wireless receiver for playing, displaying, transitioning or editing audio or visual data, or both (hereinafter “A/V” data), or combinations thereof, including a processor and a push-button image processing interface including multiple push-buttons to be depressible by one or more fingers or a thumb or both of a same hand within which the remote control handset is being held by a user, and   an A/V device electrically connected to the remote control handset, the A/V device being configured to provide the A/V data to the remote control handset; and   wherein interface of the remote control handset comprises a display unit, and   wherein the remote control handset processes the A/V data prior to transmission for output at the CE appliance,   wherein to process the A/V data prior to said transmission, the remote control handset comprises one or more of:
 one or more remote control keys to adjust a parametric input to the processing, including color, exposure, brightness, or blur, or combinations thereof, or 
 one or more special function keys to initiate customized image processing, or 
 one or more arrow key input buttons to permit panning, zooming or scrolling, or combinations thereof; and 
 wherein the remote control unit is configured to transmit the A/V data and control codes wirelessly to the CE appliance or to the wireless receiver, or both; and 
 wherein the CE appliance or the wireless receiver, or both, is configured to be responsive to the A/V data and the control codes from the remote control handset, and to process the A/V data responsive to metadata associated with the A/V data, said metadata including image processing modifications performed on the remote control handset, and to output the A/V data at the CE appliance, and 
 wherein the CE appliance or the wireless receiver, or both, is also configured to process the A/V data, including dust or other blemish removal, motion blur compensation, transition effects, color correction, exposure correction, red eye reduction, rotating, panning, scrolling or cropping, or editing an object, selecting which objects to display, or erasing and reordering objects, or combinations thereof, under the push-button control of the remote control handset for providing a processed image or processed A/V data, or both, to be output at the CE appliance based on the processed image data. 
   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the remote control handset is further configured to directly control the CE appliance. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the remote control handset is configured to indirectly control the CE appliance through the receiver. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said remote control handset further comprises an internal storage for storing A/V data. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said remote control handset comprises internal storage, wherein A/V data is saved on said internal storage. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said interface is configured according to Picture Transfer Protocol (“PTP”). 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the A/V device comprises a digital stills camera. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the A/V device comprises a digital video camera. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the A/V device comprises a digital audio player. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the consumer electronic appliance comprises a display unit. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the display unit comprises a television set. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the display unit is controlled directly by the wireless receiver. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the remote control unit is configured for automatically processing A/V data prior to transmission to the wireless receiver. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the wireless receiver is configured for processing the A/V data prior to playing or displaying the data, or both, on the CE appliance. 
     
     
         16 . A method for the remote wireless control of a consumer electronic (CE) appliance, comprising
 receiving audio or visual data, or both (hereinafter “A/V” data) from an A/V device at an interface of a remote control handset, wherein the interface of the remote control handset comprises a processor and a display unit, and the A/V device being electrically connected to the remote control handset for providing the A/V data to the remote control handset;   processing A/V data prior to transmission to a wireless receiver coupled to the CE appliance, said processing of the data prior to said transmission comprising one or more of:
 adjusting a parametric input to the processing, including color, exposure, brightness, or blur, or combinations thereof, or 
 initiating customized image processing, or both, 
 or the remote control handset comprises one or more arrow key input buttons to permit panning, zooming or scrolling, or combinations thereof; 
 transmitting the A/V data and control codes to the wireless receiver or CE appliance, or both, wherein the wireless receiver or CE appliance, or both, is configured to be responsive to the A/V data and control codes from the remote control handset to control the CE appliance to output the A/V data, including directly or indirectly controlling the CE appliance for playing, displaying, transitioning or editing the A/V data, or combinations thereof; 
 controlling A/V data processing at the wireless receiver or CE appliance, or both, in response to metadata associated with the A/V data, said metadata including image processing modifications performed on the remote control handset, wherein the processing at the wireless receiver or CE appliance, or both, includes dust or other blemish removal, motion blur compensation, transition effects, color correction, exposure correction, red eye reduction, rotating, panning, scrolling or cropping, or editing an object, selecting which objects to display, or erasing and reordering objects, or combinations thereof; wherein the remote control handset is configured to be held in a single hand of a user and, using a push-button image processing interface including multiple push-buttons of the remote control handset, the buttons are configured to be selectably depressed with one or more fingers or a thumb or both of the same hand within which the remote control handset is being held by the user; and 
 outputting processed A/V data or a processed image, or both, based on the A/V data processing. 
   
     
     
         17 . The method as in  claim 16 , further comprising directly controlling the CE appliance. 
     
     
         18 . The method as in  claim 16 , further comprising indirectly controlling the CE appliance through the wireless receiver. 
     
     
         19 . The method as in  claim 18 , wherein said controlling indirectly through the wireless receiver comprises controlling the receiver to control the CE appliance for playing, displaying, transitioning or editing said A/V data, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The method as in  claim 16 , further comprising storing A/V data at an internal storage. 
     
     
         21 . The method as in  claim 16 , further comprising configuring said interface according to Picture Transfer Protocol (“PTP”). 
     
     
         22 . The method as in  claim 16 , wherein the A/V device comprises a digital stills camera. 
     
     
         23 . The method as in  claim 16 , wherein the A/V device comprises a digital video camera. 
     
     
         24 . The method as in  claim 16 , wherein the A/V device comprises a digital audio player. 
     
     
         25 . The method as in  claim 16 , further comprising automatically processing A/V data prior to transmitting to the wireless receiver. 
     
     
         26 . One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied thereon, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method for the remote wireless control of a consumer electronic (CE) appliance, the method comprising:
 receiving audio or visual data, or both (hereinafter “A/V” data) from an A/V device at an interface of a remote control handset, wherein the interface of the remote control handset comprises a processor and a display unit, and the A/V device being electrically connected to the remote control handset for providing the A/V data to the remote control handset;   processing A/V data prior to transmission to a wireless receiver coupled to the CE appliance, said processing of the data prior to said transmission comprising one or more of:
 adjusting a parametric input to the processing, including color, exposure, brightness, or blur, or combinations thereof, or 
 initiating customized image processing, or both, 
 or the remote control handset comprises one or more arrow key input buttons to permit panning, zooming or scrolling, or combinations thereof; 
 transmitting the A/V data and control codes to the wireless receiver or CE appliance, or both, wherein the wireless receiver or CE appliance, or both, is configured to be responsive to the A/V data and control codes from the remote control handset to control the CE appliance to output the A/V data, including directly or indirectly controlling the CE appliance for playing, displaying, transitioning or editing the A/V data, or combinations thereof; 
 controlling A/V data processing at the wireless receiver or CE appliance, or both, in response to metadata associated with the A/V data, said metadata including image processing modifications performed on the remote control handset, wherein the processing at the wireless receiver or CE appliance, or both, includes dust or other blemish removal, motion blur compensation, transition effects, color correction, exposure correction, red eye reduction, rotating, panning, scrolling or cropping, or editing an object, selecting which objects to display, or erasing and reordering objects, or combinations thereof; wherein the remote control handset is configured to be held in a single hand of a user and, using a push-button image processing interface including multiple push-buttons of the remote control handset, the buttons are configured to be selectably depressed with one or more fingers or a thumb or both of the same hand within which the remote control handset is being held by the user; and 
 outputting processed A/V data or a processed image, or both, based on the A/V data processing. 
   
     
     
         27 . The one or more storage devices of  claim 26 , further comprising a program for directly controlling the CE appliance. 
     
     
         28 . The one or more storage devices of  claim 26 , further comprising a program for indirectly controlling the CE appliance through the wireless receiver. 
     
     
         29 . The one or more storage devices of  claim 28 , wherein said controlling indirectly through the wireless receiver comprises controlling the wireless receiver to control the CE appliance for playing, displaying, transitioning or editing said A/V data, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         30 . The one or more storage devices of  claim 26 , further comprising a program for reading the A/V data for transmitting to the wireless receiver. 
     
     
         31 . The one or more storage devices of  claim 26 , further comprising an internal storage for storing printer data. 
     
     
         32 . The one or more storage devices of  claim 26 , further comprising a program for configuring said interface according to Picture Transfer Protocol (“PTP”). 
     
     
         33 . The one or more storage devices of  claim 26 , wherein the A/V device comprises a digital camera. 
     
     
         34 . The one or more storage devices of  claim 26 , wherein the A/V device comprises a digital video camera. 
     
     
         35 . The one or more storage devices of  claim 26 , wherein the A/V device comprises a digital audio player. 
     
     
         36 . The one or more storage devices of  claim 26 , further comprising a program for processing A/V data prior to transmitting to the wireless receiver. 
     
     
         37 . An apparatus for the remote wireless control of internet uploading, comprising
 a remote control handset that is configured to directly or indirectly control the CE appliance for playing, displaying, transitioning or editing audio or visual data, or both (hereinafter “A/V” data), or combinations thereof, including a processor and a push-button image processing interface including multiple push-buttons configured to be depressible by one or more fingers or a thumb or both of a same hand within which the remote control handset is being held by a user, and   an A/V device electrically connected to the remote control handset, the A/V device being configured to provide internet content to the remote control handset; and   wherein the remote control handset for transmitting the internet content wirelessly to a wireless receiver coupled to an internet upload device, or directly to the internet upload device, or both, for uploading content to be accessible on the internet,   wherein the interface of the remote control handset comprises a display unit; and   wherein the remote control unit is configured for processing A/V data, prior to uploading content to be accessible on the internet; wherein to process the data prior to said uploading, the remote control handset comprises one or more of:
 one or more remote control keys to adjust a parametric input to the processing, including color, exposure, brightness, or blur, or combinations thereof, or 
 one or more special function keys to initiate customized image processing, or 
 one or more arrow key input buttons to permit panning, zooming or scrolling, or combinations thereof; and 
 wherein the remote control handset is configured to transmit the A/V data and control codes wirelessly to the wireless receiver or the internet upload device, or both, and 
 wherein the wireless receiver or internet upload device, or both, is configured to be responsive to the internet content and control codes from the remote control handset, and to process the A/V data responsive to metadata associated with the A/V data, and to control the internet uploading of the content, and 
 wherein the wireless receiver or internet upload device, or both, is also configured to process the A/V data, including dust or other blemish removal, motion blur compensation, transition effects, color correction, exposure correction, red eye reduction, rotating, panning, scrolling or cropping, or editing an object, selecting which objects to display, or erasing and reordering objects, or combinations thereof, under the push-button control of the remote control handset for providing a processed image or processed A/V data, or both, to be uploaded at the internet upload device based on the processed image data. 
   
     
     
         38 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein the remote control handset is further configured to directly control the internet upload device. 
     
     
         39 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein the remote control handset is configured to indirectly control the internet upload device through the wireless receiver. 
     
     
         40 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein the A/V device comprises a digital stills camera. 
     
     
         41 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein the A/V device comprises a digital video camera. 
     
     
         42 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein the A/V device comprises a digital audio player. 
     
     
         43 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein the remote control unit is configured for automatically processing internet content prior to transmission to the wireless receiver or internet upload device, or both. 
     
     
         44 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein the wireless receiver or internet upload device, or both, is configured for automatically processing the internet content prior to internet uploading.