Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING
KEY-PRESS AND SPEECH ACTUATED ON-LINE APPLICATIONS
RELATED APPLICATIONS
Reference is made to U.S. Patent Nos. 5,251,263, 5,381,473,
5,673,325, 5,715,321 and 5,732,143 which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a remote control system and, more
particularly, to a remote control system for controlling key-press and speech
actuated
computer applications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Recent advancements in digital technology are increasingly becoming
a part of modern life from work to play. With each passing day, cellular
telephony
facsimile technology and teleconferencing, for example, provide important
roles in
business. On the homefront, video games, CD-ROM stereo, DVD television
additionally have become rooted in our personal lives.
For all these technologies, modern life is plagued with a multitude of
consumer electronics) which are impossible, if not, infuriating to operate.
Our
homes are plagued with remotes that can never be located or operated
successfully.
Cellular telephones require cryptic codes, which are designed to thwart theft,
but
make placing a phone call a nightmare. Today, one practically needs a doctoral
degree to operate the software needed for Internet applications
Recently, these technologies have been integrated within the personal
computer. This is sometimes referred to as mufti-media. For example,
teleconferencing is now possible through a video camera coupled to a personal
computer. Telephone calls may be placed/received through the modem connection
of
the personal computer.
As these technologies become more integrated with the personal
computer, it is anticipated that the personal computer will have direct
control of
consumer,electronic(s). A system is needed whereby the consumer quickly and
easily
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controls the computer applications which will drive the aforementioned
consumer
electronic(s). Another difficulty in integrating the consumer electronics into
the
computer is that the user is confined to the local area of the computer.
Heretofore, no such system exists whereby the consumer quickly and
easily controls the computer applications which drive computer-integrated
consumer
electronics) equipment.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a system whereby the
consumer quickly and easily controls the computer applications of computer-
integrated consumer electronics) equipment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system whereby
the computer applications are controlled from a single convenient location.
More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
remote control system that controls the computer applications.
In accordance with the foregoing objectives, a remote control system,
method and apparatus are provided for controlling in accordance with remotely
transmitted key-press and speech signals) recognized and interpreted by a
processor.
Other objects, features and advantages according to the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the
illustrated embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings in
which corresponding components are identified by the same reference numerals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. lA shows the remote control apparatus of a first embodiment of
the present invention;
Figs. 1B and 1C show the second embodiment of the remote control
apparatus of the present invention;
Fig. 1D shows the mouse of the present invention;
Fig. 1 E shows the keyboard of the present invention;
Fig. 1F shows the joystick of the present invention;
Fig. 1G shows the video camera of the present invention;
Figs. 2A-2E show the remote control system of the present invention;
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Fig. 2F shows the CPU enabled device of the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the remote control apparatus;
Fig. 4A is a schematic diagram of an active noise cancellation circuit;
Fig. 4B and 4C illustrates near-field/far-field microphones;
Fig. 4D shows a passive noise cancellation microphone;
Fig. S is a block diagram of the I/R receiver of the remote control
system of the present invention;
Figs. 6A and 6B show transmission schemes of the remote control
system of the present invention; and
Fig. 7 shows the third embodiment of the remote control apparatus of
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Fig. 1 A shows one embodiment of the remote control apparatus of the
present invention, wherein remote control 100 comprises keypad 102, digital-
pulse
transmitter 104, microphone 106 and speech transmitters 108. In addition,
remote
control 100 includes push-to-talk (PTT) switch 110 and near-field/far-field
switch
112.
The embodiment shown in Fig. lA resembles a standard television
remote control. However, the remote control of the present invention includes
other
embodiments such as the dual remote control and telephone receiver shown in
Figs.
1B and 1C, the remote mouse 118 shown in Fig. 1D, the remote keyboard 120
shown
in Fig. lE, the remote joystick 122 shown in Fig. 1F, and the video camera 124
shown
in Fig. 1 G. The various embodiments of the remote control of the present
invention,
as will be discussed in further detail, remotely controls the computer
applications for
the consumer electronics) via key-press and/or speech signals.
In the embodiment shown in Fig. lA, keypad 102, in response to
keypad presses, generates key press signals) which are preferably digital
pulse
signals) transmitted as digital pulses via digital-pulse transmitter 104.
Preferably, the
transmitted key press signals) control key-press-controlled functions and
applications
such as, for example, T.V./VCR control, telephone dialing and Internet
navigation.
Speech spoken into microphone 106 is preferably converted into speech signals)
in
RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91)
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the form of analog signals) frequency modulated (FM) on a signal carrier and
transmitted, via speech transmitters 108. In the preferred embodiment, the
transmitted
speech signals) control speech-driven applications that include all of the
foregoing
key-press driven functions and applications.
S PTT switch 110 is provided to, when depressed, allow speech to be
input into microphone 106 and prevent speech from being input when not
depressed.
Near-field/Far-field switch 112 is provided which activates near-field/far-
field noise
cancellation for microphone 106.
Keypad 102 includes power button 102a, numerical keypad 102b, A-Z
keypad 102c, pointing device 102d and scrolling device 102e. Specifically,
power
button 102a activates the power of the remote control system. Numerical keypad
102b generates numerical key-press signals) for controlling functions of
electronic
equipment including, for example, selecting TV channels, setting the VCR date
and
dialing telephone numbers. In addition, the numerical key-press signals) may
control
applications, such as Internet applications. A-Z keypad 102c generates A-Z key-
press
signals) which control additional functions and applications including, for
example,
applications which are driven by text commands such as computer applications
and
Internet web-pages. Pointing device 102d generates signals) which control, for
example, a cursor on a television or computer monitor with directional arrows
for
controlling the movement of the cursor and a central button for selecting
items.
Scrolling device 102e generates signals) which control, for example, scrolling
of data
on the television or computer monitor such as a digital TV program menu or an
Internet web-page.
The remote control 100 transmits the key-press and speech signals) in
the I/R spectrum between 2.3 and 2.8 MHz. Of course, the signals) may be
transmitted in another frequency spectrum including, for example, RF (radio
frequencies} in the 900 MHz spectrum, microwave or satellite bands.
In the dual remote control and telephone shown in Figs. 1B and 1C the
telephone receiver is on the "flip-side" of the remote control such that the
user simply
"flips" the remote control from a key-pad bearing face to the opposite side.
In this
embodiment, the speaker 114 reproduces audible sounds from, for example,
Internet
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telephone signals reproduced from an Internet telephone communication
application
running in the CPU-enabled device. The microphone 116 receives speech from the
user which is remotely transmitted to the CPU-enabled device, interpreted
thereby,
and sent, via the Internet telephone, to the remote listener. It will be
appreciated that
the telephone signals may be placed directly through the telephone line, via
the PCTI
(or modem connections), provided with the CPU-enabled device. The DTMF (dual-
tone modulated frequency) signals required for standard telephony are
generated by
the PCTI or the modem provided with the CPU-enabled device. In addition, the
dual
remote control and telephone shown in Figs. 1B and 1C can incorporate a
cellular
telephone which places/receives telephone connections directly using known
cellular
telephone technology.
The remote control mouse 118 shown in Fig. 1D is a mouse for use
with computer applications, including Internet T.V. The remote control mouse
remotely transmits command signals generated by keys 118a or 118b and/or
speech
1 S signals received by microphone 106 to the remote CPU-enabled device. The
remote
control mouse may incorporate speaker 114 for reproducing audible sounds
transmitted remotely from the CPU-enabled device. With this arrangement, it
will be
appreciated that the present invention combines into a single unit, the
functions of the
mouse, the remote control and speech-actuated applications. Thus, for example,
the
user is able to manipulate the cursor of a computer application, generate
speech
signals for dictating e-mail to a voice recognition processor for
transcription as a word
processor document and converse with remote users via speaker 114. In one
embodiment, the remote control mouse includes the housing of a standard mouse
having a substantially flat bottom for engaging a surface such as a mouse pad
and a
track ball for tracking movement of the mouse.
The remote control keyboard 120 shown in Fig. lE provides, at once,
the functions of the keyboard, the remote control and the telephone. With this
arrangement, for example, the user enters text using the keyboard 120, inputs
speech
commands via microphone 106 and listens to audio generated by speaker 114.
Thus,
the user may, for example, type using the keyboard, surf the Internet via
voice
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recognized speech signals input through microphone 106 and converse with
friends
on the telephone using speaker 114.
The remote control joystick 122 shown in Fig. 1F, at once, provides
the functions of the joystick with the remote control and the telephone. With
this
arrangement, the user interacts with on-line games, for example, while
conversing
with other users playing the on-line game in another location.
The remote control video camera shown in capital Fig. 1G provides, at
once, the functions of the video camera, the remote control and the telephone.
In an
alternative embodiment, the video camera 124 may be coupled to the CPU-enabled
device and employed solely for teleconferencing. In the preferred embodiment,
the
video signals generated by the video camera representing video-captured data
are
interpreted by the CPU-enabled device and transmitted, via the Internet, to
the other
party of the teleconferencing call. The user interacts with the remote party
through
the television, computer monitor or other display device.
Figs. 2A-2E illustrate the remote control system of the present
invention. Particularly, the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 2A illustrates
remote
control 100 interfacing with CPU enabled device 200 which (as shown in Figs.
2B-
2E) may be, for example, a set top box 202 with receiver 204 and television
206, a
television integrated with the set top box 208, or a specially-adapted
computer 210.
Preferably, the CPU enabled device interprets the digital key-press and analog
speech
signals) transmitted from remote control 100 and controls the functions and
applications of consumer electronics) interfacedlintegrated therewith
including a
television, a VCR, a telephone and an Internet-capable computer.
The set top box 202 shown in Fig. 2B, so called because it is set on top
of the television set, is actually a computer which controls the functions and
applications of consumer electronics) coupled thereto. It is preferred that
the set top
box allows users to interact, via remote control 100 and receiver 204, with a
remote
entity such as an on-line server (i.e., Internet web-server or telephone/cable
base
station) via the television 206. Preferably, set top box 202 is designed to
allow two-
way digital communication between the base station and the user such that the
user is
able to, for example, interact with on-line applications such as e-mail, voice
e-mail,
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Internet phone, Internet teleconferencing, on-line game applications and
Internet TV.
With the present invention, it will be appreciated that the user can access
movies on
demand, pay bills, bank, shop, place orders, make reservations, participate in
interactive on-line games and forums, compose e-mail and voice e-mail, dictate
e-
S mail, place calls using Internet phone, access informational data bases such
as Internet
web-pages and network computers, and perform numerous other functions through
their television such as Internet teleconferencing.
In one particular embodiment, the present invention is used for E-
commerce.
The television integrated with a set top box 208 shown in Fig. 2C is
similar to the arrangement shown in Fig. 2B, except that the set top box is
integrated
into the television. Receiver 204 in this arrangement may be integrated as
part of the
television receiver. Thus, television integrated with set top box controls the
functions
and applications of consumer electronics) coupled thereto as well as provide
Internet
1 S access.
The specially adapted computer 210 shown in Fig. 2D may be a
personal computer or an Internet PC which, similar to the foregoing
arrangements,
controls the functions and applications of consumer electronics) coupled
thereto and
provides access to the Internet or other on-line services.
As shown in Fig. 2E, the CPU enabled device 200 may comprise a
teleconferencing system including a video camera 114 coupled to a
teleconferencing
device 212 which interprets the video signals from video camera 114. A speaker
214
may be included such that the user may speak with the party at the other end
of the
teleconferencing call shown on the television 206. It will be appreciated that
one or
more of the elements shown in Fig. 2E may be combined into a single unit such
as a
two-way television phone.
The CPU enabled device 200 of the present invention is shown in Fig.
2F. Remotely transmitted command signals, such as key-press or speech signals,
are
received at terminal 218 and converted to digital signals by A/D converter 222
and
stored in a buffer. Conversely, signals, such as speech signals, stored in the
buffer
226 are converted to digital signals by D/A converter 224 and output through
terminal
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216. A CPU 228 functions to control the components of the CPU enabled device,
interpret commands stored in the buffer 226 as well as provide the typical CPU
functions such as arithmetic logic. The CPU 228 may be provided with a cash
memory 230 for performing the various operations of the CPU. A voice
recognition
S chip 232 is provided which interprets the speech signals stored in the
buffer 226
and/or generates speech signals to be stored by the buffer 226. The TV
converter 234
generates TV frames in accordance with the data stored in buffer 226 and at
the
control of CPU 228. A modem 236 is provided to accommodate modem data
transmissions via terminal 220. in addition, a PCTI 238 is provided to
accommodate
telephony data.
In operation, the CPU enabled device executes a computer application,
such as those discussed in the foregoing description, and enters a command
mode
which receives and interprets commands from the remote control of the present
invention. Remotely transmitted commands, such as key-press or speech
commands,
are received as signals, stored in buffer 226 and interpreted by CPU 228.
Speech
commands, for example, are interpreted by the CPU 228 with assistance from the
voice recognitionship 232 and control, for example, the PCTI 238 to dial
telephone
numbers in accordance with the commands which may be, for example, names of
the
people with whom the user wishes to make a telephone call. The speech signals
may
be passed through the CPU enabled device, via PCTI 238 or modem 236, when the
user is speaking to the remote party when, for example, a teleconferencing
computer
application or telephone application is "running" in the background. Key-press
commands may, for example, be interpreted by the CPU as controlling the mouse
cursor; wherein the CPU 228 alters the bit-map in the cache memory 230 where
the
TV image is stored such that the TV converter 234 generates a TV frame with
the
altered mouse cursor. Similarly, commands transmitted from the remote joystick
controls the position of the game object as interpreted by the CPU 228. Key-
press
commands interpreted as text for a word processing application, for example,
are
inserted by the CPU in accordance with the computer application at the
position of the
cursor; in this case, the TV converter converts the entire contents of the
buffer 226
into legible text displayed by the TV or computer monitor. It will be
appreciated that
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the CPU enabled device may also be employed as a pay-per-view device which
accepts the remote commands of the user for selecting a pay-per-view movie
and, in
accordance with a protocol program downloaded from the cable station via modem
236, the user purchases the pay-per-view program. As another example, a web-
s browsing application may be executed by the CPU 228 and the user controls
the web
browser according to the interpreted commands remotely transmitted by the
user.
It will be appreciated that the output terminal 216 may be any type of
terminal including a telephone connection, a cable connection, a VCR
connection, a
stereo connection or any other consumer equipment connection. With this
arrangement, the CPU 228 receives and interprets commands from the remote
control
and controls any of the consumer electronics in the home. For example, the CPU
can
detect the type of consumer equipment and store information and display the
same to
the user. Thus, for example, the CPU may detect connection to the stereo,
retrieve
information concerning the CD names and song tracks thereon and display the
same
on the television or display to the user. The CPU may be programmed to provide
the
user with a menu screen for selecting among the different title tracks loaded
on the
stereo. Similarly, video programs stored on video media may be ascertained by
the
CPU enabled device and displayed on the display in the form of a menu to the
user for
selection. The user enters remote commands using the remote control of the
present
invention which are interpreted by the CPU and causes the CPU to generate
command
signals to command the consumer electronic equipment connected thereto.
It will be appreciated that the present invention may be employed as a
cable converter box with copy-protection capability. The CPU enabled device
receives cable signals from a cable connection, determines whether an access
code
supplied by the user corresponds to the access code provided by the cable
company
and provides the correct cable channel to the TV converter 234 for display on
the
television or monitor. It will be appreciated that the CPU can be downloaded
with a
scrambling-descrambling program which scrambles cable television signals and,
when provided with the correct access code by the remote control, descrambles
the
cable television signal.
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Preferably, the CPU enabled device includes a telephone receiver and
telephone line coupled thereto allowing the user to operate the CPU enabled
device
200 precisely like a telephone. Thus, for example, the user places and
receives calls
through the CPU enabled device 200. In addition to the typical telephony
functions,
the CPU enabled device 200 offers telephone applications (which a conventional
telephone cannot provide) such as automatically responding to an incoming (or
outgoing) telephone call.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that the present
invention quickly and conveniently controls the consumer electronics. It will
be
10 appreciated that consumer electronics refers to any one or more consumer
technologies including, but not limited to, telephony, Internet-TV, on-line
services,
teleconferencing, e-mail, voice e-mail, voice recognition, audio/video,
television or
subscription television services.
Fig. 3 is a block diagram of remote control 100 according to the
preferred embodiment of the present invention. Key-press signals) are
generated in
response to key-presses of the keypad by keypad control 300, digital protocol
302,
amplifier 304 and digital-pulse transmitter 306. Speech is converted into
speech
signals) by microphone 308, analog signal processor 310, frequency modulator
(FM)
312, amplifier 314 and speech-signal transmitter 316.
The present invention is operable in any environment; which is
important since remote control 100 is operated anywhere. To that end, speech
(voice)
recognition is provided as a means for controlling the functions and
applications when
the environment does not allow the user to enter key-presses. In an
environment such
as the dark, for example, the user relies on speech in the present invention
to control
the functions and applications of, for example, the television because it is
too difficult
to identify the correct key. In a noisy environment such as, for example,
watching a
digital-video-disk (DVD) movie in surround-sound or an airplane cabin, the
background noise will interfere with the speech recognition. Thus, the voice
recognition of the present invention is coupled with the noise cancellation to
provide a
powerful method of controlling functions and applications in an environment
which is
not conducive to key-press control.
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More particularly, as shown in Figs. 4A and 4C, the present invention
includes either an active noise cancellation or passive noise cancellation.
Fig. 4A
shows a closed-loop active noise cancellation circuit including first and
second
microphones 402 and 404, respectively, and a subtracting device 406, which in
a
preferred embodiment is an operational amplifier ("op-amp"). It is preferred
that
remote control 100 include an amplifier 408, which is preferably an op-amp,
and a
speaker 410 for broadcasting signals) received from the telephone line such
that
remote control 100 doubles as a portable telephone. In the alternative, the
received
signals) from the telephone line may be broadcast through the CPU enabled
device
200, such as the speaker of the television.
Acoustic signals) composed of speech or the like and background
noise are supplied to the first microphone 402 and converted therein into a
corresponding electrical signal which is thereafter supplied to the plus
terminal of the
op-amp 406. The background noise is supplied to the second microphone 404 and
converted therein into a corresponding electrical signal that is thereafter
supplied to
the minus terminal of the op-amp 406. The op-amp 406 is adapted to subtract
the
noise signal from the second microphone 404 from the speech and noise signal
from
the first microphone 402 and to supply therefrom an electrical signal
representing
substantially the speech to the CPU enabled device 200. In telephony
applications,
for example, the speech signal is transmitted from the CPU enabled devices via
PCTI,
to a desired telephone line. The output signal from the op-amp 16 is also
combined in
the CPU enabled device 200 with a received signal from the telephone line and
supplied to the amplifier 408 for broadcasting by speaker 410.
The op-amps 406 and 408 are preferably relatively low-power
integrated circuits (IC's), such as complementary metal oxide semiconductors
(CMOS), and may be constructed from either one or more CMOS IC chips. Although
not shown in Fig. 4A, amplifier 406 may be manually set by use of a switch so
as to
adjust the amplification of the received signal to a desired level.
In the preferred embodiment, near-field/far-field switch 112 selects
near-field noise cancellation which is governed by the directivity patterns of
omnidirectional microphones in the near and far fields and the correct
placement of
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the microphone's pressure sensitive surfaces as explained in the
aforementioned U.S.
Patents, particularly 5,381,473, 5,673,325 and 5,732,143, which are
incorporated
herein by reference. The physical design of the microphone as seen in Figs. 4B
and
4C is the determining factor in the S/N increase. Examination of these
drawings
shows that the microphone pressure sensitive surfaces are preferably placed at
180
mechanical degrees from each other, and provide the optimum separation of the
signal
going to the voice microphone and noise microphone in the near field. This
separation is a primary component in the determination of the signal in the
S/N ratio.
A problem in the far field is to add vectorially, at a desired point, the
sound pressures arriving at that point from all simple sources. If the summed
outputs
of the two microphones are zero, then the associated scale factors are equal.
This is
corrected by adjusting the amplitude of the microphone. Phase adjustment is
unnecessary because reproducibility is inherent in the manufacture of the
microphones which provide outputs of tracking phase with frequency.
In the far-field, the spacing between the microphones is small
compared with the wavelengths at a large distance; the two microphones
essentially
coalesce and the output at any angle 0 will be zero for matched scale factors
(magnitude/phase) at any frequency. In the near field, the spacing is not much
smaller
than the distance from the microphones and, as a result, the phase
relationship
between the two microphones to an incoming sound wave establishes the
theoretical
limit for the crossing of the near and far fields of the noise canceling
microphone. As
the frequency changes at a fixed spacing, the phase difference between the
near field
and the far field signals) changes, i.e.: at ~ = 90, there may be no
cancellation at all.
This phase change, in the absence of baffles can be a governing factor in the
bandwidth of the cancellation.
The present invention uses an acoustic to reduce the effect of the
spacing on the far field pattern. In addition, the microphones of the
invention are
optimally defined by the location of their respective pressure surfaces,
preferably 180
degrees in the present invention. When the microphone pressure surfaces are at
0
degrees with respect to each other, total cancellation could be theoretically
obtained
but no voice would be transmitted. In summary, the inventive system can rely
on the
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directivity patterns of the microphones in the near and far fields,
orientation of their
pressure sensitive surfaces, and the electrical process of subtraction.
Near-field noise cancellation of the present invention is designed to be
sensitive to distance from the sound source. Tests have proven that arbitrary
sound
fields which emanate from more than a few inches away from the microphone are
substantially canceled by up to 30dB (3200%).
Passive (acoustic) noise cancellation incorporates, as shown in Fig. 4D,
a specially-adapted noise canceling microphone 412 comprising a diaphragm
having a
front port 414 oppositely-situated from a rear port 416 by a distance "D". Due
to this
port separation (D), the magnitude of sound pressure is greater in the front
(Pfront)
than in the rear (Prear) of the diaphragm and slightly delayed in time. This
results in a
net pressure difference (Pnet = Pfront-Prear) between the sound pressures at
the front
and rear ports which causes the diaphragm to move. In this manner, the passive
noise
cancellation microphone measures and responds to the net pressure difference
(Pnet)
in an arnving sound wave between two different points in space, thereby
passively
canceling noise.
In the preferred embodiment, receiver 204, as shown in Fig. 5, which
receives speech signals) transmitted from remote control 100, includes
receiver
detector decoder 500, filter/amplifier stage 502 and demodulator 504. More
specifically, receiver detector decoder 500 receives the transmitted speech
signal(s),
filter/amplifier stage 502 filters and amplifies the received speech signal
and
demodulator demodulates the speech signal modulated upon transmission on an FM
Garner.
The digital-pulse signals) are preferably transmitted to the television
directly according to conventional transmitting methods. However, the receiver
204
may be adapted to receive the digital pulses as well as the speech signal(s).
In operation, the user quickly and easily controls, in any environment,
the functions and applications of any piece of electronics) equipment and all
future
generations thereof. Specifically, remote control 100, in response to user key-
presses
and speech, transmits corresponding key-press digital pulses and FM analog
speech
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signals) to CPU enabled device 200 which interprets the received signals) and
controls the desired electronic equipment coupled thereto accordingly.
The remote control system of the present invention, for example, may
be used as a universal remote control for controlling all home audio/video
equipment.
The user, for example, depresses the power button to activate the CPU enabled
device
200 and selects functions of the audio/video equipment coupled thereto in
accordance
with depressed keys) of keypad 102. The user may, for example, select channels
of
the television by depressing the numerical keys) 102b, enter data concerning a
particular television program scheduled to be recorded by the VCR by
depressing A-Z
keys 102c, and select/scroll through data of a displayed digital-TV menu using
pointing and scrolling keys 102d, 102e. It will be appreciated that, with such
a
universal remote control, the user will never again need to fumble with a
plurality of
remote controls and their intricate operating instructions.
The remote control 100 of the present invention also controls computer
applications, particularly on-line applications such as Internet applications.
Thus, for
example, the user manipulates the position of the cursor displayed on a
monitor
coupled to the CPU enable device 200 using pointing-device 102d and actuates
displayed programmable objects, such as hypertext and Internet links, by
clicking-on
the desired object using, as shown in Fig. 1, the central button on the
pointing device.
The user may also scroll through Internet web-pages and databases using
scrolling
device 102e. More than this, the user can actually interact with the Internet
such as
compose e-mail, voice e-mail, dictate e-mail, Internet telephone, enter web
site
addresses or fill out databases posted on the Internet using A-Z keys 102c
just like a
keyboard. With the microphone, the user can speak with other users, such as
during
game-play of an on-line game, while interacting with the application.
Since the CPU enabled device 200 is equipped with a PCTI capability,
the remote control 100 of the present invention is operable as a portable
telephone.
The user, for example, depresses telephone-talk button 110 which causes remote
control 100 to transmit a request to CPU enabled device to establish a
telephone line
connection. To receive an incoming call, the user simply depresses the
telephone-talk
button and the incoming call is coupled from the telephone line to the remote
control
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100. To place an outgoing call, once the CPU enabled device establishes the
dial
tone, the user enters the telephone number by depressing the numerical keys
102b on
keypad 102, the remote control 100 transmits the telephone number to the CPU
enabled device 200, and the CPU enabled device 200 couples the corresponding
5 DTMF (Dual Tone Modulated Frequency) signals) to the telephone line to place
the
call.
It will be appreciated that the remote control of the present invention is
operable as a telephone from anywhere there is a computer since computers
today are
equipped with modem line capability. More than this, if the CPU enabled device
200
10 is a portable laptop computer with a cellular telephone connection, the
user may make
a cellular telephone call virtually anywhere.
With the voice recognition capability of the CPU enabled device 200,
all of the foregoing controls and functions may be controlled by the user
simply by
speaking into the remote control 100 which greatly enhances the effectiveness
and
15 ease with which the remote control is operated. Thus, for example, the user
conveniently changes channels on the television, calls Grandma on the
telephone, or
surfs the Internet simply by speaking into the remote control 100. The speech
signals) generated in response are transmitted to the CPU enabled device 200
and
interpreted thereby for controlling the desired functions and applications.
With the
voice recognition of the present invention, the user can, with the assistance
of a
transcribing application can dictate, via the remote control, word-processor
documents to compose e-mail and other documents.
It will be appreciated that, the remote control 100 is operable in any
environment. With the voice recognition capability provided by the CPU enabled
device 200, the remote control system of the present invention is operable in
environments which are not conducive to key-press control. Watching movies on
the
television in the dark, calling the police during a burglary or when hands are
not free
such as when making a telephone call while driving, are instances where the
voice
recognition of the present invention provides a powerful means to control
functions
and applications. The ability to operate in any environment is greatly
assisted with
the noise cancellation capability of the remote control 100 that, for example,
cancels
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16
the noise of the surround-sound stereo of the DVD movie, the noisy burglar, or
the
sound of the automobile. It shall be noted that, noise cancellation is
particularly well-
suited for canceling aircraft cabin noise.
It will be appreciated that the remote control of the present invention is
operable with all future generations of electronics) equipment because the CPU
enabled device interprets the commands. With such an arrangement, a virtually
unlimited number of equipment may be added to the remote control system of the
present invention.
While it is preferred that the remote control 100 transmits the speech
signals as an FM signal, it is possible that the remote control digitizes the
speech
signals and transmits them as a digital signal. The procedure by which
digitized
speech signals are speech recognized is explained more fully in US Patent
5,251,263.
As shown in Figs. 6A and 6B, the remote control 100 of the second
embodiment of the present invention is a dual-faced unit having a first face
(Fig. 6A)
which comprises essentially all of the elements shown in Fig. 1 and a second
face, on
the opposite side, which comprises a telephone headset including a speaker 600
and
microphone 602.
While it is preferred that the telephony functions be provided by the
CPU enabled device 200, it is within the realm of this invention to
incorporate a
cellular telephone into the remote control 100. In the former case, the user
speaks
into the first face to control functions and applications of consumer
electronics)
coupled to the CPU enabled device and "flips" the remote control 100 over to
employ
the remote control as a cellular telephone. With this arrangement, the user is
able to
quickly switch between controlling the consumer electronics) and talking on
the
phone.
Figs. 7A and 7B illustrate transmission schemes of the remote control
system of the present invention. Although the key-press and speech signals)
generated by the remote control 100 may be transmitted as various types of
signal(s),
it is preferred that the signals) be transmitted in the I/R band because I/R
frequency
signals) consume less power. However, since UR signal(s) have a tendency not
to
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17
penetrate walls, it is preferred that the transmission schemes shown in Figs.
7A and
7B be employed.
The transmission scheme of Fig. 7A, for example, is comprised of
repeaters 702 which, when placed in ideal locations, repeats the transmitted
I/R key-
press and speech signals) to the CPU enabled device 200 stationed in a remote
location. Thus, for example, the user may control the functions and
applications in a
remote portion of the household such as the basement, with repeaters 702
transmitting
the I/R key-press and speech signals) to the CPU enabled device 200 located
in, for
example, the study.
In addition, the transmission scheme of Fig. 7B, for example,
comprises repeater 704 which intercepts the I/R key-press and speech signals)
transmitted from the remote control 100 and couples the intercepted signals)
through
wiring in the household. Preferably, repeater 704 couples the intercepted
signals) to
the AC wiring in the house via AC outlet 706A. It is preferred that the
repeater 704
convert the I/R signal(s) to a signal on a carrier frequency substantially
greater than
100KHz such that the converted signals) are unaffected by AC line noise.
Repeater
708 receives the signals) from the AC wiring via AC outlet 706B and transmits
the
AC signals) as I/R signal(s) to the CPU enabled device 200.
While it is preferred that the present invention incorporates a keypad
with at least one key, it is possible in some modifications that the remote
control does
not (or has a limited) keypad. Fig. 8, for example, shows the third embodiment
of the
remote control apparatus of the present invention that comprises a headset 800
with
speakers 800a and boom microphone 800b and I/R medallion 802. The remote
control apparatus of the third embodiment of the present invention essentially
operates in the same manner as described above except that the microphone is
part of
the headset 800 and the speech signals) are transmitted via I/R emitters 802a
located
on the I/R medallion which is attachable, via an attaching member (not shown),
to the
shirt of the wearer. The technology employed for noise cancellation as
disclosed in
the aforementioned referenced US Patents may be incorporated in the headset of
the
third embodiment.
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18
It will be appreciated that there may be circumstances where it is
convenient to provide only speech control in the present invention. In the
third
embodiment, for example, it is inconvenient for the user to depress keys on
the I/R
medallion attached to the shirt because the user cannot readily see the
key(s). Thus,
while it is preferred that the present invention include a keypad for
generating key-
press signal(s), it is possible that some embodiments comprise no keypad or
limited
keypad capability.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the remote control
system, method and apparatus of the present invention greatly enhances the
users
ability to quickly and easily control from anywhere, and in any environment,
functions and applications of all generations of electronics) equipment.
Furthermore, although preferred embodiments of the present invention
and modifications thereof have been described in detail herein, it is to be
understood
that this invention is not limited to those precise embodiments and
modifications, and
that other modifications and variations may be affected by one skilled in the
art
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the
appended claims.
